Avra Estiatorio Opens in Miami, Florida | Eater Miami

"I visited the restaurant's first Florida outpost at The Estates at Acqualina and found a chic Greek dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows offering beach and pool views inside a Karl Lagerfeld-designed lobby. The 330-seat space is done in understated sand and white, with foliage streaming from the ceiling, oversized booths, a massive light fixture above a 360-degree bar, and stone sculptures on the walls. A collaboration between Marc Packer (known for Lavo and Tao) and restaurateurs Nick Tsoulos and Nick Pashalis, Avra has developed a large social following while remaining true to taverna-inspired Mediterranean fare: a crisp Greek salad of tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, and feta; vegetables served grilled or, in the case of broccoli rabe, sauteed with feta; classics like octopus and saganaki; an extensive raw bar and caviar service; and a table of fresh fish—imported Dover sole and branzino alongside local red snapper—that diners can choose and have prepared simply with a brush of proprietary olive oil from the Peloponnesus, charcoal searing and a splash of ladolemono, or served raw as sashimi or crudo or baked in a salt crust. There are also meat options like American Wagyu ribeye and grilled lamb chops, and desserts such as baklava and an olive oil cake with bruleed figs and lemon Chantilly. Avra is now open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., with lunch and brunch to come." - Beth Landman