Cast Your Line with Downtown Miami's Area 31

Most entrées are in the upper $20 range, with only dorade, lobster, and veal milanese topping $30. Courses don't come with much in the way of vegetable or starch, so an à la carte side or two is recommended. Crisp cubes of roast potatoes were pooled in light, concassé-like tomato purée, but bright green rapini lacked advertised garlic and needed some salt.

Service is surprisingly polished for such a new venue. Waiters are well trained, well mannered, well informed, and, well, just very impressive. So is the wine list assembled by master sommelier Emily Wines (from San Francisco's Michelin-rated Fifth Floor restaurant), whose esoteric inventory is invested in vintages and small production wines from around the globe. Some two dozen half-bottles are thoughtfully offered, as is a wide array of wines by the glass — ranging from $8 to $17. Specialty beers include Lindeman's Pêche from Belgium and Ayinger Bräu-Weisse from Germany. And Area 31 has netted "master mixologist" Jacques Bezuidenhout to orchestrate the provision of professionally prepared, cutting-edge cocktails ­— the hottest of Miami restaurant trends. Try the Hot Crush, a mesmerizing mix of Square One Cucumber vodka, vanilla liqueur, jalapeño, and the juice of cucumbers and lime (even more mesmerizing after the second round).

Joe Rocco

Location Info

Map

Area 31

270 Biscayne Blvd. Way, 16th Floor, 16
Miami, FL 33132

Category: Restaurant > Greek

Region: Downtown/Overtown

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Details

Epic Hotel, 270 Biscayne Boulevard Way, 16th floor, Miami; 305-424-5234. Breakfast daily 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Dinner Monday through Saturday 5 to 11 p.m., Sunday 5 to 10 p.m.

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More About

• John Critchley
• Scituate
• Culinary Institute of America
• Seafood
• Eating Out

Desserts are no less creative. A key lime tart delivered dabs of tart citrus mousse between two thin, crisp rounds of bright white meringue, the sandwich itself sandwiched with a sweet swirl of carrot purée below and a capping quenelle of cardamom ice cream. If your post-dinner tastes trend more toward traditional, the nightly trio of cheeses might bring Boucheron de chèvre, Gorgonzola Valdeón, and Romao, a chewy Spanish sheep's milk with a rosemary rind.

The next time you seek a great seafood dinner, there's no need to go fishing about for options. Cast your line with Area 31 and you're sure to catch something to brag about.