Try ‘refined Cuban cuisine’ from one of Miami’s veteran chefs at this new Brickell spot

Hyatt Centric Brickell Miami has a new Cuban-centric restaurant and bar called  Caña, featuring the cuisine of Cuban-born Executive Chef William Milian, who says the place “offers refined Cuban cuisine with South American flair.”

Milian, who spent a year in a half in detention at Guantanamo Bay before arriving in Miami at 25, has had a storied career in the restaurant industry. He started as a dishwasher at the Two Dragons Japanese restaurant inside the long gone Sonesta Key Biscayne where worked his way up to head sushi chef. After a decade there, he landed at Eos at the Viceroy where he was sous chef for Michelin-starred celeb chef Michael Psilakis, who eventually promoted him to chef de cuisine.

After some stints as executive sous chef at Delano’s Blue Door Fish and then sous under  José Andrés at Bazaar at the SLS South Beach, Milian finds himself at Caña. Signature dishes include Chicharrón de Viento—aired pork rind garnished with sea salt, lemon and garlic; Puffed Chicharrón—dehydrated for 24 hours with the fat removed; Pulpo Crujiente—crispy octopus sauteed in olives and Peruvian peppers sofrito served over yucca mofongo; and Huevos Benedictos a lo Cubano, two poached eggs over smoked ham hocks and Cuban bread with Havana hollandaise.

All beef and chicken products – they promise – hail from Fort McCoy Ranch in Ocala, where cattle and poultry are humanely raised on an all-natural, no antibiotic, hormone or GMO-infused diet. Seafood is locally caught.

The restaurant offers several weekly happy hour specials from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Que Pasa Con Mondays features discounted apps and two for $11 specialty cocktails.  Taco y Tabaco Tuesdays offer $5 vaca frita and lechon tacos, $5 Cuba-ritas, hand rolled cigars and live music. Centric Wednesdays has discounted apps and two for $11 cocktails. Tabaco y Ron Thursdays features salsa lessons, rum specials, cigars and free Chicharrón de Viento. Fonquete Fridays has discounted apps and two for $11 cocktails. Social media check ins get 15 percent off the regular menu.

This story was originally published June 17, 2018 at 9:06 PM.