Though most Miamians consider Lincoln Road a tourist destination, they would be wise to check out a trio of restaurants — Meat Market, Juvia and Chotto Matte — offering solid Miami Spice menus. New Times was invited for a complimentary preview, and there were plenty of highlights.
Meat Market
915 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach305-532-0088
meatmarket.net
Executive chef Sean Brasel says of his Spice offerings: "This year, we kept it a bit simpler, concentrating on flavors showcasing the ingredients and proteins, not sticking to the same menu year in and year out."
The dinner menu offers a choice of one of the following six appetizers: East Coast oysters, Wagyu beef dumplings, tuna tartare ($10 surcharge), celery root hummus and stir-fried beef, local farm salad, and local daily ceviche. Entrée choices are a ten-ounce prime rib-eye steak and bone marrow served with short-rib marmalade and wood-grilled sour toast; a six-ounce Meat Market filet mignon; a Snake River Farms Wagyu bavette steak; and crab-encrusted ocean blue cobia. For dessert, order a slice of Fireman Derek's red velvet cake with vanilla ice cream topped with salted caramel sauce. Miami Spice menu available for lunch Sunday through Friday and dinner Sunday through Thursday.
Chotto Matte
1664 Lenox Ave., Miami Beach305-690-0743
chotto-matte.com/miami
For Miami Spice, executive chef Jordan Sclare takes extra care with Chotto Matte's ceviche. "We know South Beach loves a good ceviche, so we offer a unique preparation where we use Japanese techniques and cut the fish into thin pieces of sashimi. It's marinated in lemon juice and our ceviche sauce, which is our special secret recipe."
The Miami Spice meal begins with crunchy canchas (toasted Peruvian corn puffs) and yuca and sweet potato chips with guacamole and yellow tomato salsa. Diners can select from two groups. Group 1 choices are Chotto ceviche, warm beef tataki (normally $16), and baby spinach salad. Group 2 options are corvina con crema de maiz with white fish, truffle oil, and cilantro; pollo den miso (normally $20) with carrot, daikon, and yellow chili salsa; and calabacin a la parilla with zucchini, pickled shallots, sweet potato spaghetti, and chili sauce. Dessert is a choice between Peruvian chocolate crema with honeycomb, dulce de leche, and Suntory whisky, and brûlée de la passión almond cake with ají amarillo and guava sorbet. Miami Spice menu available for lunch and dinner Sunday through Thursday.
Juvia
1111 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach305-763-8272
juviamiami.com
At brunch, choose from appetizers such as watermelon salad with feta cheese, caesar salad with Parmesan crumbles, and avocado tortilla chips with a poached egg. Entrées include a choice of chicken saltado with jasmine rice, sunny-side-up egg, and red onion; huevos rancheros; and a croque-monsieur. Dessert is either a chocolate tart, vanilla panna cotta, or strawberry salsa with lychee sorbet.
Juvia's corporate chef, Kaoru Chang, wanted to offer a Miami Spice dinner that was "fresh and light during the summer and incorporated local products like mango." Appetizer choices including crispy Wagyu gyoza, tuna tostada with ají amarillo, caesar salad, or shrimp anticucho with olive aioli. Entrées include charred mushrooms with watermelon radish, vegetable fricassee, and red onion shisho vinaigrette; chicken au jus with polenta cake, cipollini onions, and microcilantro; and lamb shank with mashed potato, tomato confit, and adobo sauce. The same dessert menu for brunch is offered during dinner service. Miami Spice menu available for brunch Saturday and Sunday and for dinner nightly.
