It was rainy and the Uber prices were skyrocketing, but I would have done anything to get to my reservation at the Bazaar by José Andrés. Not only is he in the top echelon of what we term "celebrity chefs," but I found his playful idea of mixing and melding cuisines in this Miami Beach hotspot intriguing.
I opted for a seat at the bar so I could watch some of the chefs work — something I usually adore, however in this case, the way the bar was structured, it was difficult to catch sight of much of anything. (Next time I'll go for a table... although one of the chefs was gorgeous, so I still enjoyed the view!)
The dishes are organized by concept and by style (meat, vegetables, etc.) and are tapas-like, so you can order 3-5 and structure a little degustation however you'd like. It was tough for this foodie to choose, I'll tell you that much. My server was very helpful; in one case steering me away from an initial choice to something else that ended up being the highlight of my meal.Of course I had to splurge on the ossetra caviar cone. While it was a wee bite, it was delicious! (But it just made me want a huge spoonful of caviar so I could more greatly appreciate those gorgeous pearls.) Next, the pork and shrimp shumai was quite flavorful, if not knockout-memorable, save for the flecks of gold leaf on top (the first two courses were both gold-leaf adorned, which made me laugh thinking that they might all come out that way — luckily, no!)
The seared scallops served with a Pedro Ximenez sauce were cooked to perfection, and when I was able to combine all of the flavors of the sauce, pine nuts, and raisin adornments, the bite was spectacular.And then it happened: another addition to the TOP 10 DISHES OF MY LIFE appeared. (A previous entry was the squid ink risotto at Sin Manieras in Lisbon. To die for.)
It was a Cuban-coffee-rubbed skirt steak, with passion fruit, coffee foam, and slightly caramelized pearl onions. OH MAH GAWD, it was so good! The steak on its own was incredibly flavorful, but the addition of the passion fruit was a stroke of pure genius. Its sweet-tartness married impeccably with the coffee char of the meat. I honestly got a little misty-eyed, it was so freaking good. Each bite was savored and I didn't want it to end. (I truly don't have enough superlatives to continue raving.)
The steak floated me into a state of bliss, somewhat sated but craving more deliciousness, so I figured I'd go for a dessert. I wanted something on the lighter side, and was torn between the deconstructed key lime pie, and the mojito sorbet with caramelized bananas. I finally chose the sorbet, but the "pie" came out — perhaps it was a mixup, but my waiter covered it by saying he wanted me to try both, and the key lime dish was on him. It was very good, but indeed presented a little sweeter than I'd been wanting, so when the sorbet came out, it was PERFECT. Served in a chilled banana; playful, but light and rich at the same time. Both dishes had marshmallow dollops to boot, and I could've spooned that into my mouth all night.
For wines, I chose a rose Cava, which paired quite well with most of my dishes, and then a robust Tempranillo to go with the steak. I also went with an Oloroso sherry for the dessert, taking it from the sherry list rather than the dessert wine list, as I didn't want it too sweet.Due to the tapas-like nature of The Bazaar, one's bill can escalate quickly. But the overall quality of the food was incredibly high, and standouts like the steak especially make it worth every penny.
1701 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305-455-2999
