THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Carmen The Restaurant

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Carmen The Restaurant Restaurant Review:

The cozy and stylish dining room offers an elegant setting for chef Carmen Gonzalez' unique post-American, Pan-Latino cuisine. What, you may wonder, is that? In short, it's fabulously flavored fare that derives from Gonzalez's Puerto Rican background, with traditional ingredients and classic island dishes given a boost by her formal French training and the modern Latino culinary ideology that abounds here in Miami. Appetizers such as sweet plantain and Key West shrimp pionono are a favorite, as are an entrée of adobo-rubbed Niman Ranch pork tenderloin with a fufú of sweet plantain and a gandules stew. Other items come and go, such as a Kobe beef short rib with crispy artisan manchego funche and seasonal vegetable sancocho (translation: braised meat over vegetable stew). But while the menu may be subject to change, Gonzalez' dishes are not. No substitutions or adjustments allowed! A cheese course with suggested pairings is one of the best ways to finish a meal here, though we've been known to order a side dish of the yucca-and-roasted-garlic mofongo for dessert. Yup, it's that hard to let go.