Novecento

Novecento Restaurant Review:

It has been said that Argentine cuisine can be described in one word: beef. More than just another parrillada place, this contemporary Argentine resto-lounge serves internationally-influenced lighter Latin fare, including house-made crab meat-stuffed agnolotti in creamy saffron sauce and a velvety ginger-spiked carrot and butternut squash soup. Ask about seafood specials; this mini-chain's management allows individual locations' chefs the most creative leeway with these changing items. Of course there’s beef, too, including a hefty traditional parrillada dinner (flank and skirt steaks, chicken, sausages and more, plus three vegetables sides), or, for more modern steak lovers, the ensalada Novecento (Dijon vinaigrette-dressed greens with avocado and slices of juicy, custom-cooked grilled skirt steak, served with fries). Desserts also range from traditional (flan) to mod international (whipped cream-slathered dulce de leche crêpes). The large, almost entirely Argentinean wine list goes way beyond Malbecs to newer, unfamiliar red and white varietals; try some on Tuesdays, when all bottles are 50 percent off. This Novecento branch is smaller and less boisterous than others, but is still one of quiet Key Biscayne's trendiest after-work gathering places.