Flashback to the 80's at Restaurant Miami in Minneapolis
West Lake Street's newest hot spot is getting lots of attention and attracting huge weekend crowds for its neon-mirrored-Miami-Vice-themed décor and Scarface-inspired drink menu. The venue's appeal is directly related to its kitsch and tackiness, which, when compared to the ever-growing crop of “upscale” lounges in the Twin Cities, is positively refreshing.
In spite of the bar/club feel in this blinking-flashback venue, Restaurant Miami is indeed also a restaurant. If you wish to dine, however, I recommend visiting on a weeknight or early evening on the weekends, due to a kitchen that appears to bog down easily. The menu selection is heavy on fish and seafood, as one might expect, featuring playfully named creations such as Linguine Del Elián Gonzalez, tossed with scallops, mussels and shrimp in a lime-chili sauce ($15.) Popular appetizers include the expected Calamari ($8,) which was surprisingly fresh and crispy, and Caribbean Chicken Spears ($7,) served on a glittering bed of tiny, diced fruit pieces.
For whatever the food is worth, the real attraction of Restaurant Miami is the bar scene. It's new, it's hip, and it's full of beautiful people in designer dress, laughing and dancing over brightly-colored beverages, teetering under the weight of so much obligatory fruit garnish.
Oh, and did I mention the Scarface Lounge? Yes, that's the VIP area, available by reservation, and there one can lounge on blood-red couches while two flat-screens play a continuous loop of the movie Scarface. Now if that doesn't make a person want to take advantage of the lounge “bottle service,” I don't know what would. Alternatively, there is a wide selection of custom cocktails, all named for lines from the movie. Of course the most popular must be the “Say hello to my little friend...”
Despite a burning desire to stay open late-late-late, the owners of Restaurant Miami are currently only permitted to operate until 11PM on weekdays and 12PM on weekends, so get there early to take full advantage of your glorious, Miami-Vice flashback. Oh, and I almost forgot: if you spot some friends across the room, don't slog through the crowd to chat with them. Simply pick up the neon-under-lit phone on your table (or at the bar) and give them a ring. All tables have telephones.
913 West Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-823-1985
Reservations recommended on weekends
