Red The Steakhouse 's Executive Chef Peter Vauthy has taken the task of developing the Miami Spice program very seriously, wanting to both entice newcomers and reward regulars. The place will be "switching it up every week," he says, beginning with "The Classics," then moving on to a week devoted to seafood, followed by Wagyu week, and rounded out by a pasta-centric selection. Chef Vauthy says "anything is fair game." According to him, the restaurant does approximately 450 covers on the weekends during Miami Spice, "we go from slow, boring July to crazy."
In addition, sommelier Fred Cabrera wants you to quaff his wines for a song. Special pricing has been enacted on a collection of bottles - from Nickel & Nickel's Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($69 for a bottle, usually priced at $19 a glass) to the Antinori Family Estates Napa Valley Cabernet ($79 for a bottle, on the list at $119). Plus, Wine Wednesdays are still in effect during Miami Spice, so order anything on the list under $100, for half the cost. In fact, Cabrera told us that "if someone wants a bottle for $450, I'm going to make it more affordable if I can."
Lastly, at a preview last night, we received a glimpse of the new dessert menu, premiering August
1. They are moving to a new format because apparently, a sweet ending is
often overlooked at Red. New items are "more share-friendly;"
translation - bigger and better. Way bigger, actually. Check out the
'King Kong' of cupcakes, which went through so many incarnations during a
"six-day cupcake extravaganza," that the kitchen staff was tired of
eating them.
One of "The Classics," a first-course offering - creamy buratta with heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil and an aged balsamic reduction.
A first-course item during "Wagyu Beef Week," a deconstructed pastrami sandwich with whole grain mustard, sauerkraut and potato salad. Red is only one of five restaurants in the U.S. to procure Wagyu raised in the traditional Japanese method (they even rub those cows down with beer, no joke) from Lone Mountain, an exclusive distributor.
Filet mignon topped with a lobster infused dollop of boursin cheese, served with a spicy blood orange and habanero hollandaise.
A most delicious mix of seafood and pasta, the "Torchio alla Pescatore," combines shrimp, mussels and giant clams in a creamy tomato sauce. This one was a favorite plate of the evening.
The flash-fried lobster featured during "Seafood Week," was the only miss of the evening. The individual pieces of meat were difficult to identify, and more than one person at the table had to spit out chunks of shell into their napkin.
The aforementioned gargantuan cupcake, a specialty of the house, it's a RED velvet with traditional cream cheese icing, a pecan streusel and sweet pineapple sauce.
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