Sardinia Enoteca Ristorante

Reviews

Name: Terry McCabe
Occupation: Firefighter
Lives in: Miami Beach
Restaurant Pick: Sardinia Enoteca Ristorante
Restaurant Reviewed: Sardinia Enoteca Ristorante on 1/27/12 at 8:15pm

Sardinia is by Miami Beach standards a time tested restaurant that caters to a sophisticated dining crowd. It is located in the Purdy avenue/sunset Harbor area which is becoming a hot spot for locals and tourists to dine. The dining room is cozy and the bar is lively on the weekends. The food is consistently good as is the service. My wife and I mainly enjoy going for drinks and the antipasti but the soups, pasta and the grilled octopus are not to be missed. I also love the baked fennel with grana and mint. The castelveltrano olives are almost like caramel. It is rustic Italian food presented without pretense, and I believe the elegance is in the simplicity.

Name: Pete Bross
Occupation: Firefighter
Lives in: Sunrise
Restaurant Pick: Wings N Ale
Restaurant Reviewed: Sardinia Enoteca Ristorante on 1/31/12 at 12:30pm

I arrived at Sardinia’s and was able to find metered parking just outside the restaurant. We would have liked to have dined outside and enjoy the view but with all the construction going on decided to dine inside. We were greeted upon walking in and seated immediately. The restaurant was empty at first but filled up with a lunch crowd. Our server was very polite and attentive. We ordered the lunch special, which consisted of Caprese Salad, Chicken Parmigiana and mixed green salad. The Caprese Salad was great, fresh ripe tomatoes, huge mozzarella, and basil with drizzled olive oil, it was a great start to the meal but was very filling. The Chicken Parmigiana was also a large serving and the sauce was excellent. I was stuffed but wanted to try the Tiramisu for dessert. It was again a large portion served inside a bowl and very good. Nice restaurant, generous portions, but I would only recommend if you were in the area.

Name: Luis Espinosa
Occupation: Retired Firefighter
Currently CEO South Florida Firefighters Calendar Host of Here’s Help Radio Show and a School Teacher at Miami Edison Senior High
Lives in: Hialeah
Restaurant Pick: Tropical Chinese Restaurant 
Restaurant Reviewed: Sardinia Enoteca Ristorante on 1/31/12 at 12:30pm

We arrived by cab from Lincoln Road because I wasn’t sure exactly where Purdy Avenue was, and I wanted the feel of being a tourist for a little while. The taxi driver knew it by name so we didn’t have to tell him the address. We arrived a little early for our 8:30 reservation and the Hostess was very gracious. The setting was dark wood walls and floors with wine racks. The ambience was South Beach but laid back. She sat us up at the bar while we waited for our table. The bartending staff was excellent. We immediately had a couple of pre-dinner drinks and a menu in our hands but with no feeling of rush at all. We went with the Sweetbreads and the Prosciutto Gorgonzola Appetizers which came out quickly. The sweetbreads smelled so wonderful that the lady seated next to me inquired what we I had ordered. Our table was ready right at 8:30 PM but we had just started our appetizers at the bar. We in no way felt rushed by anyone, on the contrary we were told to relax and enjoy they would hold our table. We watched some of the Heat / Knicks game, finished our appetizers and drinks, then immediately sat us down. Our table was a good size nothing was cluttered.

We ordered Burrata Mozzarella with tomatoes and prosciutto and the Orecchiette with wild boar sausage and rapini pesto. Our waiter was prompt, efficient and professional but not overbearing or too friendly. The food came rather quickly. The portions were just the right size. We definitely did not leave hungry. We were so satisfied that we begged off dessert. The mozzarella tasted “fresh” to me, and that is the first time I have had that experience with cheese. The prosciutto, as it was at the bar, was not fatty at all, yet tasty and definitely not too salty. The entrée, just like the appetizers, was excellent. I can only explain it as it was an upscale restaurant all the way; but the food really tasted homemade and I mean it as a true compliment. The Orecchiette tasted very homemade and the wild boar sausage tasted just like the wild boar sausage a friend of mine would bring back when he’d go hog hunting. No one flavor overwhelmed any other flavor in any of the dishes. We finished up with a Cappuccino that my wife said was heavenly and I had an Amaretto di Saronno. The prices were in line with South Beach but the portions, service and just total dining experience were above the norm on South Beach. We have been to quite a few restaurants on South Beach and paid a lot more money for a lot less food, a lot less quality and a lot more celebrity watching passing for ambience. Overall Sardinia Enoteca is a great find in a hidden little area of South Beach with excellent food, excellent service and a great South Beach feel without the South Beach attitude. Well worth every dime and we will be back to work a little more through that menu; maybe the Octopus Carpaccio, more of the homemade Mozzarella, the Breaded Veal Chop . . .

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