Bacco in Miami reopens with Mediterranean fare, 700 wines

Bacco

2700 SW Third Ave., Miami, 305-364-5658, BaccoMiami.com

More than a year after opening Wine Date tapas bar, owners Pablo and Linda Gamboa have converted it into this restaurant amid their wine shop.

“The name Bacco is more comparable to our wine and Mediterranean menu, as Bacco is the Roman god of food and wine,” says Pablo, who expanded the seating inside and outside, redesigned the wine bar and added live mellow music, such as bossa nova and jazz, on Friday and Saturday nights.

The European-inspired industrial design incorporates wine shelves, brick walls and dark wooden furniture.

“Not only do restaurants have a limited quantity of wine, but also the prices are outrageous. The wine shop and restaurant give the perfect feeling and option of enjoying a bottle from our selection of more than 700 bottles at a much more reasonable price,” Pablo says.

“The wine shop provides the experience of walking to different vineyards of the world, from Argentina to Australia, and select the bottle to pair up with our amazing food. We added about 100 more labels, especially from Spain, Argentina and Italy.”

Pablo charges a corkage fee of $10 for a bottle to accompany a meal.

Lunch includes gnocchi pomodoro ($13.50), chicken piccata ($14.50) and grilled salmon with risotto ($15.50), while dinner features gorgonzola-stuffed dates wrapped in prosciutto ($10.50), burrata on grilled watermelon ($14.50), pear gorgonzola ravioli ($17.50) and New Zealand lamb chops ($30.50).

Sweet endings include guava Key lime pie ($6.50) and dulce de leche soufflé ($7.50).

Lunch is served Tuesday through Saturday, and dinner is served Tuesday through Sunday, with Sunday brunch to come.

BACCO The new Bacco in Miami offers Mediterranean dishes, such as sautéed shrimp in garlic sauce called gambas al ajillo, amid a wine shop.