Quality Meats Miami Spice Review

Let’s be clear right from the beginning… if there is ONE place you need to visit for Miami Spice this year, it’s Quality Meats in Miami Beach. Conveniently located right off of Collins Ave and 15 Street, Quality Meats presents the hottest Miami Spice menu with tons of options to choose from for appetizers and entrées. Many times restaurants cheap out on the options they offer for Miami Spice, not Quality Meats. If you want to get your moneys worth, this is THE place to visit this year!  You will not be disappointed… If you are, you can blame it on me!

The BEST OF THE BEST are as follows:

SEARED SEA SCALLOPS come served laying on top of a black garlic reduction and dressed with celery leaves.

The scallops were cooked perfectly, extremely tender, juicy, and full of delicate flavors. By dipping the scallops in the black garlic reduction you get an additional layer of flavor that complements the scallops very well. These were the best scallops I’ve had, needless to say I highly recommend them if your in the mood to start off the night with some seafood.

HOUSE-CURED SLAB BACON with peanut butter & jalapeño jelly.

This is a Quality Meats signature dish… And yes, this appetizer is a heavy start to dinner. I wouldn’t have it any other way though! Thick cut slices of bacon lay on top of peanut butter. The bacon is dressed with the jalapeno jelly and cucumber mixture. Once you have bacon like this you just can’t possibly look forward to eating any other kind of bacon. The diced cucumbers in the jalapeno jelly adds a freshness to every bite to offset the richness of the bacon and peanut butter. If you combine each element of the dish with every bite you are in for a foodie experience of a life time. This is a favorite of mine, I highly recommend it for a unique yet homey flavor combination!

DRY AGED MEATBALLS

These were the best meatballs I have ever had. These meatballs redefined how good meatballs can be. They were so tender and flavorful that they have set the standard for all future meatballs to be compared against!

Honey-Glazed Baby Back Ribs with honey-lime, fresh mint, and Thai basil.

Why ribs? These ribs aren’t flavored like traditional ribs with the heavy BBQ sauce and chili spice influences. The honey-lime hugs the tender flesh of the ribs which helps create a nice light caramelization on the outside of the ribs, which by the way are very meaty and fall off the bone tender. The addition of the fresh herbs is what really sends these ribs to another level. Adding mint and basil to ribs is a rather unusual addition. In all fairness, I’ve never seen them added on ribs before, this was a first for me. Be forewarned, the herbs deliver a distinct flavor profile not typically seen in ribs. The mint and basil add strong pungent yet delicate flavors while providing a freshness and crispness not typical in ribs. The aromas from the mint and basil are also omnipresent with each bite. As with the flavors, the aromas that come with the herbs are not what you’d expect when eating baby back ribs. If you’re looking to try a dish that is a bit outside of the box I recommend you go with the ribs, they will baffle your palate!

Center Cut Filet Mignon

The quality of the filet mignon is top notch, extremely flavorful  and tender just how it should be. Though the center cut filet mignon is not the largest cut of steak, the quality makes up for it! For steak eaters looking for quality steak, the Center Cut Filet Mignon is your entree of choice.

The Roasted Chicken & Kumquats deserves an honorable mention. It is a safe entree option on the menu for someone looking to enjoy something other than steak and fish. The chicken was moist and tender but the kumquat sauce is what made things interesting. You don’t see kumquats on many menus but the sweetness that comes from the kumquats pairs notably well with the roasted chicken flavors. If you’re not eating steak at Quality Meats for Miami Spice, I recommend you go with this entree.

For dessert you can choose from a selection of Quality Meats’ dressed up scoops.  Choosing depends on personal preference, I generally tend to favor creamy, milky ice cream over sherbets and sorbets. Thus, my recommendations are to go for the Cookie Monster, Burnt Marshmallow, and Coconut Dream Bar.

You cannot go wrong with any of these choices. I recommend you go in a group or with a date and everyone order a different item so that you can share and try different dishes. It’d be a crime for me to tell you to choose one of these over the other. Quality Meats delivered a few “Best I’ve Ever Had” dishes all in one meal. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Executive chef, Patrick Rebholz is the man! Many thanks to the chef for the amazing Miami Spice menu tasting. Everything was phenomenal!