People have opinions about La Placita’s flag mural. We have opinions about the food
Miami’s MiMo District rang in 2019 with a circus of a controversy on Biscayne Boulevard.
The outpost of Balan’s had shut down, and in its place was Puerto Rican newcomer La Placita, part of the Pubbelly empire, which opened its doors on Jan. 1. The controversial part was, and continues to be, a Puerto Rican flag mural emblazoned across the entire, three-story exterior wall.
The mural was painted without the appropriate approval from the historic preservation board, which has ordered its removal. Meanwhile passions continue to roil between neighbors, who want it gone, and restaurant owners, José Mendín of Pubbelly fame, and Spanish-language television celebrity Julián Gil, who want to save it.
Mendín and his partners have made an indelible mark on the cuisine of Miami, bringing sophistication and creativity to pub food, setting trends instead of following them. And the venue — named for the locals’ nickname for San Juan’s Mercado Santurce — is undeniably fun, a veritable museum of all things boricua, with festive music, bright colors and a jovial, eager-to-please staff.
Almost every square inch of wall space is festooned with some sort of Puerto Rican memorabilia, from license plates to plaques honoring baseball heroes to depictions of iconic lighthouses to mofongo dishes personalized with Puerto Rican stars’ names. Even Puerto Rico’s mascot, the coquí, makes an appearance — the cute frog’s telltale call chirps at you when you close the restroom door, a whimsical touch.
The attention to detail is spot on. If the intent was Epcot goes Puerto Rico, in a thoroughly joyous way, then bingo. But anyone who’s taken a family to Epcot and needed a bridge loan to pay for the expense needs to be ready for a similar kind of sticker shock here.
How the food stacks up
At its heart, traditional Puerto Rican cuisine is about creating rich, satisfying flavors out of simple, inexpensive ingredients. At La Placita, an appetizer or mofongo, entree and dessert, including tax and the automatic 18-percent service charge, rings in at about $60 a person — not including drinks. Given that the least expensive bottle of wine is $42, you might opt for a $6 craft draft.
(The hidden fee to have your car parked in the lot on the premises 25 feet from the valet station is $7.) So know going in that this is going to be a lot more expensive than your typical Puerto Rican night on the town.
This would be fine if the food lived up to the standards set by Mendín at Pubbelly, Habitat and fully his entire restaurant regime, where he brings fine-dining quality to familiar, fun foods. This happens here with some dishes, to be sure.
A lush asopao de mariscos, beautifully red, silky seafood broth packed with tender lobster, perfectly done shrimp and exotic vegetables that have been carefully seasoned and cooked to pleasingly firm tenderness, is one. Although traditional recipes — and the menu — promise rice, and there was none.
Mofongo — we opted for the creative trifongo, made of yuca, green plantain and sweet plantain — comes topped with various proteins in a right-size serving for this incredibly rich dish, and the crabmeat “jueyes” variety, in the tradition of the fishing village of Loíza, was brimming with tender crab in a delicate stew.
A creative sandwich called La Tripleta packs in adobo-flavored roast pork, steak and pastrami with tasty results. A bread pudding special with rich chocolate ganache, chewy plantain, toffee and crunchy pecan had all kinds of textural variety and decadent flavor.
But there are some misfires, to be sure.
A tiny cup of conch salad, served with three gigantic tostones-like fried patties, had the right texture but little bracing acidity or other flavor to offset the dense discs. We ordered croquetas de fricasé de pollo but were delivered chicharrones de pollo instead. Despite the homey fried chicken flavor, they were difficult to eat because of random bones and inconsistent shapes.
The classic cod fritters, bacalaítos, were oily and underflavored. A $22 tamale with pork stew, an appetizer portion, really, was warm and properly textured but largely indistinguishable from the $5 pork tamale at any respectable Cuban cafe. The classic coconut pudding tembleque was fine.
A festive atmosphere
Service can be distracted, and not just by the multiple birthday serenades that occurred on our first visit. We waited unattended to for about 10 minutes at the start. A wine and beer order required three reminders. And yet, almost all of our dishes were whisked to the table within five to seven minutes, which raises the question of how much of the food is made to order. On an ensuing lunch visit, with the place nearly completely full, service was much better.
This theme park of a restaurant has MiMo spinning, but will the excitement still be there by the time the circus is over?
Miami Herald critics dine unannounced and at newspaper’s expense. For the latest restaurant inspection reports, visit dine.miami.com.
Editor’s note: Miami Herald dining reviews will no longer include star ratings. We believe a restaurant should be judged on its merits and the nuance of the dining experience, not simply on a grade. — Carlos Frías, Miami Herald food editor
La Placita
Address: 6789 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
Info: 305-400-8173; pubbellyglobal.com
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; noon-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday.
Price range: Starters $8-$17; entrees $19-$42; sandwiches $13-$16; desserts $1-$10.
FYI: $7 valet parking or meters nearby; full bar; reservations suggested; happy hour 4-7 Tuesday-Friday.
This story was originally published March 21, 2019 at 11:16 AM.