Macchialina

Chef Michael Pirolo spent years traveling and cooking at Michelin-starred temples in Piedmont, Lombardy, Bologna, and Campagne. When he returned to the United States, he linked up with Scott Conant and eventually led the opening of Scarpetta at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach before debuting his own Italian restaurant, Macchialina. Pirolo’s skills are many and precise, his menu focused and deceptively simple: a handful apiece of starters, pastas, and entrées. The flavors, though, are forward, thanks to expert deployment of fresh and fine ingredients, whether it be a salumi plate, a salad of heirloom tomatoes and locally made burrata cheese, a tagliatelle al funghi, or a whole braised fish. The wine list is similarly concise (and Italian). Consider ordering the five-course chef’s tasting menu; rest assured you’re in good hands with Pirolo. New Normal: Diners are seated on Macchialina’s lovely covered patio, il giardino (the garden). One party per night can rent out the indoor dining room for a specially prepared menu served family-style.