By Fernie Ruano Jr.
“Don’t you want an awesome lunch on the day of your birthday?”
That’s the question that rolled off the tongue of a girlfriend as we drove south on U.S. 1 earlier today. And how can I have the heart to turn down an invitation to indulge on meat knowing a redhead in a plaid dress and flip flops would be sitting across from me for the entire lunch, even though I wasn’t entirely sold?
Besides, just because my previous experiences at the now-closed Gables’ Novecento, the meat-packing bistro, had left me less than fulfilled, even though they consisted of drinks and appetizers, didn’t mean I should expect more of the same at the Brickell location.
What did mommy always say? If you fail once, try again… and if you fail again, try again. And that’s exactly the approach I took right before walking through the front doors of a crowded and buzzy restaurant earlier today for a time-restricted lunch since she had to be back at the office by 2:15 p.m.
For starters, parking in the middle of the day can be a bit tricky, unless you valet or park down the street, like we did. But the small sweat beads on my forehead were quickly wiped away, thanks to an attentive female waitress who greeted us with a wide smile and directed us to a booth in the dining area. It was comfy and the dark décor in the middle of the day amid all the utensils clacking gave it a nice touch.
Being that we were both on work duty we opted for water and got things going with Provoleta, which arrived with the cheese grilled golden brown around the edges and loaded with onions and peppers. It was on the small side, but nonetheless very tasty. We also shared some sweetbread which had a nice texture to it.
I ordered a Strip Steak with Chimichurri and mashed potatoes, while she ordered a sausage sandwich on French bread. To my surprise, especially since it was lunchtime and the restaurant was filled to capacity, the Strip Steak was cooked at the right temperature and was flavorful, and the mashed potatoes were soft and consistent. Her sandwich had a sweet and sour kick to it which complimented the softness of the French bread very well. And the food arrived in less than 35 minutes, so all was good on that end.
The only problem we had was getting our waitress to refill our glasses of water, but understandably we were having lunch at 1:30 p.m. and the place was jam-packed with patrons from nearby businesses. And besides why give anybody at Novecento any beef, especially after such a great lunch on your birthday?
Do you want to know more about this 305-reeking, beach-bumming, Cuban food-obsessed dude? Well, then.. You can connect with Fernie @wordbyfernie (Twitter) and Fernie Ruano (Facebook). Who knows? If he really likes you, he might even give you his email.
0 comments:
Post a Comment