By: Daniel Finch
Just off Miami Beach, nestled in the St. Moritz Tower at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, sits Rao’s, a classic New York restaurant known for bringing its 127 years of excellence to Miami. It has an elegant but refined interior, with the same collection of famous faces looking over you as they do in East Harlem; the wall is covered with celebrity portraits, from Leonardo di Caprio to Liza Minnelli. From the host stand to the opening greeting from your server for the evening, Rao’s makes you feel as if you are family.
The dining room has big, comfortable booths and nicely spaced large tables. Guests can easily share meals family-style and not have to be part of every other table’s conversations. The tables are set with white tablecloths, and the dining room is a classic burgundy and gold with a fully stocked bar with old-school dinner club vibes. Despite being much larger than the original location in New York City, the Miami version does well in keeping intimacy at a premium.
The cocktail menu featured fresh ideas with typically Italian elements, including various Amaros. The Andrea Doria was sweet but not decadent, with a surprisingly smooth finish, while their other drinks looked refreshing and elegant. The wine selection features excellent value for some higher-end wines to pair with the meal by the glass. The Castello Volpaia Chianti was nicely balanced, with not too-heavy glass and a wonderfully juicy finish. The Villa Antinori of the famed Tignanello, Super Tuscan, had a delicious depth of character and finished with just a bit of a bite to help with the inherent richness of the delicious Italian food.
Moving into appetizers, the standards, as explained by the server, are indeed a can’t-miss. Their beef meatballs are tender, juicy, pan-fried, and then left to braise all day in their famous tomato sauce. Both are delicious and are treats to dip your bread into afterward. The classic Caesar salad was fresh and crisp, with a classic dressing that was not overdone. After eating the salad, one feels as if they have eaten a salad, not a burger, as is the case for most Caesars. Following the Italian tradition, treat yourself to a pasta course between the appetizers and entrees. One of the more unique offerings is the Fiochette (a beggar purse-shaped ravioli) filled with Bartlett pears and ricotta and served in a sage brown butter sauce with dried cranberries. The dish is the right combination of sweet and salty and offers something unique, an excellent palette cleanser before the entree.
As for the entrees, the show’s real star was the Cod Livornese. A delicate piece of fish that was cooked to be both tender and juicy; it held together and then flaked apart with each bite. The rustic Neapolitan sauce was centered around their house-made tomato sauce and blanched the salty aspects with a depth of sweetness to the tomatoes you can only get when they’re fresh. The Chicken Cacciatore was nothing to be scoffed at, with lovely large pieces of chicken and sweet sauce in a luxurious lemon sauce with tangy pickled peppers. It wasn’t overly heavy and filled with butter like most cacciatores, and most importantly, it felt like Nonna had made it herself.
If you’re looking for a little bit of elegance with an intimate feel in the hustle and bustle of Miami Beach, stopping into Rao’s is just what you need. It offers the ideal escape to slow down for a minute and enjoy quality offerings that bring back memories of family dinners. From the impeccable service to the world-famous tomato sauce, Rao’s excels on every level.
Published by: Khy Talara
