For four years, chef Kevin Wright has executed Soyka's vision (found in simpler form at the News Cafe and Van Dyke). The place is as much bar/hangout as serious restaurant, but the food is consistently good.
Mark Soyka opened his namesake eatery just off Biscayne Boulevard in '99 to smashing success. One reason: Soyka was pretty much the only game in a deeply underserved neighborhood.
In the five years since, the Biscayne corridor has seen quality restaurants come (Andiamo, Dogma, Cafe 71, Il Fico, Renaisa, 190, Citronelle, Grass, Food Cafe, the Douglas Rodriguez play pen OLA) and go (Sushi Box, Da Ermanno).
But there Soyka stands, virtually unchanged. It's a bustling, macho place with a long wooden bar, sports perpetually on TV and big, hearty food. Season brings line-'em-up business, even on weeknights.
For four years, chef Kevin Wright has executed Soyka's vision (found in simpler form at the News Cafe and Van Dyke). The place is as much bar/hangout as serious restaurant, but the food is consistently good.
Peruvian ceviche is a frequent special, and it's a must-get. Discard most of the dozen or so tostadas to unveil perfectly fresh, lemon-puckery fish flavored with sharp onion and cilantro. The Soyka salad, plenty for two, gets its gumption from a brightly flavored mustard-shallot vinaigrette and plenty of kalamata olives on mesclun greens. Crab cake appetizer is hot and moist with an unusually fruity remoulade.
Entree menu has changed little. Best, and surely the most alliterative, is sesame-seared salmon with sautéed spinach, shiitakes and sweet soy. Juicy skirt steak gets a flavor boost from chimichurri. Spicy Italian sausage mixes with broccoli and a rich marinara in a toss with linguine. Four cheese ravioli with tomato and spinach melts in the mouth.
