Restaurants come and go, in Miami as elsewhere. Few thrive. Nino Pernetti’s Caffe Abbracci has ranked among the top restaurants in Coral Gables for over two decades now… attracting an international jet set crowd, an entourage of locals, and the A-List of Miami’s ‘who’s who’. Nino Pernetti knows them all (Miami’s A-List and seemingly every guest that enters his doors) … their names and their faces… addressing and welcoming each by name… cordial and accommodating.
Nestled between Le Jeune and Ponce de Leon, at 318 Aragon in Coral Gables, Caffe Abbracci has an unassuming facade. The interior atmosphere is condusive to power lunches… and elegant social interaction… having a separate bar, a rather intimate private dining area, and a dark, richly elegant main restaurant area.
Cuisine is Northern Italian, with a well-rounded wine list … Pictured above, Abbracci is mentioned the Miami Herald “article” … which isn’t a newspaper at all, but rather Caffe Abbracci’s 20th Anniversary cake. Recipe for a Restaurant? Pernetti has it. His recipe may have to do something with location (Location is everything, right?)…being that Caffe Abbracci is right on Restaurant Row in the heart of Coral Gables. More has to do with the cuisine, the service, and the host himself though I think. Pernetti… refined, congenial and attentive… offers new dishes and an evolving wine list. Technology hasn’t squelched old-fashioned hospitality… His handwritten, stamped, mailed notes (a novelty these days) … book signings … and ‘tastings’ for the press… keep him and Caffe Abbracci in the forefront of the Gables community. One would be hard-pressed to see any signs of economic downturn inside the walls of 318 Aragon.
