October 26, 2015

Lique in Sunny Isles, one word; Spectacular!

Sunny Isles Lique

Located in the quickly burgeoning Sunny Isles, Lique is quite the addition to the neighborhood’s culinary scene. Lique is tucked in the same shopping center as an Old Navy and a Duffy’s Sports Bar, but walking in through the somewhat remote doors leads to a beautiful and grandiose restaurant. Looking over to your left, you see displays of a cornucopia of fresh seafood exclaiming what Lique’s kitchen prepares best. This should definitely be the case, seeing as being located waterside merits proper execution of such decadent ingredients.

The view from the outdoor seating is spectacular, giving you a wide view of Sunny Isles skyline that makes for quite the romantic setting when in right company. Looking through the menu, seafood definitely stands out as the restaurant’s specialty. I started with the crispy grilled Mediterranean octopus with flash fried potatoes, garlic butter glaze, and Spanish chorizo. Octopus seems to be a very popular ingredient at the moment, with most upscale restaurants their take on a Mediterranean profile. Lique’s stands up with the best of them, offering an octopus that is tender, flavorful, and quite pleasing. The Spanish chorizo adds fattiness and crispiness to add textural contrast. Overall, this was a highlight of the night.

The sous vide Colorado lamb ribs glazed in blueberry balsamic showcased the kitchen’s ability to cook outside their comfort zone of seafood. The lamb was tender and perfectly medium rare, and the blueberry glaze added a sort of depth and originality to what would have already been a delicious dish. Although this wasn’t the best dish of the night, I would definitely recommend it to those adverse to fish and looking for an interesting dish. Another favorite of the night was the sole doused in garlic butter. Plated tableside, the fish was flaky and delicate. The freshness of the fish was obvious and accentuated by the garlic in the compound butter. Although the fish was light, the amount of butter topping the fish made the overall dish rich and decadent. Definitely one of my favorite bites of the night.

Finish the night off with DIY apple pie. Puff pastry is fried and rolled in cinnamon sugar with two mason jars placed alongside. One of the mason jars is filled with apple pie filling and the other is filled with cinnamon ice cream. Combine the ingredients as your will, but I can almost guarantee you a pleasant experience. Make your dessert, eat it, and go home already thinking about wanting to come back.