The Arketekt
Designing Crafty Cuisines with Flare
Photos By Jason Hesch
Last night I went to The Arketekt restaurant just opened 27 days ago and located off of downtown Brickell Avenue. The name is derived from the phonetic spelling of the word architect, which signifies “one who creates.” It plays off of the creativity and cultivation of the food, drink, and music at the heart of an exceptional upscale dining experience.
The creator of Arketekt is Richard, who also owns the boutique wine and liquor store next door called Aficionado. His inspiration for creating Aficionado was the thought that Miami lacked a truly boutique wine and liquor store so he created one. Before dinner began, I took a peak.
What is truly unique is their half bottle wine program that allows patrons to taste several types of wine as opposed to committing to an entire bottle. There are 50 esoteric and unique wines to choose from, served in decanters from family owned vineyards, and made by hand.
The restaurant is designed by Ximena Estadella, who combines imagination and creativity to develop this unique space. There’s a vintage cigar room vibe. cigars can be purchased next door. The decor is metal finish and lofty feel. Curtains are from burlap fabric. The dining space is darkened and punctuated by soft yellow lighting highlighting notable areas. One table literally had trumpets as a light fixture.
Chef Jean Paul Desmaison and Chef Ivan Mackliff joined together to create a unique and approachable global menu mixing modern American cuisine with South American flair. The curated menu offers three categories of options, small plates, medium plates, and “just for you” larger plates. Small plates are like appetizers, medium plates are smaller shareable items, and large plates are entree portions.
Blackberry Bliss with Bombay Sapphire Gin, Creme De Mure, and Lemon. The Life in Violette with Hendricks Gin, Lime, Green Chartreuse, Creme de Violette. Don’t let appearances fool you. Even thought this cocktail may look like dirty water. It is far from it. A taste that will surely leave you perplex.
Grilled Scallops on top of Grilled Plantain Puree, with Pine Nut Sauce and Crispy Taro Root Chips. The chips and pine nut puree went nicely together. The scallops were cooked succulently with a nice outer crust.
Grilled Romaine topped with Shaved Parmesan Reggiano, and drizzled with Aji Amarillo Caesar dressing and large crunchy croutons. This caesar salad was unique in that I never would have thought to grill the lettuce, but it works, the dressing had a Peruvian touch being made from Aji Amarillo instead of the usual mayonnaise base gave it a lighter tangier flavor
Braised Short Ribs cooked in Aji Panca Adobo, and served with a side of Corn Risotto. This dish came in a mini cast-iron skillet on top of a plank board. The board gave it a visual theatrical appeal while serving its function of giving the server something to hold on to without burning his fingers because whenever a dish is served in a pan like this you can count on it being sizzling and piping hot. The short ribs are fall off the bone tender (no actual bones) and glazed in a perfect sauce pairing. To round out this dish caramelized onion were on top, but they were crispy as well, which was very good. I love risotto but I never came across corn risotto so this gave a new twist on the classic rice version. With its cowboy style presentation, the corn is a fitting choice to complement this hearty beef dish.
Squid Ink Tagliatelle with Shrimp and Rocoto Huancaina. This dish was delicious and had a kick of spice to it. The pasta is black from the dye of squid ink. If you never had black pasta before I highly recommend trying it. It visually blows your mind seeing something that is highly unusual color for a pasta but tastes superb. That is why I always choose it when I see it on the menu.
The Fruit Chutney was served under a heaping spoon full of vanilla ice cream and whip cream. Strawberry and raspberry sauce completed the dessert with large chunks of both fruits. Served on top was the unmistakable airy crunch of meringue.
Specials are Saturday with live music, Thursday is ladies night with $1 Prosecco for the ladies from 4 pm to 8 pm. Sunday is brunch with unlimited mimosas for ladies. The owner is toying with the idea of a Wednesday Sampler Night where guest can choose 3-4 wines to taste. Also, they are thinking of having a monthly pairing night in conjunction with the Aficionado.
The Arketekt is located at 1200 Brickell Bay Drive Suite. 107 and is open for lunch and dinner Monday – Wednesday 11:30a.m. to 11 p.m., Thursday & Friday 11:30a.m. to 1a.m., Saturday 5:30p.m to 1 a.m. and on Sundays from 10:30a.m. to 5p.m. For reservations or more information please visit here or call 786-427-6166.
