RESTAURANTS

Fifty Restaurant
at the Ocean Five Hotel
444 Ocean Drive
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305.532.7093

Dark wood, tropical bamboo and birds of paradise might make your first impressions of Fifty something of a contradiction. Though it appears you're entering another of Miami's multi-culti restaurants, the truth is much closer to home. Chef Roly Cruz-Taura is ALL Miami, and his cuisine reflects the luscious variety of local, market-fresh ingredients treated with a distinctive Latin flair.

No matter what else you're tempted to try, the crispy "mariquita" plantain wrapped crab cake is the highlight of a menu filled with many bright ideas. Cruz pairs this seafood temptation with a bit of avocado aioli that takes the juicy crab and crispy wrapping one giant, creamy step higher. Daily lunch offerings include salads, pastas and a burger tweaked with more than a hint of garlic. Enjoy a casual meal al fresco on lower Ocean Drive or sit indoors in the evening as the dinner menu allows the chef and his team an opportunity to shine! Traditional entrees from lamb to fresh local grouper get a rush of unexpected flavor when infused with a twinkle of chili or a mango-infused cream.

While the seafood dishes are some of the best on Ocean Drive, you're going to have to practice a good deal of restraint to leave room for the most innovative desserts in the city. Tres leches Boston cream pie reinvents the genre. A respectable offering of after-dinner cheeses follows, but by the time you reach that part of the evening, there's more than a Fifty percent chance you'll be too satisfied to have even one more bite.

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