Friends wanted to go to “Swan” — a hip, new, trendy restaurant opened by noted nightclub mogul, David Grutman, singer and songwriter, Pharrell Williams, and Top Chef Europe, Jean Imber.
Located in the heart of the Miami Design District, Swan’s dining area features not only a pink-onyx bar, but pink, creamy-opal, and jade-green colors throughout the interior areas. It also offers a lush, tropical outdoor patio, which is quite spacious. So, the restaurant itself certainly gives a great first impression.
The food, on the other hand, faltered.
One of the featured items on their brunch menu is “THE GROOT DIP” — described as “Grandma Sylvia’s secret roast beef, caramelized onion, gruyère, sauce au poivre, frites” ($22).
Initially, we were astonished by the haphazard nature of the presentation, and found the overall appearance extremely amateurish and unattractive.
Made up of dry, thinly sliced, roast beef, served with a clumpy, hardened cheese, on an over toasted bun (and accompanied by a side of briny au jus), this offering lacked the earthy taste, chew, and juiciness, one would normally associate with a sandwich of this kind.
Because everything was way too salty, and arrived unforgivably cold, this shabby dish wasn’t worth the $22 ask and scored an “F,” as a result.
That’s right. We certainly weren’t ... “Happy.”
(Feel free to “clap along ....”)
