There is a special going on until the end of September and you can only find it at the Icebox Cafe in Miami Beach. While many restaurants participated in this year’s Miami Spice this one restaurant decided to make their own version of the popular promotion that gives locals a chance to indulge in a three-meal course for a very low set price for either lunch and/or dinner. This special is only available for dinner and is known as the Summer Lovin’ menu in which guests can choose 3 of the following items from the regular dinner and libations menus: one glass of wine or beer, one appetizer, one entrée, or one dessert all for $33! Plus, guests who try the Summer Lovin’ menu can also enjoy 30% off bottles of wine! I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to try it out for myself as courtesy of the restaurant.
Although I had previously been to the Icebox Cafe several years ago it honestly felt so good to be back and I was very excited to try out their dinner menu for a change since what I would normally go for is their brunch. To my surprise on the same week that I visited the restaurant it had just been completely remodeled and was even more beautiful than I could remember! I found a lot of art deco inspired and fifties influence in the furniture and décor. The lamps, curtains, and sofa chairs looked like something from a hotel lobby and made you feel like you were dining in Miami but in the fifties. I absolutely loved the flamingo, plants, and tropical palm tree accents because it definitely gave the restaurant that little Miami touch.
After I finished taking endless photos of the beautiful space it was time to order! For starters our incredible waiter Manuel recommended us to try the Brisket Tacos and the Mejadra which is a spiced rice with lentils that is topped with fried onions. Let me just say that none of them disappointed me!
The brisket meat had a light, tasty, and fresh flavor to it compared to others that I’ve had where it was more greasy and where the overall flavor of the meat took away from the rest of the ingredients. What I loved the most about it was that they used pita bread instead of taco shells giving it a completely different taste and twist to it compared to how other restaurants typically serve it and that they top it off Tzatziki, one of my favorite sauces!
Since many of the dishes at the restaurant are of Mediterranean influence I ordered the Mejandra because I am a huge fan of lentils. I thought it was very well balanced, light, and wasn’t over packed with salt for taste. Actually, the fried onions on top of it enhanced the flavor even more and complemented the dish so well. I strongly recommend this dish to anyone who is vegetarian, loves lentils, or wants a lighter and healthier option.
For drinks both my mother and I had a Coconut Mojito which was super light, refreshing, and balanced! It’s actually the perfect Miami summer drink and I would definitely order it again the next time I visit.
For my entree, I choose the Faroe Islands Wasabi-Crusted Salmon that is served with a pad Thai-style vegetable quinoa because I wanted something very light and healthy and because the quinoa really caught my attention. I liked the quinoa because it had vegetables, peanuts, and fresh cilantro on top so it had a really nice flavor to it. I thought the salmon was average because I feel like it lacked some flavor and I couldn’t really taste the wasabi crust so overall I wasn’t really impressed with it. However, the salmon was really fresh and lean and I think the overall dish would be a good healthy alternative for anyone who is a pescatarian or is simply trying to watch their figure.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a filling and super satisfying dish with a bit more carbs to it then I would strongly recommend the Pappardelle with Braised Short Rib Ragu which is what my mother had. It’s basically a pasta with beef short ribs, tomato-basil sauce, and grana padano cheese and it is definitely on my top five list for best pastas that I’ve ever had in my life! The high quality of ingredients gave it such a rich flavor and you could just tell that it was made from scratch and with a lot of love. Being a huge fan of Italian food I have dined at many Italian restaurants so I’ve tried countless pastas but this dish really left a mark on me! I would definitely order this in a heartbeat the next time I visit without shadow of a doubt! It was that good!
There is no dinner complete without a glass of wine so the restaurant owner generously brought us two types of wines to taste and pair with our meal. The white wine that we tried was a Chardonnay called Sonoma Cutrer and the red wine was a Petite Sirah called Spellbound. Both wines were absolutely delicious but my favorite was the red because it has notes of blackberries, blueberries, vanilla bean, and roasted coffee in it making it a little more on the sweet side.
To top off our incredible meal we ended our dinner with some amazing desserts as also recommended by our waiter. I ordered the deep dish key lime pie and my mother ordered the chocolate delight cake which has layers of dark chocolate, creamy cheesecake, brownie and chocolate mousse filling, and dark chocolate ganache. I am usually very picky with key lime pies because I don’t like them too sweet or sour but the one I had was perfectly balanced and not to mention the crust and meringue on top which was so delicious!
I took a bite out of my moms cake and found it to be creamy, rich, decadent and perfect for chocolate lovers!
To conclude, I had a really great experience at the Icebox Cafe and loved the new the newly remodeled interior and amazingly fresh and well balanced food! Our waiter Manuel was fantastic and super attentive to our needs and really made some great recommendations along with the owner of the restaurant. If you have the chance from now until the end of September then I highly suggest to swing by the Icebox Cafe and try out their Summer Lovin’ menu before it’s gone and if you can’t make it by then you can always stop by lunch, dinner, or brunch and try their regular menu items which are also phenomenal!
** I would like to thank the Icebox Cafe once again for generously inviting me and my mother to come out and try their Summer Lovin’ menu! **
** All opinions are my own **
If you would like to learn more about the Icebox Cafe and/or check out their menu you can visit their page at: http://www.iceboxcafe.com and make sure to follow them on social media:
Instagram handle: @theiceboxcafe // Twitter handle: @theiceboxcafe
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/iceboxcafe/
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