City Hall, The Restaurant es una adición única al área de Biscayne BLVD de Miami. Un sello 
distintivo de este establecimiento es que los comensales pueden disfrutar de la comida deliciosa y fina a precios razonables. El menú satisface a una variedad de gustos; el chef prepara las comidas caseras pero también ofrece opciones para los paladares más sofisticados y refinados.
Steven Haas, presidente de Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) y el ex co-propietario de Soyka restaurante, abrió City Hall, The Restaurant con el chef Tom Azar a 
principios de 2011. La obra de Haas con el GMCVB incluye marcando el comienzo de la campaña Miami Begins with Me, con la intención de elevar el nivel de servicio al cliente en las restaurantes de Miami,y tal vez más conocido por convencer a la GMCVB para iniciar la campaña de Miami Spice, que permite a los lugareños y turistas a disfrutar de lo mejor de la escena culinaria de Miami a precios fijos económicos.
Al abrir City Hall, The Restaurant, Haas dijo que ¨Nuestra meta es crear un restaurante para las comunidades diversas de Miami… queríamos ofrecerles un lugar cómodo y cosmopolita donde la gente puede reunir con amigos para la cena o salir a comer el almuerzo y disfrutar de una comida buena en un ambiente alegre.
Cleto Beuren and Peter Clark, los dueños de Hotspots Media Group, recientemente cenaron en el restaurante aprovechando de varias selecciones. Inmediatamente notaron que los empleados son muy entusiasmados y toman placer al servir a los huéspedes.
¨Al entrar, se nota el estilo Art Deco del ambiente y en mi opinión, es perfecto,¨ dijo Clark sobre el decor. La decoración incluye pisos concretos lacados, ventanas de piso al techo, mesas y sillas de madera de nogal, banquetes de cuero, y los acentos de estilo Art Deco.También han aparecido piezas de arte original, como un mural de caja de luz, 80 metros de largo, que se extiende a través de una pared, creado por el artista Andrew Reid, y otro mural creado por Michelle Rojas una artista de Miami.
Al sentarse, los dos pidieron ensaladas, una ensalada de verduras mixtas ($8 à la carte) y una ensalada de rúcula, y comentaron que las dos eran muy ricas. Para plato principal, Peter pidió el pollo frito casero con una salsa de miel, puré de papas rojas, y un biscocho. Cleto pidió el pargo empanizado con almendras que llevaba arroz y era una de las selecciones de Miami Spice, que cuenta con tres cursos por $39.99. Se emparejó el pescado con un vaso de pinot grigio ($10-14 al vaso).
Los dos disfrutaron de los platos que pidieron. ¨El pargo fue ligero y desmenuzable y me encanta que estaba empanizado con nueces, que realmente añadieron otro textura al pescado y elevaron al plato a un dinámico diferente, dijo Cleto.
A Peter le encantó el pollo frito que se sirvió en una pequeña cesta metálica. ¨Tan pronto que llegó a la mesa, llega la aroma y huele muy rica, ¨ dijo. ¨Cuando lo cortas, lo que es obvio es que esta cocido perfectamente. El color es perfectamente dorado, y es muy sabroso. Es un arte, y es la perfección. Lo sirvieron con miel, pero pienso que es la primera vez que he pedido pollo y no necesitaba nada de salsa. El puré era muy cremosa con un sabor distinto con un toque de ajo y otras especias.
Si ya no has probado a City Hall, The Restaurant, este endoso debe animarte a pasar a disfrutar de su comida deliciosa. Si llegas durante el día, entre las 11:30 y 4, se ofrece un menú rápida con un aperitivo, un plato principal y un postre por solo $11.95. Comida buena, ambiente bueno, precios buenos. City Hall tiene de todo.
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City Hall, The Restaurant is a unique and welcome addition to Miami’s Biscayne Corridor. One hallmark of this establishment is that diners are able to enjoy finely-crafted, delicious food at reasonable prices. The menu caters to a variety of tastes, as the kitchen staff cooks both down-home country-style meals and options for more sophisticated, refined palates.
Steven Haas, chairman of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) and former co-owner of Soyka Restaurant, opened City Hall, The Restaurant with chef Tom Azar in early 2011. Haas’s work with the GMCVB includes ushering in the Miami Begins with Me campaign, aimed at raising the bar of customer service in Miami dining establishments, and perhaps most famously, convincing the GMCVB to start the Miami Spice campaign, which allows locals and tourists to enjoy the best of Miami’s culinary scene at affordable fixed prices.
Upon opening City Hall, The Restaurant, Haas said, “Our goal is to create a restaurant for Miami’s diverse communities to gather…We wanted to offer people a comfortable, cosmopolitan place to meet with friends for dinner or even step out for lunch during the workday and enjoy a great meal in a convivial atmosphere.”
Cleto Beuren and Peter Clark, owner and publisher of Hotspots Media Group, respectively, took the opportunity to see City Hall, The Restaurant and try the food for themselves. One thing that struck them once they walked in the door was the staff’s enthusiasm. “[The host] greets you with an absolutely welcoming smile and is genuinely pleased to see that you’re here” he said.
“Once you enter the restaurant, you notice that this is a very Art Deco environment, and in my opinion it’s done to perfection,” Peter Clark commented on the decor. The interior decoration includes lacquered concrete floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, dark walnut and black varnished wood tables and chairs, leather banquets, and Art Deco accents. Original art is also featured, such as a light box mural, 80 feet long, stretching across one wall, created by artist Andrew Reid, and a mural created by Miami-based artist Michelle Rojas.
Once the two were seated, they ordered a house salad consisting of baby greens ($8 à la carte) and an arugula salad, both of which they thoroughly enjoyed. Then it was time to move on to the main dish: Peter ordered the country fried chicken ($22.50), with honey for dipping, with red-skin mashed potatoes and an old-fashioned biscuit. Cleto ordered the almond-encrusted red snapper atop a bed of rice, which was one selection available under the special Miami Spice menu (three courses prix-fixe for $39.99). It was paired with a glass of pinot grigio ($10-$14 a glass depending on vintage).
Both of them enjoyed their dishes immensely. “The red snapper was light and flaky, and I love that it was encrusted with nuts. The taste of the nuts was wonderful. They added another texture to the fish and gave the whole dish a new dynamic,” Cleto said.
Peter was very impressed with the country fried chicken, which came in a little chrome basket. “As soon as it made it to the table, the aroma hits you — it was very welcoming,” he said. “When you slice into it, what was apparent was that the cooking was well-timed — it was golden, extremely flavorful and moist. That’s an art. It was perfection. There was honey there but this was the first time I’ve had chicken where I felt like it didn’t need anything. The mashed potatoes were creamy and also had a very distinct flavor with hints of garlic and other spices.”
If you haven’t tried City Hall, The Restaurant yet, this ringing endorsement should be enough reason for you to head on down there and try some of their famous, delicious dishes. If you come down for lunch during the week between 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., there is a special express lunch menu, offering a choice of entrée paired with a side and dessert, for only $11.50. Great food, great prices, great atmosphere: City Hall has it all!
City Hall, The Restaurant is open Mondays through Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. If you have any questions, call them at (305) 764-3130. For more information, visit cityhalltherestaurant.com or “like” them on facebook at tinyurl.com/cityhallrestaurantmiami.
