“They used to carry cargo to and fro across the high seas, but now they’re for us to eat octopus and drink wine in.”
You. That was you. Talking to your date.
About Charcoal, which is Miami’s first restaurant made entirely of repurposed shipping containers, which was bound to happen at some point. It opens on Valentine’s Day at the Wynwood Yard.
Yes, the bar, dining room and dining porch are all made of steel boxes. But you’d be surprised what Cuban tiles, windows, nice photography and air-conditioning can do to those. Here, see for yourself.
Bring a date so you can marvel at everything together. Take this menu, for example. It’s from the guy behind Lyon & Lyon catering and Fratelli Lyon. Meats, like the heritage chicken, are Florida farm-raised. The accompanying veggies, like the eggplant and zucchini, were grown in the adjacent urban garden.
Almost everything’s served charcoal-blistered off the Josper grill. It’s a flavor thing. It’s also a where-this-place-got-its-name thing. Oh, and this is fun. There’s a condiment punch card with 18 sauces, including South African braai barbecue. Collect them all.
They’ve got cocktails, too. They’ve also got French and Italian wines, plus an estate bottle list.
