Saturday night 15 of my friends and I spent three and a half hours eating our way through what seemed every single charming village in Tuscany; we were actually at Dolce Vino the quiet little ristorante tucked inside the Claridge Hotel on Miami Beach. Dolce Vino is relatively new to the Maimi restaurant scene being open now for about three months. This dinner was enthusiastic and passionate. I’ve had dinner with most of these people regularly now for well over a year and I have never seen nor heard food reactions like the ones expressed Saturday night. It actually got to the point of epicurean lunacy, some were loosing their minds over certain dishes. As I predicted, gastronomic debauchery was achieved and fully enjoyed.

The lobby of the Claridge Hotel

The men of Dolce Vino

Dolce Vino dining room

an intimate dinner for 15

someone actually has 3 glasses of adult beverage at their place setting!

Butternut Squash Soup with Grilled Shrimp and Cinnamon Crouton

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this soup was like eating creamed silk, spoonful after spoonful

Buffalo Mozzarella wrapped in Speck over a Purple Potato Sauce

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I believe it took all of 4 minutes for 15 people to eat this course; and then as if we were being conducted by Seiji Ozawathere was a collective sigh, sounding vaguely like the Hallelujah chorus at the Vatican on Easter Sunday; either that or the entire table had a fully orchestrated foodgasm at the same moment. It was that amazing. 

Grilled Octopus over Lentil Salad

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This course was very similar to a religious experience for just about everyone at the table. I will tell you the majority of this group is not, how can I say this politely, not soft spoken. You could have heard a pin drop when this course began. Everyone was smelling and looking and tasting and savoring their food. It was actually comical. And then the floodgates opened, if the reaction to the Buffalo Mozzarella wrapped in Speck was earth moving then this course sent everyone into the afterlife.

Gnocchi with Short Rib Ragout
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Ok so if you follow my writings then you know I have a thing for “carbs” Risotto gives me heart palpitations, gnocchi leaves me breathless, and potatoes make me quiver. I got a little too excited for my own good about this entree and let’s just leave it at that. I spoke with Andrea, one of the owners of Dolce Vino after dinner and commented on the exquisite texture of the gnocchi. There’s a secret. Of course there is, isn’t there always?? He told me what it was but I’m not going to tell you. However, I will tell you to make reservations at Dolce Vino and find out for yourself because it’s that good!

Lemon Risotto with pesto and shrimp carpaccio

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Tweeting and eating. What crazy group of people we are. A bite and a tweet. A sip and a tweet all between tiny little forkfuls of lemony creamy rice and pesto. Must we not share with the twitterverse??

Sea Bass in a Pistachio crust and vegetable Capponata
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Delicate. Flavorful. Texturized. Colorful. An amazing choice for the final entree course.

Dark Chocolate Mousse with Orange Zest

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This was the most hilarious course. Unlike the Buffalo Mozzarella wrapped in Speck and the Grilled Octopus over Lentil Salad the reaction to this course could vibrantly be compared to having the very best sex you have ever had in your entire life. Every single person at the table was carrying on, LOUDLY. Like for the neighbors to hear! It was absolutely a riot and because I have never seen a group of adults react this way to dessert. It was a perfect ending to the amazing multi-course experience we just had. And I have to say I don’t ever remember laughing while eating as much as we did Saturday night. It is definitely one of those dining experiences that will be remembered for a very long time. Bravo! Dolce Vino Bravo!

Claridge Hotel / Dolce Vino Ristorante 3500 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33140