DEEP HARBOR
Visit The Deck at Island Gardens, where you can dine in an exquisite super-yacht marina open-air lounge—Guests are welcomed to arrive by land or sea. The Deck at Island Gardens has waterfront cabanas, full-sized dining tables, lounging sofas, live music, and picturesque views. My guest and I walked up to the host on the deck, and were promptly seated near the ocean. We appreciated not only the ocean breeze, but the sultry sounds by DJ Vincent Daubas as well. The resident DJ spins every Thursday night from 8:00 p.m. until late so guests can lounge around and enjoy the tunes after dinner. Once my guest and I reviewed their menu and settled in, we ordered the Tuna Tartare as an appetizer. The Tuna Tartare was delicately and freshly made with grade-A tuna tartare, mango, avocado, tangerine, coconut and chives. This dish was exquisite and quite refreshing to the palate.
PASTA-TIVELY AMAZING
Next, we had their popular Tossed Arugula in Cheese Wheel. The salad was made with garden-fresh arugula, endives, cherry tomatoes and olives, which were all tossed table-side in a 24-month Parmigiana Reggiano cheese wheel. The salad’s flavor combinations were so explosively satisfying that I ate every last bite! The taste of the Parmigiana Reggiano terrifically complemented all of the salad’s ingredients. For the main course, I ordered the Trofie Pasta with Pesto. This dish is made with Genovese-style Trofie pasta, basil, and pine nuts, finalized with Parmigiano Reggiano on top. The pasta was cooked perfectly, al dente. The basil and pine nuts also ideally balanced out all of the flavors. This was a dish I truly enjoyed and highly recommend, as it is one of their most popular dishes on the menu.
NUTS FOR PISTACHIOS
For the finale of the evening, we ordered the Pistachio Cake which was made with traditional Mamma’s cake with pistachios and vanilla custard, then garnished with edible rose petals. The texture was spongy and moist, while the vanilla flavor complemented the nutty taste from the pistachios. A great dessert overall. Once dinner was finished, our waitress informed us that they offer brunch every Sunday from 12:00-4:00 p.m. The price for the brunch is $65 per person and comes with a complimentary glass of Bellini or Mimosa. During brunch, they have a wide variety of cold platters and salads, carving stations and hot pots, and even a dessert station. You may even reserve your table or cabana in advance!
888 MACARTHUR CAUSEWAY, MIAMI
islandgardens.com
By VANESSA C. GUZMAN
