Friday, January 6, 2012

First Date- Salumeria 104 (Midtown Miami)

                                           Logo





Fresh bread and three Italian slicers
I had heard through the grapevine from a reliable restauranteur and chef that Chef Masarin made a mean amatriciana sauce so that's what I was gunning for when I arrived. After taking a seat at the bar, I was immediately advised by the pleasant server of their daily specials.  They all sounded great but when she blurted out trippa with parmesan and polenta I got wide eyed and uncontrollably blurted out "oooh" and quickly ordered it along with the rigatoni amatriciana.

Rigatoni Amatriciana

The rigatoni was cooked  perfectly al dente and paired with a tasty and lightly spicy tomato sauce that included guanciale and onions.  I really enjoyed the combination. The only possible issue people may have is the portion size at $15.00.  

Tripe with Polenta

Next up was the trippa.  Chef Massani prepared the tripe in the traditional roman style with parmesan cheese and a fantastic tomato sauce. It was accompanied by three bricks of perfect polenta that served as a nice contrast to the tripe and sauce.  The tripe (I believe the chef mentioned a 24 hour process) was super tender and had a great soft texture. The flavor off the tripe and the wonderful accompanying tomato sauce made for a knockout dish.

Look at that ass oops the prosciutto di parma
 As with all great first dates, halfway through, I was already planning the second one.  Obvioulsy I need to try the salumi next go round as well as some of the housemade pastas.  But my focus is going to be on the special board.  If Chef Massani continues to deliver more dishes of the tripe caliber we will have a neighborhood gem on our hands.

Salumeria 104 is the type of place we need more more of if we are going to continue to evolve into a legitimate food city.  My first visit was a great experience and I highly recommend checking it out.

Salumeria 104 on Urbanspoon

3451 NE 1st Ave Map.74b409a
Miami, FL 33137

No comments: