The allure of The Surf Club Restaurant is delicious nostalgia, elaborately prepared for contemporary guests.
Surf Club Restaurant, 9011 Collins Avenue, Surfside, Florida. 305-768-9440. https://www.surfclubrestaurant.com/
Founded by world-renowned Chef Thomas Keller, the restaurant marks the star chef's first venue in Florida. Situated within the iconic Miami landmark, The Surf Club, the restaurant is the chef's homage to classic American cuisine. Dinner is served five days a week; Tuesday to Saturday, and the menu—à la carte—offers old-school continental cuisine, with dishes including crab cakes, caesar salad, lobster thermidor, and beef-and-mushroom lasagne. A range of reservation options are also available, as well as curbside pick-up.
Diners at the Surf Club restaurant are guaranteed a satisfying meal, an experience of an antiquated age in Miami history, and a picturesque view of the Surfside beach.
The commitment to the classical American aesthetic is immediately apparent once you walk in. The wood-panelled dining room is quietly elegant and awash in golden light. Its windows offer a view of Surf Beach. Decorated arches are repeated on the walls, creating a tasteful motif. A vase of fresh flowers, standing on a table in the middle of the room serves as the centrepiece.
In the bar, where guests could have a drink or eat a full meal, large windows bathe the room in buttery sunlight. The seats are plush and comfortable, endearing and lovable in the way that old things are. Live music plays softly and steadily in the bar, accentuating the already pleasant scene.
The wine list includes assorted wines, vintage and non-vintage: a diner could start off with a classic Champagne or Bordeaux, a white wine or a Rosé; in addition, Surf Club restaurant serves traditional style cocktails to guests.
As an alternative, there are bar snacks—also classic—to whet one's appetite. They include marinated olives, prettily plated, and the deliciously creamy French onion dip and kettle chips, in preparation for the real deal and the selling point of the restaurant: the food.
Multi-award-winning chef Thomas Keller is known for his attention to detail and skilful cuisine. His portfolio includes three Michelin stars, restaurants such as The French Laundry, and Bouchon Bakery, and five published cookbooks that have sold more than a million copies in total. Suffice to say, he is a maestro at his art, and this menu reinforces the fact.
The menu features carefully arranged classic American dishes, each item infused with rich flavours. There is the imported Regiis Ova Ossetra Caviar, which is luxurious nutty and buttery eggs, carefully selected from Keller-allied sturgeon farms and delicately prepared; sweet and chewy Oysters in the Half; the savoury Grilled Ora King Salmon, as well as their absolutely magnificent bucatini Pomodoro. Sides include buttermilk whipped potatoes, Madeira glazed mushrooms, and wilted or creamed spinach.
Service is prompt, gracious and fine; characteristics one can expect from a Keller restaurant.