By Nancy Esteves
Some restaurants you enjoy and others you remember, and one meal at Rose is enough to know which kind this is. What began as a neighborhood café — the passion project of philanthropist Alexandra Milton — is now a luminous room at 16690 Collins Avenue, Art Deco in pink and pastel, with floral arrangements so inventive they have become part of its identity. Breakfast means buttery croissants and properly poured espresso; lunch is unhurried; dinner arrives with linen, stemware, and candlelight.
Of everything we tried, two dishes owned the evening. The first was the tagliolini al branzino: fresh pasta cooked exactly right, with garlic, cherry tomatoes, capers, and white wine melting into a delicate sauce where the fish, clean and full of flavor, remains the star throughout. The second was the eggplant parmigiana, served in distinct layers under melted mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, and a San Marzano tomato of perfect sweetness — a classic executed so precisely you want it again before you have finished it. Both, quite simply, to die for. And the pistachio gelato…mama mia!
The rest of the menu holds that standard, faithful to a premise Milton repeats: real flavor, with no refined oils and no processed sugars. The octopus over golden hummus is tender enough to cut with a fork, the pastas are made in house, and the Dover sole alla mugnaia for two is a small piece of tableside theater. The bar keeps pace: Tribute to Hanky Panky, with fig-infused gin and Fernet Branca, carries the elegant bitterness of the great classics.
The verdict: honest, well-made Italian cooking, a bar with judgment, and the prettiest room on Collins Avenue. Order the tagliolini al branzino, the eggplant parmigiana and the pistachio gelato; you will thank us.
Rose Café & Restaurant. 16690 Collins Avenue, Suite 102, Sunny Isles Beach. Monday and Tuesday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; Wednesday, 8 a.m.–9:15 p.m.; Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 8 a.m.–9:45 p.m.; Sunday, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Complimentary valet. Reservations on OpenTable. @rosecafeandrestaurant
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