At this new Miami restaurant, the focus isn’t just on the food — it’s on the fire

When he was growing up in Argentina, Chef Calvin Daniele learned to love food cooked on a wood-fire grill.

Now, he has brought his memories to Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood with a new restaurant.

Located next door to Beaker & Gray, Log — as in what you use to fire up those famous ovens, which can reach up to 1,000 degrees — is the latest addition to Wynwood’s ever-changing restaurant scene. Here, the meat, breads, pitas and pizzas are cooked on red oak, which Daniele says gives the dishes an umami flavor.

The restaurant uses the ovens for about 90 percent of the menu, said Daniele, who started his career at the popular restaurant Orilla in Argentina and also the restaurants Tigre and Walrus Rodeo in Miami. (Walrus Rodeo, from the same team who created the Michelin-starred Boia De, also cooks primarily in a wood-fire oven).

Daniele is committed to the style of cooking.

“Many of my memories were made by the grill, and I wanted to recreate that storytelling experience with Log,” he said.

Log seats 90 diners, plus a private room that can hold up to 40 people. The 4,500-square foot space looks something like a cozy ski lodge, with tables and booths and an eye-catching bar that serves the requisite fancy cocktails like the Smoky Old Fashioned or the Log martini, stirred with vodka, creme de violette, lychee syrup, lime and egg white.

The food menu features large and small shareable plates like the wagyu beef tartare ($24), wood-fire oysters with thermidor sauce ($27) as well as grilled langoustines ($22) and charred cabbage ($18). You can also order a variety of pizzas and skirt steak, straight from those wood-fired ovens.

Log

Where: 10 NE 27th St., Miami

Hours: 6-11 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday

More information: www.logrestaurant.com or 305-603-8970