Tuyo

Sara Liss11/6/2011

The goods: South Florida culinary luminary Norman Van Aken returns to the local dining scene with Tuyo, a cushy new spot atop the Miami Culinary Institute. Van Aken pairs his allegiance to fresh local ingredients with an all-star team of sous-chefs: Travis Starwalt (Sugarcane) and Jeffrey Brana (Restaurant Brana).

Ambience: A live piano player and floor-to-ceiling windows framing views of downtown create an old school charm at Tuyo. There’s no bar to wait at, but you’ll be served by a tuxedo-clad server.

The grub: Van Aken’s globe-trotting cuisine. A little Peruvian influence here, some Caribbean there, a touch of Asia scattered about. The concise menu features just six starters and seven mains while starters average $9-$18, mains $23-$42 and desserts $8-$9.

Begin with house-made ciabatta bread then move onto starters like Brazilian creamy conch chowder spiked with saffron and star anise or shrimp and octopus ceviche topped with popcorn. Mains include Key West yellowtail in a citrus butter sauce (pictured); black grouper bathed in salsa rosa and Benton’s ham; pork Havana with smoky plantain crema, black bean and corn salsa; and a meat-free paella with wild mushrooms, radicchio and garbanzo beans.

Desserts lean towards Latin staples like guava cheesecake and coconut flan.

The verdict: Miami’s culinary star Norman Van Aken returns with a glossy, upscale ode to local ingredients and fusion cooking.

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Average rating based on 1 review.

4

What you said

25

Sean_OHanlon

4

Posted on Sun, 11.13.2011 @ 10:26

"Farm Gate-to-Plate Philosophy with An Amazing View" First of all, any place that is rooftop dining automatically gets 2 stars. So add a live jazz piano player and floor-to-ceiling windows that frame colorful views of downtown? You create a romantic charm that bumps it up to 3. Norman Van Aken pairs his allegiance to fresh local ingredients (Gabriele Marewski of Paradise Farms is a partner) with an all-star team of sous-chefs: Travis Starwalt (Sugarcane) and Jeffrey Brana (Restaurant Brana). The Food: There is a little Peruvian influence going on here, some Caribbean, and a touch of Asian throughout. Start with the Shrimp and Octopus Ceviche topped with popcorn. It has a nice little kick to it. Main dishes: The Chicken Mofongo was superlative as was the Black Grouper with Salsa Rosa and Serrano Ham. The Wine: You MUST try the "Domaine du Salvard Sauvignon Blanc Unique" Oo la-la! Desserts: Try the Coconut Flan (Light and not too sweet.) and The Warm Chocolate Bread Pudding were the best things on the dessert menu. Mmm... How do say "sinful" in French? The verdict: The food and service would rate 4 Stars even if you took away the views and decor. Expensive but well worth it for those special occasions. Such as impressing that date you are trying to seduce. ;-}... Read more

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