IF YOU GO
Place: Brosia.Address: 163 NE 39th St., Miami.Rating: *** (Very Good)Contact: 305-572-1400; brosiamiami.com.Hours: 8-11 a.m. (takeout), 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday; 5-11 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.Prices (dinner): Appetizers $9-$12, entrees $17-$25, sides $5, desserts $5-$7.FYI: Full bar; corkage $15. Metered street parking; valet $5-$10. Local delivery available at lunch. Reservations encouraged (opentable.com). Cigar and cigarette menu available. AX, DN, DS, MC, VS.It's Brosia, not ''ambrosia,'' as anyone familiar with Greek mythology or Southern fruit salads might think.
''It doesn't mean anything, but it sounds Mediterranean,'' says owner Scott Engelman.
And though a meal here won't confer immortality or end with coconut-strewn canned fruit, a contented smile is almost guaranteed. Chef Arthur Artiles, a young and innovative protégé of Norman Van Aken, is serving up some impressive Mediterranean eats.
The not-yet-3-month-old spot is also notable for its stunning al fresco décor. Mosaic murals in an iridescent blue and green paisley pattern soar heavenward, forming a backdrop worthy of Architectural Digest. More than 30 tables are well-spaced along a 4,000-square-foot coral courtyard where century-old white oaks cast dramatic shadows and much-needed lunchtime shade.
And lunch is prime time at Brosia, as the crowds of neighborhood designers and their cellphone-chatting clients attest. They come for the fantastic feta and olive tapenade burger on a toasty ciabatta roll as well as the gently dressed salads festooned with delicacies such as tiny quail eggs, baby anchovies and young arugula so tender it rivals greens I've grown at home.
Smooth and spicy gazpacho and tender, raw slivers of jewel-like tuna dressed in little more than perfect sea salt and a squeeze of citrus also are alluring.
The menu is necessarily compact; the minuscule kitchen was meant to be an art-gallery office. Still, there are treasures to be had.
Skip the ramekin of OK white bean dip served with bagel chips and head straight for the stellar appetizers. In what should become a signature dish, the Catalan shrimp with tender clams the size of pencil erasers is studded with chorizo coins and diced red chiles and spiked with an almost creamy reduction of garlicky sherry.
Lamb sausage merguez on tiny skewers with a chunky yogurt tzatziki and Moroccan steamed mussels with coconut curry sauce are good starters to share. Skinny, herbed fries are another must try. If available, the meaty strip-steak empanada with fig jam is, too.
A side of creamy polenta with good Parmesan goes with anything. In fact, vegetarians could make a fantastic meal of it with the expertly sautéed, wine-and-shallot-laced spinach or grilled asparagus.
On the entree side, the pork tenderloin is exceptionally tender, pink and juicy, served with perfectly braised greens, pickled caperberries and cornichons and an apple-puree reduction.
The value-priced lobster pappardelle -- silken pasta loaded with chunks of tender claw meat and sprinkled with sprigs of mint -- is one more reason to like this unpretentious newcomer.
Too bad the service doesn't begin to rise to the same level. A truly clueless though nice-enough crew neglects diners and fails to grasp the subtleties of the menu. Thankfully, they exhibit little attitude beyond utter confusion.
The one exception was a surly bartender who cursed and rolled his eyes as a waitress asked him to ring up a dessert. On another visit, the staff kowtowed to a flashy woman claiming to be a restaurant critic while ignoring my husband and me. (Note to restaurateurs: Legitimate critics neither announce themselves nor solicit free meals.)
The wine list offers plenty of decent picks, with dozens of bottles under $50. A fine young Fra Guerau rosé for $38 (about 2 ½ times retail) goes with almost anything on the menu. A cough-syrupy sangria is only for the most intrepid. Teetotalers will be thrilled with the star anise blood-orange iced tea, even if refills are difficult to score.
Desserts like a chocolate-walnut cake are, like much of the rest of the menu, delicious in their simple and satisfying execution. Best of show is a Spanish-style flan with a twist of lemon and a smooth caramel finish.
