For those who don’t know, Danny Devito is a famous Hollywood actor and now add successful restauranteur to his resume. His new Italian restaurant, obviously named Devito, is a neuvo style Italian restaurant located on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. Last Monday we decided to dine at Devito’s for a birthday dinner and although it wasn’t our first time there, we hadn’t been back since the restaurants opening.
The five star restaurant wasn’t packed but that’s normal for South Beach in the summer, especially on a week night. When the South Beach season kicks off again in mid-October, life will pick up through those winter months and you probably won’t even be able to get into Devito’s for dinner. The first time we tried Devito’s we were dinning with Harry Morton, the heir to the Morton Steakhouse conglomerate and the Hard Rock Hotel and Casinos, oh and his good friend Paris Hilton. Ms. Hilton demands attention and usually gets what she wants; she loves to be seen on the Miami Beach scene. That particular night she appreciated being seated in a large booth, right in the middle of all the Devito dining action.
There are three main dining areas at Devito’s, the outside patio on Ocean Drive which was too hot for us in August. The first floor dining room featuring the main bar and dramtic high ceilings. The main dining room, which we dined in last Monday has large comfy, white booths, kings throne-esque red chairs and gorgeous, modern light fixtures. The atmosphere at Devito’s is comfort meets style in a classy Italian eatery, which happens to be perfect for the local Miamians. This five star restaurant lives up to its reputation as the service is attentive, the bar is always stocked and the food is extremely expensive.
High society people in Miami love an expensive meal just as long as the food is exquisite. Trust us it’s A-grade all the way. The Italian food at Devito was on par with how your old Sicilian grandmother used to make it. The bread platter was a sampler of olives, bread, oils, and peppers which complimented the famed meatball appetizer. The salads were fresh and the raw bar platter was even fresher. We basically ordered everything on the menu, from the ridiculously tender Kobe beef to the fried calamari and then Seabass with lump crabmeat on top. We loved it all and then agreed that our standout favorite was the pasta. For the heat seeker, the lobster Diavolo pasta was spicy, spicy, and insanely good while the penne a la vodka was yummy. Hungry yet? Don’t worry you won’t gain a million pounds, the portions aren’t classic large, Italian family style but rather perfectly sized. Portion control is an absolute restaurant essential when living in the uber body conscious land of Miami Beach. We appreciate when the kitchen portions out our food properly so we don’t eat it or waste it, Devito is American-Italian done right.Â
Our dessert was phenomonal, we thoroughly enjoyed the banana zepollis and the dark chocolate mousse left us speechless. We washed it all down with espresso, cappacinos and good conversation. All in all it was a fabulous meal and we will be back again, sooner rather than later this time.Â