Yucca Empanadas and Short Rib Feijoada Prove South American Flavors Shine at Amara | Eater Miami

"A waterfront stunner and Eater Miami’s 2018 restaurant of the year, Amara at Paraiso feels like Michael Schwartz’s love letter to Miami — bright, airy interiors, hard-to-beat water views on Biscayne Bay, a lively bar, and ingredient-driven fare with strong South American influences. Michael Paley, who has helmed the kitchen since the start and collaborated closely with Bradley Herron and Schwartz (including trips to South America), has helped shape a menu that balances playfulness with technique: yucca-based empanadas (naturally gluten-free) stuffed with mozzarella, corn, leeks, jalapeño and poblano, alongside an Argentine-style empanada of short rib, olives and raisin in a lard-and-flour crust; a shredded red cabbage “quintessential lunch salad” overdressed in honey-lime vinaigrette and topped with garlic chips, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, micro basil, peppers, onions and Idiazabal, with optional proteins like shrimp, chicken, chorizo, avocado or grilled fish; a simply executed grilled fish (rotating daily) showcased on jasper and wood-fired grills and served with potatoes and a surprisingly Italian-style salsa verde of anchovies, garlic, mint, basil, parsley and cornichon pickles; an arroz verde bowl presented in a piping-hot stone bowl with jasmine rice tossed in a cilantro purée, pickles, seeds, marinated kale, cucumber, a fried egg and a dollop of house romanesco (roasted peppers, chilies, bread, almonds and hazelnuts) finished with avocado; a deeply rustic, hearty feijoada of beans braised more than five hours with pork, pig’s feet and ears, bacon and chorizo then topped with grilled short rib, pork belly and house red chorizo with marinated kale and rice; and a showstopping multi-row seafood platter for groups with a dozen oysters, six chilled shrimp and six snow crab claws plus ceviches — snapper with sweet potato, passionfruit, cilantro and leche de tigre, and grouper with avocado, coconut milk, toasted pistachio and cilantro — that highlight both the bay location and the kitchen’s Latin-driven approach." - Olee Fowler