La Dolce Vita at Fratelli Lyon
New Café Blends Italian Flavor with Art
Story by Debra Kronowitz | Photos by Simon Hare
Ken Lyon, director of Lyon & Lyoncaterers,
has opened Fratelli Lyon, an Italian café in the Miami Design District
notable for light, seasonal, handcrafted cuisine. Offering
a casual dining experience, Fratelli Lyon reflects a unique
collaboration with Italian furniture store Driade, which houses the
café, creating a blend of modern art and design with food and wine. All
the restaurant furnishings — from bar fixtures, chairs and tables to
dishes, glassware, flatware and accessories— are from Driade and
available for purchase.
Surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows with stainless-steel counters and
shelves, Fratelli Lyon is run by Executive Chef Brian Morales, whose
résumé includes Daniel Boulud’s Daniel, Claude Troisgros “44” at the
Royalton, Blue Sea at the Delano on Miami Beach, Pascal’s on Ponce and
most recently, Lyon & Lyon caterers.
“Dining at Fratelli Lyon should encompass all the wonderful aspects of
’la dolce vita’ — the beautifully presented table and a relaxing,
unhurried meal in a warm welcoming setting,” said Lyon. “Ideally, the
feeling is similar to that of dining at the home of a good friend with
great taste.”
The Menu
The menu offers regional classics. Seating for lunch and dinner is
offered inside the café, on the front porch and along a covered
corridor. The café relies upon Lyon’s long-established contacts to
source all ingredients, such as heirloom legumes from Umbrian farmers,
fresh goat’s milk cheeses from small Piedmontese cheese makers,
hand-numbered, hand bottled Italian olive oils from Molise and Italian
wines from small estates. If an item is not available for import, it is
created in the United States in Italian style. Fresh organic produce
comes from local farmers when in season, while salumi is sourced from
small purveyors and breads are baked in-house. Embracing Fratelli Lyon’s
efforts to be environmentally friendly, Lyon has installed a water
filtration system that provides triple-filtered still and sparkling
waters, the basis for homemade sodas. |
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A comprehensive selection of
antipasti, divided into vegetables and fish, as well as
cheese and salumi, is notable for the depth of options.
Antipasti selections include caponata alla siciliana
(eggplant, raisins and pine nuts), cheeses, salumi,
bruschettas and pizzas.
The dinner menu features soups, pastas and risottos, with
dishes such as risotto Milanese con stracotto di vitella
(saffron risotto served with boneless osso buco),
quadrucci in brodo (square-shaped pasta in chicken
broth) and ravioli “evelina” (house made ravioli
stuffed with herbed ricotta and topped with brown butter and
parmigiano). Entrées include tagliata di manzo alla
griglia (pan grilled skirt steak served with a green
herb sauce and sautéed escarole) and sogliole in saór
alla Veneziana (Venetian-style pan seared sole with
pickled onions, pine nuts and raisins). A daily special
includes selections ranging from osso buco to
Arabian-style lamb stew, depending on the day of the week;
side dishes range from fava purée and Swiss chard to
asparagus gratin.
The lunch menu offers many items from the dinner menu, as
well as a selection of salads, pizzas and paninis. A
three-course daily lunch special includes a choice of
appetizer, entrée and either dessert or a glass of wine.
Boasting an Italian wine selection, the restaurant features
many highly allocated Italian wines not readily available in
South Florida.
Desserts range from a simple bowl of fresh fruit to house
made biscotti, tarts, cannoli, sorbets, tiramisu, zabaglione
and almond cornmeal cake.
Fratelli Lyon is located at 4141 NE 2nd Ave. The café is
open Monday through Saturday, from 10 am for coffee and
pastries; lunch is served from 11:30 am to 3 pm; and dinner
is available Monday through Thursday from 6 to 10 pm and
until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. A limited menu is
available between 3 and 6pm. For reservations, call
305.572.2901. |
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