Eos

A new dawn of serious food & fun in Brickell.

By Victoria Pesce Elliott

Eos (“new dawn”), the inspired Mediterranean at the Icon Brickell's Viceroy Hotel, is the work of executive chef Michael Psilakis and restaurateur Donatella Arpaia, whose Midas touch has brought New Yorkers such golden hearths as Kefi, Mia Dona and Anthos, one of only two Michelin-starred Greek restaurants in the world.

Ambiance
The complex's dark, Easter Island-inspired columns may be more eerie than awe-inspiring, but the 15th-floor restaurant is a shimmeringly beautiful marriage of Aegean opulence and tropical elegance. Chandeliers constructed of dozens of marble plates look as if they might be flung across the room at any moment. And the views! ... Biscayne Bay and downtown skyline as far as the eye can see. As beautiful as it is, the seats are oddly erect and tiny, as though designed for Barbie dolls instead of actual people. But real people are exactly what you find, noon and night, enjoying the lusty flavors with hearty laughs and tinkling glasses.

What Worked

• A signature crudi of exquisite fresh fish - subtle flavors of grouper, snapper, tuna, uni and ebi (shrimp) coaxed by fresh cantaloupe, mango, papaya, guava, pomegranate and peppers
• A simple piece of niaragi (orange marlin) dotted with apricot puree and mastic, a pistachio-tree resin from the island of Chios
• Gorgeously seared rack of lamb deeply infused with rosemary and garlic
• Whole loup de mer (sea bass) stuffed with herbs and briny olives
• The Aristotelian ideal of a Caesar salad with shaved, aged Parmiggiano and a hint of anchovy, poached asparagus dressed with tiny grapefruit smiles and crispy bacon and lanky ropes of smoked octopus dotted with tangy-sweet pineapple and spicy sopressata
• Homey, satisfying Greek “paella,” rice-shaped pasta packed with meaty shrimp, mussels, clams and octopus
• Gorgeous tagliatelle sauced at the table with a poached egg and black truffles
• Tropical fruit cannoli - a pair of cigar-sized, canary-yellow tubes of dried pineapple pressed as thin as parchment and filled with tart cream and coconut tapioca accented with basil seeds

What Didn't Work

• Oddly erect and tiny seats seemingly designed for Barbie dolls
• Eager to please, but occasionally unable to help waiters

Eos Restaurant at The Viceroy Miami: Icon Brickell, 485 Brickell Ave, Miami; 305-503-0373; Hours: 7am-2pm and 6-10pm daily, later on weekends; Prices: Starters $9-$14, entrees $13-$22, shareable entrees $35-$42, dessert $6-$7.
FYI: Reservations suggested; available at opentable.com. Full bar; corkage $25. Free valet parking with validation; metered street spots. AX, DN, MC, VS.