Last April, pasta-loving locals and Lincoln Road obsessed tourists were saddened to find that TiramesU, the long-standing (17 years to be exact) Italian joint was shutting its doors practically overnight.
Now, after a year of not serving al dente pappardelle Bolognese, however, TiramesU has announced it will reopen South of Fifth — where it started a quarter century ago. "We don't have an exact date but permit permitting, we're shooting for very, very soon," a restaurant rep tells New Times. "For sure for the summer."
Re-opening in the former Gold & Pepper location on Washington and First Street, the 75-seat restaurant will boast a modern take on rustic Italian cuisine that's completely different from the TiramesU you knew and loved. While the chef, Fabrizio Pintus, is the same, he's doing things differently.
"We're basically changing a lot of the menu," he says. "More modern, more fun, and more interesting. A new thing." And while the menu isn't set in stone yet and "probably won't be till the night of opening," he's already hard at work. He'll incorporate a plethora of techniques picked up traveling through Europe and immersing himself in kitchens for the past year. Among them was Michelin starred Chef Enrico Bartolini’s Il Devero and acclaimed pastry shop Pasticceria Asperti. “The exposure to “eye” techniques, preparation, mise-en-place and critical attention to detail, from selecting the ingredients to plating was amazing,” he explains. “To have an opportunity to go back to the experts in our industry was truly inspirational and I am incorporating plenty of creativity into the new dishes.”
As for the new dishes and menu, Pintus tells us it'll be a shorter menu with components that require a lot more attention. "Each dish will feature a different technique." From making gluten-free pasta in house to sous vide, Pintus is catering to Miami's health-conscious yet ravenous eaters.
We're told there will also be a creative cocktail program featuring handcrafted libations with an Italian twist, as well as inventive bar bites to accompany the bevvies. And while there's no set menu yet, tomorrow TiramesU will participate in the South of Spice event at Williams McCall Gallery where Pintus will preview what he's got up his sleeves. Think venison tartare with raspberries and mango, scallop carpaccio with a fruit citrus salad, and chocolate and red pepper tiramisu. You didn't think you were going to get out of this without some tiramisu did you?
"We wanted to stay on the beach. South of Fifth was our original location and we wanted to bring it back full circle." Indeed, the fresh pasta saga continues.
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