Sibilla Cucina Italiana, Miami Beach, Florida

It’s been years, like 15 or more, since I’d been to Lincoln Road, South Beach’s pedestrian mall that is chock full of outdoor dining, high-end shops and galleries, and as my friend Deanna puts it, “the best international people-watching in South Florida.” It was open to cars back in the Nineties, and I admit that’s about all I remember. We might have gone to some clubs in the area, but I definitely don’t remember Score, which is a dance club that seems a little out of place now that Lincoln Road has been morphed into, well, Lincoln Road.

Lots of eating establishments have their dining rooms under umbrellas in the center of the thoroughfare. The smells from their kitchens tempted me pretty much from the moment we stepped onto the street from a steep-graded art-deco parking garage that seemed to hold your car in the sky.

Deanna’s daughter  wanted Italian, and I’m not one to argue with that, especially when I’m the tourist and they know the lay of the land. Everyone knows I love pizza and pasta and garlic and basil and olive oil and all that good stuff that make-a me happy. The eateries on Lincoln Road actively recruit patrons, and if you even slow down to check out the posted fare they will grab some menus and say “Table for three?” Sibilla Cucina Italiana, one of the first establishments we came to that had an Italian menu, was a little more conservative in their approach, but verbally offered two-for-one drinks or 25% off of food, whichever we chose, and diner-specific. Meaning, Deanna and I could have cocktails, and Aleia would get a discount on her meal before we turned the keys over to her and made her drive us home (and that’s one of your rewards for raising teenagers; they can be your designated driver if need be.)

Sibilla was simply excellent. The waitstaff is mostly young, thin Italian boys with thick accents (“I’m sorry, we don’t have that rum, but we do have Ba-CARRR-di and CapEEE-ton Morgan-uh.” In fact some of them could have been brothers. They were very attentive, rattling off the evening’s specials, getting us water and fresh drinks, and making sure we really knew what we were ordering. For example, Luigi (I don’t know if that’s his real name, he just seemed like a Luigi to me) questioned my pizza selection, pointing out that it did not have a tomato sauce—a white pizza, one of my favorites.

I apologize for not having more complete menu information; I usually rely on the restaurants’ websites for details when I write, and I should really try to grab a menu if I get a chance. Sibilla’s website needs a little tweaking.  We started off with Bruschetta which was reliably typical in flavor but generous in portion. The tomatoes were fresh—and that’s a big thing with me: if you’re going to serve me tomatoes, please make sure they are freshly cut and not chopped up 12 hours ago, which gives them a kind of a gamy glaze. These were fresh. If you’re a  bruschetta person, you will not be disappointed here.

There were lots of tempting offers for entrees. To tell you the truth, I don’t even remember what my hosts had, except it all smelled so good. I’m pretty sure Aleia ordered tortellini but it looked like ravioli when it arrived. She assured me it was good. I ordered one of their wood-fired pizzas, and it was really delicious. With perfectly-cooked crust, savory sausage and just the right amount of cheese and olive oil to make a white pizza moist, not greasy, it was tops with me. I could have finished it if I hadn’t started shrinking my stomach with Captain Morgan’s on the rocks and snagged a piece of the bruschetta. I ate half, gave Deanna half a piece, and sent the rest home with Aliea. Ralph needs to eat, too.

As usual, I was too full for dessert, but if forced, I’d have probably ordered the Cream Brulee. They have several tempting options for your sweet tooth. Instead, we ordered more drinks and spent another hour at our prime seating spot, indulging in conversation and of course people-watching. It’s an endless parade of lovely people of all ages, and often their four-legged partners; a perfect way to spend a low-key Saturday evening in beautiful South Florida. We stayed so long that I almost got hungry again as more delectable smells wafted through the air when more tables were served, and I tried to figure out what the aromas were. I swear I smelled lobster more than once.

Bottom line: fabulous! Good food, good service, good location and fairly-priced. And if you’re so inclined, you can go shopping afterward. I don't get to Miami enough, and next time I go I'll probably try something new, but I highly recommend this place for a reliably good experience and if I wanted that same reliability for a special dinner, I know that's exactly what I'd get here.

They also have a nice bathroom.