Table 8 South Beach

02/15/09

Wow! Amazing Food, Beautiful Ambiance, Great Spice prices....

by kelltwood at Citysearch

Stopped in for the Winter Spice menu and was actually surprised that the prices were very reasonable even off the spice menu. I had perhaps the best rib-eye I have ever experienced...better than Prime 112 or Smith & Wollensky by miles...and considerably less expensive. Beautiful place, great ambiance, and the best meal I have had in Miami in ages.

08/19/08

Great Miami Spice Menu!

by injoy12 at Citysearch

Have ben to about 5 Miami Spice dinners so far, and Table 8 is the best! They dont make you feel akward ordering from it...some restaurants turn their nose up at yo, I've noticed (Devitos). At Table 8, the owner came by and said- "just go for the spice menu- its great, don't look any further than that!", and so we did, and he was right! it had a great skirt steak in a generous portion, with a fantastic soup to start. The place had a very nice scene at the bar for the middle of summer, and the service was just great. We hadnt been to Table 8 in quite a while, but will be back soon!

• Pros: Amazing food, great service, nice owner!

04/14/08

There a reason he's a

by jinglejangle at Citysearch

You dont 'just become a celebrity chef because your're pretty. Unlike actors or models, with whom it seems to be about who you know, or what you did to get there- to some degree, you cant just become as famous as Chef Armstrong for no reason. We came because we've heard the hype and seen the press. We'll return because we had the food, saw the restaurant, and felt the love. The experience was the best we have ever had in Miami. From the flawless service, the knowledge level the staff had achieved (nearly unheard of in SOBE), to the perfectly and masterfully executed cuisine and the hot scene at the place- DONT MISS TABLE 8. I had a totally original Calamari dish served and a huge cast iron serving piece. The flavors were phenom and the dish was a slam dunk. My wife had a beautiful beet salad- couldnt get enough. The entrees ranged from many local fish selections, to plenty for the meat lover. I went with a NY steak that had a flavor so unique, it redefined steak for me. I asked the waiter how this thing tasted so "different", and he explained to me how Chef Armstrong's dishes often take days to prepare with all of the marinading and whatnot. He isn't just pulling a steak from the fridge and tossing it on the grill. Among his techniques, he apparently uses vaccuum sealed bags to marinade some of the meats in for several days, whatever the process it works! Cant say enough about the evening we had. Moderate priced wine list, great deserts, loved the place. The area we sat was a bit dark and we needed a flashlight to read the menu, but I guess south beach seduction

might be a way to describe it. Ha. What a place!

• Pros: atmosphere, cuisine
• Cons: bit dark

04/14/08

Best event venue in town!

by torencelite at Citysearch

I helped plan a bachelorett dinner for about 15 women in Miami Beach last week. We we looking for the best dinning experience, which I was under the impression were sorely lacking in Miami, and had recently seen Chef Govind on OPRAH, so we wanted to try it. With plenty of advance notice I had made the reservation at Table 8 with a few special requests that they gladly accommodated (food requests, where we sat, etc.) They had several options for set menus with different pricing that they had offered us in advance, but we ended up ordering off the menu. I started with a boucheron, a cheese dish which is gently fried or baked, with which I wasn't previously familiar, and it was absolutely to die for! A slight crispness to the outer layer, enveloping a divine cheese inside. Everyone was over the top with their apps, which ranged from a perfectly prepared tuna tartar dish, to his famous grilled cheese short rib sandwiches. Chef Armstrong was making his rounds through the restaurant while we are getting our entrees. He stopped by to check on us and was so charming and sweet, and truly passionate about explaining several of the dishes to us. The entree menu had a very nice and concise selection of local fish, a "baby chicken" dish that was absolutely amazing, and plenty of meats (lamb, pork, steak...). I had a local snapper that was just fantastic, I though that all of chef's sauces and the types of accoutrements he uses is really what sets his food apart. I sampled dished from the sliced Kobe steak to a Korubuta pork dish that was just perfect. The food is very "comfort-food" oriented, and I think I had expected a bit more fancy-schmansy...a pleasant surprise for a place so touted by the cullinary world. The ambiance was just beautiful, lots of candle light and amber tones. Our staff was fun and service was the best we had anywhere over the 3 days. A fabulous experience by all account!

• Pros: food, ambiance, staff, all great!
• Cons: none

01/17/08

The place to be for a good reason. I guess my wife isnt the only one who watches OPRAH.

by rleary67 at Citysearch

At my wife's insistence, after seeing Chef Armstrong on Oprah, we made a reservation last night. I have dragging myself down to the beach, with all the traffic and expensive parking and general mayhem... However, when we arrived at Table 8 we were told they had underground parking and that it was priced reasonably at $10 (very cheap for South Beach). The parking situation was great, because for those of us who know the beach, it usually takes Valet's 30 minutes to fetch your car from 6 miles away!

We arrived early (by Miami times) and were seated with little wait. Apparently Wednesday night is their big "party" night, when the place gets a bit more of a bar scene than other week nights. The selection was pretty impressive and I was urged by a very attentive waitress to go with a sweetbread dish and chef's famous "kobe" style steak for an entree. Of course, we also had to try the grilled cheese that Chef made on Oprah (which is not usually available in the dining room- only the lounge) though I'm sure they will change this since the Oprah show this week.

The sweetbreads were wonderful, not like the sinewy onces most of the Argentine restaurants down here love to overcook...but rather a perfect amount of crispness surrounding a delicate and wonderfully rich inside.

Like the sweetbreads, my steak was made to perfection and I now get what the hype over "Kobe" and "kobe style" is all about. If American "waygu" is that tender, I can only imagine what its authentic counterpart in Japan is like!

By the time we finished a very nice desert, the place was packed with a young and restless crowd. It was so bad that it would have interferred with the people dinning, but it was definately a "scene".

The place is my new exception to the rule I have lived by for years of keeping away from the beach in season...Table 8 was a fantastic experience that I look forward to replicating soon!

• Pros: service and food
• Cons: crowded

01/17/08

Thank you Oprah! a Lunch to Die for....

by tyorntoo at Citysearch

After seeing Chef Govind on Oprah, my sister and I drove 20 miles from the Grove to have lunch with our visiting Dad. We wanted to take him to Table 8 for dinner, but couldn't get a dinner table on Friday until way past dads bed time..so we "settled" for lunch. I can't say enough about how wonderful the chestnut soup that I started with was, and then to move on to this perfection in a sandwich.... wow! Oprah doesn't mess around and its no wonder every book she mentions becomes a best seller! Not that Govind wasnt a huge culinary star already, but Oprah is bringing him to mainstream America for sure. The lunch was so reasonable priced for the beach, the service was very friendly and it was just a great great experience.

• Pros: The perfect lunch spot
• Cons: a little touristy

01/17/08

Oprah sure knows her food!

by sarabarbi at Citysearch

After seeing the hot young Chef, Govind Armstrong, on Oprah the other day, we figured we would stop in for lunch at Table 8 and try the famous grilled cheese sandwich (who even knew they were open for lunch?? Must be the best kept secret in Miami!). We were offerer a choice of two menus, one was a lovely 3 course prix fixe that included a glass of wine, and was only priced at $22! My friend went with that, while I opted to go for the decadent grilled cheese with short rib. While she dined on a wonderful light and healthy fish dish (snapper I think), I went all-in and devoured a gooey, rich, oh-so-comfort-foodie, grilled cheese. It was really a remarkable sandwich experience! I had no idea I could have that type of experience with a sandwich, in fact! Ive had mand great dinners at Table 8, excellent service, impecible food, hip corwd, etc...but this is definately going to be my new lunch spot. And the amazing thing was....it was less expensive than a lunch at the deli across the street!

• Pros: beautiful patio on Ocean Drive, perfect lunch cuisine
• Cons: possability to get addicted to the grilled cheese

12/09/07

Beautiful place, beautiful people, perfect meal!

by rg2007 at Citysearch

Was in Miami this week for Art Basel and had not prepared by making advance reservations. The only times we could get a possible table were 6pm or 11, so I was very disappointed that I wouldn't have the opportunity to dine at this restaurant that everyone was buzzing about earlier in the week. I asked the woman when I called to take my number in case of a cancellation (figuring there was no way they would actually call). As it happened, on Friday around noon a very pleasant young lady called me to say that she could get my wife and I in at 7:30 that evening. A bit early for Miami, but beggars cant be choosers! We were promptly seated, and were treated fabulously from arrival onward. The room was elegant and already buzzing with energy that early. Out waitress was passionate about their food and terribly knowledgible about the menu and wine. We had wonderful stone crabs, currently in season and an amazing New Zeland mussle dish to start. I was surprised by the selection of steaks (5 to choose from) as I never though of Table 8 as a "steak house". I went with the famous salt crusted porterhouse (which isnt on the menu, but those in the know, know to request) and it was a divine experience! the meat was crusted in a beautiful cake of salt and seasons, presented table-side, and then taken back to the kitchen to be sliced. The presentation was enough to come back for alone! My wife had a wonderful fresh grouper, and all of the dishes passing us by looked amazing. The desert menu was fine, not brilliant like the dinner menu, but quite nice. Overall it was a dining experience to rival the best of NY in my opinion. By the time we departed there was a lince out the door and a great bar scene happening. Beautiful decor, a perfect dining experience!

• Pros: Best Steak menu Ever!
• Cons: none

12/01/07

the Best in South Beach I have found

by jbligh1200 at Citysearch

I had read mixed reviews only online, everything else I've seen about Table 8 from the serious food writers however has been tremendous, so I was happy to have to opportunity to be in Miami recently on business. We had a loud and large group of business associates on a weekend night and had an impeccable dining experience. The waitress was casual, but totally professional and really knew her wine, as well as every dish on the menu...We pretty much trusted her to send out all the apps and every dish she sent was wonderful. Loved the calamari dish, which was totally unique. We had the best buratta I had ever experienced and each dish was simple and approachable- were not talking over the top "haute cuisine". Mostly steak eaters for dinner and the porterhouse was honestly as good as all of the press I had heard. Crusted in a salt and herb mixture, I had never seen anything like it. Yes, it was pricey, but you dont go to Miami Beach on a budget. I hear they are opening in NY and I look forward to having them in my backyard, its a "dont miss" restaurant!

• Pros: food, energy, great staff
• Cons: little bit expensive

09/03/07

Great Miami Spice Menu! Great corwd! Great Staff!

by jwalle1965 at Citysearch

We have sampled Miami Spice menus all over town. At Devito's they make you feel like a pauper for even requesting it, and once you do there's a dismal choice between a chicken and a pasta, with some unexciting sald to start. At Table 8 they actually offered the Miami Spice menu and said, "why order from the regular menu, give the Spice menu a shot and I'll gaurantee you'll love it", and boy was he right. Not only was the service impeccable, the crowd beautiful, and the room gorgeous, but the food was just other-worldly. Chef Armstrong was working the room all night, autographing his cook book for customers, and just spreading the joy all around. Miami has needed a place like this to really back up this so called "culinary revolution" everyone has been bantering about and almost nobody delivering. To see Table 8 packed on a week night in Summer is so encouraging, it is hopefully a sign of more good things to come to the Miami culinary scene. The arrogant posers places like Devito's wont stand the test of time, and its a shame that a seemingly great guy like Devito would lend (or sell more likely) his good name to such bogus operators.

• Pros: Spice Menu, Service, Crowd, Ambiance
• Cons: Absolutely none to be found!