"Reopened in Miami Beach after a nearly three-year COVID-19 hiatus, I found the Alley, nestled within the Betsy Hotel and helmed by award-winning chef Laurent Tourondel, offers trattoria-style pizza fare against one of the area’s most unique backdrops. The menu ranges from starters like ricotta di buffalo served on rosemary focaccia and cannellini beans and kale bruschetta to salads such as the Arthur Ave. with salami and provolone and raw zucchini dressed with lemon-garlic olive oil; the formaggi highlights Quadrello di Bufala paired with honey-almond amaretto and the salumi section offers an assortment of Italian meats. Pizzas are the stars, including a shrimp scampi with rock shrimp, pesto, and arugula and a newly added Francese topped with tomatoes, mushrooms, prosciutto, comte, gruyère, and pili oil. Dessert features soft-serve ice cream in classic and inventive flavors like vanilla and mushroom popcorn, and the adjacent ventanita serves these soft-serve varieties alongside coffee from Panther Coffee. The 1,327-square-foot indoor space leans on abundant wood, floor-to-ceiling windows, large pendant lighting from sloped ceilings, and bamboo and raffia accents, and is decorated with artwork by various artists, including a variety of Val Kilmer; the outdoor dining offers views of art projections on The Orb, the egg-shaped sculpture by architect Allan Shulman. It is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 10 p.m." - Olee Fowler