"I encountered a new dining concept at Esplanade at Aventura called The Amalfi Llama that draws inspiration from Patagonia to the Mediterranean and centers on live-fire cooking with smoke, coals, and embers for preparing meat, seafood, and vegetables. Its expansive menu blends coastal Italian and Latin-inspired dishes: starters such as beef carpaccio with prime beef, Parmigiano Reggiano, and arugula and cedar-roasted burrata with cherry tomato and charred leek; pastas including spicy lobster spaghetti and baked taglioni with prosciutto cotto; wood-fired pizzas like the Alla Positano with salami, pepperoncini, and spicy honey and a roasted mushrooms pie with white truffle oil; and live-fire parrilla options such as Tomahawk steak and Wagyu in 3- or 6-ounce servings with béarnaise, mustard greens chimichurri, or au jus, plus grilled chicken with roasted mushrooms and onions and fire-grilled or sea-salted branzino with lemon, capers, and olive oil. The bar program showcases Negroni variations (Negroni di Amalfi, Kingston Negroni) and inventive cocktails—the Sunkissed Martini infused with sun-dried tomatoes and white peppercorn, the Ube Puff with ube syrup, and the Purple Orchid with butterfly pea tea–infused tequila—alongside non-alcoholic Zero-Proof Cocktails, a mojito and Pineapple Sour, Refreshers like Basilico Fresco and Peach Bellini, and a wine selection from Argentina, Italy, and the United States. The nearly 10,000-square-foot modern farmhouse interior features pale woods, antique mirrors, neutral finishes, greenery, and Peruvian llama tassel art, and includes a main dining room with a live-fire grill and wood-burning oven, two bars (an 11-seat front bar and a 30-seat central bar with panoramic indoor/outdoor views), plus two patios with tree canopies, candles, lanterns, fire pits, and wood furniture." - Olee Fowler