Miami Spice 2018: Tasty dine-around at The Fontainebleau
Once a year, in anticipation of the start of Miami Spice, the Miami media community is invited to The Fontainebleau Miami Beach to sample Miami Spice menu items at their flagship restaurants, Hakkasan, Scarpetta and StripSteak by Michael Mina.
About 40 of us gathered for a champagne toast at the Bleau Bar and then headed off to our first destination, Hakkasan, the elegant restaurant known for its creative Cantonese cuisine and weekend Dim Sum brunch.
Their Miami Spice menu offers both a Dim Sum prix fixe lunch menu and a dinner classic menu with a signature Hakkasan twist.
From the Dim Sum menu, we sampled three steamed dumplings; Chinese chive and shrimp, Black rice and vegetable, and Spicy beef with lotus root shu mai.
From the Dinner menu, a Crispy Almond Rock Shrimp with spicy sauce was presented. And we finished with an entrée of Sautéed Diced Chicken with cashews and dried chili in Szechuan sauce. We added a chili rimmed cocktail to "cool" off. Additional Spice dinner options also include a Grilled Honey Snapper or Sautéed Pok Choi with Garlic Sauce.
Service was attentive, and each dish was explained and presented beautifully. We all commented that we could have just stopped right there and been very happy.
But off we went to Scarpetta, celebrity chef, Scott Conant’s upscale Italian spot on Miami Beach. The setting with waterfront views and buzzy front bar area features homemade pasta and regional Italian specialties. And the Miami Spice menu did not disappoint, as we were presented with the most popular signature dishes including the Creamy Polenta with fricassee of truffled mushrooms as appetizer, a crispy skin Branzino and the crave-worthy fresh Spaghetti in a flavorful Tomato and Basil sauce. Many other options for Spice include Braised Short Ribs, and Oven Roasted Chicken with black garlic gnudi.
After polishing off these delicious specialties, we headed to chic chophouse, StripSteak by Michael Mina, where the impressive wine wall greeted us as we filed in. Chef William Crandall, who has been a popular local chef in Miami for a number of years, introduced the Miami Spice menu which included a refreshing Kale salad with miso vinaigrette and shrimp crisps.
The main entrée was, of course, a perfectly pink Filet Mignon with sides of broccolini and creamy mashed potatoes and choice of signature sauces. Other entree options include a Sweet Corn Cavatelli and Sole Meuniere.
Dessert was presented with flourish, as Fontainebleau Signature Dining pastry chef, Breanna Tepper, who is responsible for all of the restaurant's desserts, introduced a Chocolate Cake with Raspberry and Chocolate Sorbet from Hakkasan, an Espresso Tartufo with Hazelnuts from Scarpetta, and The Floridian, a key lime curd with macadamia streusel from StripSteak.
If you have only one place to Spice, any of these top-notch restaurants at The Fontainebleau will not disappoint.
Miami Spice runs from August 1- September 30th and features over 240 restaurants offering $23 lunch and $39 prix fixe menus. For more information visit @iloveMiamispice .