Italian chef and experienced restaurateur Roberto Bearzi and wife Fiorella Blanco — the heart, hands and soul behind Downtown Miami’s Italian restaurant Fratelli Milano — have announced the opening of vista, a two-story restaurant that is adding a flavorful twist to Italian cuisine within Miami’s newest burgeoning neighborhood and micro-boutique destination, Upper Buena Vista. The restaurant is expected to launch in July.
Twelve years after the inception of Fratelli Milano, Bearzi and Blanco have decided to expand their horizons. After coming across the charming, emerging neighborhood of Buena Vista, which is nestled between the Design District and Little Haiti, they knew the tranquil oasis would be the perfect location for their next culinary endeavor.
Located on NE Second Avenue and 50th Street, and nestled near a 150-year-old Banyan tree, vista is the full-service restaurant in the Upper Buena Vista complex that will offer flavorful Italian cuisine influenced by Miami’s local tastes and multicultural backgrounds. The chef-driven cuisine is built around a strong focus on fresh ingredients.
“We will be working closely with local purveyors to source seasonal ingredients and fresh fish for our crudos and seafood dishes to truly showcase Miami’s eclectic palate,” explained Blanco, co-founder of vista.
The restaurant will offer patrons a wide-ranging, all-day menu, with dishes moderately priced between $9 and $30. Standout appetizers include Calamari Fritti with sesame salt, pickles and yuzu foam, and Fisherman Crudo (daily catch) with mango salad, citrus and cilantro oil.
A selection of entrées includes Maltagliati Brisket with homemade maltagliati pasta, slow braised brisket, tomato and parmesan cheese, Gnocchetti New World Pesto with poblano peppers, mint and pistachio, and Swordfish a la plancha with grilled little gem salad, corn, shallots, and avocado.
The name vista, which means “view” in Spanish and Italian, is symbolic of the restaurant’s mission to introduce patrons to a new perspective on their more traditional Italian cuisine. The restaurant’s chef-centric cuisine is crafted by owner-chef Roberto Bearzi and Chilean-Italian chef Giuliano Leverone, a former Fratelli Milano waiter whose years working at the family-owned restaurant inspired him to pursue a career as a chef. Upon graduating from Le Cordon Bleu, Leverone worked in various Miami restaurants, including Cecconi’s, Barceloneta and Matador Room, as well as New York City’s Mandarin Oriental.
Vista’s design blends both of the owners’ backgrounds seamlessly. The building’s industrial façade is reminiscent of Bearzi’s hometown of Milan, Italy, while the exterior’s laid-back décor adorned with tropical plants and bamboo finishes resemble Blanco’s homeland of Costa Rica.
With more than 4,000 square feet of space, comprised of an indoor dining room, outdoor patio and rooftop terrace, vista can accommodate up to 160 guests with a variety of ambiances.
This, coupled with the restaurant’s neighboring location to Miami’s growing dining hubs of the Miami Design District, Little Haiti, Wynwood and Midtown, positions the restaurant at the center of the city’s travel-worthy restaurant scene.
Located in Miami’s Upper Buena Vista neighborhood on 5020 NE Second Ave., the restaurant will be open daily, including Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to midnight, Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Happy hour is available weekdays between 3 and 7 p.m., and brunch is available on weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, visit www.vistabv.com.
