Welcome to Moye, Brickell’s newest authentic Italian eatery and the first U.S. outpost. With six locations throughout Italy, Moye will transport you, with every dish, on a gastronomic tour of Puglia. Moye shines the spotlight on classic Italian fare from Puglia or as they say Apulian cuisine, an area located in Southern Italy that’s prized for its hearty, rustic cuisine as well as great wines, olive oils, and significantly, as the birthplace of burrata. Moye showcases this distinct Italian cuisine with a hand-crafted menu of regional specialties that truly reflect the fresh products and flavors of the region.
“We like to specialize more in regions, more than any typical Italian restaurant, to educate more people and to teach them there is a lot of variety of food in Italy, not just lasagna and pizza, the typical fare,” said Puglia Owners Tony Gallo and Chef Pietro Vardeu.
Moye is like a breath of fresh air, the decor is predominantly white with floor to ceiling windows keeping the feel of the place light and airy. “In Puglia there’s a lot of white, most of everything there is white, like in Greece with all the white buildings” said Gallo.
We began our tour of Puglia with house made creamy Tris di Mozze with the classic perfectly ripe Buratta Moye, scamorza, fior di latte (other Italian cheeses) and bruschetta, served with toasts and all sorts of delicious toppings. Polpette, luscious meatballs stuffed with scamorza, tomato sauce, and black olive crostini were a party in our mouths as was the tender Polpo, pan seared octopus sautéed with fava beans pureé and cherry tomatoes. Smooth and light Zucchini Flan with scamorza cheese melted on top was simply amazing. Hearty soups include Campagnola, full of chickpeas, broccoli, potatoes, carrots, and zucchini or Fava beans pureé with chicory.
Chilled salads off a variety of selections such as the Barese with potatoes, orange, arugula, tomatoes, endive or the Garganica, a delicious blend of arugula, beets, fennel, potatoes, carrots. Fresh Tartare di Tonno combines tuna tartar, with farro and avocado while the Carpaccio di salmon is perfect with fennel, orange, and radish.
Perfect al dente Spaghetti, cacio e pepe is a creamy delight of pecorino cheese and black pepper while the Orecchiette, with broccoli rabe Apulian style, is fresh and fragrant. Rigatoni, with sausages and asparagus and the Pasta al forno, baked ziti, tomato, mozzarella, and veal ragú was second to none.
Chef Vardeu’s Cartoccio of the day was beautiful Mediterranean Branzino fish layered with zucchini tomatoes and spinach on top. The Apulian style Zuppa di pesce is a seafood stew full of the freshest the sea has to offer and the slow roasted Stinco di agnello, lamb shank, with porcini and primitivo reduction risotto fell off the bone. The perfectly tender Tagliata, 14oz ribeye is served with with grilled vegetables while the Scaloppine is smothered with wild mushrooms.
Along with a cappuccino, our endings included a Granita di Anguria which blended watermelon, ginger, rum and pineapple into a snowy delight. The Tortino di Cioccolato, a rich and decadent chocolate soufflé, sensational Sporcamuss, layerd puff pastry with rich nutella and custard as well as the Semifreddo di Mandorle, a frozen decadent almond parfait.
Their idea is to bring the power of Puglia to Miami. Moye, which means “this is the time” in the Bari dialect, is a time to enjoy healthy genuine cuisine in a warm, welcoming, friendly atmosphere. For a business lunch or celebratory dinner, Moye is open daily and located at 829 SW 1st Avenue, Miami. Reservations are recommended by calling Make (305) 372-5168. Your tour of Pulgia awaits…Bon Appétit…
By: Marla Horn Lazarus