Though most people think of Christmas with a Charles Dickens-like celebration on the 25th of December, many Italian families feast on the holiday's eve with a seafood bonanza.
The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a meatless celebration that commemorates the wait for the midnight birth of the baby Jesus with a huge spread of seven (or more) seafood dishes.
It's a huge deal in New York and New Jersey, where families gather on Christmas eve and dine into the wee hours of the morning.
See also: Bocce Bar Opens in Miami (We Get a First Bite)
Bocce Bar's Timon Balloo is bringing the feast of the seven fishes to Miami, with an eight-course tasting menu (the dessert, alas, stars no seafood).
This seafood-lover's dream costs $80 per person, or $110 with wine pairings. Menu items include tuna crudo with shaved fennel, smoked capers, and lavender; potato vichyssoise with oyster and smoked trout roe; gamberi al forno with butternut squash purée and thyme bread crumbs; linguine with maine lobster, toasted garlic, and tomato lobster broth; whole branzino with calabrese chili braised fennel and cipollini onions; and a traditional panettone with mascarpone zabajone and seasonal fruit for dessert.
In case you don't want to "swim with the fishes" on Christmas eve, Bocce Bar's regular menu is also being offered for dinner all evening. The restaurant is also open for dinner on Christmas day, offering a la carte items.
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