Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Schwartz debuts veggie-focused Tigertail + Mary
Tigertail + Mary
3321 Mary St., Coconut Grove, 305-722-5688, TigertailAndMary.com
James Beard Award winner Michael Schwartz has debuted his eighth South Florida restaurant, this time with an emphasis on vegetables and simplicity.
“Tigertail is a return to the original inspiration for Michael’s Genuine — food we want to cook and that feels good to eat,” he says. “There was a desire to eat lighter and fresher, and to an extent, come out of this gastropub, pork-heavy mindset into a more balanced place in the menu.”
One of his favorites is the roasted carrots with curried cashew crème, cashew dukkah and fresno chile ($15). “They really show how meaty vegetables can be — and how something vegan and gluten-free can be so rich in flavor,” Schwartz says.
He also favors the grilled leeks with gribiche sauce ($16). “They aren’t cooked down to something sweet and unrecognizable,” he says. “They are hearty with the smoke from the Josper charcoal grill and marked till just about tender. You want to eat them with a steak knife.”
Other highlights include sea trout crudo with horseradish and roe ($15) and New York strip with spiced fava purée and crispy fava ($43). For dessert, there’s a strawberry crisp with quinoa and honey oat gelato, and pavlova with keylime curd and mango-pineapple-coconut sorbet (both $10).
“We are excited to have a raised bed garden planted for summer and to start incorporating everything from peppers to shiso into dishes and at the bar, too,” Schwartz says. “The yearround growing season here in Miami keeps us on our toes, and we are looking forward to maximizing it, including summer mangoes.”
The team behind Broken Shaker has created cocktails such as Rhubarb +
Soda ($14), a twist on the classic Americano with Campari. There’s also the Tigertail Daiquiri with coconut, fat-washed white rum and fennel syrup ($15).
A corner park lends a peaceful air to the restaurant’s spacious covered patio. Inside, an open kitchen anchors a light-neutral palette with ceiling beams, natural woods and textured fabrics that pull in the surrounding lush neighborhood. Columns of polished brick tiles provide a terra-cotta contrast.
Dinner is served nightly, and an express café will offer light breakfast and lunch with grab-and-go sandwiches at the end of June.
Brunch and lunch will launch this summer in the main restaurant.