THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Prime Blue Grille

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Prime Blue Grille Restaurant Review:

Intended as the progenitor of a projected national chain, this restaurant rejects the traditional nineteenth-century blueprint that most steakhouses still follow---dark men’s-clubby décor, big hunks of cholesterol---for a concept that founder Jim Dunn calls more “female-friendly.” This translates, in part, into a light, expansive, multi-level setting, with a floor-to-ceiling glass wall that provides all tables with panoramic river (and Miami skyline) views. But mostly it means a menu that features as many seafood as steak entrées, prepared in a manner that befits fish that’s wild-caught (not farmed) and fresh (never frozen): quick cooked to a slightly smoky turn, by Prime Blue’s intensely hot wood-fired grills and ovens. On the burger portion of the menu, there are yellowfin tuna and crab options as well as beef patties. And except for a classic steak tartare, contemporary fish and shellfish preparations rule the appetizer list: lump crab cakes served atop fresh creamed corn; Asian-accented jumbo sea scallops, bathed in tangy fermented black bean sauce; grilled calamari with a fennel, orange and chorizo salad; ginger-soy-marinated tuna sashimi. There’s also a raw bar, featuring eastern and West Coast cold water oysters. Oh, right. There are steaks, too. And they’re dry-aged and butchered on-premises as in the best traditional bastions of beef. But the red meat also comes with a modern twist: it’s all sourced-organic stuff, raised hormone- and antibiotic-free, from Brandt Beef. Hint: Whatever you eat, the most idyllic seats in the house are outside, on the second-floor balcony.