A Sitting with Señora

Celebrity Chef Michelle Bernstein’s “Love Letter to Spain”

A Sophisticated Atmosphere Created With Warm Tones Accented With Dark Red

Twelve years ago, when Chef Michelle Bernstein closed the younger, louder version of Sra. Martinez in the Design District, she thought she’d never go back. “I never go backwards… ever,” the chef told Coral Gables Magazine. “I never like to think about how I could have or would have.… That’s not really the way I work.” But her loyal patrons remained undaunted in their requests to revisit the concept, and gradually she warmed to the idea – not bringing back the same restaurant per se, but putting a new spin on it. And it would be in Coral Gables, this time near to where Sra. Martinez’s Executive Chef Andrew Gilbert used to have his own British pub, The Seven Dials, on Ponce.

The result is a warm-toned space with funky mushroom-esque lights, wood paneling, and a rosy ambience. In a tribute to the music/entertainment venue formerly in the same space, the Open Stage, Sra. Martinez put a small stage near the back, big enough for a small band. “We wanted to have a piece of that back with us,” Bernstein says. “Dancing and music are a huge part of our lives.”

On the Friday evening we visited, a three-piece band played; the music was not overpowering, adding to the scene rather than stealing it. As they played lilting Spanish melodies, we curled up in a comfy booth underneath a low-hanging lamp and embraced the restaurant’s largely tapas-style menu, starting with a range of small plates.

First up were the mushroom croquetas, which Bernstein says are inspired by a youthful love of her mother’s cream of mushroom soup as well as a more business-oriented approach: “A lot of people don’t eat [certain] proteins, but everybody will eat a vegetable croqueta.” The croquetas combine different mushrooms with caramelized leeks, onion, garlic, tarragon, and parsley, and then come with the perfect dipping sauce. Citrus didn’t work, but when Bernstein found some blackberries at home, she found the winning combination: an unexpected yet welcome juxtaposition between a sweet marmalade and a savory vegetable base.

We also tried the leek au vinaigrette, a cold dish elevated by chopped hazelnuts for texture and a wonderful vinaigrette made from Pedro Jimenez vinegar (a Spanish aged sherry vinegar) and mustard. Bernstein acknowledges that leeks have never been popular on her menus – but she won’t stop trying. “I said to myself, ‘Michelle Bernstein, this is the restaurant where you’re going to sell cold leeks,’” she remembers. Crispy garlic and shallots round out the dish to give it added depth and flavor, while the leeks themselves are poached in white wine, bay leaves, and peppercorns.

Left: Leek Au Vinaigrette With Chopped Hazelnuts
Right: Chicken Liver Paté With Warm Beignets and Strawberry Marmalade

Another cold appetizer is the excellent chicken liver paté. Served incongruously with warm beignets and a house-made strawberry marmalade, the dish is a collaborative effort between the restaurant’s two chefs. Bernstein has experience with chicken liver, but Gilbert remembers eating a delicious donut filled with it in England, which is how the beignets came to the dish. The result is overwhelmingly flavorful, with umami from the paté combining with sweetness from the marmalade in a soft pastry base.

Tapas are a Spanish staple, of course, and Bernstein says, “Sra. [is] really our love letter to Spain.” She also acknowledges that the original restaurant was “a little more Spanish,” but this iteration is more mature – and includes some incredible entrees.

Left: Oxtail Paella With Orange Rind, Habaneros, Myriad Spices, And Bone Marrow
Right: New York Strip Steak From The Wood-Burning Oven

We chose to share two of the most popular: the oxtail paella and a 21-day dry-aged New York strip steak. The paella was intensely flavorful, mixed with orange rind, habaneros, myriad spices, and bone marrow, which is melted over it in Sra. Martinez’s wood-burning oven. The strip is also made in the wood-burning oven and then finished on the grill, topped with piquillo peppers and chimichurri on the side. (The ends and bones are all used as well, in the lunch menu’s burger and to make beef stock for other dishes). It was succulent, smoky, and had a hard barbecue-style crust that gave way to tenderness inside.

We finished the night with a coterie of desserts, all well-rounded and light – our preference after such a decadent meal. Our favorite was the Torreajas Bread Pudding, reminiscent of a classic chocolate brownie with ice cream. The perfect treat to end the night. Hopefully, the celebrity chef and James Beard Award winner is here to stay.

Sra. Martinez
2325 Galiano Street
786.860.5980
sramartinezmiami.com