Kitchen 305 Restaurant
16701 Collins Avenue
Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160
RSVP 305.749.2110

All You Can Eat Stone Crabs Miami!
Every Friday...

By Denise Righetti

Stone crab season is well under way in south Florida and boy oh boy are the folks at Kitchen 305 doing it up right! I had been hearing about this place for some time now from a few of my Facebook friends and had seen a few cool flyers promoting some of their great deals, so I was thrilled when my friends Russell and Robert from BocaRaton.com invited me to join them on Friday evening for an all you can eat stone crab dinner. “You want me to go where and be there at what time?” Not one to venture out of my little three mile radius very often, this “Boca Raton Babe” and devout foodie agreed to make the trek from the 561 to 305 and arrived ready for a cocktail in just under an hours’ drive.

Robert welcomed me with a Strawberry Mojito ($9), which had quite a kick and we were on our way to the start of a very enjoyable evening. Russell had just finished videotaping a segment in the back of house, where he and Robert met and talked with Chef Julius. Inspired by his travels throughout the Southwest, Chef Julius likes to incorporate the southwestern Tex-Mex flavors into many of his dishes.

Although I was told I was invited to a stone crab dinner on this evening, (it was Friday night after all, and Friday night at Kitchen 305 means “All U Can Eat Stone Crabs”) there were so many tantalizing items on the menu that beckoned our attention, that we ended up sampling a number of dishes the Chef sent over for us to try. Shortly after taking a seat at our table, a basket of warm rosemary bread arrived, bringing with it, a heavenly aroma.

To complement our wonderful bread, a trio of sundried tomato butter, eggplant and baba ganoush was set down before us. They each delivered something special in their own right, but the sundried tomato butter was off the charts, in my opinion.

Next out was the star of the evening…the succulent stone crabs. They were amazing. Large and cracked just right, this made getting them out of their shells and into our mouths that much easier and faster! And let me tell you about their mustard dipping sauce. This was excellent- a perfect balance of creaminess with just the right amount of tang from the mustard. Yummo! By the way, I know I mentioned it earlier, but it bears repeating: Every Friday night at Kithen 305 (All Season Long) you can enjoy All U Can Eat Stone Crabs for just $55, which includes two sides, like your choice of a bowl of New England clam chowder soup, a Caesar Salad or their signature House blend. I think it's the BEST seafood in Miami and a GREAT deal anywhere in south Florida!

Next up was the 21 oz Cowboy Ribeye. ($42) Now this thing was huge. We could feel the love that Chef Julius put into the making of this perfectly prepared steak. One steak, seasoned and cooked to the perfection of all four of us was a feat to be proud of in and of itself. (How funny it was to discover that all four of us, who all preferred our steak cooked to Medium, were also all Aries.) The ribeye was served atop a Hungarian wax pepper stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon and came with Au Gratin potatoes. A beautifully executed dish.

The next beautiful platter that Chef Julius prepared for us consisted of Crab Cakes with red roasted pepper coulis, bbq ribs with a mango chipotle bbq sauce, which were fall-off-the-bone tender (entrée: full rack $26), chicken wings with a mango salsa (appetizer: $8), and the cutest little mini red potatoes topped with a whipped sweet potato.

And for dessert…(I know, you’re thinking, how in the world could you eat another bite, right?) Well, when you are presented with such amazing food as we were, you somehow manage to leave just the right amount of room in your “dessert stomach”. Our dessert ensemble consisted of a Strawberry Shortcake, mammoth-sized red velvet cupcake and white chocolate dipped strawberries. To quote my friend Robert, “it’s too damn good”!

The Strawberry Shortcake was traditional “down home” style. The oversized Red Velvet cupcake was light and airy; the frosting was lightly whipped and not at all heavy. The white chocolate dipped strawberries were made from high quality ingredients and tasted very decadent.

Kitchen 305 is located in the newly renovated Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort in Sunny Isles Beach, FL. Besides having great food and awesome promotions, the vibe is “Bova-esq” with a Miami twist & flair. The night we were there they were raising funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation and a portion of the proceeds from that night was going to the charity. The room was beautifully decorated with vibrant red colors. They had a DJ playing fun, upbeat music which contributed to the good vibe. I liked the fact that we could hear the music, but not have to strain to hear each another speak.

I would definitely go back and would feel confident in recommending this place to all my friends. In addition to the Friday night “All U Can Eat Stone Crabs”, Kitchen 305 has something going on every night of the week. A few other promotions they are currently running are:

$19.95 Prime Rib Special
Enjoy a tender and juicy prime rib entrée with choice of soup or salad; fresh baked bread; mashed potatoes and Chef Wong’s vegetable of the day. Finish your meal with sweet and savory key lime pie.

$35 All-you-can eat Lobster
We can’t get enough of crustaceans at Kitchen 305. Enjoy all-you-can-eat lobster accompanied by soup or salad, sweet corn on the cob and mashed potatoes.

$55 All-you-can eat Stone Crab
Every Friday...All u can eat Stone Crab! Comes with a Choice of Soup or Salad and 2 Sides. Open Bar for Ladies from 10 PM - 11 PM

Stone Crab Facts - Did you know that Stone Crab Claws grow back in about a year, Stone Crab Season runs October 15th to May 15th, How to eat Stone Crabs - with your hands of course!