Cecconi's Miami Beach

• Cuisine(s): Italian
  Price: $$$$ $$$$
  Attire: Casual dressy
• Features: Kid Friendly, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Private Party, Vegetarian Friendly, Wheelchair Accessible
  Serving: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch
  Reservations: Required
• Parking: Valet

Description

On one visit to the 150-seat indoor/outdoor Italian restaurant in the Soho Beach House, we dined under the stars; the next time under the retractable roof. A 14-seat bar and an open kitchen bookend the foliated patio dining room, which with tiny white lights wrapped around trees has the look of a rustic winter wonderland - very distinctive from other South Florida venues. It is at once elegant and comfortable. Chef Sergio Sigala's cooking philosophy is the same as at his prior engagement at Casa Tua: a clean, basic compilation of fresh, quality ingredients. Sigala's idea of dressing a fish is to add olive oil and marjoram. When he really gets down, some tomatoes, olives, basil, a sliver or two of celery, and lemon juice might be added, which is how the roasted branzino is prepared. That fish is $38, and steaks are $42, but half a poulet rouge - with a deep poultry flavor and crisp skin, sided by mashed potatoes capped with shaved truffle - is a deal at $25. There aren't many bargains on the menu, but another is a $28 lamb rack braised in the wood oven and served in a rich, syrupy demi-glace. The dish that best showcases Sigala's let-the-food-do-the-talking approach comes via a chopped salad of "fall Swank Farms vegetables," boasting a mélange of local seasonal beets, green beans, asparagus, zucchini, tomatoes, corn, and other vegetables. The signature pasta is a $32 plate of spaghetti with lobster, but you're just as well off with a $16 house-made "plin" agnolotti with butter, sage, Parmesan, and minced veal, beef, and pork. Ricotta cheesecake is the best bet for dessert. We don't quibble with Cecconi's pricing, but we wouldn't mind seeing some of the usual consolatory extras, be it an amuse-bouche at the start, petits fours at the end, or notable service in between. Still, if you relish dining on fresh, flavorful Italian food in a breezily romantic setting, Cecconi's won't disappoint.