If the Wild, Wild West side of South Beach is the hot new frontier, the
Mondrian hotel is surely the O.K. Corral. Gunslingers gather at the
trendy Sunset Lounge to stare down the competition over strong drinks
and haute décor. By contrast Asia de Cuba seems at a cool remove from
the see-and-be-scene, serving modern riffs on Nuevo Latino dishes to an
appreciative crowd.
Restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow knows his way around a dining room and
this one is breathtaking in starkest white with glittering chandeliers
that catch the sunset and zap it right back over Biscayne Bay. Designed
by Marcel Wanders, Asia de Cuba features a massive marble communal table
where solo diners and adventurous couples meet and mingle over tuna
crudo, braised beef spring rolls and miso cod over black bean salad.
The Asian-Latino menu is pricey but served family style so dine with
someone special and split a few plates before diving head first into the
coconut cake for dessert. Asia de Cuba is located in the main lobby of
the Mondrian Hotel at 1100 West Avenue on south Beach.
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