SOURCE: Marriott
MIAMI BEACH, FL–(Marketwire – October 19, 2010) – Since opening its doors in 1956, the historic Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach luxury hotel on Collins Avenue has remained a grand dame of classic Miami Beach style and elegance. Designed by visionary Morris Lapidus — who helped define modern style on Miami Beach — the Eden Roc has been a home away from home for Hollywood royalty, politicos and dignitaries. Now, after a $220 million renovation, the property is set to unveil its newest innovation — 1500°. Open to the public on Friday, October 15, 2010, this farm-to-table restaurant, with a heavy steakhouse sensibility, will feature creative, vibrant and seasonal cuisine, relying heavily on local resources, all under the auspices of executive chef Paula DaSilva. Formerly of Fort Lauderdale’s acclaimed 3030 Ocean and a finalist on Fox TV’s wildly-popular Hell’s Kitchen, DaSilva (31) brings to 1500° more than a decade’s worth of experience in the restaurant and hotel industry, excelling at rustic cookery as well as haute cuisine. To ensure DaSilva brings the heat, the Eden Roc — a standout among beachfront hotels in Miami Beach — tapped hospitality impresario Seth Greenberg, developer of the Ames Hotel and its restaurant, the Woodward, to oversee 1500°. “I’m incredibly honored to be collaborating on this concept with Paula,” says Greenberg, a seasoned restaurateur. “Our goal is to appeal to visitors and locals alike,” adds DaSilva. “Whether you’re a foodie tourist on a culinary exploration of Miami’s best restaurants, or a local looking for an exquisite meal in a gorgeous setting, 1500° will fit the bill.”
The Collins Ave. restaurant’s dining room seats 160 in the recently-refurbished, elegant but welcoming dining room and an additional 40 on the serene poolside patio, 1500° offers an ever-changing menu complete with small plates, luscious raw bar offerings, amazing steaks broiled to perfection (at 1500°!) and more than 10 signature sides as well as composed mainplates. “We will definitely use local product as much as possible but won’t get bogged down in pedigree,” says DaSilva, who cites Paradise Farms and Palmetto Creek Farms, both in Florida, as key local resources. “Freshness and seasonality will be the key to 1500°’s success.”
Small plate offerings ($6-$9) range from roasted beets with seared goat cheese and jumbo lump crab cakes with cilantro slaw and Old Bay aioli, to charred baby Brussels sprouts with mustard sauce and teriyaki beef skewers. Those seeking an amazing steak ($24-$94) will find it at 1500°, with eight selections on offer, from affordable 6 ounce Wagyu flat iron and 8 ounce skirt cuts, to a decadent 34 ounce prime porterhouse “center cut” meant to be shared. Sides ($8 & $11), served a la carte, include steakhouse favorites, such as creamed spinach and grilled jumbo asparagus as well as decadent temptations including hand cut duck fat-fried steak fries and Carolina rice with chorizo.
Composed mainplates ($25-$42) include: Florida red snapper with mushroom risotto, wilted arugula and aged saba vinegar; locally-raised half-chicken, cooked on the rotisserie, served with Carolina rice, black bean puree and mustard greens; hickory rubbed Palmetto Creek Farms pork loin chop with creamy polenta and roasted lobster with celery root puree, hearts of palm and Florida fruit salsa. In addition to the a la carte menu, diners will be able to enjoy DaSilva’s ever-changing, three-course chef’s tasting menu, priced at $35 per person/$45 with paired wines. Desserts, overseen by DaSilva and pastry chef Jenny Rissone, are still in development.
With a contemporary yet comfortable design overseen by Greenberg, 1500° encompasses 10,000-square-feet of indoor/outdoor dining space, including an intimate eat-in bar perfect for Miami’s cocktail set. A butcher block table will take center stage, laden with the fresh fruit and vegetables that diners find on the menu; above it a blackboard will host the day’s chalk-written specials and fresh deliveries. Newly outfitted in translucent canvas lamp shades, the space’s six original chandeliers now cast delicate tree-like shadows on the covering fabric, emitting a warm, ambient glow throughout the room. Further lending to the farm-to-table setting, atop a partition between sections of the dining room, vintage metal milk cans, rather than vases, hold gorgeous sprays of colorful flowers and greens. Two private dining areas sit off the main dining room; the smaller of which seats 10 and houses a private terrace, while the other, seating 12, features full audio-visual capabilities and an up-close and personal view of the kitchen through soundproof glass.
A native of Brazil, Paula DaSilva is a dedicated restaurant professional who has called America home for more than 20 years. From her early days in Massachusetts, peeling garlic and cleaning vegetables in her family’s Brazilian restaurant, DaSilva was hooked on cooking. After moving to South Florida, her parents opened two restaurants, for which DaSilva assisted working in all aspects of operations, though her favorite moments were spent in the kitchen. Following high school, DaSilva attended the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, where she earned an Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts and landed a job at the nearby Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. For two years she rotated through the kitchen, fine-tuning her skills at all stations. In 2000, talented chef and author Dean James Max opened 3030 Ocean, the hotel’s modern American seafood restaurant, and selected DaSilva as his Chef de Cuisine. Under Max’s tutelage, DaSilva secured a reputation as one of South Florida’s rising star culinary talents and helped 3030 Ocean evolve into one of the region’s most well-respected dining destinations. In addition to her appearance on Season Five of Hell’s Kitchen, DaSilva is a local media darling. She was called one of the “Top 40 under 40” by Gold Coast magazine and named “Best Celebrity Chef” by Broward/Palm Beach New Times.
About Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach
The stylish new Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach commands center stage on one of the world’s most famous beaches, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the yachts and mansions of the Intracoastal Waterway on the other. With the redesign of its Historic Tower and the addition of the sleek new 21-story Ocean Tower, the Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach has almost doubled in size from 349 guest rooms to 631 oversized guest rooms, including three 2,500 sq. ft. penthouse suites, 18 oceanfront one-bedroom suites, and 14 bi-level bungalow suites with floating staircases; all rooms feature flat-screen HDTV’s, iPod stations & Wi-Fi. The Miami Beach luxury resort’s 28 meeting rooms with 46,000 square feet of flexible indoor meeting space and 25,000 square feet of outdoor event space offer breathtaking ocean and intracoastal views.
1500° is located at the Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach, 4525 Collins Avenue on Miami Beach. The restaurant will serve dinner nightly beginning Friday, October 15, 2010. Telephone: (305) 674-5594; www.1500degreesmiami.com. For resort information and reservations, please call 1-800-hotels1 or (305) 531-0000or visit www.edenrocmiami.com.
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