The star treatment: Danny DeVito's restaurant is one celebrity venture that lives up to its famous name

South Florida CEO,  Jan, 2008  by Yeleny Suarez

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TINSELTOWN MEETS MIAMI at DeVito South Beach. Restaurateur David Manero (whose family has been in the business since the 1950s) partnered with Michael Brauser, CEO of Internet marketing company Naviant Inc., and Emmy Award-winning actor Danny DeVito in this recently opened traditional Italian venue.

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From the outdoor cabanas with sheer curtains tied at the sides we encountered upon entering, to the dining room's Chicago brick walls, lipstick-red Venetian chandeliers and oversize pearl-white leather wing chair, DeVito's decor screams glam. An open kitchen, marble tabletops and cherry wood banquettes only added to the feeling we were starring in a movie.

Instead of a script, though, our educated, attentive waiter handed us the menu and offered to have the in-house sommelier help us with wine pairings. Among Executive Chef Francis Casciato's many delectable dishes, we decided on a Melanzane Fritte starter--eggplant crisps and buffalo mozzarella--and the jumbo house meatballs, served with whipped ricotta. Both came with San Maranzo tomato sauce.

The eggplant had a crisp outside; cutting in, we were met with smooth flesh, almost sweet to the taste, which paired perfectly with the flavorful and buttery mozzarella. We topped it with the not-too-thick-or-chunky sauce, which embodied true savory, rich tomato flavor. We then split the oversize well-seasoned meatball topped with sweet and savory ricotta, so flavor-some it left little need for the sauce, but we still could not resist dipping it in the San Maranzo.

For our entertainment while we decided on our entrees, four flat-screen TVs played the 1992 movie Batman Returns, in which DeVito plays the Penguin. The restaurant's signature pride and joy is the Global Steak Flight, a trio of Japanese Kobe Beef, Australian Wagyu Rollatini and American Kobe Flat Iron. But we instead chose a Colorado rack of lamb with Parmesan mash, and whole boneless Mediterranean sea bass with roasted tomatoes, garlic and oregano in a pinot grigio sauce with a side of Parmesan-garlic creamed spinach. The incredibly tender and juicy lamb was a perfect lead for the creamy mash, making every bite worth an extra, although unnecessary, chew. The creamy and pleasantly overwhelming fresh spinach magnificently balanced the melt-in-your-mouth tender and moist fish, which was mild tasting.

The servings here are big enough to share--a warning to those, like us, who must have dessert. We happily indulged in the Festa Di San Gennarro, a cinematic feast of cotton candy, fried banana cake and caramel-cheesecake lollipops reminiscent of childhood pleasures.

DeVito South Beach: 150 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach. 305-531-0911, www.devitosouthbeach.com. Dinner Mon.-Thurs. 5 p.m.-11:45 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 5 p.m.-1 a.m. and Sun. 5 p.m.-11 p.m.

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