There is a beautiful restaurant located at Island Gardens in Miami called The Deck. This restaurant has beautiful outside seating that overlooks a marina with exquisite boats. They have tables as well as cabana seating. There are flowers and greenery everywhere.
While waiting for our table to become available, we got a few cocktails to try. Now these are expensive cocktails than what I find at most places. And because the restaurant is in Miami, they automatically include an 18%-20% gratuity on the bill. Just keep that in mind before you order.
The first cocktail was The Islander. This tropical drink was rum, coconut sorbet, mint, pineapple juice, and lime juice. It was served in a coconut shell glass. It was definitely a vacation drink. There was a great flavor with the pineapple juice. The coconut sorbet gave the drink a creamy texture. It would be easy for this sip this drink quickly because it was so smooth. I needed to make sure I paced myself.
The other two drinks I was able to take a sip of but did not drink the whole thing. The Old Fashion was a classic cocktail that had a beautiful, dried orange on top. It was strong and should be sipped slowly.
The cocktail From St. Barths with Love was a mouthful of a drink name. It was a vodka-based drink that was blended with mango liquor, mango puree, lemon juice, and a touch of mint. The fresh mango slice was a pretty accent. This drink was sweet and full of mango flavor. It really disguised the taste of the vodka. It was a fun beach drink.
A few appetizers were passed around the table. The shrimp cocktail was a classic starter. The shrimp were jumbo in size. They served fresh horseradish on the side. The shrimp were tender, and the horseradish gave the shrimp a nice kick.
The Mediterranean Mussels were amazing. These were Manila clams in a tomato sauce. They served grilled sourdough on the side. The presentation on the wooden board was very pretty. The clams were tender, and the tomato sauce was tangy and had a great garlic taste. The sourdough bread was excellent for soaking up the extra sauce. If they had given a few more clams this could have easily been my dinner.
Another appetizer I tried was the Arugula and Prosciutto brick oven pizza. They used Pomodo Buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto di Parma. The crust was crispy and had a nice, smoky taste from the oven. The prosciutto was salty and the fresh mozzarella added a sweetness with a creamy texture. The arugula added a little pepper taste.
For my dinner I got the Oraking Salmon. The fresh salmon was pan seared in a passionfruit brown butter. They served it over roasted hearts of palm and sliced oranges. The salmon was cooked perfectly, allowing it to flak apart. The butter sauce added a richness to the fish. The vegetables were a nice addition but it was not enough of a side.
We ordered some sides to share around the table. The whipped potatoes were delicious. They were creamy and loaded with garlic butter and parmigano Reggiano cheese.
The other side was the grilled asparagus. These were jumbo stalks of asparagus tossed in a lemon vinaigrette and lemon zest. The flavor of the sauce was tangy. The asparagus was a little too thick. I ended up only eating the tips because the rest of the stalk were too chewy.
I also got to try another dish. It was the Wood Oven Roasted Cobia. Cobia has a few other names which might be a little more familiar – codfish or lemon fish might be more commonly used. It was served with a blue crab relish, roasted asparagus, and a sweet corn espuma. They placed it all on top of a pistachio crema that they creatively spread on the plate. The fish was flakey ad very mild in flavor. I loved the blue crab relish. It added a unique taste to the overall dish.
Before we ordered dessert, we were entertained by a flame dancer. It was amazing how she could twist and turn while holding poles on fire. It was great entertainment.
For dessert I got something light, since I had eaten so much throughout the evening. I figured the sorbet would be perfect. It was chocolate, raspberry, and vanilla. They were very creamy. It did start to melt pretty quickly in the Florida heat.
The dining experience at The Deck was nice. It is a pretty expensive restaurant. And if you are going with a group of people just know that they will not break up the bill base don what you order, so plan accordingly. Check out their menu at www.islandgardens.com
Enjoy!
T
