He describes the 6,000-square-foot eatery as "a concept that’s somewhere between comfortable and sophisticated, where everyone can enjoy a little bit of everything." The restaurateur says he decided on Coral Gables because he likes the area's diversity in terms of the residents and those who work there. Flynn says equal attention is paid to the craft cocktails offered and to the cuisine and insists that one isn't better than the other.
The menu is described as New World American cuisine with strong Latin, French, and Japanese influences. It's a collaboration between Flynn and executive chef Pablo Zitzmann, two longtime friends who worked together at Batch Gastropub before reuniting to open Trust & Co. Colombian-born Zitzmann has worked in some of Miami's best kitchens, including Michelle Bernstein's now-closed Sra. Martinez, Nobu, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten's' Matador Room at the Miami Beach Edition.
Matador Room was the chef's last gig before Trust & Co., and he has nothing but praise for its top toque, Jeremy Ford. "Jeremy is supertalented, superyoung, and he knows what he’s doing. The kind of stuff Matador is doing right now, not a lot of restaurants in Miami are doing," he says. Zitzmann considers chef Ricky Sauri, who is now at Soho Bay, his mentor. He and Sauri worked together at Nobu, and
The menu at Trust is certainly eclectic, and Zitzmann says the goal is for everyone to find a few dishes they really like. Some of his must-haves include the pulled pork poutine that Flynn came up with, as well as the slow-cooked and grilled carrots from Swank Farms that are served with yogurt dip. He's especially proud of the duck breast entrée that's inspired by a similar dish he ate at Daniel Humm's critically acclaimed Eleven Madison Park in New York two years ago. Like chef Humm, Zitzmann incorporates coriander, fennel, and turnips in his interpretation of his favorite dish. "That dinner opened my eyes and showed me something that I wasn’t exposed to before," the young toque says.
Prices for starters at Trust range from $8 to $16, while mains are priced from $17 to $32. There's a raw bar featuring oysters and lots of salads that Zitzmann says he's excited about because they make their own lettuce mix based on what's fresh. The produce is locally sourced whenever possible, and Zitzmann says they don't cut corners. If he doesn't like something, he'll make it himself, such as the burrata cheese.
For his part, owner Flynn is a huge fan of the Trust burger, which uses a blench of chuck, short rib, and brisket for the patty and features heirloom tomatoes, whiskey, onion marmalade, and arugula. He also loves the roasted half chicken and the steamed Prince Edward Island mussels with chorizo. "We want this to be a home away from home for a lot of people," he says of the restaurant.
And on the topic of trust, Zitzmann says this is definitely the most autonomy he's had in his ten-year career. He says that despite it being difficult to find hard-working staff in Miami, he's thrilled with the team he and Flynn have assembled. It's a team that happens to be 70 percent women. "These women are super-hard-working, down to learn, and passionate, which is really important," Zitzmann says.
To start, Trust & Co. will serve dinner and happy hour Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. and will also offer a late-night menu. Trust is scheduled to begin serving lunch February 4 and a weekend brunch beginning February 13.
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