Estiatorio Milos {730 First Street, Miami Beach; 305.604.6800} was founded in 1979 in Montreal by acclaimed Chef and Restaurateur Costa Spiliadis. Its selling point is impeccably fresh fish flown in daily from the Mediterranean and beautifully displayed on a long counter covered in ice.

Don’t expect complicated, rich sauces, but rather the freshest fish simply grilled. You need to visit the fish display to see what has arrived that day, from St Pierre (John Dory) and Loup de Mer (sea bass), to Dorado Royale (sea bream). There are a couple of meat dishes on the menu, but to eat lamb chops at Milos would be like going to a steakhouse for Dover sole. The deceptively simple Greek Salad with barrel-aged feta is a superb way to begin your meal.

The hardest quality for any restaurant to maintain is consistency, but having eaten at Milos in London, New York, and most often in Miami (obviously, our favorite), we have to say that the quality of food, presentation, and service is second to none in all three. It’s therefore no surprise that Zagat ranked Milos among the top 10 restaurants in Miami.

At the Miami location, Architect Jeffrey Beers has created a beautiful light and airy space with white Pentelikon marble from Mount Penteli outside Athens. Pentelikon marble was in fact used to build the
Parthenon.

Here are a few photos to enjoy of the Milos experience:

Milos Special with lightly fried zucchini, eggplant, tzatziki, and kefalograviera cheese

Big Eye Tuna Tartare with tuna from Hawaii, micro-basil, serrano chile, and orange

Charcoal Grilled Octopus with sushi-quality grilled Mediterranean octopus

Mediterranean Lavraki (Loup de Mer), baked in sea salt crust with Santorini capers, olive oil, and lemon juice

The Real Greek Yogurt served with thyme honey

By Richard Temple | Contributor