Pubbelly Steak brings seafood, beef & small plates to South Beach's Sunset Harbor

Sara Liss1/14/2013

The goods: Pubbelly partners Andreas Schreiner, Sergio Navarro and Jose Mendin add Pubbelly Steak to their quickly expanding restaurant collection

Ambience: The 100-seat former Georgia’s Union space has been warmed up with chalkboard walls, black leather booths and exposed light bulbs.

The grub: Modern steakhouse with whimsical touches. Prices are slightly lower than South Beach standards: Small plates span $9-$18, mains $19-$62 and sides $9.

Begin with crusty baguette and butter, then move onto “small plates” like bone marrow with short rib marmalade, steak tartare sliders with potato chips, foie gras brulee with blueberry marmalade, buffalo sweatbreads, ceviche tacos with hamachi and a beet salad with goat cheese croquettes.

Steaks like the 10-ounce butcher steak, 14-ounce ribeye and 26-ounce porterhouse can be accented with black truffle, foie gras mousse and house-made bacon confit add-ons. Seafood options include 48-hour marinated miso cod, steamed mussels and Florida lobster tail with lemongrass butter. Pastry chef Maria Orantes churns out cinnamon roll bread pudding, a peanut butter and jelly-inspired pana cotta and cinnamon and sugar French toast strips with a trio of sauces.

Verdict: South Beach hardly needs another steakhouse but this one brings some fun to the game.