The Town Kitchen & Bar
7301 S.W. 57th Court
South Miami
305.740.8118
WEBLINK

By: J.A. Laraque

One of the first things I noticed was that the outside seating for the restaurant. You know how some establishments have outside seating that looks like not a lot of thought or effort went into the arrangement? Well, Town Kitchen is not one of those places sporting lawn chairs.  The comfortable seats had cushions for those waiting for a table. They also had a full-functioning mini-bar complete with bartender. The outside was a dazzling experience in and of itself.

The wait was about twenty minutes, but it was well worth it. The atmosphere was pleasant as was the staff. They continued to update us on our table and offer us drinks and appetizers. Two beautiful women from Malibu Rum were handing out free samples, and believe me, I was more than willing to partake.

We ended up sitting outside so I did not get to see much of the inside. From what I did see it looked very nice. Near the entrance they had couch-like seating for couples to enjoy their meal together. Toward the back there was a large bar with an amazing selection of liquor bottles. You can kind of see the bottles in the picture of me holding the three Malibu Rum glasses.

Above the bar was a disco ball that illuminated the dimly lit restaurant with a stunning array of lights. The music inside was just loud enough to enjoy, but did not prevent conversation at your table. Speaking of tables, as a big man I was glad the seating was made comfortably for everyone regardless of size.

Once we were seated our waiter immediately took out drink orders and brought us a basket with an assortment of breads (the raisin bread was my favorite). To my surprise, after opening the menu, I found that the prices were very reasonable; more than that, they were downright awesome. Appetizers run from $6 to $15 dollars and entrees $13 to $30.

For an appetizer, I ordered Town calamari; which is fried and tossed with a sweet chili sauce and cherry peppers. If I may say so, it was one of the best calamari appetizers I have ever tasted. The sweet and spicy flavor complemented the calamari and the batter was fried to perfection with a texture that brought the dish all together.

Now, just to let you know, Town Kitchen has a ton of options for appetizers and entrees. I hear the mussels are a must-have.

For the main course I went with the meat lover’s pizza from the hearth oven with Italian sausage, pepperoni, salami, bacon, ham and mozzarella. A decent size pizza you can share or be greedy like me and eat all yourself. You would think you were at a specialty brick oven pizzeria when you bite into Town Kitchen pizzas. The crust is light, but authentic, baked to precisely the right crispness and yet avoiding the cracker, break apart in your hand style that some pizzeria’s make.

You would think with all that meat, cheese and the sauce the pizza would be overcrowded, but you would be wrong. Town Kitchen practiced precision ingredient science placing the right amount of sauce, cheese and toppings on the crust so the consumer could take in and savor every bite. I was truly in heaven!

Finally, we moved on to dessert. I shared a chocolate cheesecake with a friend that rivaled, if not exceeded, the portions served up by the nearby speciality restaurant with the word “Factory” on its marquee. The serving was huge, even for me. Somehow, between Nick and me, we were able to eat the mammoth masterpiece.

All this and a diet coke for under thirty dollars. So I have to say that if you are on Coco Walk, visit the Town Kitchen and Bar in Coconut Grove. You can even make reservations and use the Internet with their WIFI. I cannot wait to go back and try some mussels, but do not wait for me to tell you about them: go out and try them yourself tonight!

For More Info: http://www.townkitchenbar.com/