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Christy's Restaurant still going strong after 30 years
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Christy’s Restaurant has been one of South Florida’s most continually successful restaurants since opening its doors more than thirty years ago. That year, when Christy’s opened its doors in Coral Gables, French restaurants were pretty much the fine dining standard. Anticipating an audience for an American steakhouse, the restaurant’s owners gambled on the concept and a stylish new dining destination was born. From the heyday of disco through the crazy 1980s – when the restaurant was the scene for more than one FBI sting – to the present, when steakhouses are one of the nation’s top dining trends, Christy’s has been a beloved, permanent fixture on the South Florida dining landscape. Christy’s Restaurant has proven that hearty, well executed classic cuisine combined with great service and a welcoming environment equates to staying power.
The setting is both soothing and seductive – and harkens back to an era that even pre-dates the restaurant’s thirty years in business; one can almost imagine Frank Sinatra or Jackie Gleason holding court in one of the quiet corners. Here, big deals are brokered and celebrity diners enjoy Oysters Rockefeller and prime rib of beef undisturbed, often arriving and exiting through the restaurant kitchen. Indeed, the restaurant which has catered to two presidents (Bush Sr. and Clinton), counts Governor Charlie Crist, former governor Jeb Bush, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez and City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz as regular customers, and has hosted the likes of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Michael Jordan, Alex Rodriguez, Don Shula, Rod Stewart and Christina Saralegui as well as a who’s who of South Florida and national business elite. Locals, many who have been coming since the restaurant first opened, are shown to their favorite tables by tuxedoed staff, many of whom have been with Christy’s for more than 20 years; while the kitchen line boasts over 100 years of combined experience.
Over the years, the restaurant has cooperated in federal and local investigations involving corrupt judges and DEA drug cases. With a cast of characters that would have fit right in on the set of Miami Vice, the chateaubriand was served and the Dom Perignon flowed, while the wheels of justice turned. All the excitement is taken in stride by the restaurant’s strong core of regular customers, many of whom recall dining at Christy’s as children, and now come in with families of their own.
This type of devotion has helped Christy’s weather innumerable dining trends over the past three decades to the point where the restaurant is in fashion once again without ever having gone out of style. The South Florida dining landscape is proof positive that steakhouses are in vogue, with national chains popping up on every corner and celebrity chefs attaching their names to prestige projects.
Christy’s differentiates itself from the pack by offering more bang for the buck – unlike the competition, where dining is strictly a la carte, at Christy’s all entrees come with the restaurant’s trademark Caesar salad as well as a vegetable and choice of potato. Throwback menu items like baked Alaska seem nostalgic but are continually top sellers.
Appetizers ($8.50 to $19.95) include Christy’s crab cakes, deliciously moist and oversized, like most of the dishes on the menu. Other signature starters include the famed shrimp cocktail, which adds new meaning to the phrase jumbo shrimp, and escargot. Main courses include the finest cuts of aged beef including ribeye, porterhouse, New York strip and filet mignon, as well as another retro classic in such high demand it’s not guaranteed to be on the menu later in the evening: prime rib of beef. Succulent broiled lamb chops, veal porcini and other specialties including herb crusted sea bass, fresh snapper and roast duck with orange sauce round out the menu. Desserts also take you back, with a drop dead Key lime pie that is the perfect balance of tart and sweet, and the aforementioned baked Alaska.
Warm lighting, comfortable leather chairs and an elegant Cuban art collection that adorns the rich, red walls, combined with stellar service from Christy’s top-notch staff, make it the perfect spot for a business lunch, celebration with friends, or an intimate tryst.
For more info: Christy's Restaurant is located at 3101 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Coral Gables, FL. Tel: (305) 446-1400. www.christysrestaurant.com
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