Blog
November 17, 2010

Essensia At The Palms Hotel & Spa

BAKED FARM RAISED GOAT CHEESE STUFFED ARTICHOKE BOTTOMS, Organic baby spinach,  grilled Japanese eggplant  and Sriracha-red pepper coulis

The entire dinner at Essensia left me wanting for more which it's a good thing because I know that I would crave the experience all over again. The dishes were all intriguing and I like that. As an example, look at the dish above, you may be wondering what is this dish all about, you can't really recognize the artichokes but as I bite into them, the goat cheese worked perfectly as a smoother of the bitter bite of your regular artichoke. This this was a great start - and I am lately kind of addicted to Sriracha sauce so this was a good choice.

AHI TUNA at essencia restaurant in Miami

AHI TUNA, Tuna carpaccio, pickled cucumber, lemon wasabi, truffle vinaigrette and chili spiced tuna tartar, California avocado, chive oil and lotus root chips

This is a dish that tells a fascinating story right from the start. The texture and flavor of the pickled cucumber was a fresh addition to the entire composition. The tuna quality (which for me could either make or brake a dish) at Essencia restaurant you can tell right from the first bite that is some of the best you can get in town. I like food placed on a dish with some talented, not only in flavors but in composition.

FIVE SPICED CHARRED & CHILLED DOMESTIC LAMB LOIN, Lemon hummus, garbanzo beans, Greek olive tepanade, pita wedges & paprika oil

I like the variety of bites on this dish and all of them can be easily identified what the chefs is trying to accomplish; a middle eastern dish while adding a combination of classic ingredients and all of that paired by a playful display. The lemon hummus was certainly my favorite one. I like my hummus to be very soft with no impurities.

FLORIDA YELLOW TAIL SNAPPER Steamed baby bok choy, black Thai sticky rice and red Thai curry sauce

This dish was delicious, the snapper prepared just perfectly as it had a bit of crust at the top and it soft and tender in the inside. I absolutely loved the black rice because it was not dry at all (which is what you would usually get when those doing the cooking don't know how to handle it). The bok choy was a great addition to the dish and if you have ever cooked (I did) bok choy can turn into a disaster within a matter of seconds as it cooks quite quickly but Essensia's chef knows what he is doing...

Steamed baby bok choy

STEAMED ORGANIC BABY BOK CHOY

We just had to have a side order of the bok choy, it was that good...

GUAVA & STOUT BRAISED ANGUS BEEF SHORT RIBS Walnut -butternut squash mash, cipollini onions and organic baby carrots

Beautifully displayed, the short ribs literally melted in your mouth. I am not a huge fan of butternut squash and much less in the mash form but I was able to pass it along to my counterparts who loved it. The dish came together with the veggie notes but in this dish the main element was perfectly done. Thanks chef Frank Jeannetti.

DESSERT TIME

Don't make me start on this one, to find a creme brulee (crema catalana as Spanish people would like you to call it) that resembles to the authentic one is hard. I think there is a very fine line that some chefs cross all the time transforming a crema catalana into something more like flan or even a more liquidy (yep, I just came up with that word) milk custard. The one you see here from Essensia is the real thing, you had to crack the top (perfect!) to get to the goodness inside. This crema catalana is one of the few in Miami that are worth your time.

Essensia Restaurant

The Palms Hotel & Spa

3025 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33140, T 305 534 0505

www.thepalmshotel.com/essensia

Essensia Restaurant and Lounge on Urbanspoon

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