Prime 112: Is There a Cardiologist in the House?
Prime 112 is owner Myles Chafetz's brainstorm, success story, gold mine, and childrens' college fund. Since it opened about two years ago, the place has been jam-packed and remains one of the hottest tables in town. "Prime" refers to the dry aged prime beef that is at the core of the menu. Prime 112 gets its beef from the same purveyor as Peter Lugar. That should tell you something. The "112" refers to the address--112 Ocean Drive. The restaurant is located in the restored Brown Hotel, which was originally built in 1915. The building still contains a few hotel rooms upstairs from the restaurant.
The room itself is all brick, wood, and leather. Sinatra music often plays from the speakers. In the rear is the open kitchen. Up front is a very active bar, and the bar snacks consist of slices of cooked bacon. A nice touch. Prime 112 bills itself as a modern steakhouse, and indeed it is. It lacks the stuffy formality of many old-school meat temples. More importantly, though, the clientele makes the difference. Prime 112 is a scene. On any given night you will likely encounter a terribly interesting blend of bold-faced names and celebrities both minor and major. And (always critically important to the Baron) beautiful women. Don't let yourselves be sequestered upstairs or you will miss the show.
Given the atmosphere, the popularity, and the exceptional quality of the food (the Baron is getting to that), Prime 112 is one of the toughest reservations in town. So let us address the 800 pound gorilla in the room, shall we? Prime 112 has a real problem with reservations. Which is to say, Prime 112 fails to honor reservations in a timely fashion. In this particular instance, the Baron and his party had a 9 PM reservation. The Baron was not seated until 9:40. Moreover, the hostesses are easily the rudest and most obnoxious of any on the Beach. The floor managers are not much better. The Baron has encountered this problem on numerous occassions, with wait times running anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes beyond the scheduled reservation time. This is completely unac'ceptable, but the restaurant is doing so well that no one seems to care and business has not suffered. Dropping the owner's name, offering cash bribes, or threatning to call Tim Zagat may or may not get you somewhere.
While the people working the front should be slapped silly, the waitstaff is excellent. Once seated guests are treated exceptionally well. Service is gracious, friendly, and professional. The staff has been well-trained and everyone is familiar with the menu and the wine list. So on to the food.
Hearts of romaine caesar with brioche croutons and shaved parmesean. Any steakhouse of merit has an excellent caesar and Prime is no exception. The salad is simply enormous. One was big enough to feed all six people at the table. The bioche croutons are a cut above, and the long ribbons of shaved parm add to the richness of the dressing. Prime offers the usual assortment of appetizers--shrimp cocktail, caviar, oysters, salads, tuna tartare. The tradional escargot with fresh herbs and garlic butter is a standout.
Twenty-two ounce bone-in ribeye. The beef is outstanding and as good as any you will find in Miami. Rich, juicy, and perfectly cooked. Prime 112 raises the bar by offering a selection of sauces and compound butters to enhance the carnivore experience. Sauces include Prime 112 steak sauce, horseradish cream, carbernet, chimichurri, and the obligatory hollandaise and bearnaise. Better though are the compound butters--gorgonzola, truffle, foie gras, chipotle lime, and garlic and herb. Smear some truffle or foie gras butter on top of your steak and you will feel your arteries clogging. But in a good way. There is also Hawaiian sea salt on the table if you like such things. The steak does not need it.
The kitchen features a selection of cuts including filet mignon, NY strip, T-bone, and porterhouse in various weights. Veal and lamb are also on offer, as are Kobe-style hamburgers and hotdogs, and a churrasco. The kitchen will also prepare main lobster (stuffed if you prefer), and a small assortment of fish dishes.
Excellent though it was, the Baron had second thoughts about his steak after two of his fellow diners received their one-pound Kobe burgers along with a basket of fries large enough to feed a high-school marching band (including the fat tuba player). The burger is enormous, decadent, and outrageously rich. Is $30 too much for a burger? Not if it brings a big smile to your face. What price happiness?
The sides. Meat this good calls for sides to match. The sides at Prime are the best anywhere (save for the creamed spinach at the Palm, which is still unsurpassed). Most highly recommended is the four cheese truffle "MAC" which is of course fancified macaroni and cheese. The house made "tater tots" are also obligatory and transcendent. The sauteed spinach with garlic was too salty--the only food-related mistep of the evening. Other sides worth trying include the serrano ham and manchego cheese gratin and the sweet potato and vanilla bean mash.
Wine. Prime 112 has a good wine selection, but prices run high. Looks to be three times retail in many instances. The Dominus Napanook worked perfectly in this instance (available by the glass). There is corkage, so if you have a favorite bottle, bring it with you.
Dessert. The Baron passed on dessert this time, feeling rather like Sigourney Weaver in one of the Alien movies. However, from past experience the Baron would press you to the home made chocolate chunk cookies. You can get that with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you really want to go straight to hell (or to the doctor's office for that angioplasty). Wash it down with some port, grappa, or whatever digestif you prefer. Most of the good ones are available. And try to go as frequently as you can. Maybe the girls up front will get to know your face and stop treating you like you have leprosy.
Prime 112 is owner Myles Chafetz's brainstorm, success story, gold mine, and childrens' college fund. Since it opened about two years ago, the place has been jam-packed and remains one of the hottest tables in town. "Prime" refers to the dry aged prime beef that is at the core of the menu. Prime 112 gets its beef from the same purveyor as Peter Lugar. That should tell you something. The "112" refers to the address--112 Ocean Drive. The restaurant is located in the restored Brown Hotel, which was originally built in 1915. The building still contains a few hotel rooms upstairs from the restaurant.
The room itself is all brick, wood, and leather. Sinatra music often plays from the speakers. In the rear is the open kitchen. Up front is a very active bar, and the bar snacks consist of slices of cooked bacon. A nice touch. Prime 112 bills itself as a modern steakhouse, and indeed it is. It lacks the stuffy formality of many old-school meat temples. More importantly, though, the clientele makes the difference. Prime 112 is a scene. On any given night you will likely encounter a terribly interesting blend of bold-faced names and celebrities both minor and major. And (always critically important to the Baron) beautiful women. Don't let yourselves be sequestered upstairs or you will miss the show.
Given the atmosphere, the popularity, and the exceptional quality of the food (the Baron is getting to that), Prime 112 is one of the toughest reservations in town. So let us address the 800 pound gorilla in the room, shall we? Prime 112 has a real problem with reservations. Which is to say, Prime 112 fails to honor reservations in a timely fashion. In this particular instance, the Baron and his party had a 9 PM reservation. The Baron was not seated until 9:40. Moreover, the hostesses are easily the rudest and most obnoxious of any on the Beach. The floor managers are not much better. The Baron has encountered this problem on numerous occassions, with wait times running anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes beyond the scheduled reservation time. This is completely unac'ceptable, but the restaurant is doing so well that no one seems to care and business has not suffered. Dropping the owner's name, offering cash bribes, or threatning to call Tim Zagat may or may not get you somewhere.
While the people working the front should be slapped silly, the waitstaff is excellent. Once seated guests are treated exceptionally well. Service is gracious, friendly, and professional. The staff has been well-trained and everyone is familiar with the menu and the wine list. So on to the food.
Hearts of romaine caesar with brioche croutons and shaved parmesean. Any steakhouse of merit has an excellent caesar and Prime is no exception. The salad is simply enormous. One was big enough to feed all six people at the table. The bioche croutons are a cut above, and the long ribbons of shaved parm add to the richness of the dressing. Prime offers the usual assortment of appetizers--shrimp cocktail, caviar, oysters, salads, tuna tartare. The tradional escargot with fresh herbs and garlic butter is a standout.
Twenty-two ounce bone-in ribeye. The beef is outstanding and as good as any you will find in Miami. Rich, juicy, and perfectly cooked. Prime 112 raises the bar by offering a selection of sauces and compound butters to enhance the carnivore experience. Sauces include Prime 112 steak sauce, horseradish cream, carbernet, chimichurri, and the obligatory hollandaise and bearnaise. Better though are the compound butters--gorgonzola, truffle, foie gras, chipotle lime, and garlic and herb. Smear some truffle or foie gras butter on top of your steak and you will feel your arteries clogging. But in a good way. There is also Hawaiian sea salt on the table if you like such things. The steak does not need it.
The kitchen features a selection of cuts including filet mignon, NY strip, T-bone, and porterhouse in various weights. Veal and lamb are also on offer, as are Kobe-style hamburgers and hotdogs, and a churrasco. The kitchen will also prepare main lobster (stuffed if you prefer), and a small assortment of fish dishes.
Excellent though it was, the Baron had second thoughts about his steak after two of his fellow diners received their one-pound Kobe burgers along with a basket of fries large enough to feed a high-school marching band (including the fat tuba player). The burger is enormous, decadent, and outrageously rich. Is $30 too much for a burger? Not if it brings a big smile to your face. What price happiness?
The sides. Meat this good calls for sides to match. The sides at Prime are the best anywhere (save for the creamed spinach at the Palm, which is still unsurpassed). Most highly recommended is the four cheese truffle "MAC" which is of course fancified macaroni and cheese. The house made "tater tots" are also obligatory and transcendent. The sauteed spinach with garlic was too salty--the only food-related mistep of the evening. Other sides worth trying include the serrano ham and manchego cheese gratin and the sweet potato and vanilla bean mash.
Wine. Prime 112 has a good wine selection, but prices run high. Looks to be three times retail in many instances. The Dominus Napanook worked perfectly in this instance (available by the glass). There is corkage, so if you have a favorite bottle, bring it with you.
Dessert. The Baron passed on dessert this time, feeling rather like Sigourney Weaver in one of the Alien movies. However, from past experience the Baron would press you to the home made chocolate chunk cookies. You can get that with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you really want to go straight to hell (or to the doctor's office for that angioplasty). Wash it down with some port, grappa, or whatever digestif you prefer. Most of the good ones are available. And try to go as frequently as you can. Maybe the girls up front will get to know your face and stop treating you like you have leprosy.
posted by TheBaronOnTaste at 10:24 PM
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