Every once in a while a restaurant comes along with a totally new concept. Well, The Gang is one such restaurant. Dreamed up by husband and wife team Bogdan and Jacqueline Niculae, veteran restaurateurs in their native Romania after some extensive travels through Asia. As a result the menu represents a mish-mash of tastes from Thailand to Hong Kong mixed with some occidental touches. It’s safe to say everything on the menu is pretty original and can’t be found anywhere else with the same flavor profiles.
The same might be said for the restaurant’s industrial, quirky decor, that includes an open kitchen flanked by a bar supported by washing machines (hint, ladies can neatly stow their purses in them). Waiters wear lab coats, vintage magazine pages adorn the walls of the bathrooms, and a gratis Galaga / Ms. Pac-Man arcade game are all kinds of fun and the latter a magnat for both kids and children of the 80s.
There is a focus on fresh ingredients, and creative presentation like the Foie Gras served inside a mason jar on a bed of mămăligă- Romanian polenta. The Asian Honey Duck Leg is served on a black slate with a smattering of spices and goes for a reasonable $23, making The Gang a great everyday sort of place for the affluent and perhaps an easy special occasion spot for those who are less so.
The Gang is located at 3500 N. Miami Ave., (305) 570-9430, thegangmiami.com
