KitchenCritical

  This is a Pre-Covid review. Many restaurants have changed greatly since the pandemic. Mercato Della Pescheria 412 Española Way Miami Beach, Fl, 33139 Mercato looks like a tourist trap, feels like one, then surprises you. An oasis in ground zero of a culinary wasteland. Set in the affectatious yet charming Española way, Mercato's staff was amiable and efficient. The decor was a handsome mixture of theme park-esque tuscan cottage with modern elements like exposed concrete and airy spaces. A common but not unwelcome staple of most of Miami's Mediterranean menus is the branzini. From the bass family, it indeed is a Mediterranean species and though it is increasingly farmed, a good branzini is unforgettable. Mercato's roasted branzini is served whole, as a good fish should be. Its skin was skillfully crisped into a flat, unbroken sheet of crackling delight. The flesh was cooked with remarkable precision: an alluring tuft of steam wafted forth when one first cut into it. The se...

 This is a Pre-Covid review. Many restaurants have changed greatly since the pandemic. Merkado 31 1127 NE 163rd Street Miami Beach, Fl, 33162  The decor is modern but admirably modest: faux concrete tables, pale stone tiles with a bamboo fixture in the center. Warm toned recessed lighting contrasted pleasantly with the gray and tan shades, which only enhanced the vibrant colors of the dishes. The menu offers the usual items for Peruvian food in Miami, though at a lower price point. Three ceviches were tasted: the Clásico, Mixto, and Mercadero. The Mercadero sauce was alluringly described as being made from small, potent red Peruvian chilies. Yet it was the ceviche mixto that bore a vibrant red color. What I presumed to be the Mercadero was in fact a creamy yellow. The Mixto and Mercadero's sauces followed the growing trend of being enriched with cream, serving to temper the acidity of the limes and carry fat soluble flavors. They were pleasant, but indistinguishable in flavor....