RESTAURANTS • First Word
The Skinny: Last fall, homegrown chef Niven Patel opened his first foray into South Beach’s restaurant scene, Paya, an ode to island cooking spanning the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Spain. As Miami diners have come to expect from Patel, there’s a focus on seasonal, hyperlocal sourcing with ingredients cultivated on his own South Dade farm, Rancho Patel.
The Vibe: A familiar, playful mid-century modern-meets-island motif, in a beautifully textured, softly lit dining room with rattan overhead lighting fixtures, basket-woven-backed low slung chairs, soft red upholstery, Spanish tiles, and white-washed brick walls with palm mural panels. There’s also a pretty bar clad in green clapboard reminiscent of the Caribbean and a poolside patio that feels Balinese, with polished wooden benches and tables flanked by lush foliage. On a recent Friday night, the scene was subdued, with only a few other parties in the dining room.
The Food: The menu is anchored by a 10-item family-style tasting menu at $75 per ($50 on Mondays). I especially enjoyed an elegant endive salad with orange, walnuts, and Pecorino; the truffle brie grilled cheese with mango jam on buttery Sullivan Street sourdough; and the lemongrass-glazed daily catch (mahi-mahi when I was there) with bok choy and heirloom carrots atop rice and a fragrant coconut curry. The green papaya salad and coconut wahoo ceviche were both a little sweet for my taste: the former lacking heat, the latter lacking acid. Other items were merely forgettable, as the parade of dishes tended to overwhelm rather than cohere.
The Drink: My dining companion and I couldn’t resist starting with the menu’s two jello shots masquerading as sliced fruit: the Caribbean rum punch made with Flor de Caña and pisco inside a mango rind, and the hibiscus-infused, tequila-based Island Time with passionfruit inside a dragon fruit shell. The rest of the cocktail menu is creative and boozy, much of it tiki-inspired and bursting with fresh fruit, like the Passionfruit Fizz, made with gin and egg white.
The Verdict: A star Miami talent flying below the radar in South Beach. Swing by on a Monday night and go island-hopping with Patel at an incredible value, or order à la carte to avoid sensory overload. –Shayne Benowitz
→ Paya (South Beach) • 1209 17th St • Sun-Thu 530-10p, Fri-Sat 530-11p • Reserve.