Tarry at Mai Tardi in the Design District

Comments (0) By Lee Klein Thursday, Dec 3 2009

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An entrée of two double lamb chops was moist and, with golden nuggets of oil-roasted potatoes, made a magnanimous plate of food for $24 — yet with its flabby, colorless exterior, the meat might as well have been poached in water rather than pan-roasted. A ramekin of fig-and-port-wine sauce arrived tardily to the table but heightened the final mouthfuls. Mai Tardi's staff is well intentioned and fairly well informed, but there are lapses when the place gets busy (which happens quite often).

The waiter, who assured us that each sweet is made on premises, enunciated an abbreviated dessert menu. Tiramisu, panna cotta, and ricotta cheesecake are generally on hand, as is Nutella-filled pizza crust. We had tried that dough in enough guises already, so we went instead with Nutella/chocolate chip cheesecake, a dense, creamy New York-style slice only improved by the addition of chocolate-hazelnut paste.

Joe Rocco

Location Info

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Mai Tardi

169 NE 39th St.
Miami, FL 33137

Category: Restaurant > Italian

Region: Midtown/Wynwood/Design District

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Details

163 NE 39th St., Miami; 305-572-1400; maitardimiami.com. Lunch and dinner Monday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to midnight.

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A well-valued, easily navigated wine list with strong Italian accent offers deals you can't refuse. Bottles are categorized according to price, starting at $20 and rising by $5 increments to $40 (plus there's a handful of more serious wines, from $60 to $220 for Joseph Phelps Insignia). Grapes by the glass start as low as $6 for, say, a workable Umbrian Sangiovese or Sardinian Vermentino. The beer selection spans seven countries — eight if you count Brooklyn separately from the United States. A full bar concocts $10 cocktails and pours apropos spirits such as limoncello, black sambuca, and Candolini grappas. Linger as long as you'd like over any of these elixirs. At the relaxed and affordable Mai Tardi, time is not of the essence.