Take a trip to Midtown Miami and you’ll find a new player in town — Bocce Bar. Brought to you be Executive Chef Timon Balloo and the Samba Brands (that’s the same company that owns Sushi Samba and SUGARCANE), a trip to Bocce Bar will whisk you off to Italy and make you feel like you’re spending the afternoon in a Mediterranean style cafe — complete with creative cocktails, small plates and an official bocce ball court.
Being a huge fan of SUGARCANE and what Timon continues to do there ie. Whole Roasted Chicken with truffle fingerling potatoes, bacon wrapped dates and brussels sprouts, I wasn’t so share how this new concept would work? I quickly discovered and know that this one is going to be a star.
Although it’s been open since mid-December, I just made it over to Bocce Bar recently — and I’m still dreaming of that afternoon of deliciousness. The menu is filled with a combination of classic and modern dishes — all meant for sharing and an impressive selection of Salumi and Formaggi. On our trip in, we opted for the Burrata with pickled eggplant, oven-dried tomatoes and arugula; and an order of Prosciutto di Parma to start — both brought clean, fresh flavors to the palate. They used top-of-the-line ingredients and I making this section shine.
What’s a trip to an Italian restaurant without an order of pasta? Bocce Bar prepares theirs in house and offers a variety of selections. While the Chestnut Tortelli and Orecchiette with duck sugo and roasted butternut squash looked tempting, we opted for the daily special — stuffed ravioli with pear and pecorino with toasted walnuts and sage. Freshly made, this was a favorite among the group — well actually, we didn’t have a favorite, as all of the dishes were spot on delicious in texture, flavor and preparation.
Not being a fan of the typical cannoli or tiramisu, I could have easily skipped dessert — but that quickly changed, as a few of their specialties were sent out to our table and I quickly indulged. Bocce Bar’s contemporary added twist to these traditional favorites immediately changed my take on them. The cannoli, seen above, were made with a thin honey cannoli shell, warm stewed strawberries and a 25-yr balsamic gelato — heaven on Earth — and the tiramisu was just as amazing. Our thought — bring friends to share for an all-encompassing party on your palate.
Bocce Bar is located at 3252 NE 1st Avenue in Midtown Miami; (786) 245-6211. The restaurant serves lunch & dinner daily and opens at 11:30 a.m.
