I had a great dinner at Estiatorio Milos in South Beach on a recent Saturday night. I consider Milos a "special occasion" restaurant, especially for dinner, mainly because of its prices but also the lovely, large and opulent dining room.

But these two things are nothing without a reputation for consistently providing fine Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. That night, as large as the space is, Milos was full, as it frequently is on the weekends, humming with happy guests, so our group of four took our seats at one of the communal high tops in the bar area.

We were a group comprised of pretty adventurous and interested eaters, therefore, we each ordered one dish that most appealed to us. We ordered the ubiquitous Horiatiki (Greek salad) as you can be assured at Milos that not only is the feta rich and creamy, but also all the colorful veggies are of the highest quality.

I am a fan of Bottarga, cured Mullet or Tuna roe, but have only had it served grated with pasta, Italian style. Here, served as crostini, it is said to be from the Messologgi Grey Mullet. This was delicious with a firm, gelatinous texture, resembling the texture of quince or guava paste and reasonably salty of course.

Our next dish was a showstopper in its presentation, The Carabinieros.

Have you every done a Bone Luge? That’s when you’ve finished your roasted beef bone marrow and wash down the remaining bits, through the cavity in the bone, with a shot of port or amaro or whatever is suggested. The Carabinieros is perhaps the Mediterranean aquatic equivalent and is presented as large, roasted prawns with as many shots of Fino sherry as sea creatures. The idea is to pour the sherry into the prawn head cavity, drink it out, and then eat the tail...delicious and entertaining.

Milos is well known to have some of the best fresh fish available, presented on ice as one would see at the Monger. Guests are encouraged to walk up and choose their fish by sight with guidance from the well-informed servers. We left the decision up to our server but asked for a smaller sized fish that could be grilled and fileted, presented with the head and tail. Our accompaniment were the grilled mushrooms and they were perhaps our favorite dish of the evening, which is saying a lot as everything had been superb to that point. Abalone, Royal trumpet and Shitake were the varieties, simply grilled and seasoned with abounding flavor, moisture and crispness.

To accompany our meal we chose white wines. What I have always enjoyed at Milos is the thoughtful selection of Greek varieties and blends. Assytrico is a variety I usually look for, as it is crisp with a mineral rich palate but also some balancing round fruit. The Sommelier fine tuned our choice and suggested the 2008 Assyrtico/Semillon, "Ovilos", Domaine Biblia Chora from Mt. Pangeon.

It turned out to be a perfect pairing for our creative and well-prepared dinner.

While pricey, Milos will assure you a fantastic dining experience but let’s not forget, we are still in Miami Spice time.

This is definitely a place to have a ‘Spice’ lunch or dinner. With less then two weeks left in Miami Spice, Milos should be on your short list. Here is example of Dinner menu for Miami Spice:

Appetizer

ROUBINI PESTROFA duo of sashimi and tartar finished with fresno chilis, olive oil, afrala, lime zest, lemon zest, and micro arugula

GREEK SALAD tomatoes, english cucumber, green bell peppers, red and white onion, kalamata olive, and feta cheese

CHARCOAL GRILLED MEDITERRANEAN OCTOPUS sashimi quality octopus with grilled holland bell peppers & assorted mushrooms

COD FRITTERS with spicy tartar sauce, white endive salad, and micro basil

Entree

DORADO ROYALE mediterranean sea bass, simply grilled & served with steamed vegetables

LAMB CHOPS charbroiled & served with steamed vegetables & fried potatoes

HONJAKE SALMON grilled with steamed vegetables

GRILLED VEGETABLE PLATE holland bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, yellow squash, cipollini onions,baby fennel, haloumi cheese, cous cous, and "the real greek mint yogurt"

Dessert

"THE REAL GREEK YOGURT" with thyme honey

KARIDOPITA walnut cake

FRESH FRUIT platter of the season's best fresh fruit

Estiatorio Milos by Carlos Spiliadis

730 1st St.

Miami Beach, FL 33139

305 604 6800