I Paparazzi
Miami Beach
On most nights, Miami's South Beach area is a cacophonous blend of
chattering voices from 10,000 sidewalk strollers, a rumbling from
scores of automobiles locked in a bumper to bumper crawl down every
major street and the pulsing beat of dozens of restaurant stereo
systems blasting out the latest Latin hits and popular songs. On the
hub of Ocean Drive at The Hotel Breakwater, the crowds and cars come
to a virtual halt once an hour during the long evening minuet. The
music blares even louder, and suddenly, Alex Fox, adorned in the white
linen of a Latin padron, and his gorgeous sidekick, Lisa, prance
through a 30-minute show of gypsy music and acrobatic dancing among
the tables and on top of the outdoor bar of i Paparazzi, one of the
beach's most venerable institutions, which has outlasted scores of its
less fortunate competitors.
The scene, as it were, is under the sharp eye of "Arturo," a
long-haired majordomo of the strip, who as often as not has a cigar
clamped between his teeth. He soothes the frustrated diners-to-be
waiting on the restaurant's steps for a table, seats the celebrities
in places they appreciate, or can be appreciated from, and keeps the
entire place hopping, recommending dishes from the restaurant's mostly
Italian menu.
It would be a stretch to say that the food is the reason to go to i
Paparazzi. But it is quite good, prepared with a light touch by the
chef, Vittorio Lozzi. Cold appetizers include an excellent Caprese
salad with mozzarella and tomatoes and basil and a standard prosciutto
and melon. One outstanding hot appetizer is a mixed plate of fried
calamari and zucchini, and both the bruschetta and focaccia are
redolent with the excellent produce from South Florida's great truck
farming industry. In general, it makes sense to stick to the basics
here. But pasta specials such as Agnolotti Aurora (a homemade pasta
stuffed with spinach and ricotta in a pink cream sauce) and the Penne
Malafemmina (tube pasta tossed with capers, tomatoes, black olives
and basil) are both excellent.
Main courses that are worth considering include all the shrimp dishes,
especially the shrimp scampi, and the less complicated veal dishes
such as the veal marsala. The wines also are fairly simple but run the
gamut of standard Italian wines, with the big names in Chianti and
Piedmonte.
But ultimately, the reason to come to i Paparazzi is for the scene on
the verandah. If you think you're not a people-watcher, come anyway,
demand a seat on the verandah from Arturo and settle in for a couple
of hours of good food and, on any weekend night, the endless parade of
suntanned tourists and gliterati wanna-bes. The verandah is Arturo's
smoking emporium as well. Even in the depths of Florida's monsoon
season, part of the verandah is under an awning or the overhang from
the hotel's second floor, and it makes for a perfect smoking
place. Arturo has cigars for sale in the restaurant, the selection of
which is always changing. He's a cigar maven who searches out whatever
is available locally, and he loves to offer new cigar brands to his
cigar smoking patrons. Ask him, and you'll get the royal treatment.
I Paparazzi, owned by Fabian and Maryanne Basabe, may not be the
hottest new restaurant on South Beach, nor does it necessarily have
the latest celebrity big-name chef in the kitchen. But the food is
earthy and simple with lots of appeal, the cigars are always
outstanding and the scene is like nowhere else on the face of the
earth. It's worth the trip.
--Gordon Mott
I Paparazzi
The Breakwater Hotel
940 Ocean Drive
Phone:
(305) 531-3500; fax: (305) 532-9491
Lunch: $15 to $20 per
person; dinner $30 to $40, without wine
(reservations suggested)
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