We weren’t having much luck Easter Sunday, when we decided to go to SCARPETTA by Scott Conant, which you’ll find deep in the bowels of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, 4441 Collins Ave, Miami Beach.▫️
First off, since they weren’t offering their full menu, (but a limited, set-price, four-course meal at $85 p.p., (and that’s before any beverages, tax, and service charges)), we should have anticipated that the experience might be a bit rocky. And that it most certainly was.
▫️
As we reported over the last few days, our tuna tartare (“antipasti”), and our spaghetti with tomato and basil (“primi piatti”) were both downers. The former was too tart (sour/bitter), the latter was exceedingly cheesy. So, we weren’t holding out much hope for our next course (the “secondi piatti”), which included a choice of the branzino, braised short ribs, or chicken. Because everyone was tired of red meat and fish, we ended up going with the “CHICKEN – swiss chard, pancetta, black garlic and fava beans.”
▫️
Black garlic is made by controlling heat and humidity conditions which cause the cloves to darken over some 15 to 90 days; with the process imparting a flavor range that has been described as umami, date and licorice, soy and tamarind. A sauce is made by adding butter, lime juice, rice vinegar, Sriracha, and salt, and the end-result is characterized by both its balsamic-like tang and molasses-like sweetness.
▫️
To our surprise, we found the chicken moist and flavorful, and ended up giving it our highest score of the evening: “B-.” Points were lost because we didn’t find any of the promised fava beans in our dish, and because the accompanying chard was greasy and salty. But, overall, since this wasn’t a bad dish, there’s no point pecking at it any further ….
.
.
.
#lucasaferrara @scarpettarestaurants @fontainebleau #food #foodie #meal #meals #dining #diningout #foodreview #foodreviews #fontainebleau #miamibeach #miamibeachhotel #whitemeat #chard #miamibeachrestaurant #restaurant #restaurants #finedining #scarpetta #scottconant #italianfood #poultry #italianrestaurant #chicken #blackgarlic #garlic #swisschard #favabeans