With Slim’s, Classic Steakhouse Glamour Arrives in Bal Harbour

1. Returning to this space felt right for Starr.

“Going back to the old space felt like coming home and redoing your bedroom,” Starr says with a slight chuckle. He notes he had long wanted to open a steakhouse in Bal Harbour, a part of Miami he describes as nearly year-round in a way that sets it apart from the rest of the city, which can be more dependent on tourism. So, when the space became available again — after Makoto moved to the other side of the mall — he took it.

2. The room is very committed to a specific era.

Gachot, the design firm behind Slim’s, used what founders John and Christine Gachot describe as “old Palm Beach glamour” as their inspiration. Starr says the overall effect is meant to evoke a 1930’s bar in the spirit of Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle hotel in New York.

The checkerboard floor is laid in nero marquina and calacatta viola monet marble, while the banquettes are wrapped in pale yellow leather. Art Deco murals by Christoph Niemann, best known for his covers for The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine, are on full display throughout the room. Sitting inside Slim’s, with Niemann’s illustrations on the walls and coral tones throughout, feels like what one might imagine sitting inside the pages of those very magazines.

The private dining room boasts unique details like a mirrored ceiling and leather-studded artwork, while a covered outdoor patio filled with plush seating and tables completes the space. But what’s most refreshing about this restaurant in this current era of dining is the room’s restraint. There is no thumping music, no gold flakes on the steak, and no bottle service in the back corner. The service is polished without being stiff — it’s white-tablecloth service that still feels approachable, and a real sense of ease runs through the whole place.

3. The steaks are the main event.

Chef Anthony Micari oversees a steak menu that consists of mostly dry-aged meat, with a handful of wet-aged options that offer a cleaner, more robust beef flavor. Prime cuts range from an eight-ounce filet mignon to a 32-ounce porterhouse, with American wagyu and A5 Japanese wagyu also featured.

Starr’s personal favorite, however, is the aptly named Owner’s Choice Delmonico, a 36-ounce prime bone-end cut. “I think it was the best steak I’ve ever had in my life,” he says, after trying it recently. Starr coyly won’t name his meat purveyor for the steak, noting only that it’s coming from one single consistent ranch in America.

4. The $100 cheesesteak is a Starr signature, and Miami is getting it for the first time.

Starr first put his decadent $100 cheesesteak on the menu at Barclay Prime in Philadelphia many years ago, and it has not appeared in Miami until now, thanks to the debut of Slim’s. It includes shaved wagyu beef, black truffle, foie gras, fried onions, and Cooper Sharp cheese on a freshly baked sesame roll – making it a very indulgent option for those seeking a little opulence.

5. Several non-steak dishes are worth the detour.

Slim’s is a steakhouse, but the supporting dishes certainly earn their place. The raw bar is elaborate, the appetizers skew nostalgic, and a few items in particular are reason enough to arrive very hungry.

The crab stuffed avocado is one of the more visually striking items to hit the table. The kitchen cuts an avocado open, fills it with crab, reassembles it, and applies a coating so that it arrives looking completely whole. It’s a visual illusion that is as fun as it is delicious.

The king crab roll keeps things simpler: king crab, drawn butter, and a potato roll served just like a lobster roll would be. Supremes of grapefruit is a retro nod to mid-century fine dining, when fresh fruit on a restaurant menu still carried novelty with two varieties of citrus fanned in a cocktail glass with honey dressing and dill oil. Pigs in a blanket are made with kosher hot dogs wrapped in housemade puff pastry, ideal for sharing, and a bit of a novelty in Miami.

6. The desserts lean into the era, hard.

Slim’s also boasts some of the most unique desserts in the city. A bright pink Champagne cake, a classic that traces its lineage back to the 1950s and ’60s, arrives with vanilla custard and Champagne buttercream. The coconut chiffon cake pairs vanilla sponge with coconut cream, while the equally retro strawberries Romanoff keeps things simple, with fresh strawberries, Grand Marnier, and whipped cream. And of course, the bananas foster is done the old way, flambéed tableside in brown sugar, rum, and walnuts over vanilla ice cream.

7. The martini list has history behind it.

Starr has been a fan of the classic cocktail for decades. He opened his first martini bar in 1995, called the Continental Restaurant and Martini Bar in Philadelphia, at a time when, as he puts it, “young people barely knew what a martini was.”

The dedicated martini list at Slim’s reflects three decades of honing the craft of this drink. It runs from The Dirty Slim (Suntory Haku vodka, extra dry vermouth, olive brine, and olive) to The Sinatra, made with Belvedere vodka or Tanqueray 10 gin, served tableside with a caviar-topped oyster. Starr’s own preference is precise: a vodka martini, shaken hard, must be ice cold, with olives. The gin version gets stirred, with a twist.

Slim’s is open daily from 5 to 11 p.m.

A fourth-generation Miamian, Olee Fowler knows every corner of the city. She spent a decade as the editor of Eater Miami, and now as a freelance writer, she captures the stories that make Miami unique. When she’s not exploring Miami’s newest restaurants and bars, you can find her at home with her dogs, Foster and Peanut, or cheering on her beloved Florida Gators. And yes, that’s probably a Coke Zero on her desk. Follow her on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.