At Bianca, the restaurant at the Delano, dinner is a special affair. Patrons are dressed up and decked out. Exotic accents waft across the dimly lit terrace, adorned by candles and furnishings reminiscent of the Hamptons. This is an expensive place to see and be seen.
So if you're looking for a snazzy spot to dine and wine, impress, and seal the deal with your date this weekend, look no further than Bianca, which just introduced a number of new menu items. Short Order was invited to sample the fresh offerings. Pictures after the jump.
See also: Miami's Top Ten Italian Desserts
Cocktail selections are made from an iPad and cost $18 each. Libations are strong and pack a punch. We suggest going for the Napoli Smash, which mixes Disaronno with lemon juice and mint. It's like a stronger (and better tasting) mojito.
Appetizer options include old staples such as meatballs, grilled octopus, and langoustines. A new item showcases squash, which is ultra-trendy at the moment. The delicate squash ($20) composes a light and cool salad. Besides the squash, frisée, ricotta, and walnut vinaigrette all make an appearance.
It's not a new dish, but the one must-have at Bianca is the bigeye tuna pizza ($18), which tops a focaccia with freshly sliced ahi tuna, micro shiso, and truffle oil. It won't be enough to fill you up, but it will make you happy.
Pasta and risotto play a big part in Bianca's menu, so two new players have been brought into this arena. Seafood squid ink taglioni ($36) might just compete with the tuna pizza as a favorite. Black taglioni pasta is drenched in a light tomato sauce with shrimp, mussels, and clams. My dining guest and I chose to split everything, so our server was kind enough to bring out each dish in separate plates -- a nice touch.
Risotto al funghi ($45) is rich and decadent -- perhaps overly decadent. It arrived drenched with black truffle mantecato and invaded with porcini mushrooms. If you're truffle-obsessed, this is definitely a dish for you. Our advice is to split it as well, because a whole serving might be too much for the palate to handle.
Other new entrées include a grouper t-bone with salsa verde and petite mixed greens ($55) and chianti-braised short rib with gremolata ($48). Bianca also serves midday meals that include beef carpaccio grande (it's more than a foot wide and tall) with Gorgonzola polenta and roasted cipollini onions ($25); ciabatta chicken milanese with arugula, tomato, and parmigiano ($23); rigatoni with mushroom ragout and salsa rosa ($24); and a petite filet mignon with arugula, heirloom tomatoes, and beef jus ($34).
Dessert has remained the same as when Bianca first opened, but if you're looking for a sweet and sharable ending, order the dolcetti misti, an assortment of Italian mini delicacies and pastries ($14). Take a bite of each with your sweetheart and guess what it is. That, along with Bianca's setting, will be like a scene from a movie. Head down the stairs and past the pool afterward for some groovy beats at FDR.
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