Picture this: you're taking in breathtaking views of Biscayne Bay whilst sipping on a roasted rosemary old fashioned and cutting into a char-grilled 24-ounce Neinam Ranch grass-fed ribeye that's been char-grilled to the point of perfection. Sounds nice, eh?
Keep picturing it till January when La Savina Café & Grill opens at the Mondrian, bringing a taste of the inspired cuisine of the Spanish island of Formentera and a slice of the Mediterranean to South Beach.
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Till now, the restaurant inhabiting the first floor of the whimsical and avant-garde hotel didn't really have an identity. Sure, they had a party brunch on Saturday where one could get delectable chicken and waffles topped with a honeycomb and play mixologist with their DIY bloody mary station, but that's as gourmand as it got.
Come 2015, however, you'll be able to bite into food conceptualized by an award-winning team of toques, which includes Morgans corporate executive chefT Tien Ho, formerly of Momofuku. Ho is joined by chef de cuisine Gabriel Cruz, who's honed his skills at some of Manhattan's best eateries including and Brasserie 8 ½ and Tribeca Grand.
Together they've come up with a menu complete with crudos, meats, fish, and local Florida vegetables. Emphasis will be placed on chargrilling meats much in the same way as it is done on the coast of Spain. Everything will be meant to be shared and experienced in a convivial setting. "Mediterranean families socialize for hours over beautiful meals with incredibly fresh seasonal ingredients," says Ho.
This means socializing over a plate of artisanal charcuterie, hamachi drizzled in Serrano chili, tuna with romesco and cilantro, Valencia rice with braised kale and slow-roasted tomato, or whole Florida yellowtail snapper "a la parilla" with salsa verde.
Café Savina will be an extension of La Savina Café & Grill. Think Mediterranean coffee and wine bar fully equipped with croissants, cold-pressed juice from OnJuice, single origin coffee and espressos from La Colombe. Café Savina will also offer market-fresh salads and sandwiches for lunch, as well as cheese and charcuterie and a selection of Spanish wines, craft beers from New York and Europe, and cocktails like the West Avenue (Bacardi, strawberry cinnamom falernum and lime). And because no Spanish restaurant is complete without sangria, a bevvy of flavors like rosemary pear, ginger pineapple, and hibiscus lemon will be proffered. Enjoy this and more while taking in one of the most gorgeous sunset views in the entire city when La Savina Café & Grill opens in January.
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