Above the Madding Crowd

QUINTO IS A HIDDEN GEM IN THE MIDST OF BRICKELL’S BUSTLE

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BY ANDREW GAYLE

Newcomers might be surprised to know that Quinto is now seven years old, which, in Brickell talk, amounts to a lifetime. About the only dining establishments with greater longevity in Miami’s financial and high-rise residential district are the Capital Grill and Truluck’s.

The culinary focus of Quinto is South American dishes with a Mexican veneer. And by Mexican, we do not mean what passes for Mexican food in U.S. restaurants. This is the Mexican cuisine of Mexico City – refined, inventive, and multi-layered.

“We are trying to bring to this area the heart of Latin America, but with a Mexican influence,” says Chef Ivan Uria, himself Mexican. “And everything is cooked with a wood fire.” Both of these flavor influences are immediately apparent in the ceviche rojo ($21) a different take on the traditional dish from Peru. “In the case of the ceviche, it’s not just Peruvian ceviche, but a kind of a Mexican ceviche with red sauce from tomatoes roasted in the oven, which gives you that smokey flavor,” says Chef Ivan. A dusting of onion ashes also comes by way of the fire.

The wood searing and Mexican overlay is also evident, in the best possible way, in the Calamares a la Plancha ($21), an appetizer with a clever mix of ingredients and cooking techniques. The calamari, seared by the wood fire, is mingled with sliced avocado, red onion, and barley, and plated with a black romesco sauce. The combination of textures and flavors breaks new ground. “The interesting thing is that all the ingredients were roasted in a wood oven, and we finished with a little bit of squid ink, because we wanted to make the whole dish ‘squid,’” says Chef Ivan, which explains why

ABOVE

OPPOSITE PAGE FROM THE TOP:

LEFT: CALAMARES A LA PLANCHA

RIGHT: PRIME SKIRT STEAK

MEDITERRANEAN BRANZINO

NIGERIAN TIGER PRAWNS

QUINTO the normally red romesco sauce is blackened.

Still in the para compartir (to share) section of the menu, we had to try the Gambas al Ajillo ($29) – shrimp cooked in oil with garlic, a traditional Spanish dish that makes for a good benchmark. Theirs was exquisite. The garlic oil was made robust by sauteed Mexican guajillo chilis, and the succulent Gulf shrimp were dabbed with white garlic aioli sauce, balanced by squares of sweet potatoes (wood roasted, of course), and sprinkled with paprika. Garlic shrimp 2.0.

The entrees we sampled were all elevated by similar enhancements, along with just plain good cooking. The prime skirt steak had just the right blend of salts and peppers, juicy and hot off the fire ($54). The whole Mediterranean Branzino ($48) was butterflied, seasoned, cooked on the grill, then finished in the wood oven. The skin was crispy, the meat moist, with a roasted lemon and cup of pepper oil on the side to further bring out the flavor. Just superb – as were the oversized Nigerian tiger prawns, fire-roasted and plated on a bed of tagliatelle pasta with a pool of reduced lobster bisque ($36).

While we rarely describe desserts, we must mention their dark chocolate cheesecake with pistachios and passion fruit/orange sauce, as well as their caramel tiramisu with a warm gooey interior juxtaposed with cold banana ice cream (both amazing at $14).

The setting for this banquet is as inviting as the food. Quinto is urban and sophisticated, with a rustic edge – wooden tables, low-level lighting, a sprinkling of tiny bulbs woven into the outdoor plants, with warm wooden floors and wooden ceilings in the indoor areas. The service, like the music, is just right, present but not overpowering. If you work in the Brickell district, it’s just a quick ride up the elevator from the lobby of the East Hotel. For those who don’t work in the area, validation is available for valet parking. Whatever it takes to get to this hidden gem, the reward is worth it. l