Eating House's Tasting Menu Is Literally Miami on a Plate

Miami has a food world all its own. From fritas and cubanos to croquetas and coladas, out-of-towners may as well be handed an entire glossary of gastronomic terms needed to navigate our city's food scene.

And, of course, there are the restaurants — and chefs — that helped to make these Magic City foods famous in the first place.

You can count Miami chef Giorgio Rapicavoli among them. The chef behind Eating House and Luca Osteria on Giralda Avenue is best known for crafting wholly unique dishes at an establishment he designed to embody the essence of the city he calls home.

"For me, Eating House is all about Miami. We prepare food for locals, source local ingredients, and hire locals to work with us," the chef tells New Times. "We're also not defined by any specific style or cuisine. I'm free to do whatever I want, and offer this fun, inventive menu where you get food you won't find anywhere else."

So Rapicavoli asked himself, "How do you get even more fun from a restaurant that's completely inspired by Miami?"

You offer a tasting menu inspired by your favorite South Florida restaurants, of course. And Rapicavoli has done just that, presenting a very Miami-centric meal designed to evoke all the nostalgia of the city he calls home.

The tasting menu, currently available for dinner through November, isn't new. It's actually the third installment of Ravpicavoli's edible ode to Miami, a series the chef plans to continue with the ongoing theme of local restaurant riffs.

The limited-time, prix-fixe menu is priced at $59 per person, available Tuesday through Thursday. What you'll get: seven courses that pay homage to some of the area's most legendary dishes, each given an Eating House twist.

This curated selection of dishes is a collaborative effort between the chef and his team who pitch ideas based on longtime local establishments and favorite culinary finds. This time around, the menu cues iconic spots like Garcias, Flanigan's, Los Perros, Matsuri, and AC's Icees.

For the next few weeks, that means you can indulge in a series of Miami dishes like rigatoni made with the Big Cheese of Miami's essential "garlic roll"; Flanigan's-inspired smoked pork rolls made with slow-cooked pork, onion, and cheddar cheese and served with a roasted garlic ranch dipping sauce; or a Los Perros riff on Colombian maicito (a dish of cooked corn kernels topped with mozzarella cheese, special sauces, and crushed potato chips) made with burnt corn, sofrito, queso blanco, roasted pineapple, and crispy potatoes.

Moving forward, Rapicavoli says his Miami tasting menu inspiration can take almost any form.

"Sure, it's all the things I grew up eating and restaurants that epitomize Miami, but it can go beyond that. I still want to do something with Publix," he muses. "It doesn't have to just be restaurants. Just things that make Miami, well, Miami."

Eating House Miami. 128 Giralda Ave., Coral Gables; 786-580-3745; eatinghousemiami.com.