We have had an amazing food journey in Miami, where the food scene is growing by the day. Our very first stop at The River Seafood & Oyster Bar was among the best. Day one was rainy and while we were disappointed by that, the food experiences more than made up for it. By evening, we were dining al fresco and the weather had improved enough to hit the pool [by ourselves] for a couple of hours before our second grazing!

Steve had done some advance research on our neighborhood, Brickell, which is the financial district of Miami conveniently located right on Biscayne Bay. It is a booming new residential area filled with over the top condos with sweeping views. The River Seafood & Oyster Bar is located just outside the hopping Mary Brickell Village, an area where locals dine and drink. Some major construction, when completed, will connect it to the rest of the neighborhood. But in the meantime, we were happy to be among the few who navigated around it for a Tuesday lunch at this outstanding spot.

The decor is a bit white tablecloth fancy at first glance and we noticed several people dining right at the large welcoming bar. But once we sat down, we were immersed in the awesome menu. Where to begin? While recognized for its oyster selection, we decided local fish and seafood was the only way to go. Why get NE Oysters in Florida? We do that all too often.

We started with soups. The conch chowder was a traditional spicy version worth the visit just for this dish! And New Yorkers duly note the prices!

GAZPACHO $5

CONCH CHOWDER | lager, tomato, corn $7

Both portions of soup were large and we’d ordered quite the rundown. I was already full. Next up the raw bar and crudo selections, all of which blew us away. By far the favorite of the meal was the Scallop Tiradito, a citrusy and creamy avocado raw scallop dish. We were tempted to order a second!

SCALLOP TIRADITO | avocado butter, lime, scotch bonnet jam $12

SHRIMP COCKTAIL | basil, cocktail, mango $12

CEVICHE | local fish| large $19
We could have had the small…

COBIA SASHIMI | avocado, white soy, black lava salt $12

The service at The River Seafood @ Oyster Bar was as outstanding as the food.  Thanks, India!  If this was only blocks from our hotel, what would the rest of our journey bring?  It turns out the chef has a second and quite hot restaurant in the Miami Design District called Oak Tavern and we stopped there for cocktails following dinner. The menu looked as enticing and the vibe was fantastic. The dining room was filled late night. Exposed brick walls and Edison lights ala the latest trend. There were many places more on the list to visit, but the temptation to go back to The River was strong. I’d say this is a ‘Miami Must’.

This entire write up was written on an iPhone poolside, so forgive the formatting issues. All things considered I’m giving WordPress an A on their iPhone App! The iPad is preferred, but the Wifi doesn’t have enough power to do the job out here. Making productive time out of vacation! Cheers and look out for more rave reviews of Miami restaurants!

http://www.therivermiami.com
650 South Miami Avenue – Miami – Brickell