Foodie Find: Homemade Pastas at Via Emilia Garden
In Midtown Miami’s growing restaurant scene, Chef Wendy Cacciatori and wife Valentina Imbrenda have opened their second Miami restaurant, Via Emilia Garden. The sister to their South Beach venue Via Emilia 9, this modern dining room opens up to a garden and an authentic Italian market. Focusing on Northern Italian cuisine, it’s named for the merchant road in the region of Emilia-Romagna.
The kitchen features an authentic “sfoglin” (pasta maker) so don’t miss Cacciatori’s homemade varieties. The signature dish is tortellini in brodo, ring-shaped noodles stuffed with meat and served in broth. Also, from scratch is the tagliatelle al ragu’, with thick pappardelle ribbons served in Bolognese sauce, and the vegetarian special cappellacci di zucca al burro e salvia, for which the pasta is stuffed with pumpkin and cheese, folded to resemble a hat, and served with a sauce of butter and sage.
For carb-cutters, there are plenty of choices, including a selection of meats and vegetables. The porro alla brace is a dish of charred leeks and pecorino cheese, and the carcifi e parmigiano prepares artichokes in the traditional manner. The Carpaccio di Polipo is fresh octopus carpaccio. And there’s a butcher section of meat cuts, such as the Tomahawk Steak with five or more inches of extra rib bone.
3500 N. Miami Avenue, Miami, 786-359-4990
