The Setai's Sunday Jazz Brunch Buffet Lets You Dine Like a Celebrity

The Setai might be South Beach's most exclusive (and expensive) property. It's the place where celebrities get pampered with seemingly endless champagne while the paparazzi try to get a glimpse from blocks away through giant lenses.

If you want a taste of what it's like to be showered with a bounty of delights, spend the afternoon at the Setai's Sunday Jazz Brunch.

For the best people-watching — and easiest access to the eye-popping array of food — sit in the courtyard, newly furbished with a retractable awning to provide shelter from both glare and the occasional shower. New Times was invited to the decadent brunch to sample the offerings.
During brunch, the Setai's Jaya is transformed into something like a culinary Epcot, with dedicated sections for Indian, Thai, Chinese, and Indonesian cuisine. Find items such as butter chicken, fish curry, eggplant masala, steamed baos, dim sum, and pad thai among the rotating selections.

Of course, traditional brunch goodies abound, including freshly baked pastries and an omelet station. Stock up on shrimp, mussels, snow crab claws, and oysters at the raw tower; then head outside to the grill station for steak, chorizo, lamb, and chicken, finished to order.
Save room for dessert, which offers everything from nitrogen ice cream to gold-flecked pastries and doughnuts. Find Setai macarons, key lime pie, Caribbean chocolate cupcakes, tiramisu, panna cotta, and other items among the colorful assortment.

Of course, your glass will remain filled with unlimited pours of Louis Roederer champagne, mimosas, and bloody marys as you enjoy live jazz. Take a selfie and — boom — you're an instant celebrity yourself.

Jazz Brunch
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays at Jaya at the Setai, 2001 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. For reservations, call 855-923-7899 or email [email protected]. Brunch costs $80 per person (excluding tax and tip).