Jaguar Sun

A birthday was approaching and I wanted to take my wife someplace special. That worked out beautifully. The name of the place is ‘Jaguar Sun’. It in an area of the Alea Building in downtown Miami. The menu is not long but it is carefully crafted with dishes that enticed us. I was having a bit of déjà vu in that I recognized menu items from a pop up they did during the pandemic we enjoyed and also noted some of the well-informed, casual staff. This is the kind of ‘hipness’ in a restaurant we’ll take anytime! We’d arrived early enough to get some oysters at the ‘early bird’ pricing. I would have happily paid full for these. Chef Carey served them personally and gave us a ‘lagniappe’ of a trio that hailed from the Sebastian Inlet, (Florida) area. I loved them and very happy to support our local oyster gatherers! From there it was a sensationally fresh, light and compelling Scallops Hokkaido preparation with ‘aguachile negro’. Moving from seafood to land we shared classically made chicken liver mousse. It was given a bit of welcome sweetness via a guava mostarda. In house made, (had to be) sourdough toast was a perfect bed for it to spoon it across. A Rosé from the Bandol region of France also made this celebration sparkle. I have to say the pastas were among the best we’ve ever had! One with blue crab, saffron and corn and one with milk braised pork. It might seem a limitation to some viewing a menu in Miami to see a menu with entrees composed nearly entirely of them but we will be back soon for more. Let me not forget to mention the over the top Parker House Rolls. The kitchen’s confidence in the devotion to pristine products articulately bring on the magic any true food lover needs. It is what it says on the menu but somehow even better. Our server was attentive, patient and professional all the way. Hearing it was a birthday she sent out a French pastry ’sandwiched’ with ice cream and a little flickering candle on the side that that was a perfect ending to a memorable evening. A somewhat hidden gem that redoubles my conviction that we actually have a solid food culture here and don’t need these new overly expensive, gargantuan, soul enervating arrivistes.