Last Thursday night, my companion and I were invited to peruse Verde, and its dinner menu, at the newly opened Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM).
The waterfront restaurant & bistro bar, which also serves as PAMM’S exclusive caterer, was launched by the Philadelphia-based STARR restaurant group, which counts Buddakan & Morimoto among their signature restaurants.Verde, like the Pérez, is also designed by Herzog & de Meuron. The LEED certified venue is lined with wood tables and nude-colored banquettes, and its simple, polished concrete walls are draped with gauzy fabrics in soft hues of green and yellow. The restaurant’s narrow interior seats 104 guests, yet expands out onto a massive wooden outdoor terrace for al fresco seating and special events.
Starting from their Raw & Light section on the preview menu, we ordered Hamachi Sashimi & Bigeye Tuna Tartare. The delicate Hamachi floating atop a sweet & tangy lake of Citrus Ponzu & garnished with a barely detected smidgen of Jalapeño Relish quickly vanished. The hearty serving of Bigeye Tuna Tartare came with a creamy Lemon Sauce and a side of Kettle-cooked Potato Chips to scoop up every last delectable morsel.
For the main course, I chose the Squash Blossoms Pizza, with zucchini, goat cheese, tomato sugo, & roasted garlic olive oil. As a Chicagoan who adores pizza, this 12-inch pie rich with Goat Cheese topped with thin layers of unique and deliciously seasoned veggies, plus a perfect crunchy crust -was my favorite dish of the night.
My companion was equally pleased with his generously portioned Roasted Half Chicken entrée – part white & part dark meat, with minced, sautéed Portobello Mushrooms stuffed under the perfectly browned skin. Although accompanied with an Arugula Pesto, sprinkled with roasted eggplant, this sauce was unnecessary as the savory dish stood on its own. Pleasantly satisfied, but not stuffed, we ordered the easily best sweet treats from the dessert menu: the moist Cane Sugar Donuts (4) –served with two dipping sauces -dark & strong Cuban Coffee and sweet & thick Cajeta (Mexican Goat’s Milk Caramel), and, the mousse-like rich Chocolate Pudding, which was nicely contrasted with salty Almond-Coconut Streusel Crumbles, then, crowned with a dollop of Vanilla Gelato.
Verde is open for lunch all week. However, coinciding with PAMM’S hours, Verde is only open for dinner on Thursday evenings. Selectively on these nights, Verde will be hosting pop-up chef tastings with a prix-fixe menu.
Hours
Bistro Bar: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Restaurant: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Friday througb Wednesday and from 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. on Thursdays.
Verde is located at the Pérez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Boulevard in Miami. It’s located in downtown’s new Museum Park, alongside Biscayne Bay. (305) 375-8282.