Izzy's is Open for Lunch and Clambake Wednesdays
Having grown up in New England, my standards for authentic seafood and oyster fare are pretty discerning. Some of the best oysters are farmed right off my back yard near Copps Island, and fresh fish, lobster and lobster rolls are a mainstay from Long Island to Maine. The Classic New England Clambake of steamed clams, lobster, mussels, corn and potatoes is a summer tradition.
Izzy’s, with its white washed brick walls and wood décor feels like it belongs in a seaside town in Cape Cod. For the weekday 12-3 lunch, we opted to sit at the marble topped bar, my favorite spot to watch the action behind the counter.
Chef/owner Jamie Derosa and Chef de Cuisine, William Crandall were attentive and greeted many of the lunchtime diners, which ran the gamut from casual business diners to mom’s with strollers.
The menu is pretty authentic with a variety of daily fresh oysters mostly from Massachusetts with a couple from the West Coast and Canada. We selected the Island Creek from Duxbury, MA. and Chatham from Chatham, MA. Both were among the larger sized options with just the right balance of salinity and sweetness. Served with mignonette or cocktail sauce with an extra side of white horseradish for those who prefer a spicier sauce.
The New England Clam Chowder is a family recipe and is more of the Rhode Island style than the tomato based Manhattan or heavy cream based Cape Cod version. It was light and buttery and chock full of clams, boiled potatoes and leeks. A nice start to lunch on a cool day.
For our lunch mains we chose the Blue Crab Salad Roll, which was a creamy crab salad piled high on a toasted bun and topped with red jalapeno slices. The Warm Lobster Roll, which I have had before is delicious with plenty of lobster meat poached in butter. I found the lobster butter aioli on top unnecessary and as a lobster roll "purist", would have prefered on the side to not distract from the perfectly cooked lobster. Both rolls come with plenty of crispy waffle fries and a pickle.
We also ordered the Florida black grouper, which had a crispy top and was warm and flavorful on the inside. The fennel and citrus salad on top was a nice complement and did not overwhelm the fresh local fish.
Other mains that looked good as they passed us by from my perch at the bar included a Crispy Chicken Sandwich that looked to rival the ChickNShack at Shake Shack, and a juicy Painted Hills Farms Burger.
Lucky for us, we saved room for dessert. The Whoopie Pie was dense chocolate brownie-like cookies with Fluff in between. Jamie’s wife Amy, shared with me that Grandma Celia’s Lemon meringue tarte is her Grandmother’s recipe and was a nice ending to a sunny lunchtime visit.
NEW: Izzy's is offering for a limited time ( March 16-April 6) a classic New England Clambake Dinner featuring steamed clams and mussels, lobster, chorizo, corn, potatoes with Narragansett Del's Shandy and a scoop of Ben & Jerry's Ice cream for $35 pp served family style.
Izzy’s is open from lunch Monday-Friday 12-3, Dinner from 6-11 pm and Saturday and Sunday 11-3 for Brunch.
423 Washington Ave.
Miami Beach FL
305 397 8843