{"id":4543,"date":"2008-11-28T23:15:38","date_gmt":"2008-11-28T23:15:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mrnystyleandtravel.com\/?p=4543"},"modified":"2013-12-10T08:18:52","modified_gmt":"2013-12-10T13:18:52","slug":"scarpetta-the-fontainebleau-miami-beach-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/?p=4543","title":{"rendered":"Scarpetta at the Fontainebleau"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"3743\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Given the location of Scott Conant\u2019s latest Scarpetta (the eponymous sister to his Meatpacking District dazzler) in the newly renovated Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, it\u2019s not surprising that you enter the restaurant almost expecting paparazzi.\u00a0 And when, midway through your meal, photog Bruce Weber arrives with an entourage of ten, you could easily be forgiven for indulging your own private celluloid fantasies.\u00a0 Scarpetta is the kind of restaurant that combines the sexiness of LA with the professionalism of New York\u2014and then stirs in a hefty dose of Miami Beach glamour.\u00a0 After all, the Fontainebleau is Morris Lapidus\u2019s once-reviled chef d\u2019oeuvre<\/em>\u2014now brimming with the confidence of a $1 billion makeover.<\/p>\n

Located at the base of Sorrento Tower, the sleek sumptuous restaurant designed by David Collins overlooks the Fontainebleau\u2019s poolscape, with a wraparound veranda for almost-oceanside dining.\u00a0 Exhibiting a kind of restrained nautical design scheme\u2014think Cunard Line with elements of classic waterfront Newport \u201ccottages\u201d\u2014Scarpetta feels like a private yacht sailing through the Mediterranean early in September.<\/p>\n

In 2002, Conant made a huge splash with the gorgeous L\u2019Impero in Manhattan\u2019s Tudor City\u2014but Conant left and L\u2019Impero closed\u2014and Tudor City\u2019s loss is Miami Beach\u2019s gain.<\/p>\n

A critics\u2019 favorite for his take on southern Italian, Conant continues his masterful touch at Scarpetta\u2014a name which translates to \u201clittle shoe\u201d and is an Italian expression for the shape that your bread takes on when you sop up every last bit of a meal.\u00a0 As if to validate the restaurant\u2019s implied challenge, a brimming breadbasket commences the meal, served with a tray of three luscious dipping sauces\u2014one a mascarpone butter that would break the willpower of even the most steadfast dieter.\u00a0 As for the bread itself, you\u2019ll probably have to ask for a second basket before your second course arrives.\u00a0 This is Italian bread that could make a French baker weep with envy.<\/p>\n

Some of L\u2019Impero\u2019s most cherished dishes remain on Scarpetta\u2019s menu\u2014such as the creamy polenta with a fricassee of truffled mushrooms.\u00a0 Served in a small silver porringer accompanied by a porcelain bowl, this combination is highly elevated nursery food, hitting all the right comfort notes and designed to leave one smacking one\u2019s lips\u2014and reaching for another scarpetta<\/em>.<\/p>\n

An assagini<\/em> called tuna \u201csucsi\u201d arrived plated like a Cy Twombly painting, as did a beautiful scallop tartare served on a landscape of baby greens, avocado, citrus salad and chives.\u00a0 Our fellow diners stared in amazement, uncertain, at first, as to whether it should be valued as art\u2014or eaten.\u00a0 As for the mozzarella in carozza<\/em> (mozzarella in a \u201ccarriage\u201d) served with stewed baby tomatoes, this was Conant\u2019s refined twist on the classic grilled-cheese-and-tomato.<\/p>\n

Long celebrated for his ability to extract the most elemental flavors from the purest ingredients, Conant has made his spaghetti with tomato and basil something of a legend.\u00a0 Served in a bowl, the dish is a tangle of pasta and summer\u2019s bounty\u2014and so toothsome and seductive as to make you consider ordering a second.<\/p>\n

Hold off, however, and order dessert.\u00a0 There\u2019s deconstructed tiramisu, for example, and also a caramelized apple \u201cpie\u201d with polenta crust, black pepper-caramel sauce, and honey-vanilla gelato.<\/p>\n

As for service, expect the kind of polish and professionalism long associated with some of Italy\u2019s finest ristorante.\u00a0 And if at meal\u2019s end, you have to remind yourself you\u2019re not anchored along the Amalfi coast, relax\u2014you\u2019re in Miami Beach, the American Riviera.\u00a0 Avanti!<\/p>\n

LINK: Scarpetta<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Given the location of Scott Conant\u2019s latest Scarpetta (the eponymous sister to his Meatpacking District dazzler) in the newly renovated Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, it\u2019s not surprising that you enter the restaurant almost expecting paparazzi.\u00a0 And when, midway through your … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4544,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[798,398,601,797],"class_list":["post-4543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-restaurant","tag-fontainebleau","tag-miami-beach","tag-scarpetta","tag-scarpetta-at-the-fontainebleau"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/3743.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p31sdB-1bh","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4543"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6989,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4543\/revisions\/6989"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}