Eos Dazzles

The new benchmark for Miami's hotel restaurants.

Comments (0) By Lee Klein Thursday, Jul 23 2009

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We also relished an orzo-based "Greek paella" jammed with clams, mussels, Merguez sausage, and two jumbo head-on prawns in a spectacular saffron-spiced sauce spiked with red Espelette pepper. At $14, this is an absolute steal. So are most other plates, ranging from $10 to $16. There is great variance in terms of portion size, but four or five items should suffice for a couple, and six will surely do. A handful of large main courses such as roasted rack of lamb, grilled dry-aged sirloin, and a two-pound loupe de mere run $32 to $48 and can feed two. Dollar for dollar, diners here get more in the way of ambiance, service, and cuisine than at any other mid- or upscale restaurant in town.

The wine list is evolving ever so slowly. It began as a surprisingly feeble five whites and reds apiece and has since expanded to a dozen each (Northern Greece is represented by a rubicund Boutari Grande Reserve Naoussa). One would imagine the sommelier here would be lonelier than the Maytag repairman, which is probably why there is no sommelier here. Service, though, was stellar, no doubt owing to Ms. Arpaia sharing much time and expertise with the staff. The dining room team showed a refreshing professionalism without forfeiting friendliness, and was notably detail-oriented (a waiter came by at meal's end and offered to take valet tickets for validation, a gesture not seen in some time).

Joe Rocco

Location Info

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The Viceroy

485 Brickell Ave.
Miami, FL 33131

Category: Hotels/Resorts

Region: Brickell

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Details

Eos Viceroy Miami, 485 Brickell Ave., Miami; 305-503-0373; viceroymiami.com. Breakfast daily 7 a.m. to noon. Lunch daily noon to 2 p.m. Dinner Monday through Wednesday 6 to 10 p.m., Thursday through Saturday 6 to 11 p.m.; closed Sunday.

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Pastry chef Yannis Janssens, who previously impressed us at the Grill at the Setai, continues to wow. Chocolate mousse did so with hints of lemon tea, halvah crumbles, and a quenelle of vivid verbena ice cream on the side. Tropical fruit "cannoli" were even wowier: two golden rectangular shells of papery dried pineapple filled on one end with diced papaya and mango, the other with passion fruit foam, both potently perfumed by baby basil sprouts — and floating on a cup of tapioca tripped with coconut and fresh vanilla. These dainty, delicious desserts would be $12 to $15 apiece at any other high-end hotel establishment — here the mousse and ice cream were $7; the cannoli and tapioca were $6. Plus a complimentary plate of petite sweet treats follows, often a trio that includes a pair each of marshmallow cube, madeleine, and jelly candy of varying colors and flavors.

Eos is damn impressive and clearly the new benchmark for Miami's hotel restaurants. Roll over, Delano, and tell Nobu the news.