New Coconut Grove Italian Spot Serves One Main Dish — And It's Perfect

Cotoletta alla milanese, also known as veal Milanese, is a classic Italian dish that, when done right, pan-fried in a mixture of butter and oil, makes it rich yet surprisingly light and toasted to perfection with a juicy center.

It's so special that it's the only main dish you can order at Coconut Grove's newest restaurant, Cotoletta, which opens on Friday, October 18.

Why open a restaurant centered around a single dish? It's simply that good.

The quaint Italian bistro is founded by partners Ignacio Lopez Mancisidor, Mattia Cicognani, and third-generation restaurateur Andrea Fraquelli of 84 Magic Hospitality,

Fraquelli tells New Times that although having a "one-dish restaurant" has been on his mind for more than a decade, the story of Cotoletta dates back to the 1950s. "When my grandfather came to the UK, he brought this dish to his own restaurant," says Fraquelli. "He's from the north of Italy, and in every restaurant I ever worked in, this was the dish that everybody wanted. Therefore, it was in my mind to do the concept around the cotoletta."
At Cotoletta, guests will have a multi-course meal that begins with seasonal antipasti, followed by the signature dish, cotoletta alla milanese, which is served on the bone and prepared with fresh rosemary and lemon zest. It's served with a choice of three classic Italian sides: spaghetti al pomodoro e basilico, house fries, or a salad. The meal is meant to be shared between two diners, which is why it costs a set price of $80.

Guests can also pick desserts for $9 each. The desserts at Cotoletta maintain this same Italian authenticity, with options like a flourless chocolate cake, cheesecake with raspberry coulis, and Cotoletta's signature dessert, the "Vanilla Affogato Supreme," made with Italian gelato and a double shot of espresso.

Fraquelli tells New Times that, at its core, Cotoletta is all about community.

The menu and the way it is prepared in the kitchen by his longtime partner and chef Giulio Rossi are meant to do justice to Fraquelli's grandfather and the authentic Italian dish.

"It's all about regulars," he says. "My number one metric is not how much you spend; it's how often you come. All of the restaurants that made me successful in London had people who came multiple times a week. With a dish like this, I don't pretend people will come three or four times a week, but I really believe it can be a place you come weekly. The way we serve people, the way we won't have online bookings (only over the phone)... we'll get to know our regulars. We'll always have a space if you're a regular, that's the sort of thing that me and Mattia foster."
The opportunity to bring this idea to Miami was sudden, so the partners had to work overtime to get the restaurant ready in under six weeks. Still, from the location to the art hung on the walls, they wanted the space to reflect the history and meaning that the menu holds.

"It's one of those real examples of something that's years in the making and once I found this place in Coconut Grove I could make it," says Fraquelli. "It's got such soul to it, and we had to sweat over it ourselves. There wasn't one drawing for this space — it was a friend of ours who's an amazing designer. The art is real covers of theater programs that Mattia brought from Bologna. He then went to the market to get cool frames, and we framed them ourselves. There's an old shelf from the restaurant that was here before, and it's super charming, so it couldn't go anywhere. Everything just came together. It's got a little magic to it."

Cotoletta. 3206 Grand Ave., Miami; Reservations via 786-409-7151. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 5:30 to 11 p.m. with a Saturday lunch service from noon to 4 p.m. and plans to extend the opening hours and offerings.