Lincoln Road Longevity
There’s a Reason Tiramesu Has Been a Favorite for Almost 20 Years

Tiramesu is true Italian, with three Italian chefs, Italian servers and homemade Italian pastas.

 
Linguine Ai Frutti di Mare. Photos by Michael Menchero

By Mark Goldberg

Eighteen years. Granted The Forge has been around since the ’50s and Joe’s since the beginning of time, but a restaurant that survives for 18 years in this town must be doing more than just one thing right.

That one thing, of course, is good food. Another is quality service. We have regularly found them both at Tiramesu, on Lincoln Road. Just 55 seats inside and another 55 out on the plaza and — on the night we visited — about another 55 people waiting in line without reservations. An evening like that brings a smile to owner Graziano Sbroggio. It’s a smile he wears nightly. Why not? In addition to Tiramesu, he also owns Spris, Le Bon, Segafredo and a second Spris in Coral Gables.

Sbroggio doesn’t skimp. Platters are as large as they are tasty. His mussels are soft and sweet monsters. His bay scallops look like they should be sea scallops. His calamari … forget the calamari. Let’s begin with the cuttlefish.

Seppioline Alla Veneziana ($10.50) featured baby cuttlefish — sort of a clean calamari, sweeter, more tender, looking like white mushroom caps — lightly sautéed in the nouveau-popular white-and-fizzy Prosecco wine with a subtle, spicy tomato concasse and grilled polenta triangles. Just as impressive were the monstrous Nantucket-raised Bay Scallops ($16) that were part of the Cappesante Del Doge. Bigger and sweeter than most sea scallops, these were flambéed in tequila and served over a sweet/tart mango chutney. Mix your forkful with scallop, chutney and the accompanying asparagus and enjoy. The Mango E Papaya Salad ($8.50), a blend of mixed greens in a ginger vinaigrette with soft wedges of the aforementioned fruits, was very tasty but could have used an additional texture, like nuts or seeds, to give it a needed crunch. The Salmone Affumicato E Brie ($9.50) elevated the delicious Scottish smoked salmon from the lowly cream cheese to a brie and capers level. OK, there were no bagels, but the crispy flats of bread were terrific.

In a land where most Italian restaurants are Argentine-owned, Tiramesu is true Italian, with three Italian chefs, Italian servers and homemade Italian pastas. Mezzelune Di Granchio Allo Zafferano ($15) was the long way of saying large half-moon ravioli, homemade and stuffed with a spinach and crabmeat combination. The sauce was a saffron and tomato base with grilled portobello. A standard-sized Ravioli Di Magro Agli Asparagi ($15.50) was stuffed with spinach again, this time joined by ricotta cheese and topped lightly with an asparagus cream sauce, sprinkled with prosciutto from Parma. Tiramesu’s menu is northern Italian, so even a frutti di mare is toned down a bit when it comes to spices. But the Linguine Alla Bucanier ($18.50) didn’t hurt for spices, ingredients or flavor. The perfect linguine was blended in a lightly spiced tomato sauce with soft mussels, jumbo shrimp, calamari and snapper.

Sbroggio has been playing games with his diners since the day he opened Tiramesu. He calls his game Beat the Clock. Here’s why: Arrive at the restaurant any time between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., and that’s what you pay for any of the evening’s “game” dishes. For example, the pipette with eggplant, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, oregano and basil is menu-priced at $13.50. Order at 5:30 p.m. and you pay $5.30. Bring the kids and Aunt Fanny any day of the week for this special game that’s available at all his restaurants.

Then finish off with a dessert. Our favorite was a Pistachio Chocolate Mousse. Plated in a large puff pastry, the mousse was light and airy, but filled with the crunch of whole pistachios. The Chocolate Layer Cake combined mousse and chocolate ganache, while a fabulous panna cotta arrived with fresh seasonal berries.

What happened to our entrées? To be honest, we filled up on cuttlefish, scallops and three excellent pastas (not to mention saving room for dessert) to the point that we could not have properly reviewed Tiramesu’s pancetta-wrapped pork tenderloin, filet mignon with melted gorgonzola, poppy seed-crusted Ahi tuna or Cioppino. There will have to be a Tiramesu Due (that’s two, for all you non-Italian speakers).

But I wouldn’t wait until then. Tonight’s line is already forming.

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Tiramesu

• ADDRESS: 721 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

• PHONE: 305-532-4538

• HOURS: Monday through Thursday: lunch from noon to 4 p.m., dinner from 5:30 p.m. to midnight; Saturday noon to 1 a.m., Sunday noon to midnight

• FOOD: Northern Italian

• SERVICE: Very knowledgeable and accommodating

• PRICES: Appetizers $4.95 to $16, entrees from $8.50 to $36

• WINES: An impressive international list with reasonable pricing

• ATMOSPHERE: Inside there’s Old World charm; outside it’s the active Lincoln Road Mall

• RESERVATIONS: Suggested on weekends and for large parties

• CREDIT CARDS: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Diner’s Club