A little over two weeks ago I got invited to come out to STK in South Beach to try out some of their new menu items to get a taste of Spring along with some of their more traditional and popular menu items. If you’re not too familiar with STK it’s an internationally well-known steakhouse that is known for its intimate dining experience and modern chic vibes. I was super excited to have been one of the few bloggers selected to come out to the restaurant since I have never been before and have heard lots of good things about it and because it was on my list of restaurants that I wanted to try.
The restaurant is located right next to the 1 Hotel on the corner of 23rd street in Miami Beach and it’s the only location in South Florida with the second closest location being in Orlando, FL. The first thing that you’ll probably notice when you walk inside the restaurant is the vivid bar area on the right hand side that has lots of colorful lights displayed in it along with several bull horns (which I thought were dinosaur bones replicas at first) hanging from the top of the roof and flowing into one of the dining room areas.
Many of the dining tables are oval shaped and you will find several huge beautiful flower vases behind each table along with some mirrors and dim purple lights. As I sat down and started to look around, I immediately fell in love with the décor and interior of the restaurant because it was very eye catching, modern, chic, and overall sophisticated. I have never seen anything like the hanging bull horns so I thought they were a unique and neat edition to the restaurant and later on I came to learn that the reason why they choose this as part of their decor is because the bull horns represents meat and goes well with the “not your daddy’s steakhouse” theme.
Since the restaurant is known to be a very popular Happy-Hour spot my husband and I went ahead and ordered some delicious cocktails to try out. I had the Eden’s Kiss and my husband ordered the Strawberry Cobbler. The Eden’s Kiss had Hennessy vs, amaro montenegro, lemon, honey, and pomegranate in it and the Strawberry Cobbler which was a little bit sweeter and more of a dessert type of drink had belvedere, fresh muddled strawberry, and a graham cracker crust in it. I personally liked both drinks because they were more on the sweet side than sour which is my preference when it comes to drinks so I would recommend them if you’re into “girly” or lighter drinks.
STARTERS
We started off with STK’s signature sourdough bread that is normally served with a side of blue cheese sauce along with the wagyu beef burger sliders, two different salads, and seared Atlantic scallops which are only seasonal along with the salads. Honestly speaking, I wasn’t very impressed with the bread or sauce and felt that it lacked substantial taste, but I did however enjoy the other starters. The sliders were perfect because they were juicy and cooked as it should be which is well done, and they were both packed with lots of flavor! These bites are a must to try out if you love and are into burgers!
One of the salads that we got to try was made with local heirloom tomatoes, burrata cheese, Panzanella sauce, garlic crouton, and smoked Maldon salt and the other was a Spring Mixed Greens with cucumber, pickled hon-shimeji mushroom, toasted hemp seeds and a champagne vinaigrette. Both salads tasted very fresh and light and since they had so many high-quality and seasonal ingredients in them it didn’t taste so bland like other salads that I’ve had in the past. I
thought both salads were great choices to have for those looking to balance their meal or simply wanting healthier options. If I had to choose between the two, I would say that the salad with the Burrata cheese in it was my absolute favorite!! I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a cheese or tomatoes fresher than that and that’s the truth! Plus, the Panzanella sauce gave the salad an incredible taste and made it very addicting!
The Atlantic scallops dish came with two larger than average sized scallops made with three delicious sauces: mousseline, biable, and spelette (which I’ve never heard of before) and served with bacon and Jerusalem artichokes. This by far was my favorite starter because the scallops were lightly and perfectly seared, plump, meaty, and had a crisp brown crust on the outside so it was very tasty! So, if you’re a scallops and/or seafood lover then I strongly suggest
ordering this dish especially because its only available for a limited amount of time.
SIDES
For sides we had the macaroni and cheese, corn pudding, asparagus, and vegetarian truffle risotto. The macaroni and cheese left me speechless because it was rich, gooey, creamy, and had a thick cheesy layer on top so not only was it very satisfying but comforting as well. This was definitely one of the best Mac and cheese dishes that I‘ve ever had in my life and I would quickly go back to STK just to eat this and I am not kidding!!
The corn pudding had a rich consistency and was very creamy and light and had a semi-sweet taste to it, so it was delicious as well.
The vegetarian truffle risotto was phenomenal and tasted just like I had expected. Usually when I go to restaurants and I see a dish on the menu with the word “truffle” or “risotto” in it I immediately order it because it never disappoints, and this dish surpassed my standards. What really made this dish unique and distinctive was the green sauce that it was covered in that is derived from green peas! I never had something like that before, so I thought that was very
interesting and special. I also loved that the risotto had lots of foraged mushrooms in it and that it was topped with parmesan cheese to add even more flavor to the dish!
I’m usually not a vegetable eater but I did really like the Asparagus because I thought that it was a great side to have with the steak and because it was crisp on the outside. Plus, it’s served as a large portion and can go well with other main dishes as well.
MAIN ENTREES
For the main entrees I had the 14 oz Delmonico served with a side of spicy stk sauce and my husband had the Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with parsnip puree, beluga lentils, pickled cabbage and split jus. The high-quality steak was a thick-cut and the portion size was large and fair for the price that it usually costs (in my opinion) and it was very juicy, flavorful, and cooked medium well just the way I ordered it. The herb crusted rack of lamb was also very flavorful, lean, and tender and had an excellent presentation. Overall, I loved how colorful the dish was and how the lamb was served with yellow potatoes and in a delicious red sauce. Since my husband and I love meat in general we really enjoyed both dishes and I honestly couldn’t recommend them enough!
DESSERT
Even with all that crazy amount of food my husband and I somehow managed to save room for dessert. The first dessert that they brought out was called “The Cloud” which is a pink cotton candy “cloud” served with vanilla ice cream and covered in orange liquor. While the presentation of it was fascinating and worth capturing on photo and video (since it lights up when the orange liquor is poured on top) I was a bit disappointed with it. For one, I’m not a fan of cotton candy as it’s too sweet and sugary for my taste and secondly, it had more liquor than anything else, so it tasted like pure alcohol mixed with sugar. I mean don’t get me wrong if you want an experience at your table then go for it but in terms of taste, I would say to skip this one in all honesty. The other dessert that we had on the other hand was much better than the first. We had the big chocolate chip cookie that was warm and gooey and served with a side of vanilla ice cream. You can never go wrong with this type of dessert because of the blend of hot and cold so it’s worth ordering especially if you want to play it safe.
To conclude, my husband and I had a very memorable dining experience at STK South Beach and it’s definitely a restaurant that I would come back to in the near future. I think it’s the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion like an anniversary or birthday and to event host an event at and I think that the ambiance and setting is very nonchalant. The only thing I would say to keep in mind is the price point since it is a bit higher than other restaurants but I think it’s well worth it because of the overall quality of the food and amazing customer service. I definitely don’t have any complaints in terms of the service or quality of food because of the because everything tasted delicious and was presented in a very appealing and creative manner. One of the things that I loved the most about our visit was that the manager of the restaurant personally stopped by our table to see how everything was and to explain the dishes and give us more information about the restaurant so that meant a-lot to me and showed me that the manager really cares about his customers which I think is so important in any restaurant and at the end of the day it makes me want to return.
If you would like to learn more about STK or to make a reservation you can visit https://stksteakhouse.com/
** I would like to give a special thanks to Joseph Dagg the manager of STK along with the entire staff for hosting us! **
** All opinions are my own **