Miami Lakers can dine on fresh seafood or premium meats at the new 1910 Restaurante & Bar on Main Street.
Owners Ignacio “Nacho” De La Cruz of Miami Lakes and Pedro Alvarez present dishes with Florida, Cuban, Peruvian and Italian flavors in fish dishes salads; organic meats grilled over charcoal; pizzas and pastas.
“I want it to be a family concept, a local restaurant where everyone is welcome,” De La Cruz said.
During a recent lunch our party of four sampled from the regular menu (offered in English and Spanish) as well as from the $16.95 lunch specials.
For diners who miss the Beverly Hills Café, the warm rolls at 1910 Restaurant & Bar will bring back memories. The breads and desserts are made in house, and you can taste the difference.
De La Cruz is proud of the restaurant’s cheese balls, and rightly so. They are barely fried and hold a luscious mix of Havarti, mozzarella and gouda, served with a pineapple dipping sauce ($8). Your party will be vying for them.
The restaurant’s claim to fame is its grilled octopus with garlic butter sauce ($34), which is served two ways. The whole octopus is boiled in red wine before it is grilled.
The Octopus Montadito appetizer ($16) is served in sliced pieces that have been smoked and lay atop crispy sweet potato fries, with pesto sauce on the side.
A very lightly breaded snapper sandwich ($18) on a warm buttery brioche bun also comes with crispy fries, and a homemade tartar sauce.
Unlike other fish sandwiches we’ve had, the seasoned breading is so light it lets the fresh fish shine. Portions for three of the four main dishes we ordered were so ample the restaurant provided boxes so we could take home the leftovers.
The lunch specials included a tasty and bountiful lobster sandwich with large pieces of Key West crustacean, tossed in a mayonnaise-based sauce and served on a warm brioche bun, with fries on the side.
The Key West Style Grouper Filet ($32) was not available when we went and marlin was substituted. While the marlin is a drier fish, it was still flaky tender, broiled and served with layers of parmesan cheese and finely chopped onion, tomato and red and green peppers. The portion would feed two people.
Also enjoyed by our party was the Salad 1910, ($18), which was also large enough to share. A spring mix of greens came with fresh soft figs, almonds, parmesan cheese and a honey lemon vinaigrette and herbs.
Lunch or dinner can be finished with four desserts and we shared two: The Mother-in-Law’s flan ($9) is creamy without being too sweet, while the Dubai Volcano ($16) was a soft, warm rich chocolate brownie topped with pistachio ice cream and crunchy kataifi (toasted and shredded phyllo dough).
The espresso was perfect.
We will have to go back to try the carnivore’s side of the menu that includes Iberico Pork Secret, 18 ounces of grilled pig ($62).
A New York Prime Angus steak ($40) is also grilled over charcoal and served with garlic parsley butter.
Beef oxtail is cooked until tender and served with a criolla sauce ($42).
The 1910 Burger is 10 ounces of Angus beef on a brioche bun with bacon, Havarti cheese, caramelized onions and a creamy blue cheese sauce. Served with fries, it’s $22.
A pizza oven beckons from behind a back bar and is where margherita ($18), seafood ($28), ham and mozzarella ($20) or burrata and prosciutto ($24) 12-inch pies are baked. There are risotto and fettucine dishes too, priced from $16 without proteins and up to $44 for seafood.
The restaurant has a full bar, a cocktail menu, non-alcoholic beverages and coffees.
The friendly and professional staff elevates the dining experience, and how often can that be said about South Florida restaurants?
Server Rosa Maria Anta made good recommendations, anticipated our needs and brought dishes out fast during our lunch hour.
The space is bathed in flattering interior lighting and sunshine from the windows that overlook passersby and the street scene.
At night, table lamps provide a more romantic feel. Musicians will perform piano, sax and violin on weekends, but softly, the owners promise.
A side room that looks into the restaurant can hold parties of 20.
The walls are decorated with enlarged photos taken in Miami in the early 1900s.
The restaurant joins Amazonia Nikkei and La Strega Cucina Italiana & Steakhouse as a fine dining destination on Main Street.
A prediction: The concept and the warm welcome from the 1910 folks will soon make it a favorite of Miami Lakers.
1910 Restaurante & Bar at 6743 Main St. is open seven days a week, for lunch and dinner.
Service begins at 11:30 a.m. It closes at 10 p.m. weekdays and Sundays and on Saturdays at 11 p.m.
To see the menu go or make a reservation go to 1910restaurantbarml.com or call 305-456-4915.