Miami: Return to The Cypress Room
Contributed by on Jul 30, 2015
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It’s been a couple of years since I went to the Cypress Room in Miami. I was very surprised though to be welcomed back as the manager recognized me. We had been driving all day from Orlando to Miami and didn’t want anything too fussy so we sat at the bar for food and a couple of drinks.
I was in a martini mood and the Before and After sounded like a great variation. My friend leaned towards more sparkling wine so she went with the Go Lightly.
Before and After – The Botanist gin, Amaro Averna, Salers Apertif, Luxardo Maraschino, lemon twist
Go Lightly – Cocchi Americano, St. Germain, sparkling wine, lemon twist
We decided on a few appetizers. I wanted stone crab and soup. She wanted the burrata. To keep things interesting, we also got the frog legs. The kitchen sent out an amuse to start. I adored how the heirloom tomato jam was in a shape of a heart on the tiny grilled cheese sandwich. It was a great bite.
The grand aioli consisted of local vegetables, greens and perfectly chilled stone crab. It’s a sophisticated crudite plate. We had a somewhat heavy lunch so it was a relief to munch on some vegetables.
Usually I don’t order burrata at restaurants since I think it’s a bit of a cop out (I tend to feel that way about cheese plates, and sometimes charcuterie unless it’s house made). But I’m glad we go the artichoke because I got to experience stracciatella, a pulled soft cheese that reminded me of burrata but perhaps slightly better because it tasted like it had been whipped. It was just so lovely and I do love artichokes. Plus there was purslane, peas and mico flowers. You almost didn’t need the proscuitto in the dish.
I asked the bartender if he had any creme de violette. I had a hankering for an Aviation. The gin, creme de violette, maraschino and lemon drink helped keep me cool in the warm night.
Which is a bit ironic since I order soup no matter what temperature it is outside. I got the onion soup with a chicken egg and cave-aged Gruyere. The chicken broth probably helped me combat the travel bugs.
The best dish turned out to be the frog legs with a healthy green sauce of watercress, fava bean and zucchini. We could’ve had another dish’s worth. It was just so snackable.
If I lived in Miami, I would be a regular.
3620 NE 2nd Ave., Miami, FL 33137 — (305) 520-5197 © The Minty 2015
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