Indigo: a favorite downtown Miami business lunch spot, known for its buffet, is also a fine dinner option focused on South Florida flavors

South Florida CEO, August, 2004 by Johanna Marmon

As a general rule, hotel food is, at best, on the warm side of mediocre. At its worst, it is downright awful and overpriced to boot. South Floridians, however, are fortunate. The area boasts a host of great hotels that include within them topnotch restaurants. (Azul, Nobu and Wish are just a few that come to mind).

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The InterContinental Hotel, in downtown Miami, is no exception.

While it is already known as a place to power lunch, you can also add Indigo to a short list of picks for dinner. Indigo's executive chef, Alex Feher, crafted a sophisticated menu that reflects his international experience--while keeping a foot firmly in South Florida.

Start, for example, with Indigo's refreshing yellow-tomato gazpacho. This chilled soup, redolent with fresh, fragrant cilantro, comes topped with a dollop of creme fraiche--and a sweet, succulent tangle of Florida rock shrimp. In the same vein, a salad with tender bibb lettuce and prosciutto features tropical fruits, cashews and lime instead of the requisite melon. A warm tomato and goat cheese tart drizzled with a tangy balsamic reduction is less "Florida" but also fairly tasty, with a buttery crust able to stand up to juicy beefsteak tomatoes. On another visit we might be tempted to try the "Key West" crab turnover with a leek and lobster sauce.

This being South Florida, of course, Indigo's entrees lean heavily toward seafood--and that is decidedly a good thing. The pan-roasted mahi-mahi is excellent and accompanied with Basmati rice and mango salad. We were particularly partial to Indigo's grilled red snapper with rosti potatoes (a pan-fried cake made with succulent nubs of smoky bacon). You would think that the delicate fish would be overpowered by the strong, smoky bacon taste, but the two flavors went remarkably well together.

Feher's inventiveness comes through strongly with the salmon osso bucco. This dish, served with a heady Madeira reduction and roasted fingerling potatoes, resembles osso bucco in appearance only, with the tender pink fillets wrapped around absolutely huge, tender sea scallops. The restaurant also serves some strictly vegetarian dishes, such as roasted Italian eggplant with onion confit and red lentil salad; grilled vegetables and a tangy tomato coulis accompany a Mediterranean couscous "purse" fashioned out of phyllo pastry.

Need a red-meat fix? Try the black angus filet with gratin of baby bok choy and potatoes. The meat is bathed in a port sauce, and any dedicated carnivore should be satisfied by the combination.

Much of Indigo's charm comes from the fact that the dining area, while spacious, feels cozy enough for an intimate dinner, and elegant enough to conduct serious business. The restaurant's buffet is a favorite of Miami's power elite, and is one of the best in the area.

But dinner is not over yet, and we strongly recommend ending with any selection that comes from pastry chef Pierre Pasquier. A tangy "citrus creme brulee," comes with the requisite brittle-sugar top and is richly flavored and scented with tart Key lime juice. Our favorite was the mango-pineapple cheesecake: an impossibly rich wedge of creamy cake atop a tender crust flecked with almonds, with little bits of pineapple and mango throughout. All this sits on a luxurious swirl of kiwi coulis. Now that is Miami.

INDIGO (at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Miami)

305-577-1000

Open seven days for breakfast, lunch and dinner