Boia De, the only starred Italian restaurant in Miami

We come to Miami a few weeks after the launch of the first ever edition of the Florida Michelin Guide. On the 9th of June, the Red Guide awarded 16 stars to the most Latin American of the United States: 12 stars to 11 restaurants in Miami (only one got two in one go, Atelier de Joël Robuchon) and four to as many establishments in Orlando, 380 km further north (here is the complete list).

We enquired about the eleven Maiamian starred restaurants and found out that among them there is an Italian restaurant. It’s called Boia De and it’s just above Wynwood, the busy street-art district, away from the fuss  of South Beach.

Booking two weeks in advance? Impossible online. With the help of a friend, we find a table at 5.30pm, when the kitchen opens to the public. We arrive at the anonymous Bravo Supermarket Plaza car park and struggle to spot the sign. Squinting like hypermetropes, we spot a small pink neon light, compressed between the more obvious signs of a medical centre and a laundry. It’s an exclamation mark that recalls the name of the restaurant: Boia De! The latter is a typical Livornese expression that reinforces a concept, like 'indeed!', 'you bet!', 'damn!'.

Having overcome the trap of the big black fan that gives relief to the few tables outside, having avoided the small dustbin by the entrance, a long bistro opens up with blaring music. The place reminds us of David Chang's late Momofuku Nishi in New York: a few tables on one side and a long counter with seats on the other, seating a total of 24 people. We take a seat among the tables. When the condensation from the air-conditioning drips on our heads, we ask to be moved. Wish granted.

A quick and polite waitress hands us the menu sheet. The pink list includes 16 dishes plus five desserts. We curiously order a dozen, all to be shared. The service is fast.

An Italian influence prevails: Baked mussels, 'nduja and lemon (simple, tasty), Rigatoni alla Nerano (very good and orthodox as if on the Costiera, with courgettes, pancetta and pecorino cheese), crispy Polenta with marinated aubergines and salted ricotta (good), Rabbit Pappardelle with rosemary and tomato (we didn’t order this), Tiramisu with an unusual, pleasant crunch.

Then there are also the syncretisms: super-umami, muscular Squid ink tagliolini with king crab, vin jaune, truffle and herbs; Baby artichokes with hazelnut butter and pine nut hollandaise, Lamb ribs with yoghurt and a spicy cucumber pickle. And a happy no waste memento, a fried potato peel that rejoices with the crew it carries: stracciatella, caviar and poached egg, now Boia De's signature dish.

A very pleasant cuisine, with big flavours that parade in a score of broken Italian rigidity, a very American format. After all, in a state like Florida, so full of different roots, orthodoxy is a limit. This is what Luciana Giangrandi, a Miamian with Italian-Swiss-Chilean blood, and Alex Meyer, partner in life and at work must have thought when they opened in January 2019. They met in New York a decade ago, at the opening of Daniel Humm and Will Guidara's Nomad, doing long stints at Scarpetta's, Carbone's and then together on a Mexican street food truck before and after that.

In the end, the dinner leaves us with the bill and a gnarled thought. The former amounts to USD 413 for two (of which  175 was for a bottle of Pierre Paillard Champagne extrabrut, which we needed to celebrate the occasion). We would still be glad to pay that.

The thought: in recent years, the Red Guide has awarded stars to street canteens (Jay Fai in Bangkok, Thailand), chicken roasters in Singapore (Hawker Chan) or 'casual' American bistros like the one you have just read about. We believe these were well-deserved accolades, when assessing the pure cuisine of the three examples; but certainly not the classic parameters of dining and service. With reference to the latter, the Red Guide is often much more lenient with New World restaurants than with Old World ones.

Boia De
5205 NE 2nd Ave
Miami, FL 33137
United States
+13059678866
Dishes $11/29
Open 5.30 pm to 10.30 pm, closed on Tuesdays

 

Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso