This popular Miami chef just opened a new Italian restaurant in Coral Gables
At his new Italian restaurant Erba, Chef Niven Patel pays tribute to the classics. But South Florida is still on his mind — and the menu.
Splashes of Miami are everywhere. The clams in the traditional linguine al vongole are gone, supplanted by braised Bahamian conch. Hearts of palm stand in for artichokes, while the rotolo pasta dish includes calabaza squash. Smoked grouper tonnato replaces the usual tuna in an heirloom tomato dish, and even the tiramisu has been reimagined with espresso and rum as a salute to Miami’s Latin culture.
Erba, which just opened in Coral Gables on South Dixie Highway, is located just up the road from two other Patel restaurants, the Michelin-recognized Orno and the tropical Mamey, both at the Thesis Hotel. Like those spots, Erba — from Patel and partner Mohamed Alkassar’s Alpareno Restaurant Group — will highlight local delicacies.
The James Beard-nominated Patel, who was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2020, is famous for his passion for growing his own ingredients at Rancho Patel, his Homestead farm. Even so, creating the menu for Erba was different than putting together the menus for Orno, Mamey and his Indian restaurant in Kendall, Ghee, a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
“Unlike a lot of menus we’ve created, for this one we sat in a room and asked, ‘What ingredients do I want to work with?’ versus ‘What dish do I want to create?’ ” Patel said. “We listed the ingredients, then came up with the dish. It really turned out to be a unique menu.”
The menu ranges from the sea and across the land, with vegetable dishes and pastas, meat and seafood. Classics stand out with Patel’s particular creative twists, such as the Mishima Reserve Denver steak with bone marrow salsa verde and turnips or the Niman Ranch Iberico Porchetta Chop, which Alkassar calls “unique.”
And it’s fitting at a restaurant inspired by Patel’s time in Florence, that the menu also includes a classic Bistecca alla Fiorentina with rosemary butter and grilled potatoes.
The menu will change seasonally, of course. The farm has just started planting for the winter growing season, and other local farmers are growing specific items for the restaurant that diners will find on the menu come December.
“We work three or four months ahead,” Patel said. “We’re at nature’s mercy after that. But Italian food is all about what’s in season.”
Even the cocktail menu, which Patel and Alkassar collaborated on with mixologist Scott Beattie from the Michelin-starred Barndiva in Healdsburg, Calif., makes use of Rancho Patel highlights, with drinks like the Butterfly, with Rancho Patel pea flowers, yuzu and pickled huckleberries. Other specialties include the Seville Orange Spritz.
Alkassar said that the upscale cocktail program is one of the elements that sets Erba apart.
“Niven’s food is so exceptional, it’s hard to match that level,” he said. “With Erba, we’ve been able to level up, with the cocktail program, the design and the ambiance.”
Coral Gables keeps growing as a haven for restaurants; just last month, restaurateur Thomas Keller opened an outpost of his famous French Bouchon bistro. But Alkassar believes there’s plenty of room for new restaurants in the city, which he says cares passionately about its dining options.
“We find the community in Coral Gables very appreciative of quality ingredients, good food and humble hospitality, which is more of what we embody,” he said. “That’s part of our core value. This community isn’t looking to see and be seen. They’re looking for a good bite. They’re very kind to our staff. It really fits the people we are.”
Erba
Where: 227 South Dixie Highway, Coral Gables
Hours: 5:30-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 5:30-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. The restaurant also offers a special eight-course Chef’s Table for two to six guests, with two seatings a night; $190 per person.
More information and reservations: erbamiami.com or 305-712-7788
