By Warren Roth-Jervey, staff writer

Located on the busy Spanish themed Espanola Way (think of a Latin Little Italy with prices to match), Flame Cafe and Grill stands out from the rows of expensive South American and Italian restaurants that mark most of the street. Serving more traditional “American fair” from the grill, Flame boasts more appealing prices for very high-end food in a rather less than special selection of dishes served by surrounding restaurants.

As the name of restaurant implies, most of the main dishes come off the grill like burgers, chicken dishes, steak and seafood (of which there is a rather nice selection albeit quite expensive). The wine and beer list is typical import and house selections for an expensive price of 12 dollars per glass. The soft drinks come with refills (something not expected from such an upscale restaurant) and other assorted drinks. The steak dishes were quite varied and unique with the N.Y strip steak standing out (and the fairly large size 14 oz. as well).

Dinner came out as quickly as one might expect on a fairly busy Thursday night. The steak looked larger than the recorded size and smelled delicious as it was brought to the table. The steak was perfectly cooked and seasoned and was complimented by a generous side of fries and corn on the cob making for a very filling meal. The meal was enhanced by a relatively very quiet and secluded setting at the very end of the street and away from the cluster of five or six restaurants fighting for one’s business at the very beginning of the street. While the tables and chair were nothing special, the ambiance of the location easily made up for it and made the dinner even more memorable besides the great steak.

The service was decent although getting the refills took much longer than expected (almost 10 minutes) and answered the many questions had about the large menu well enough. With the universal 6:00pm-12:00 am operating hours, Flame Cafe is a great early dinner place though expect bigger crowds the later it gets true for all the restaurants on the street. The prices make it a fancier dining experience with dishes going anywhere from $12-$40, so make a night of it.

· Location: 447 Española Way, Miami Beach
· Phone: (305) 397-8950
· Menu: : http://www.flamecaffe.com/menus/dinner-menu/
· Hours:

Mon 1:00 pm – 1:00 am
Tue 1:00 pm – 1:00 am
Wed 1:00 pm – 1:00 am
Thu 1:00 pm – 1:00 am
Fri 1:00 pm – 1:00 am
Sat 1:00 pm – 1:00 am
Sun 1:00 pm – 1:00 am