Ad Lib

My sister and I just had a fantastic lunch. This is a beautiful restaurant with amazing food and great attentive service. We especially enjoyed the Tito's Cosmos, the Spicy Tuna Tartare was absolutely magical; so fresh with a delicious combination of flavors. The burger on the brioche bun was top notch. Best burger anywhere. We finished with the petit fours platter. We laughed and had so much fun. Best sister birthday ever. My second visit and I will definitely be back. 💗

You will not be disappointed with your dinner at Ad Lib! We enjoyed the Taste of April, which included 5 pre-selected a la carte items for the month. We added the wine pairing for a phenomenal dining experience. The plates are small, but all added together, we left perfectly satisfied and not overly full. The flavors are fabulous. The presentation and service are first class. Every plate was better than the one before it. The atmosphere is chic and modern. There's a lounge upstairs if you want to stay for cocktails before or after dinner.

Kudos to Mr. Kunkel for bringing Chef Norman Van Aken back to Coral Gables. The dream team of Hedy, Daniel, and staff have been working well with Chef Norman as he steps in to add his touch to the menu items. First, the space has been re-vitalized, lightened, smoothed and soothed. No longer as dark and brooding as it was as Les Halles or Swine, it now is modern and inviting. The bar remains a focal point, as it should, given the new cocktail menu and creative natural vegetable and fruit juices used to make savory as well as sweet concoctions. The dream team includes world class pastry chef Hedy Goldsmith and brilliant Somm Daniel Toral. Bringing in Sam Ross from NYC to advise and create the libations menu and Director of Service Cristiano Azevedo, a veteran of Michelin-starred venues, really amps up the service and the cred. We had dinner on a Saturday night; not our usual night out due to fear of crowds, but the staff had no problems even as the restaurant filled and some patrons dined at the bar. A very smooth operation. Looking forward to trying lunch. As for the food: the tiradito only suffered from a touch too much citrus, but the tuna was Sushi quality; the conch chowder takes Norman's classic to a new level; the zucchini blossoms were an excellent rendition and the carrots earned raves all around. On this particular night the pork tenderloin was the hit entree with collard greens and grits, but the Rhum & Pepper painted scallops also bring back a Van Aken classic. The snapper is a great update. Really looking forward to Lamb, Steak, and Duck. From the hands of Hedy come way more than what is on the menu: Brownies, tarts, Pavlova, and Semifreddo all get touches of Candyland and every possible sweet tooth is assuaged. Master Sommelier Daniel Toral saved my broken cork from a 2004 DuMol finn Pinot Noir. Director of Service Cristiano has the plates, silverware, and glassware lined up with perfect precision. Don't miss this new gem in The City Beautiful.

Love this place. The renovation is beautiful. The staff is warm and welcoming and the food is fabulous. We came for brunch on Sunday during Carnival on the mile and really enjoyed the menu. The mimosas were fresh, the French toast and egg dishes (we had 2 of them) were perfectly cooked. It was a pleasure meeting the manager Christian and Chef Jamie. Both were busy but made the time to check on tables. Oh, and the Bloody Mary was everything. We will be back.

WE visited Ad Lib this evening and had the 6 course tasting menu. its hard to believe Ad Lib has been only open a month. It was delicious. Very creative, very flavorful, thought out, and precise. I think our top four in Miam now are Ad Lib, Alter, Pao and Stubborn Seed. We really wish there was a presence for wine pairings because we would of loved to have just bit more elevated experience to match the food and service. Our server was great, but he was also getting help from other staff - great teamwork. The GM was hustling on the floor, you can tell the management team was working hard, but the GM efforts were, well, effortless. We will be back. Chef Jamie stopped by the table and said they are doing brunch now too- can't wait to try the food for brunch.