Village of Pinecrest Aventura Mkt Council

It's no secret that lunch or dinner at Pinecrest's Grazie Cafe is nothing short of superb.

Spurgeon Soloman is pictured outside his Grazie Restaurant.

If you haven't been to the little restaurant near the south end of the Suniland Shopping Center, 11523 Pinecrest Parkway (S. Dixie Highway), do your palate a favor and put it on your list of things to do.

Veteran restaurateurs Spurgeon Soloman and Moshe Petal opened the Grazie Café two-and-a-half years ago. Soloman hails from the Honduran Bay Island of Rotal, while Petal is from Israel. The two met in the U.S., worked in several South Beach restaurants -- including the upscale Osteria del Teatro -- before deciding to join forces and open their own dining spot.

"Business is phenomenal!" Soloman said jubilantly. "We're doing very well and we have to give a lot of gratitude and thanks to our patrons in Pinecrest."
Soloman also praised his chef, Nero Stewart Buing, and said his exquisite food preparation was a big reason for the success of the Grazie Café.

We can't help but agree. On the occasions we have dined at the Grazie Cafe, the cuisine has been excellent. There are always a large number of daily specials, from pasta, to fish, to poultry, to veal.

During a recent luncheon visit we found it difficult to make a decision on what to order. The specials included a four-cheese Capiletti with an asparagus pink sauce, Rizzotto with puccinni mushrooms and seafood ravioli with mushroom, basil and shallots in a saffron white wine cream sauce.

Much to our subsequent satisfaction, we ordered a chicken breast baked to perfection in a light red wine sauce, with roasted peppers, a heart of artichoke, and a liberal supply of sliced mushrooms. The entree was served with delicious mashed sweet potatoes; lentil with chopped green onions, peppers and spices; sliced white potatoes and fresh-baked Italian bread. For an appetizer, we had a delectable black bean soup. A return visit is definitely in order to sample the other items.

Café Grazie has only 12 tables and seats just 44 people, so if you're not one who enjoys dining in a crowd, you may want to make it a late lunch. Reservations are most definitely recommended for dinner and especially on weekends.

"If you make a reservation, we can give you the best service possible," Soloman said. "On Friday and Saturday, we do an average of 125 dinners each night, so it is difficult to get a table without a reservation."

The dinner menu at Café Grazie is extensive, with entrees ranging from $9.50 for angel hair pasta with tomato and basil, to $22 for a mixed seafood grill with a combination pesto and marinara sauce.
"We're very proud of our operation," Soloman said. "All we have to do is continue our consistency with the food quality and service."

The food critics have been very kind to Cafe Grazie and in 1998 New Times readers selected the restaurant as the No. 1 inexpensive Italian restaurant in the "Best of Miami" poll.
Café Grazie is a wonderful dining experience for lunch or dinner, and you'll enjoy everything, including the white linen napkins, the stemmed glassware on the tables and the extremely attentive treatment by the staff.

For more information about Café Grazie, call 305-232-5533.