Mare Nostrum: a new addition to Brickell, Downtown Miami

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by: jackauthors
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Date: Thu, 9 Feb 2012 Time: 11:38 PM

With a mandate to offer fresh perfectly-executed cuisine that is typical of the Mediterranean diet, the restaurant plans to wow diners with healthy and delicious fare that will be friendly to the waistline and wallet. Everything on the menu will be made in house daily from scratch using the highest quality available ingredients. However, seafood will be the true star of the Mare Nostrum menu, with a focus on all varieties of fresh fish – from those plucked that morning from local waters to imported European specialties. The distinctive flavors of Spain and Italy are on offer with house-made pastas, salads, risottos, pizzas and regionally-inspired mainplates, comprising the bulk of the menu. With an eye toward authenticity, Chef Pedro Gallardo of Murcia, Spain – a region in the southern part of the country renowned for its cuisine – will oversee culinary operations.

In an ambitious build-out that has been underway since January 2011, the restaurant includes seating for 154 in the dining room for Fine Dining Miami, along with an alfresco patio that accommodates 60; and an intimate private dining room available for parties as large as 16, as well as a lively bar and lounge. At the restaurant’s entry, a dramatic 11-foot tall glass wine room in Wine Bar Miami that houses over 2,000 bottles; the wine rack divides the bar/lounge from the dining room , while a spectacular 25′ long seafood/raw bar display overflows with oysters, langoustines, crab claws and other seafood (Seafood In Miami) specialties on ice. Mare Nostrum boasts a state of the art kitchen with advanced European equipment created by its Spanish designers and retrofitted especially for South Florida; with top of the line equipment including pizza ovens, pasta, paella and risotto stations. The eatery will open daily for lunch and dinner.

Starters: ($6.95 to $15.95): Croquetas made with Iberico ham and gruyere cheese; fried eggplant with organic honey; and Bluefin tuna "Toro" tataki, all tempt taste buds.Guests can also dive into items from the gorgeous seafood display table ($14.95 to MP) including seared Mediterranean red shrimp, freshly shucked blue point oysters, or a bountiful seafood platter of tiger prawns, langoustines, oysters and stone crabs.

Fresh pastas made in- house like spaghetti, fettuccine, capellini, linguini, bucatini, tagliatelle, pappardelle and gnocchi ($10.95, $22.95 -$24.95) are served with six freshly prepared sauces – pesto, Alfredo, Bolognese, puttanesca, tomato and basil and olive oil, garlic and parmesan as starter or main plate or as specialty dishes. Then there’s paellas and risottos preceding the fish listing.

Fish by portion and from our market ($15.95 - $22.95) range from salmon a la plancha finished with saffron salt and seared branzino with sea salt to red snapper, to a whole lubina (Spanish sea bass) and dorada by the pound ($28-$32 per pound) baked in rock salt, for sharing.

Meats ($15.95 to $36.95) list dishes of chicken, pork and grilled lamb chops as well as the classic 24 hour slow baked cochinilo asado, USDA skirt steak, New York strip USDA Prime Angus tenderloin and USDA Prime Angus rib eye.

Desserts ($8.95) include the classic Spanish flan with caramel sauce and candied Marcona almonds, Manchego cheesecake with crème anglaise and a dense, delicious olive oil cake with dark chocolate cream, citrus sauce and vanilla ice cream.

About the Author

In an ambitious build-out that has been underway since January 2011, the restaurant includes seating for 154 in the dining room one of the best Fine Dining Miami, along with an alfresco patio that accommodates 60; and an intimate private dining room available for parties as large as 16, as well as a lively bar and lounge.