Out and About: Omar’s Private Charity Dinner
December 12, 2013
Out and About: VeritageMiami 2014
April 18, 2014
La Mar by Gastón Acurio
La Mar by Gastón Acurio is Brickell's newest waterfront dining addition offering a diverse menu of Peruvian cuisine and impeccable service amid captivating city and bay views. In addition to its elegant indoor dining room, the restaurant boasts two outdoor seating areas and three lively bars.
Situated in the Mandarin Oriental on Brickell Key, La Mar's contemporary elegance embodies the distinct regions of Peru. The entrance is decorated with a wall of green leaves mirroring the lushness of an Amazonian rainforest while the main dining room is surrounded by shades of teal jewel tones complemented with exotic wood accents. An inviting bar sits at the entrance serving a marvelous range of Peruvian pisco classics.
On one end of the dining room, guests can watch Executive Chef Diego Oka meticulously plating dishes at the Anticucho Bar. Oka tells us the grilling station is representative of the traditional food discovered on Peru's City streets. Several chefs work along side Oka grilling a variety of meat, seafood, and vegetables ($9-$30) including wagyu beef, octopus, and whole jumbo prawns.
Across from the open grilling station is the ceviche and sushi bar with chefs creating classic and Japanese-inspired dishes. Nikei is a common cuisine found in Peru that fuses Peruvian and Japanese flavors.
Our evening began with a traditional Pisco Sour which is said to have been created in 1915 at the Morris Bar in Lima. La Mar’s version of this national cocktail is quite impressive (and powerful) prepared with quebranta, lime, egg white, and angostura bitters. The result is a light, frothy potion that is perfect for watching the sun transcend behind Miami’s cityscape.
Guests are encouraged to begin their dining experience with a cebiche made to order and prepared with the day's fresh catch. A must-try is the Clasico ($17) served with generous portions of fluke, cilantro, garlic-lime juice, red onions, choclo (plump peruvian corn), and the most balanced and refreshing leche de tigre. Leche de tigre is a citrus-based marinade which cures the seafood in a cebiche. Some Peruvians believe this delicious juice (Milk of the Tiger) makes for a great hangover cure or aphrodisiac.
Our favorite Nikei dish is Nigiri Criollo ($9), a Peruvian interpretation of sushi with tuna dressed with a mildly spiced sauce and topped with crispy squid.
The menu also includes a variety of traditional Peruvian specialties including Lomo Saltado prepared with angus beef ($31) and Plancha Anticuchera ($19) a beautiful combination of fresh grilled seafood and crispy potatoes with chimichurri.
We opted for the amazon fish, Paiche Chorillana ($29) which is plated atop flavorful smashed yuca, served with a distinct tamarind chorrillana sauce, and garnished with crisp seaweed.
Desserts are just as memorable as the savory options. Our dessert selection ($11) was an outstanding dish filled with delightfully sweet purple corn sorbet, meringue, creamy yogurt blended with guanábana cream and a touch of chinese cinammon.
We dipped our spoons very slowly during this last course and continued to indulge in the perfect setting.
