You've been to Carbone (or are on the waitlist, anyway). You've brunched at Sadelle's. You may have satisfied your carnivorous tendencies at Dirty French, or maybe you've celebrated an occasion or two at Contessa or Hasalon. Over the past two years, Major Food Group has opened six public restaurants in Miami – a big expansion in a short amount of time – and while they've been welcomed additions to our city's dining scene, they all have one thing in common: they're not from around here.
Chateau ZZ changes this with two bold firsts. One, this is MFG's first purely original concept in Miami, not inspired offshoots of their restaurants in other cities. Two, this is their first foray into Mexican cuisine. One might think, "A Mexican restaurant within a chateau?" In strolling the space, you'll see it's a delightful juxtaposition.
To start, the entire building and its interiors are STUNNING. MFG has taken over the Petit Douy in Brickell, one of Miami's first designated historic landmarks. Built in 1931 as a private residence, it was designed in the style of the Priory of Saint Julian, a monastery in the small village of Douy, France.
They kept the bones and partnered with maximalist designer Ken Fulk to enshroud it with all the grand interior splendor that MFG is known for: floor to ceiling wallpaper in deep hues and tropical prints; bold pattern on pattern plays and touches of animal print; booths and barstools that urge you to sink in and stay a while; fine art – everywhere, including pieces from Chef Mario Carbone's private collection. The interior dining room is as cozy as it is grand, and there's alfresco tables in the garden, but the best seat in the house is actually the greenhouse, with its checkered floors, sky view and hand-blown glass chandelier with blossoming tulips. It's very Art Nouveau.
That's only downstairs. The upper floor is reserved for ZZ's Club members, giving them another place to gather outside of the Design District. It features vaulted ceilings covered in animal print, a grand yet intimate bar with a wine cellar and an outdoor terrace that looks into the greenhouse.
A grand interior is expected from MFG. Mexican food is not. Then again, the team likes to keep us on our toes. Chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi have been stocking Mexican recipes in their back pockets for years and when this opportunity arose in Miami they figured, why not?
To start, there's table-side guacamole, a Mexican style raw bar with items like Michelada oysters and colossal stone crab claws, and a range of signature housemade tostadas topped with elaborate ingredients like caviar and crema, wagyu and truffle or lobster and jalapeño. And what's an MFG restaurant without a table-side tossed caesar salad? After all, the dish is said to have been born in Tijuana. Main menu draws include a selection of steaks, grilled over an open flame or al pastor, whole branzino brushed with red and green chile sauces, and spicy lobster fideos. Each served with house-made tortillas – flour, not corn. For dessert, there's coconut tres leches, mango cheesecake and churros.
Chateau ZZ's beverage program boasts over 1,000 tequilas and mezcals, which you can sample at the restaurant or sans reservations inside their snug cocktail lounge. The cocktail menu was developed by MFG’s Head of Bars Nathan McCarley-O’Neill and will feature a range of elevated margaritas, Micheladas and other mezcal and tequila-based drinks. (Word has it, some will even be frozen.) As for the wine list, expect options to complement Mexican cuisine, like sparkling wine and Champagne, whites from Italy and Burgundy, and reds from Bordeaux and Burgundy.
The restaurant opens to the public this weekend and as you might expect, there's already a wait list through mid January. That doesn't mean you shouldn't pop by and try your luck – or sample some amazing and rare tequilas from the bar. Because when you consider the juxtaposition of a Mexican concept inside a French-inspired estate from masters of Italian fine dining – well, you owe yourself the chance to let your curiosity lead you.