In Touch Weekly, June 16, 2003 (See Article Below)
(Credits: Jen Lowery/London Features; Globe; Walter Weisman/Globe) 

"Matt Damon celebrated the launch of his move Stuck On You at a party at Pearl"

"The chef prepares special vegetarian meals for Brandy whenever she goes to Pearl"

"Michael Jordan's favorite dish at Pearl is the roasted chicken, and In Touch has the secret recipe"

 Sun Post, March 2006

Cooking at the Condo
With Ernie’s, Chef Frank Jeannetti Finds a New Home  By Mark Goldberg

Jeannetti makes a seafood cake with no shellfish, but you won’t know and won’t miss it because the salmon, sea bass, mahi-mahi and tilapia blend beautifully.

Time was, a Frank Jeannetti dinner would include foie gras, mushroom tarts or possibly a lobster thermador. That was when the owner/executive chef was in the kitchen at The Biltmore, Pacific Time or Pearl. Today Jeannetti is very happy preparing what he calls “good food in the neighborhood,” at Ernie’s, his own restaurant in the Imperial House condominium.

Now don’t assume that means Jeannetti has taken to grilling cheese sandwiches and boiling hot dogs. At Ernie’s you can order quality calamari, an excellent sirloin, a nice selection of skillfully prepared fresh fish and Jeannetti’s acclaimed seafood cakes. All at prices so far removed from the Beach, you’d think you were in Davenport, Iowa. Food is always fresh and, therefore, limited. So specials go quickly.

The room is small – about 40 seats – with an additional room just beyond a wall of French doorways. At the moment, Ernie’s clientele is made up of residents, owners and guests of the surrounding buildings and hotels, plus hungry locals who realize this is the only quality restaurant in the area north of 41st Street. Of course, once word gets out…

The building is going through a $6 million renovation, predominantly the areas surrounding the pool, and Jeannetti is planning a poolside barbecue area for when the work is completed. Following that will be a ballroom with a capacity of more than 300 for weddings and other events.

“Tender” was the first word that came to mind regarding the Icy Bay Calamari ($8). The tubes were soaked in buttermilk then rice-flour dusted before being flash-fried to a golden, no-grease finish. The bottom of the plate held a hearty basil pomodoro while a caper aioli sauce was sizzled over the top for a two-tone flavor. The steamed Prince Edward Island Mussels ($9) were small, but plentiful. Tender and tasty in their broth of sautéed garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, chardonnay and scallions. The Smoked Salmon ($10) was Scottish not Atlantic, sliced in abundance and plated along with a thick beefsteak tomato slice, red onions, pepper-crusted cream cheese and homemade bagel chips. Forget crab cakes. Jeannetti makes a Seafood Cake ($7) with no shellfish, but you won’t know and won’t miss it because the salmon, sea bass, mahi-mahi and tilapia blends beautifully, is baked then shaped into cakes with a bit of vegetables and touch of panko, then quickly sautéed and finished back in the oven. With a little red-cabbage slaw and balsamic syrup, the dish is a masterwork.

Grilled Mahi-Mahi ($16) filet featured stir-fried vegetables with sweet soy, a little butter and sesame. The menu said tempura asparagus, but steamed asparagus arrived. We didn’t care, as the mahi, topped with a mango/papaya salsa, was one of the finest we’d ever tasted. A tender Atlantic Salmon Filet ($16) was grilled with a sweet soy glaze to medium rare, keeping it more soft and moist than flaky and dry. Sharing the plate was a saffron rice and pencil asparagus. The Grilled Angus Sirloin Steak ($22) was perfect. Medium rare, juicy, rich even without the homemade steak sauce. The meat rested on a roasted portobello mushroom whose earthiness infused the steak. Alongside were baby roasted red potatoes, each topped with a little sour cream and scallions. We were fortunate that there was one evening special Chilean Sea Bass ($28) left. Pan-roasted with serracha and sweet soy in a black cast iron skillet, the buttery filet combined a bit of spice and a bit of sweet combine for a superb, mellow dish enhanced by rice pilaf and asparagus.
Jeannetti also runs his catering company – Jeannetti’s Catering – out of Ernie’s. It enables him to do several things at once. And while he often thinks of his Asian-fusion history, he’s having fun making what he considers neighborhood fare. But he confesses that after he’s settled in at Ernie’s – he’s only been open two months – he may goose up the menu. Can that mean foie gras?

Ocean Drive Magazine, 10th Anniversary Edition, 2003
In The Kitchen by Suzy Bukly(Credits: Photos by Gio Alma)

"We've hosted everyone from Jennifer Lopez and Jean Paul Gaultier to Spike Lee and Michael Jordan, Janet Jackson and Will Smith loved the sushi and Lionel Richie went crazy over the calamari the other night"

South Beach's Hot Nemo Lets The Superb Food Star Fine Dining, November 20, 1998
Credits:  Miami Herald Dining Critic: Viviana Carballo

"Pleasing, eclectic menu, with nods to Asia, Europe, shows off chef's creativity."

"A postscript:  Chef de cuisine Frank Jeannetti is the person responsible for the everyday wonderfulness of the food at Nemo..."

Pacific Heights Lifts Gables To A New Level,The Miami Herald, 1997
(Credits: Miami Herald Staff Writer: Geoffrey Tomb)

"Food:  EXCEPTIONAL"

"Service: Has to be good to compete in Gables, but this is extra sharp."

"Beyond and innovative, thoughtful menu and use of interesting foods from both global and local sources, this is a restaurant like no other in the region.  Yet, most impressively, it was created by the very same people who three years ago opened Pacific Time in South Beach...All else is new, from the talented hands of the finally unleashed working chef Frank Jeannetti, a 10-year colleague of Eismann's."

The Cellar Club at The Biltmore, Millennium 2000/2001
(See Article Below)

(Credits: Yvonne Roberts, Vanessa Ladet & Nanci Rosenfeld and Photos by Mary MCulley)

"He is now Chef de Cuisine at the Courtyard and will take the helm of The Biltmore's new restaurant..."

"Chef Jeannetti with President Clinton at the 1200 Wine Bar"

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