Brosia - Design District Miami
We ventured out tonight intending to try Domo Japones, one of a couple new additions to the Design District, but discovered it was closed on Sunday (or perhaps we were just too early). In any event, there are now multiple restaurant choices in the newly "arrived" Design District (so sez Miami New Times, so it must be true), and so we went around the corner and went to Brosia, a new Mediterranean spot, instead.
It's a pretty slick looking place, sort of loft-style - long, narrow and high-ceilinged, a banquette along one wall and windows on the other, some interesting modern large-scale paintings on the walls, small bar in back, with no more than about 15 tables inside and a comparable number outside.
The menu focus is on upscale Mediterranean, many dishes being riffs on semi-traditional items with some more contemporary components thrown in. Fairly short menu - about a half-dozen tapas/apps, a few salads, and then roughly a half-dozen mains, and a few veggie sides. We were started off with a small bowl of white bean dip with some bits of crisp-bread for dipping, which was tasty but a somewhat parsimonious bowl for a table of four (and it was not refreshed after we finished it off).
From the apps we got a piri-piri shrimp, "catalan style" shrimp and clams, a "mediterranean" salad, a plain pasta for little Miss F (not feeling adventurous tonight), and a strip steak and pork tenderloin for mains (though we only actually received one of the two, as discussed later). Pricing on the apps was generally low teens, with just about all the mains on the menu under $20 except for steak/lobster.
The piri-piri shrimp were pretty good, coated in herbs and hit with a little spice, and accompanied by a cucumber sambal. Five medium-sized shrimp seemed like a somewhat skimpy portion, however, especially for a $10+ app (rather than, say, an under $10 tapas portion). The catalan shrimp and clam dish really sung, studded with rounds of chorizo and in a broth w/ chile, garlic and parsley. Only drawback was the bread which accompanied (an essential tool for soaking up the sauce), which resembled Texas toast moreso than a nice crusty slice. The mediterranean salad was ... well, a salad, which means I'm only going to get so excited about it, but was a pretty nice combination with peppery arugula, grape tomatoes, hard-boiled quail eggs, orange slices, kalamata olives, and feta.
We suggested they bring the kids' dishes (the pasta and the NY strip - Frod Jr.'s choice) out whenever they were ready, and they came out with or shortly after the apps. Frod Jr. was halfway through his "steak" and marveling at how tender it was when we realized it was the pork tenderloin and not a NY strip. Whatever, he liked it, that's fine, and so I told the waiter that I'd take his NY strip instead (indeed, made a point of telling him that the blue-cheese stuffed piquillo, which I'd asked them to skip when ordering for Frod Jr., could happily be added back for me). Unfortunately when the next entree came out, it was -- another pork tenderloin.
Not quite sure what happened there, but anyway, it was a pretty darn good pork tenderloin, served over a bed of tasty braised kale, through the advertised "crab apple mustard" and "dijon mustard demi" were hard to detect, and the caperberry and cornichon alongside were overwhelming and didn't make much sense. (In retrospect, I just figured out that the "crab apple mustard" was actually a "mostarda di frutta", which were a few bits of candied & mustard-oil-flavored crab apple on the side, which had an interesting flavor). Some "bistro fries" ordered as a side, seasoned with a little sherry vinegar and sea salt, were pretty tasty.
Dessert choices are pretty limited, I think a total of four, Frod Jr. went with a fairly uninspired chocolate thing, while Miss F tried the baklava, which was a bit dry. Wine list was not lengthy but offered many pretty interesting choices. Didn't pay enough attention to make any general comments on pricing, though the bottle I got - an '03 Allegrini Palazzo della Torre - at $48 was probably at least 3x retail ($15 at Total), which is disappointing. When I checked the bill they had rung up Miss F's plain pasta as a $24 pasta w/ lobster, but when I brought it to their attention they quickly fixed it.
These comments, on re-reading them, possibly come off a lot more negative than I intend. I actually enjoyed the place - everything tasted good, the catalan seafood app in particular was great, the pork tenderloin was perfectly cooked (twice!) and flavorful. Clearly someone knows what they're doing in the kitchen, and the food prices were pretty reasonable especially on the mains. I'm actually looking forward to going back and think this is a good addition to the neighborhood.
By Frodnesor
on Jan 27, 2008 08:39 PM
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I got pretty much the same impression. I too had ordered the pork and liked it. The timing of our dinner seemed a little better than yours but the constant bickering between waiters, busboys and managers that we witnessed negated the fairly good service we received. My GF ordered a salad to start and the rabbit appetizer as entree which, even thought it's listed as an app, was easily enough for an entree. For every negative thing I have to say about this place there's a positive to offset it. I hope they steer towards the latter in the coming weeks.
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I experienced the bickering and confusion too and I'm afraid it put a damper on what I would've called a good experience, but I really want to give this place another shot. My pork tenderloin was served with cabbage, which I like raw but not so much cooked -- that's just personal taste, though. It wasn't bad. The bistro fries were great and so was the white bean dip. I hope they work out the kinks.
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The food was good, that's the most important part. I think the service will come around with time.
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We were heading to Michael's today for lunch and ended up parking near Brosia. The weather was great and the outside seating at Brosia was very inviting so we figured it was worth a shot. Anyway, the service was issue free. No complaints at all and the outside area was packed. I started with the Piri Piri shrimp and enjoyed them. The portion size for lunch was perfect and priced at $8. I almost ordered the pork tenderloin and would have if I read this thread this morning. Regardless, I went with the roasted vegetable muffuletta. Obviously a healthy take on a New Orleans classic. This version had portabello mushrooms, squash, roasted peppers and black olive tapenade. It wasn't the best sandwich I've ever had but it was tasty and perfect for lunch. Loved the bistro fries that came with it. The only miss was the chicken caesar salad. The chicken was fine but the salad was bland and on the sour side. I know it's a caesar salad but I've had much better. They have tough competition with Michael's around the corner but the outside area is great and the food was good enough to warrant future vists.
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ehh had a very whatever experience there last night....tables were filled outside but im assuming it was for drinks and the outside seating ...not for the food.... this place was very disappointing...I arrived and sat at the bar for a drink..bar is at the end of a long barron entrenece with one table with two people sitting at it... all the rest of the tables and everyone is outside...drink was just ok i got the art basil which is strawberries and basil with vodka..they obviosuly put pounds of sugar in bc it was toooo sweet and was ended up being a really syrupy ....sat down got the cheese and meat plate with fig spread and olives..oliver were good everything else was not exciting...it was very basic...ordered piri piri shrip and lamb skewers..they were just ok...salad of quail eggs and orange with arugula and cherry tomatoes(i know not exciting but even the dressing was bland)..we got the tuna over tuscan puree it again was very bland..polenta was bland....pretty much everything could have been made by an 8th grader who has no culinary talent, imaginaion or skill..there was no spice or twist to anything...the basics werent good and if you cant do the basics well and you dont take any chances with the menu i dont see any reason to come to this place...i dont see this place doing well..this place gets a big fat D in my book...the chef here should take some lessons from Michael from down the street
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Paid another visit to Brosia yesterday for Sunday brunch. The outdoor area is looking really nice and is shaded a bit by some old oak trees, but we opted for inside and a/c. The online brunch menu looks pretty accurate so I won't go through all the choices ->
http://www.brosiamiami.com/pdf/Brosia...
We tried the pancakes, the smoked salmon tart, and the tortilla, with a side of the patatas bravas. The buttermilk pancakes were a great combination of fluffy but still substantial, topped with walnuts, delicious "marinated french cherries" (like a really good high quality maraschino cherry, if you can imagine such a thing), and whipped cream. Unfortunately the middle of one of the pancakes wasn't cooked through and was a gooey mess. I liked the smoked salmon tart, which was like a quiche with a filo crust, studded w/ caramelized onions and artichoke along w/ the salmon, sauced with a horseradish cream (too strong for Mrs. F) and a side of nicely dressed arugula. The tortilla espagnola was good but a wee bit dry. The "patatas bravas" were no such thing. Bravas are supposed to be crispy, twice-fried potatoes, served with a fiery tomato sauce and often also some aioli. These instead were soft, mushy roasted new potatoes tossed with roasted peppers and onions. Not bad, just not remotely bravas.
Staff seemed much more on top of things than my last visit - and almost all were bedecked with various piercings and tattoos. Apparently this is the new "uniform" of the Design District. Young folks, help me out here - hasn't the body art trend already come and gone? When there's a national television show about a Miami tattoo parlor that's been around for years now, isn't that a bit of a sign of shark-jumping?
Most of the flavors were great, the execution was just a bit hit or miss, service was improved from my last visit. Prices are pretty decent too (most "entrees" around $10-15, several tapas items and sides under $10). Not a bad brunch option if you're looking for a la carte rather than a big honkin' buffet.
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Wanted to try something new for Sunday brunch and Brosia popped into my head. Place was fairly empty when we arrived but the customers that were there seemed to be enjoying themselves. Even with the sweltering heat everyone chose to sit outside.
The menu was pretty much same as what Frod linked to. We started with Bloody Marys, the mix of which was heavily seasoned, almost too much. As the ice melted it diluted the BM mix and made it easier to drink. We had the salmon tart and the shrimp/polenta. Salmon tart was good (I don't think it was phyllo though) but the shrimp and polenta were extremely good. Knockout good. I was shocked good. I was hesitant because a prior visit to Brosia had a clumpy, cold polenta as part of the meal. This was nothing of the sort. The polenta was soft and smooth and soaked up the sauce along and flavor of the shrimp and chorizo, so much so that the longer the polenta sat absorbing the flavors the better it got. In fact the last bite was probably better than the first.
Service was good and efficient. My only comment is that maybe for the summer they should lighten up on the menu options. Tarts, polenta, eggs benedict with steak, etc. all sound good but are extremely heavy for Miami summers. Possibly adding some fruit, granola, etc. would probably make me go back. Or I'd go back and sit inside just to have the shrimp and polenta again.
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headed there for dinner Saturday night and stopping by Pacific Time on Friday night. Taking all info into consideration for my "evaluation"!
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Good meal. special curry chicken empanada was not curry enough, but presented well, they kindly divided up two portions for 4 as there were 2 empanadas to an order. The Gazpacho Caprese was my favorite dish tonight. Entree was Pork Tenderloin, was ok. Others had the chicken, NY Strip, and the Paperdelle with Lobster. Everything scored ok with our guests, don't want to start interviewing guests as they are guests, not guinea pigs! The Paperdelle was lacking but couldn't figure out what. Desserts were good. Blueberry Tart should have been warm with a firm crust, instead of chewy. And might have been nice to have some fresh whip cream or vanilla ice cream. Apple Baklava (Tarte) was good. They serve Dolce Vita Gelato which is always tasty. Great space and love the outside seating. We sat inside and enjoyed it as well. I would go back but would stick to the small plates as the entree selection was not strong.
Funny thing, I went to the bathroom and washed my hands, I couldn't find the soap. I turned around to find it behind me on a small table. It bothered me so, I moved the garbage can from the side of the sink to where the table was behind me and put the table next to the sink, with the soap and towels. It just made sense instead of turning around to put soap in my hand!
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Sorry to report that Brosia announced today that they have closed.
www.foodforthoughtmiami.com
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That's actually surprising.
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that's so weird. I was just told they were part of a new deal where restaurants in the design district are offering $3 valet parking...shame ...place was lovely.
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I'm very sad to hear that. I rather enjoyed that restaurant.
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That's unfortunate but the last time i was there (couple months ago) the brunch was mediocre at best. Really nice outdoor space we'll see who takes it over. $3 valet sounds good too
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I think the summer kills them. It's pretty uncomfortable sitting outside in August. It's still a shame though. I hope they're able to make good use of that spot.
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