We recently were invited by 5 Napkin Grill on Miami Beach to check out the new food and drinks on their menu. They are located right in the heart of the Lincoln Road Mall. Besides the indoor dining room and bar area, they have a large outdoor dining area right along the sidewalk which makes for great people watching.
General Manager Carlos Oliva and Yana Bushoy were great hosts and made us feel very welcome. Yana gave us a quick history of the restaurant, explaining how it is actually one of six 5 Napkin Grill location along the east coast. The others are located primarily in New York City and one is in Boston.
We tried a couple of their new cocktails and thought the Acai Mint Lemonade was amazing. It had the perfect balance of sweet and sour without any hint of an alcohol taste. What a refreshing drink! If this drink was being discussed won Twitter, the hashtag #OMG would need to accompany it. I could see myself sitting outside on a warm day with a couple of these. Carlos commented that they use Veev Acai Spirit which really gives it a different taste than a lot of the other lemonade cocktails I’ve come across. After trying the Roasted Pineapple Margarita, our waitress suggested her favorite of the new batch of drinks, their Pama Cosmo which is made with Pama Pomegranate liquer. My wife thought these were so good, she stuck with them the rest of the evening.
The Blue American Honey was a hit too, not just with us but with the surrounding tables too. Served in a tall glass, this drink features Jack Daniels American Honey with muddled blueberries, fresh sour mix and orange bitter.
While Yana made sure we got to try the new cocktails, Chef Frederick Kelly treated us to a number of their appetizers.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of what we tried:
- Guacamole served with chips - very solid and seemed very fresh.
- Wasabi Deviled Eggs - amazing and tasted so fresh that you’d swear they were made right at the table. These were a big hit among everyone who tried them
- Crispy Fried Calamari got plenty of attention among the surrounding tables
- Pimento Cheese Potato Skins – They had bacon. Do I need to say more? Given the chance, I would have eaten a plate of these by myself.
- Deep Fried Pickles & Pastrami – These are served with a mustard sauce and Chef Kelly explained that these are one of the top selling items in their Manhattan locations.
- Tacos – beef, chicken or Mahi. These were really good and are something that even though they are on the appetizer menu, they could serve as a meal too.
- Original 5 Napkin Burger - Absolutely delicious. One of their flagship items. Chef Kelly explained how this burger helped launch the original Hells Kitchen location
We sat down with Chef Kelly and he explained how some of the cocktails and food items were added to the Miami Beach menu to appeal to both the residents of South Florida as well as the large number of international visitors that can be found along Lincoln Road on any given day. A great example of this would be the Churrasco Steak. He explained how he has a strong commitment to using fresh, quality ingredients and it’s obvious in the dishes his kitchen prepares.
Next time you are in the Lincoln Road area, I recommend you give 5 Napkin Grill a try.
Visit their website to learn more