After Hurricane Irma, Chef Michael Pirolo took to social media to update us on his reopening of Miami Beach favorite, Macchialina.  Fortunate to regain power quickly, once he was able to obtain fresh eggs, he began by offering $10 pasta every night knowing that for many this was the only hot meal they could get.

Pasta is the ultimate comfort food, and Chef Pirolo’s fresh and delicious pasta options were a welcome option for the Miami Beach community, many who were without electricity or had been evacuated from their homes.

Every night, the pasta dishes came hot from the kitchen and many of us will never forget the feeling of a community coming together in the cozy brick-walled Italian taverna on Alton Road.

$10 Thursday Pasta Night continues and is one of the more coveted reservations you can get.  But, you don’t have to wait for Thursdays, as Chef Pirolo’s fresh pastas are a regular menu item. On a recent evening, a group of six of us when for dinner and ordered different pasta dishes.

You can’t ever go wrong with the signature pasta dish, Cavatelli with mini meatballs, porcetta and pecorino( pictured above).  The pasta is perfectly cooked, the sauce gutsy and those mini meatballs are so good.

We also loved the colorful and unique Beet Mezzaluna, a creamy beet stuffed pasta in a brown butter sage sauce, ricotta salata and topped with fresh diced beets.

Tagliolini with Funghi, was a wide noodle dish with large abalone mushrooms, parmesan and also delicious.

The classic Spaghetti Caccio e pepe with shallots, pecorino and black pepper was also a favorite and fulfilled our goal for authentic comfort food.

The pasta menu is extensive and boasts seven different pasta dishes, each one featuring local ingredients.

But don’t stop at pasta, as we also enjoyed the Creamy Polenta with "Proper Sausage" ragu and for a main course, the Mediterranean Branzino with Yukon Gold potatoes, brown butter and capers.

Miami is very lucky to have Chef Michael Pirolo and Macchialina in our community. And if you find yourself in the New York area make sure you check out the Pirolo family’s restaurant in Brooklyn, The Saint Austere.  

Macchialina  

820 Alton Road

Miami Beach, FL 33139

305 534 2124

Photo Credit:  Andrew Giambarba @andymiami