The Drexel's Wood-Fired Menu is All Hits
If "Midnights" were a restaurant
For all our Gen Z readers, let me tell you about these things Millennials had called “albums.” It was this thing where artists recorded 8-12 songs, put them together, and sold them at a place called “record stores.” You’d go on Tuesday, buy the whole thing and maybe some Marlins tickets, and discover that maybe five of the songs were good. It was rare you found an album where you wouldn’t skip at least one track. But boy if you found one, you wore that album into the ground and can probably recite every word.
I go on this extended trip down memory lane to make a long-winded restaurant analogy. Because typically, even the best restaurants have an “afterthought” dish or two - a salad for those who insist, a chicken breast for the unimaginative, a burger for dudes who eat like eight-year-olds. The Drexel, however, is like The Chronic of South Beach restaurants: Every dish on its new menu is a hit, and I wouldn’t advise skipping anything.
How’s this different from what The Drexel was doing before?
Chef Jarrod Huth has created an entirely new menu focusing on wood-and-charcoal-fired foods. That means more meats, and bolder flavors. The cuisine has also shifted from “Mediterranean” to “Coastal Italian.” Now, anyone who passed ninth grade geography might ask, “Isn’t the coast of Italy on…the Mediterranean?” To which we reply, “Do you think your food actually comes straight from a farm to your table? It’s called marketing. Shut up and enjoy your charcoal-grilled ribeye.”
What to eat and drink
Huth’s menu of charcoal and wood-fired delicacies is teeming with pronounced smoky flavors. Even a simple green circle chicken tastes like the kind of thing you’d get from a roadside smoker at suspect southern service station. The charcoal roasted ribeye takes the campfire ethos up a notch, and it the move for sharing.
The simple lettuce salad is magnificent - big pieces of homestead butter lettuce with house-made crouton crumbles, and a vinaigrette that avoids overdressing. The home made pastas are all winners too, highlighted by the spiny lobster gnocchi in saffron honey. The wood-fired pizzas – the stars of the old Drexel’s show – are still just as good. But the rest of the menu has improved so much your calories are better spent on the grilled meats.
The space: Is warm and homey, just as it’s always been. It feels like the living room of a friend with good taste. You can also opt to sit outside and people watch along Espanola Way, especially enjoyable during our perfect February weather.
Perfect for: Dinner with friends who are visiting in South Beach, Outdoor dining
Pro tips: The wood-fired sharable stuff can take a while to cook. Load up on the Palledino bread topped in whipped ricotta so nobody gets hangry.
Expect to pay: About $100 per person, if you’re planning on sampling the coastal Italian wines
How’s the parking: The valet out front is convenient and reasonable. Though it can take a while on a busy night.
@drexelmiami // 1436 Espanola Way, South Beach
