Up until recently, tasting menus in Miami offered something different from those of their European counterparts: recognizable dishes, generally not hidden under foams or emulsions, or served “deconstructed.” This was a good thing.
That changed in August when famed chef Massimo Bottura opened Torno Subito Miami, a place that serves Euro-spec dishes of dainty proteins, complicated sauces and ingredients that have been aged and barreled and prepared for days. At times, the dishes at Torno Subito present a challenge of figuring out what’s below all the complexity—but the discovery ends up making the experience feel more special.
Bottura is among the world’s most-awarded chefs. His Modena flagship carries three Michelin stars and spent years listed as the world’s best restaurant. Torno Subito Miami is the latest outpost of a concept he’s opened in Singapore and Dubai. Bottura brought chef Bernardo Paladini from Dubai to run the kitchen here, a strong choice considering that the restaurant earned a Michelin star while he was there.
Paladini’s first restaurant in the U.S. drops onto the rooftop of downtown food hall Julia & Henry’s. Torno Subito’s separate entrance is outlined by a whimsical, Ferrari-red bumper leading to a mirrored elevator to the top floor. The space is intended to evoke the lively Italian Riviera, albeit one from the late ’80s. Every primary color makes an appearance, a postmodern Memphis Group fever dream. The vibe inside and out on the terrace is fun and never stuffy.
We went for the eight-course, $165 tasting menu with a $100 wine pairing that began by showing off their sourcing: a three-year aged parmesan and a luscious balsamic. Many of the dishes from there left me wondering what I just ate, like the “shrimp cocktail” concealed below a cumulonimbus of shrimp-head foam.
Everything, though, has been done with the highest level of chef-y skill, exemplified in the depth of a langoustine risotto and a tiramisu under a chocolatey cracker that exclaims in gold lettering, “TIRAMISUBITO.”
This meal is one of the priciest in Miami—our bill topped $700. But dining at Torno Subito Miami is an adventure, diving into the imagination of one of the world’s best chefs. Dining here will be memorable, and what’s better than that?