Sustain Restaurant + Bar

• Cuisine(s): American, Contemporary, Local/Sustainable
  Hours: Sun-Thu 6pm-10:30pm, Mon-Thu 11:30am-3pm, Fri-Sat 11am-3pm, Fri-Sat 6pm-11:30pm
  Price: $$$, $$$$
• Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards
  Attire: Casual
  Features: Kid Friendly, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout, Vegetarian Friendly, Wheelchair Accessible
• Serving: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch
  Reservations: Recommended
  Parking: Meters, Valet

Description

One bite into Sustain's 50-mile salad -- wood-roasted beets, pickled red onions, brassica greens from Paradise Farms, and soft crumbles of Hani's fromage blanc all sourced within that distance from Miami -- and you understand that the place isn't just hyping the catchwords natural and sustainable. Sustain is real, and real good. The menu is printed nightly according to what is in season by executive chef and Miami native Alex Piñero. There are Mediterranean influences, but most plates reflect creative, contemporary, well-crafted American cooking. Fresh, hearty starters include a very thin-crusted, delicately sauced wood-oven pizza with spinach, smoked mozzarella, roasted garlic, and caramelized onions; and a swell preparation of sweetbread, tenderly braised and draped over a moist square of rosemary focaccia, with pearl onions and oyster mushrooms glazed in a marrow-sticky demi-glace of beef. A nightly appetizer special of pork trotter is likewise hefty and heartwarming (a different cut of the same pig is used to stunning effect in a lunchtime porchetta sandwich). The ten to 12 entrées encompass meat, poultry, and fish selections -- plus one pasta, which might be culled from carrots on Monday and from beets on Tuesday. Fried chicken with sautéed beet greens and mac 'n' cheese is a solid $20 American dinner. Other entrée winners: pumpkin swordfish grilled and finished in the wood-burning oven, and barbecued quails with Brussels sprouts, cippolini onions, beets, and horseradish sauce. The "fork and knife" burger might be the tallest in town, piled with smoked bacon, caramelized onions, and cheddar cheese between a brioche bun -- a thatch of thin, homemade, flawless fries alongside. Still, most folks would deem $18 too much to pay for a hamburger. A round of warm pecan tartlet in shortbread crust is not too sweet (relative to pecan pies) and lustily spiked with bourbon. A terrific quenelle of hazelnut ice cream on top offers a hot/cold, double-nut depth. A full bar pours draft artisanal beers, affordable wines, and creative cocktails. Looks like midtown Miami residents have yet another fine restaurant in the neighborhood.