Food-wise, there is so much that can be said. The menu has a wide selection of dishes, blending Italian with hints of Portugal, France, Spain, Peru, Colombia and Brazil taste and style. But the statement that says it all was what owner Antonio Dasso Chopitea told me with fervor, “We are not here for the money. We are here for the passion of food!” Every moment of your experience at Trattoria Blu enforces that statement.
Although facing US-1 on a sliver of land, Trattoria Blu has outdoor seating framed with greenery that serves as their garden. Basil, mint and other adornments are picked fresh daily for the kitchen. What doesn’t come from their garden is all proudly locally-sourced. All the pasta and meals are made fresh. More impressive is that Trattoria Blu utilizes a two-chef kitchen. One is for the majority of the menu and the other specializes in wood-fired pizzas.
Direct from Napoli, Italy, Pasquale is the pizza chef. For the past 12 years, he has done nothing but perfect his craft in making artisan Neapolitan pizza. He prides himself in creating unique pizzas every time. It is he that brought the “black pizza” concept (adding black charcoal to the dough) to Trattoria Blu. I must tell you that the taste is amazing, especially with all the fresh garden ingredients on top.
Mairim Rodrigues is the head chef and is excited to be able to take her Italian training to the next level, fusing it with so many other styles.
“The freedom to experiment every day is inspiring,” explains Mairim.
With 20 entrees on the menu, you’d think that was enough, but there are daily changes and they will gladly accommodate any special requests.
“We start to cook only when the order comes in,” explains Antonio. “Nothing is reheated. So, you spend a little more time waiting for the fresh plate to come to the table, but that is the joy of our restaurant. I don’t want to settle for A-minus or B-plus, everything here must be A+.”
And from the sampling of six dishes, I can tell you it is. I highly recommend the open lasagna. Entrée prices range from $13 to $22. There are also kids’ menu options. Full story at: miamihal.com/hals-blog-trattoria-blu
Trattoria Blu is located at 17225 S. Dixie Hwy. For information call 305-964-7114 or visit the website at trattoria-blu.com.
Real Estate Update
As of June 14, it is a Buyer’s Market in Pinecrest. A healthy $1M+ market has 6-9 months of inventory. Pinecrest currently has 22 months. If you’re ready to move, I can assist you with local expertise, realistic expectations and truthful guidance to get you to wherever ‘next’ is. It’s easy to get started at miamihal.com/myvalue.
Hal Feldman (MiamiHal) is a Realtor with RE/MAX Advance Realty. You can contact him with your story ideas or real estate questions at www.MiamiHal.com, Hal@MiamiHal.com or www.facebook.com/MiamiHal.
