Venti is not merely a Starbucks size cup! For Italians and everyone else, twenty years is a lifetime… and for teenagers, it marks the end of awkward years! But there wasn’t anything awkward about the TiramesU (referring to the restaurant… though the delicious dessert served at the end of the night was anything BUT awkward!).
TiramesU is the famous northern Italian eatery currently located in Lincoln Road. As one of the most popular restaurants in South Beach, it has been in business for twenty years (that’s right… venti anni!); however, it was originally situated in the corner of Ocean Drive and 5th Avenue back in 1988, and then relocated to its current site on 721 Lincoln Road in 1997.
It has been twenty years of success for this restaurant, which would become the first of many more for co-owner Graziano Sbroggio. Sbroggio and his partners, the Graspa Group, now manage and own several restaurants—Le Bon, Spris, The Van Dyke Café, and Segafredo—all of them following the pioneer to Lincoln Road.
This is why last night Sbroggio had every reason to celebrate the anniversary of TiramesU among his closest friends—that is approximately 1,000 people invited—including restaurant staff, loyal customers, local business leaders, and my father who happens to be a fellow restaurateur.
The event took place at the sensational Botanical Garden in Miami Beach, which meant that everything was out in the open. Unfortunately, the uninvited decided to arrive at the same time everyone did at 7pm. But the rain did not stop us from savoring the delectable hors d’ oeuvres—including caprese kabob, venison, salmon with brie, crabcake, shrimp cocktail, and polenta with gorgonzola—and all the food available—a wide selection of pastas and oven-baked pizzas, risotto ai funghi, and several types of seafood and meat—and finally, an open bar featuring the restaurant’s signature drinks, including the infamous blue lagoon, bellinis, rossinis, and prosecco.
Hundreds of people resorted eating and drinking under umbrellas while the stylish décor was unappreciated and the spacious furniture remained empty.
Despite of the unwelcoming weather, the food and the drinks kept everyone calm and happy. The atmosphere was pleasant and did I mention that the food was great?
At the time of dessert, the rain was long gone and the party got started with live music and a message by Sbroggio. Briefly, he thanked everyone who has supported him throughout the 20 years of TiramesU.
''I love what I do,'' Sbroggio said to The Miami Herald. ''I don't know how to do anything else.''
