A restaurant reset can be subtle or it can arrive with a clear point of view. At The Drexel at the Esmé Hotel, the shift came into focus on Wednesday, March 4, when the Miami Beach restaurant hosted an exclusive dinner to introduce its updated culinary direction and the team shaping its next phase.

The evening marked a new chapter for the property, now centered on a hyper-seasonal, Coastal Italian-inspired menu led by Chef Jarrod Huth, COO of Culinary at Think Hospitality, and Chef de Cuisine Derek Carressi. The approach sharpens the restaurant’s emphasis on handmade pastas, wood-fired cooking, and ingredient-driven simplicity, while holding onto the polished but approachable hospitality that has defined The Drexel from the start.

Guests arrived for a cocktail reception that set the tone for the evening, with signature drinks including the White Gold and Basillico 75 served alongside live music. The crowd reflected a cross-section of Miami’s hospitality and social scene, with attendees including Alan Philips, Beatriz Chachamovits, Bette Anne Fialkov, Buzzy Sklar, David Berg, Debora Lima, Eden Lotenberg, Jessie Neuman, Juliana Vardi, Kim Rodstein, Michelle Lewin, Shawn Vardi, Todd Lewin, and Twiga Mermet, among others.

Once seated, guests were introduced to a menu that illustrated the restaurant’s new rhythm course by course. The opening selections included Citrus-Cured Kanpachi, Crispy Polenta, and Butter Lettuce sourced from Homestead, setting an early tone of freshness and restraint.

The middle of the meal turned toward the dishes likely to define this next era of The Drexel. Housemade malfadine and Margherita pizza highlighted the kitchen’s renewed attention to Italian staples rooted in craftsmanship, while mains such as Wood-Roasted Chicken and Golden Tilefish showcased the restaurant’s wood-fired and charcoal-driven approach.

Sides including Olive Oil-Whipped Potatoes, Herb-Roasted Mushrooms, and Italian Broccoli rounded out the savory portion of the dinner, reinforcing the kitchen’s preference for straightforward preparations that allow strong ingredients to speak clearly.

Dessert closed the evening on a lighter note with Strawberry Pavlova and Olive Oil Cake served with Pistachio Ice Cream.

What emerged over the course of the dinner was not a dramatic reinvention, but a more focused expression of what The Drexel appears to want to be. The culinary point of view has become clearer, with Coastal Italian influences now guiding the menu more deliberately.

Still, the restaurant has not abandoned its existing identity in the process. The tone of the evening suggested that The Drexel’s goal is not formality for its own sake, but a version of elevated neighborhood dining that remains warm and easy to return to.

That message came through most directly at the close of the night, when Chef Jarrod Huth offered a toast reflecting on the vision behind this next chapter and the restaurant’s continued commitment to hospitality.