BASQUE BREAK

GOURMAND

DRINK, EAT, AND REPEAT: THERE’S PLENTY OF DELICIOUS TO CHOOSE FROM

LEKU

Clockwise from left: beet tartare with olive oil caviar; 5 Jotas Iberian ham; the restaurant’s interiors complement the Rubell Museum.

OPENINGS Basque Breakthrough

By Paul Rubio

Miami’s gripping rebirth as the new nexus of America’s international food scene advances with the opening of Leku, a restaurant showcasing the celebrated gastronomy of northern Spain’s Basque Country. This famed region is known for balancing ingredient simplicity and epicurean complexity over the likes of fresh seafood, meats, and produce—and it has some 40 Michelin-starred restaurants to prove it. Leku imports haute-yet-approachable Basque cuisine to the Miami market under the direction of chef Mikel Goikolea, who hails from the small town of Otxandio and has trained in some of Spain’s top restaurants.

Look forward to an all-day menu with conversation-worthy plates like beet tartare with olive oil caviar, croquettes with 5 Jotas Iberian ham, short rib sliders in milk buns, and seasoned meats and seafood from the wood-fired grill, alongside a fabulous Spanish wine list and a creative gin and tonic menu. The restaurant’s design and ambience also impress: The scene fuses lush garden beauty and art gallery glamour in a modernist indoor-outdoor space within the industrial-chic Rubell Museum in Allapattah. (lekumiami.com)