"Love" is Dining in South Beach

By Jonathan Hunt

It was our 30th anniversary and my husband and I spent the weekend at a gorgeous pastel hotel in the Art-Deco district of South Beach on Ocean Drive. This was unusual for us because our jobs are our lives. But we kept to the theme of trying new things, and decided on ISHQ, which we later discovered means "love" in Hindu; absolutely fitting.

We were greeted by a personable staff and escorted to a marble-top table, seated beneath a stream of elegant lighting. But let me back up a bit. We did not just blindly happen upon ISHQ, no, it was the aroma wafting out from the restaurant that lured us in. Needless to say, we were not disappointed.

My husband has always been a meat and potatoes guy. To say that he has been anything but reluctant to break from that routine would be an understatement. That's why when he commented on how amazing the aroma coming from ISHQ was I was shocked.

We began our evening with a round of samsaras, a strong but delicious drink that blended apricot brandy, triple sec, orange juice and red wine. We rarely ever drink, but these were fabulous. In fact, we ended up ordering them again with our meals.

By the suggestion of our waiter, we ordered samosas as an appetizer; not to be confused with the samsaras. Now I have had these before; they resemble dumplings or empanadas and typically have blended potato and spice on the inside. The ones we ate were stuffed with corn and crab meat and although I wasn't particularly crazed by them, my husband reacted like a kid on Christmas morning, shoveling down the majority of them.

With our second round of samsaras, we both decided to split an entree of Shai Snapper, covered in caramelized onions, chopped tomatoes, and Basmati rice. When the food arrived, we both immediately glanced over at one another as what really surprised us was that our meal hadn't spilled over the sides. The colors of the dish were something of an abstract painting, and the smells were almost, but not quite, as good as the meal itself. My husband was a little reluctant to taste at first, but like swimming in a cold pool, he came to love it only by trying it.

As expected, we were unable to finish the Snapper, but only because we were saving room for dessert. My husband decided on the chocolate-filled Chocolate Crepes, but I think he only did so because it was something on the menu that he finally recognized. They aren't an Indian specialty, but they are at ISHQ. With just the right amount of sweet, they were the perfect conclusion to an amazing meal.

Our ISHQ experience was one of new beginnings. They provided a lovely and mysterious environment for celebrating the 35 wonderful years of our wonderful marriage, and it made my husband finally realize that there really are other foods out there.

Editor's Note: ISHQ is at 530 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida.