Fi'lia
Hi Uncle Steve,
A quick review tonight, no pics, and just the highlights.
Today is Lauren's birthday and the family came up to Brickell for dinner. We went to Fi'lia, the newly opened Italian outpost of local celebrity chef Michael Schwartz. The restaurant, though high end in food and service, goes for a industrial rustic look with potted plants throughout (mostly herb plants). Lots of wood, floor to ceiling windows, and a virtual interactive zoo outside the door in the lobby of the SLS Hotel. (No really, it's like a 7' high LED screen that senses people standing in front of it, and the virtual monkeys walk up to you and monkey see, monkey do).
The food was very good. We had appetizers of beef carpaccio and wood grilled artichoke, both of which were very good. Several of us also had the tableside tossed Caesar salad, which by general consensus was the best Caesar salad we've ever had. Our chef brought a work cart up to the table and worked for a solid 10 minutes creating the salad which included, inter alia, finely breaking down the anchovy for use in the sauce, buttering and griddling the bread for croutons, and the use of (for lack of a better description) the use of various heirloom romaines (no, really, I could be butchering that).
Fantastic, and we'd recommend the restaurant on that alone.
For the main meal, several of the table ordered pizzas were highly praised. My grandmother and I each ordered the leg of lamb. (Though Italian, the restaurant has a heavy mix of items cooked on their wood fired grill.). The leg of lamb came perfectly cooked to a medium rare, was well seasoned, sliced, and served in a mix of apple, grilled sunchoke, and a light hazelnut sauce. I was inclined to say it one of the best lamb dishes I've ever had, though my grandmother leaned towards seriously above average. Highly recommended.
Lauren had a cocktail she strongly recommended. My grandmother had the French version of San Pellegrino, over which we argued extensively. And the remainder of us split a Italian malbec, which was of questionable recommendation. An espresso for one, and we went back to our apartment for my grandmother's famous German chocolate cake.
Overall, a highly recommended, if surprisingly casual, twist on Italian, with a heavy emphasis on their wood fired grill, which they take come pride in.
A quick review tonight, no pics, and just the highlights.
Today is Lauren's birthday and the family came up to Brickell for dinner. We went to Fi'lia, the newly opened Italian outpost of local celebrity chef Michael Schwartz. The restaurant, though high end in food and service, goes for a industrial rustic look with potted plants throughout (mostly herb plants). Lots of wood, floor to ceiling windows, and a virtual interactive zoo outside the door in the lobby of the SLS Hotel. (No really, it's like a 7' high LED screen that senses people standing in front of it, and the virtual monkeys walk up to you and monkey see, monkey do).
The food was very good. We had appetizers of beef carpaccio and wood grilled artichoke, both of which were very good. Several of us also had the tableside tossed Caesar salad, which by general consensus was the best Caesar salad we've ever had. Our chef brought a work cart up to the table and worked for a solid 10 minutes creating the salad which included, inter alia, finely breaking down the anchovy for use in the sauce, buttering and griddling the bread for croutons, and the use of (for lack of a better description) the use of various heirloom romaines (no, really, I could be butchering that).
Fantastic, and we'd recommend the restaurant on that alone.
For the main meal, several of the table ordered pizzas were highly praised. My grandmother and I each ordered the leg of lamb. (Though Italian, the restaurant has a heavy mix of items cooked on their wood fired grill.). The leg of lamb came perfectly cooked to a medium rare, was well seasoned, sliced, and served in a mix of apple, grilled sunchoke, and a light hazelnut sauce. I was inclined to say it one of the best lamb dishes I've ever had, though my grandmother leaned towards seriously above average. Highly recommended.
Lauren had a cocktail she strongly recommended. My grandmother had the French version of San Pellegrino, over which we argued extensively. And the remainder of us split a Italian malbec, which was of questionable recommendation. An espresso for one, and we went back to our apartment for my grandmother's famous German chocolate cake.
Overall, a highly recommended, if surprisingly casual, twist on Italian, with a heavy emphasis on their wood fired grill, which they take come pride in.
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