Reviews for Estiatorio Milos, La Gloutonnerie, and More

This week, SoFi's Estiatorio Milos by Costas Spiliadis gets the run down from The Miami Herald's Victoria Pesce Elliot, who finds that "this opulent feast should be on every serious seafood lover's list - especially if someone else is buying." While "the experience is all about the food", the space "has the stark felling of a museum. Two vast, white-on-white rooms and a well-stocked market are decked out with gray marble, industrial wood beams and sparkling globe chandeliers. Mini-bar-sized amphoras, double-laid white tablecloths and classic Greek music contribute to the stiff atmosphere." VPE also warns "it's possible to pay as much for a piece of fish as a pair of the Gucci loafers that seem to be required footwear for guys here." Food standouts for VPE include charcoal-grilled octopus that "reaches its Platonic ideal here", "the Milos special, a tower of thinly sliced zucchini and eggplant coins fried until barely gold and served with a refreshing tzatziki dipping sauce", and "prawns gently scorched in their shells". All in all, Elliot awards Milos three and a half stars. [MH]

Estiatorio Milos' SoFi neighbor, La Gloutonnerie, is visited by The Miami New Times' Lee Klein, who discovers chef Christain Testa's "authentic French fare - quite delicious, really." Klein finds the portions a great value "unless you're a professional competitive eater, that lobster-scallop gratin - with two large scallop shells (one dramatically chipped) of über-rich, paneer-drenched, bread-crumb-crowned shellfish — will leave you too sated to make it even halfway through your entrée." La Gloutonnerie is divided into "sedately handsome rooms warmed with wood tables, dark wood window blinds, gray wainscoting, globe light fixtures and neatly framed black-and-white photographs hanging perfectly straight." Wishing that La Gloutonnerie fares better than it's predecessor, Klein summarizes his experience: "La Gloutonnerie is courting the customer in admirable fashion: The authentic French cuisine is pristinely prepared, service is mostly attentive, cocktails are assembled from all fresh ingredients, and the décor is cozy." [MNT]

Rochelle Koff of The Miami Herald finds Nauti Dawg in Lighthouse Point "a nice surprise", with everything made in house, "from soups to scrumptious Key lime cheesecake. The menu changes often, with specials based on what looks good - or even the weather. Blue cheese seems to work on a rainy night, and bright salsa suits a sunny day." Nauti Dawg receives three stars from Koff: "It turns out that this Nauti Dawg is very nice indeed." [MH]

The Miami Herald's Linda Bladholm takes a look at Josh's Delicatessen and Appetizing in Surfside, declaring that "the handcrafted food here fits the neighborhood like a matzo ball in soup." [MH]

Pondering why Estia Greek Taverna in Boca Raton is "so stingy with the pita?", the Sun Sentinel's John Tanasychuk awards the restaurant 2 stars: "All the elements are there for Estia to be a good restaurant. But until the kitchen focuses on the details, it's merely a fair one." [SS]

The Broward Palm Beach New Times' Eric Barton reviews Lighthouse Point's Ernie's Italian Chophouse, " a restaurant that revolves as much around its restaurateur's likable personality as the excellent food from its kitchen." "Ernie's dishes, made with few ingredients, meant to highlight the protein, and just slight tweaks on old Italian standards seem both too simple for these high prices but also tasty enough to impress." [BPBNT]

THE BLOGS: FoodForThought gives his State of the Union of Miami dining. FatgirlHedonist reviews People's Bar-B-Que.