By Volo on Sunday, 19 November 2023
Category: Miami Restaurants

El Cielo in Miami

One of four locations (others are Medellin, Bogota, Washington DC, Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos seeks to explore all the sense in his tasting menu.  His restaurant is a very refined and nice look at Columbian cuisine for the uninitiated (myself) and his creative presentations are well appreciated. The restaurant is located in the heart of downtown Miami and happened to come on a rainy night when it was not too busy.

Interior

Cocktails

I hopted for the "Experience" tasting menu which ranges from 15-20 courses. The night I went was 17 courses with the last course consisting of a rose petals to be rubbed in your hands as a memory of the meal.  It is overall meant to be a complete sensory experience 

The meal starts with a hand wash consisting of warm eucalyptus water to sanitize your hands which will be more important later in the Chocotherapy dish.

Passion Fruit Mistela

Consisting of passion fruit smoked coffee, rosemary and aguardiente. Take the bottle, shake it up and take it down in one shot. It was a very fresh tasting opener.

Soursop - Champagne

Soursop sorbet  topped with golden berries, blue lagelle, finger lime and edible flowers.  Another refreshing cocktail to start with some sour citrus.

​Truffle Buñuelo

Truffle. porcini and black truffles. topped with black olive gel and white truffle onion. It arrived warm and was a nice savory explosion of flavor when bitten into.

​Choclo - Caviar

 Caviar with a cream cheese, edible flowers and choclo sweet corn arepas.

Potato - Cone

An interesting dish, as it had a empanidas inspired cone filled with a tomato, chives, caramel potato puree topped with shavings of potato.

Tapioca - Foie - Chontaduro

Pressed Tapioca with chontaduro puree, foie gras with sugar cane aged in whiskey barrels, edible flower on top.

​Crab Empanada

A whimsical dish with an empty crab shaped corn based empanada pastry to be filled with a pine pepper and marinaded crab meat with chives and coconut milk.

Chocotherapy

A chocolate concoction in a coconut milk base that is meant to be rubbed on your hands and licked off. It explains why such a thorough cleaning was necessary at the beginning of the meal and adds more to the senses engaged in the meal, adding the sensation of touch.

Tree of Life

A fun dish, with bread made of Yucca, mozzarella and Basil. with toasted butter, cilantro and oregano cream with artichoke pepper in the middle. 

Seasonal Soup

A very tasty soup. Caramelized onion soup with ashes of carmaelized onion used to make the el-cielo logo representing the key from heaven. frozen white chocolate is added for an interesting texture and off flavor from the more savory, warm  soup.

​Kampachi - Golden Berry - Ceviche

White Kampachi from southern california, leche de tigre with golden berries, toasted quinoa, kalamazi mayo, finger lime pearls, key lime foam with achiote drops.

This was one of my favorite dishes. 

​Yucca Gnocchi

Pecorino cheese, chanterelle mushrooms, sweet fontaine honey with onion powder on the sides, with seasonal black truffle in the middle. I am a fan of gnocchi in general and if it's made from things other than potato all the better and more exotic to me.

Bison "Al Trappo"

A very flavorful dish, I am always satisfied with a meat and potatoes presentation and the Columbian "al Trapo" is just absolutely delicious. Bison cooked in a cloth wrap, served with a red wine reduction demiglaze, served with a potato puree and bok choy in chimchurri sauce.

​Popsicle

Columbian aquardiente from sugar cane with green mango popsicle with spicy powder.

Cholao

Chocolate in ice cream, with lots of fruits in the leekans, meringue, passion fruit, pineapple, dark berries, with pop rocks on top.

Coffee Field, Yellow Butterfly and Columbian Emerald

A great presentation of brewed Columbian arabica coffee with emerald sugar shell inside containing a concoction of white chocolate ganash and on the right a chocolo hazzelnet with golden outer shell topped with a sugary yellow butterfly tuille.

​Rose Petals

This was not a dish to be eaten but an accompanyment of rose petals and lotion to rub in your hands in order to remember

Conclusion

A great dining experience that delivers on the promise of engaging all your senses. I would come again with a guest for the entertainment value alone not to mention the great tasting food. The homage to Columbian cuisine is much appreciated.

Favorite dishes: the Truffle Buñuelo, seasonal soup (onion),  the Kampachi - Golden Berry - Ceviche, the Bison "al Trappo,"  and finally the Coffee Field, Yellow Butterfly and Columbian Emerald.

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