Erba

Erba was born from Chef Niven Patel's time in Florence learning pasta-making, and the restaurant wears its Florentine inspiration with genuine affection rather than imitation. The menu focuses on handmade pasta and wood-fired preparations that reflect a specific culinary education, applied to South Florida's produce and the multicultural appetite of its Coral Gables clientele.

The setting is among the most romantic in Miami's suburbs: a vine-covered terrace that creates a garden dining environment of genuine beauty. In the evening, with appropriate lighting and the subtropical air, Erba produces the kind of al-fresco dining atmosphere that travel magazines describe and most restaurants fail to deliver. The pasta, genuinely made in-house with the technique acquired in Florence, justifies the journey.

The wine list emphasises Italian producers of quality and the cocktail programme references Florentine aperitivo traditions. A proposal dinner here — on the terrace, in warm weather, with excellent handmade pasta and Italian wine — requires minimal supplementary effort to succeed.

The vine-covered terrace and handmade pasta make Erba Coral Gables' most romantic setting for a proposal. The Florentine character of the kitchen adds a European elegance that differentiates it from every other option in the neighbourhood.