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Alrightttt randiii… very interesting #HighSteaksReview @cotemiami (Miami, FL)
First off, I’m going to sound like a kiss-ass, but I think @simonkimnyc is a genius. He’s the owner and mastermind behind Cote. I’ll revisit this later in the review, but I’ve watched every KZread video on him and his restaurants. The thought that he puts into the customer experience is brilliant.
I’m a huge fan of Cote. I had went once back in November 2019 and got the Omakase. I try to go to the Miami location every time I’m in Florida.
The only negative thing I have to say about the restaurant is the price. They charge about double what a normal steakhouse charges (on a per oz basis). At Peter Luger, a ~36 oz steak costs $120. At Cote, 8 oz of dry aged NY strip costs $50.
Normally this is where I say “I ordered the porterhouse, rare, as per usual.”
Cote does NOT offer a porterhouse. So I had to get creative, as this was a highly requested a review…
Steak fact: The porterhouse is cut from the short loin. It’s a cross section of 2 muscles, separated by the “T” shaped bone. The two muscles being the NY strip, and the tenderloin (filet mignon). (This should be common knowledge by now to anyone who is even moderately attentive to my reviews).
So what I did, was ordered 8 oz of the dry aged NY strip ($50), and 4 oz of the filet mignon ($30) to create a “porterhouse.” The filet was NOT dry aged. Yes this is extremely expensive. I had a hard time with the pricing at first, but I’ve gotten to the point where I have to just stop caring and focus on enjoying the experience.
The NY strip and filet were both spectacular. They were seasoned well with ONLY salt. And don’t get me started on how perfectly they were cooked. Perfect rare… but more than that, the way they cook it over their special down-drafting grills is one of my favorite preparations ever.
Each piece of steak is literally cooked as it’s own mini steak. This keeps the juices trapped inside each piece. Also, the bronzing that the grill achieves is so fucking good. It isn’t as profound as a classic broiler, but still provides a very solid (close to ideal) caramelization to each piece. I could rant and rave about that grill for hours.
Two last points, the down-drafting acts a vacuum, so you can cook over the fire and all of the smoke is sucked back into the grill. You don’t leave smelling like you just grilled. Also, each piece is served hot and fresh. Rather than when you go to a traditional steakhouse and you have 30+ oz of cooked steak in front of you for 20+ minutes getting cold.
That was one of the best, non dry aged, filets I’ve ever had. Period. As good as it was, it didn’t touch the NY strip. I much prefer dry aged steaks.
The strip was aged for such a time that it hit the almost “sweet” flavor mark that I fucking love.
As for the score… I went 8.1 overall on the “porterhouse.” Price and experience both not taken into account. If the filet was dry aged, I could have seen this easily pushing high 8s, or higher. But 8.1 is a monster score all things considered.
8.1, cote Miami. That’s your review.
Bonus
Like I said, I think @simonkimnyc is a genius. • How Two Master Chefs R...
You’ll see first hand how he is able to conceptualize and execute dishes/experiences in his restaurant. There’s a 2 minute stretch where he is discussing the seafood tower with his head chefs. Some of the problems he found with it, were things that would go over literally everyone else’s heads.
“Steak is like a brand new Mercedes Benz. The moment it leaves the lot, which is a char broiler, it depreciates in value. You know? So what we did, is we brought the power plant, which is a char broiler, out to the table.”
Exactly why I love that fucking grill. And if anyone can show me where to buy one, I will buy it on the spot.
Also, I wouldn’t necessarily go to cote for the strip and filet. Both are great choices, but I only ordered them for the sake of the review. I’ve had almost every cut on the menu, and it’s the uncommon cuts that I actually find the most interesting. Hanger steak, skirt, flatiron, cote steak etc… all cuts you won’t traditionally find at most steakhouses. Also, their Galbi (marinated short rib) is phenomenal.
Also, last thing about their other steaks. People always ask “brandon, what’s the best steak you’ve ever had?” I always say Peter Luger is my #1 porterhouse at the moment. But in 2019 when I got the Omakase, it came with 120 day dry aged ribeye. It was one of the best single pieces of steak I’ve ever had. They haven’t had it recently, but I was told it’s coming back soon. Desperately want to try it again to see if my initial experience was a fluke, or if it was really that good.
Future steakhouses: if a restaurant has a filet and NY Strip, but no porterhouse, I reserve the right to order both the strip and filet and score them together as a single porterhouse.