There are restaurants that happen to be beautiful, and then there’s Pao. Walking into the oval dining room at Faena Miami Beach feels a little like wandering onto the set of a movie where someone had a very generous production budget. Look up and there’s that glowing gold dome. Look toward the center of the room and Damien Hirst’s golden unicorn is perched on its platform, because apparently a vase of flowers wasn’t going to cut it here.
This is Faena, after all. But beneath all that gold, Chef Paul Qui is doing something considerably more interesting than simply feeding a glamorous room. His cooking moves between Filipino, Spanish, Japanese and French flavors, sometimes all on the same plate, without feeling like it’s trying too hard to prove a point. And the Miami Spice menu might be one of the better excuses to experience it. Priced at $65 for four courses, including a chef-selected amuse bouche, it gives you a proper tour through Pao rather than a watered-down prix fixe version of the restaurant.
We were on a date, so first, drinks. The New Tradition is the sort of cocktail that reads great on paper but is even more impressive once it arrives. Macallan 12, Santa Teresa 1796, Licor 43, Illy espresso, Kahlua and lemon are clarified into an unexpectedly elegant drink, poured over a hand-cut ice sphere in a rocks glass. The T-Martini goes in a completely different direction. Monkey 47 Gin and Dolin Blanc Vermouth meet an elderflower chamomile cordial, with tiny mint oil drops served atop a pearl spoon.
Dinner starts lighter with dishes like the Aguachile Negro. Ora King salmon comes surrounded by yuzu pearls, charred avocado, bell pepper, cucumber, squid ink, yuzu-pickled pearl onions and charred cipollini. There’s citrus, smoke, richness and acidity moving around the plate.
The U8 Scallops are softer and richer, paired with umami chili crisp, white ponzu, Meyer lemon and a cloud of potato espuma dead center. It’s delicate which is exactly the point. Pao’s Fried Chicken may be the prettiest fried chicken you’ll ever eat. The golden pieces arrive with sweet chili sauce, roasted banana ketchup, jalapeño and Thai herbs. There’s sweetness, heat and crunch, but that banana ketchup is the little Filipino wink.
And then there’s the Unicorn. Named appropriately for the creature presiding over the dining room, this house favorite combines sea urchin with grilled sweet corn pudding, sake aioli, chile de árbol and lime. Sweet corn and uni have that same creamy sweetness. It’s strange, luxurious, and very Pao. If you’re adding something extra, make it the 72-Hour Wagyu Short Rib, served with Japanese sweet potato, nikiri beurre monté and pickled grapes. Looking at the marbling after three days of cooking, resistance is futile.
Dessert presents a dilemma. The Mille Crêpes Cake layers delicate crêpes with light cream cheese mousse, vanilla-passion fruit syrup and berries for something elegant. But our heart still belongs to the OG. The Corn Ice Cream Sandwich has been around since day one, pairing corn ice cream with cajeta and Garrotxa cheese. Sweet, salty, creamy and just funky enough, then you understand why it never left.
P.S. Don’t go home yet. If you’re already dressed up and surrounded by this much red velvet and gold, make a night of it and head to Faena Theater afterward. The intimate 150-seat room takes its cues from Europe’s grand opera houses and was designed in partnership with Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin. Yes, that Baz Luhrmann. We’ve seen several of the theater’s original productions over the years, but the new OBSESSION might be our favorite so far. It’s sexy, bold, high-energy, mixing live vocals with cinematic visuals in a room small enough that you feel like you’re inside the performance.
Dinner under a golden dome. A Damien Hirst unicorn. Corn ice cream. Cabaret… Just another quiet night on Miami Beach.