SPREADS Sunday

By Lane Nieset

Sundays at Acqualina have long been the highlight of the week thanks to Il Mulino New York’s lavish, buffet-style brunch unfolding on the Italian palazzo-inspired outdoor terrace. One of Miami’s most indulgent spreads, this oceanside brunch is designed to be savored, with Corporate Executive Chef Michele Mazza and his team keeping diners on their toes with dishes like Kobe beef sliders and porcini ravioli with champagne truffle cream, plus classics like brioche French toast and made-to-worder waffles and omelets

Il Mulino New York Sunday Brunch is a weekly affair, taking place from Noon to 4 p.m., with a parade of sushi and pasta stations — filled with a selection of the Italian eatery’s signature dishes—plus bottomless brunch cocktails like mimosas, mojitos, Sangria, and Bloody Marys, all for $115 per person, plus tax and gratuity.

Last fall, another New York transplant, two-decade-old brand Avra, opened its fifth outpost at The Estates at Acqualina, a short stroll across the resort’s sky bridge. And with the recent debut of the highly anticipated brunch menu, available from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Sundays just got even more exciting at Acqualina.

Looking to the traditional seaside taverns lining Greece’s coastline and islands, Executive Chef Jose David Diaz injects a Mediterranean touch into sweet and savory à la carte brunch fare like grilled haloumi with orange peel and Greek honey, challah French toast with vanilla cream, and grilled fish of the day with spanakorizo, a Greek spinach-and-rice pilaf.

For something truly over the top, the smoked salmon tower stacked with bagel accoutrements and the fluffy scrambled eggs with Kaluga caviar are not to be missed—and neither are the views from inside the bougainvillea-wrapped pergola dining room or under the stone arches on the elegant, waterfront patio that exudes Greek summer vibes year-round.