On Friday, July 3, Omertà Cucina and Theatre Bar opened its doors to Miami, with co-owner and Latin singer Nacho from “Chino y Nacho,” celebrating the release of a new album.
With a location in Venezuela and now a second location opening in Doral, Omertà looks to take customers back to the prohibition era with vintage décor and a staff dressed in flapper-style uniforms with fringed dresses, feathered accessories and bright red lipstick.
While music performances such as a saxophone player takes the stage, the servers handle a diverse number of dishes influenced by flavors and ingredients from the Mediterranean, Asia and Latin America.
Hernando Cely, 33, is the executive chef at Omertà, and his objective is to bring something different concept to Doral: a tapas bar.
“We want people to get to know us and to come enjoy this new concept, at a new place,” Cely said. “Doral is growing. It’s a place for people to explore. There is no need to go to Brickell or South Beach, when you can eat somewhere nearby.”
Cely began his career in Bogotá, Colombia and through traveling and living in different cities like Buenos Aires and New York, he acquired knowledge on diverse dishes and flavor concoctions.
The menu at Omertà is divided in four categories: Cheeses and cold cuts, tapas [small bites], para la mesa [family style dishes] and desserts.
At a private tasting held on July 9, the guests were served some of Cely’s most recommended dishes. The “Chuleton,” or best known as Rib eye steak is 22 ounces, served sliced and accompanied with fingerling potatoes, piquillo peppers and salsa verde [green sauce} made with cilantro.
“I like the cilantro cream, because instead of being a regular cilantro paste, the cream gives it a different flavor when combined with the meat,” said Antonio Torrealba, 30, restaurant guest invited for the private tasting.
The options of cheeses and cold cuts included manchego cheese, spicy pork sausage and Serrano ham. Other plates served were the “pan con tomate [toasted bread with tomato]”, shrimp in Thai chilli sauce, a charred octopus, spicy potatoes and a classic ceviche.
Dessert was a panna cotta made with Greek yogurt, almond dust and berries. The menu also includes a crème brûlée or a chocolate soufflé to accommodate other palettes.
For those looking to enjoy a cocktail, the bar offers a range of drinks and hard liquors prepared by professional mixologists.
Richard Albano, 31, is one of the mixologists and recommended the Royalty cocktail for tasting which included tequila, Grand Marnier, passion fruit, mango juice and a garnish of two berries and a grape.
“You’re supposed to take a sip and then eat a berry,” said Albano. “The trick is to combine the drink and the fruit to marinate the flavors with one another.”
The “Omertà cocktail” is a blend of rum, Grand Marnier, orange bitters and a floating sugar coated orange, served in a martini-style glass. The cocktail, named after the restaurant was made to represent the same vintage and old-fashioned vibes of the place.
The word “Omertà,” according to Cely, represents a code of silence within the Italian mafia, meaning, “What happens here, stays here.” Now, Omertà Cucina and Bar, was brought to Doral as a speak-easy style spot, with an experience that stays a secret unless one visits.
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