Basque in da Grove–

Time for some Basque goodness…bring it, Chef Xabi!

Jamon Iberico…the essence of great Basque/Spanish food…gobble!

Grilled octopus…lots going on here, and it works…absolutely delicious!

Xabi calls this ‘matrimonio’…pan tomate with anchovies–WONDERFUL!

Merluza with salsa verde and clams. . .FABULOUS!…totally gobble-worthy.

Squid ink risotto with fried small octopi…super-savory and delectable.

Super-duper fried potatoes in a fun Basque style. . .eat these babies all day and all night.

All washed down with a tasty Txakoli. . .mmm, aaaaahh!

The gringo is happy here. . .salud, Chef Xabi!

So much good grub here in the Coconut Grove section of Miami…now we want some Basque food…for this we hit Casa Xabi. . .let’s check it out.

Chef Xabi is a Basque dude who used to cook at Sapore di Mare…now he has his own joint: Casa Xabi…we are happy to support him because this guy can cook.

We roll in and start with glasses of white sangria…Xabi serves excellent sangria…totally refreshing and delicious…we have never had better anywhere.

Time to dive into the food…we start with Jamon Iberico–very good….and pintxos of grilled octopus and a thing Xabi calls ‘matrimonio’. . .the octopus is wonderful. . .and the matrimonio is amazing–simple pan tomate topped with anchovies–both dishes extremely tasty and satisfying. . .mmm, aaaahh!

For mains we do the fish of the day: merluza with salsa verde topped with clams. . .this is fabulous, Spain’s favorite fish supposedly…cod-like, flaky, delicate and soothing…love this!

And our other main is the squid ink risotto with small crispy fried octopi. . .a total delight.

We wash down everything with a tasty Txakoli–the national wine of Basque country…always scintillating and uplifting.

For dessert we do Basque cheesecake and a chocolate cake with mango sorbet…wonderful.

Chef Xabi is always present here at Casa Xabi…he is checking everything, chatting with customers and generally making sure that all is magical for everyone. . .we love this guy, AND we love his restaurant. Definitely consider eating here the next time you find yourself hangin’ in da Grove. . .you will love it–I gar-ron-taaaayy!

On to our next meal…

…it’s lovely out there.

Lunch in da Grove–

We finally made it here…let’s get busy!

The lady peruses the menu during spritz time…so much loveliness–jaaaa!

Our favorite frutto misto of all time. . .totally delectable…mmm, aaaahh!

Vongole with sea urchin. . .absolutely gobble-worthy!

Seafood risotto…a playground of deliciousness…saluti!

Chocolate gelato…stupendo!

We wanna lunch in Coconut Grove…we hear that Sapore di Mare is a superstar joint out here…let’s check it out.

‘The Grove’ is located on the south side of Miami right on Biscayne Bay…it is chill out here, soothing, low-key. . .but the dining joints are loaded with flavor and packed with people looking to relax away from the shiny Miami scene while jamming good grub into their gullets.

Sapore di Mare is a great option for doing this…it is owned and operated by an Italian couple, Giorgia Calabrese and Matteo Paderni, who have a long history of running restaurants around Miami…all of their experience comes together very nicely in this superb gobble spot.

We are greeted by Giorgia, she sees our reservation and whisks us to a cozy table for two against a wall…we love it…the wall protects us from unnecessary server/customer traffic so we can settle in, sip beverages and get busy selecting our food items.

We start with spritzes since they have no liquor for Negronis…the spritzes are delightful…not too sweet, nice bite to them.

With our spritzes we decide to try their frutto misto…it arrives…it is large…it full of clams, calamari, shrimp, octopus, small fishes and dried lemons. . .this thing is DELICIOUS! We love it. . .great charred flavor on every element with a tasty tangy dipping sauce and fresh lemon wedges for us to add citrusy goodness to each bite. . .we can’t think of a better frutto misto that we have had anywhere…none better…we are happy!

For primi we do spaghetti vongole with sea urchin and the seafood risotto. . .both are magnificent…we gobble them with gusto. . .we love this joint!

For our secondi we do the whole roasted branzino with potatoes and veggies. . .we get two plates of nicely filleted fish with appropriately crispy potatoes and garlicky veggies. . .we love it and continue to ingest everything with enthusiastic satisfaction.

All of the above goodness is washed down with a tasty bottle of Etna Bianco…saluti.

To finish we do one scoop of chocolate gelato and a very good double espresso…stupendo!

WOW! We got nothing to complain about here: soothing yet crisp atmosphere, welcoming and helpful staff, tasty beverages and outstanding food. . .a real winner.

The next time you find yourself lookin’ for somethin’ good to eat in the Coconut Grove section of Miami we recommend that you consider doing Sapore di Mare…this place is spot-on. . .you will love it–I gar-ron-taaaayy!

Time to find our next fabulous grub joint…

…it’s lovely out there.