UPLAND-MIAMI BEACH

Food: 4.75

Ambiance: 5

Service: 4

I lived in Philly from 2001 to 2004. While there, I developed a passion for two things: the Philadelphia Eagles (E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!) and the Starr restaurants . Morimoto, Buddakan, Alma de Cuba, Pod… amazing, amazing, amazing. In the last few years, Starr Restaurants have started to pop up in my current hometown, Miami (). One of those restaurants is Upland.

A caveat: I’m not an interior designer, I’m not an architect, I’m none of those cool artsy professions. Still, Upland impressed me the minute I walked in. The restaurant itself is simply beautiful. It’s warm and inviting and at the same time feels quite elegant. It’s the kind of restaurant you want to spend a few hours in. Now to the food…

At first glance, I wanted to eat everything on this menu. Thankfully, I was siting at a table with three friends, one of whom has the innate talent of always knowing exactly which dishes to order.

We began with the beef tartare and the wahoo crudo.

The beef tartar was delicious. The meat was tender and so incredibly flavorful. The puffed farro added some crunch while the yolk added to the smoothness. Note: Watching that egg yolk envelop the tartare was the definition of food porn. Wow.

The crudo, similarly, was delicious with a kick of spice. If I had to pick, though, I’d choose the tartare.

Two separate servers recommended the cacio e pepe and we, intelligently, heeded their advice. Though it’s a simple dish, this cacio e pepe was delightful. The pasta itself was cooked perfectly (with a little bite to it) while the cheese was creamy yet not overpowering. The pepper added the perfect hint of flavor. One of my two favorite dishes of the evening, and the competition was steep!

The pistachio pizza, though apparently incredibly popular, was my least favorite plate (but least favorite at Upland is still a compliment apparently). It was delicious, no argument there, but everything else was so much more impressive. Still the

combination of cheese, onions and pistacho was pretty awesome.

The branzino. Oh the branzino. Eat nothing else, but you have to have the branzino. I don’t usually order the fish (I’m a meat all the way kind of girl) but this fish was unreal. The star on this plate though? The skin of the fish (can’t believe I just wrote that). I NEVER eat the skin. Not ever. Fishy flavors make me cringe, and I could not stop eating the skin on this fish. It was all crunch and seasonings and amazingness. Fight your friends for the skin.

We ordered a side of artichokes. Don’t. They’re expensive and not that great.

Do not skip dessert, particularly, the banana chocolate tart. We also ordered the carrot cake which was good but the chocolate tarte I’ll be dreaming about for a few days.