Mauro Deffendini
Google
Yardhouse feels like your backyard thanks to the warm attention of Marcel (our Marcel Marceau) and his loyal buddy Sam… both will make sure to treat you as friends, setting the tone for what you expect from comfort American food.
We started off with some Poke Nachos, and unexpectedly they were a little bit spicy for us, but it is part of their asian flair. Not as big in portions as its counterpart Chicken Nachos, but a fair size if you are saving your space for what is coming next. The entrecote with truffle fries and sautéed veggies has its signature punch… a legit execution at a much fair price than other restaurants in Miami, where you can easily find the same dish for twice the price. The parmesan truffle fries, even though they were fresh, confused me in terms that I wasn’t sure if they were missing the truffle or the parmesan. Either way, they didn’t make my cut. On the contrary, the sweet potato fries beat my expectations. Sweet, salty, crispy, and crunchy, all those textures and flavors in each bite are still around.
Finally, the maine lobster noodles with, shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, and parmesan, were even spicier than the poke nachos, which is kind of a miss because the spice overlapped the rest of the flavors, but overall it was an interesting choice. To close with some sweet highlights, the desserts really leveled and calmed down those spicy spikes: the bread pudding topped with crème anglaise, took me to Spain as it tasted like the American version of a “torrija”, but even better executed. The swirling caramel syrup splurged on the pudding and scoops of cold cream to an indulgent interpretation of this classic Spanish dessert, even taking the spotlight over one of my favorites, the Oreo brookie because I'm a fool for crumbles, cookie dough fudge brownie, which was I expected but the bread pudding really played a higher league.
The ambiance is very family friend oriented, with a terrace that looks into Merrick Park gardens, that adds a stylish vibe and connects us back again to the backyard of our own patio home.