Chef Allen's: Satisfying Food Lovers for Generations

With over 20 years of experience, Chef Allen has been able to charm generations of foodies with his fresh and flavorful gourmet cuisine. For those who live out west in South Florida, visiting Chef Allen's Restaurant may be quite a drive since it's located near Aventura Mall. So why not take advantage of the trip... go shopping and end the night enjoying dinner at Chef Allen's. After reading dozens of excellent reviews, we decided to give Chef Allen's Miami Spice menu a try for our very first time. From the moment you step in, it's modern decoration pops out and you can sense a Caribbean feel. After reviewing the menu, we chose to start off dinner with some Broiled Escargot and Oxtail Bolognese. It was good, but to be honest, we were expecting much more bold spices. The escargots were very delicate, but in my taste, they were quite bland in flavor and needed a bit more garlic in order to give it a strong kick. On the other hand, for being an appetizer, the Oxtail Bolognese was quite a large portion. It was very similar to a regular pasta with tomato sauce and cheese. Despite not being thrilled with the appetizers, we kept our fingers crossed for the main course. I went with the Tamarind Glazed Boneless Pork Chops accompanied with Creamed Corn and Chipotle-Sweet Potato Mash. The pork chops tasted a bit too smoky, but at least the sides provided a nice contrast. The corn and sweet potato mash simply melted in your mouth. Armando chose the Pan Seared Corvina with Curried Green Lentils and Tomato. In my opinion, this was the stronger dish of the two. The lentils were prepared with very aromatic and spicy condiments giving the fish a unique taste. Overall, the food was decent, and the service and ambiance was very good. Perhaps the regular menu features more elaborate and tantalizing meals than the Miami Spice menu, but for being our first time at Chef Allen's, it just didn't convince us 100% to go back... perhaps one day that we're in that neck of the woods.

Rating:
Food--------7 out of 10
Service----- 8 out of 10
Ambiance-- 9 out of 10

Chef Allen's
19088 Northeast 29th Avenue
Aventura, FL 33180
(305) 935-2900