More than two years after founding chef Niven Patel left THesis Hotel, Mamey has a new culinary identity.

Chef Christian Pasco, most recently chef de cuisine at Michelin-starred Le Jardinier Miami in the Design District, has built a Caribbean-Italian fusion menu that Coral Gables Magazine reviewer Andrew Gayle called "fine dining, fairly priced, in an upscale fast-casual setting" in a review published Tuesday, July 22.

The menu's standouts lean into that cross-genre blend. Penne comes dressed in Caribbean lobster bisque with parmesan and spicy San Marzano tomatoes. Striped bass sits over creamy spinach orzo. Chicken wings arrive glazed in mamey hot sauce with blue cheese dressing and towelettes for your fingers. Other plates include smoked mahi-mahi dip, yellowfin tuna taquitos with sweet soy and scallions, gnocchi with pine nut-basil pesto and a shareable pork chop with honey-dijon sauce.

Shareables run $16 to $23. Mains cost $24 to $40. Cocktails are $20.

From Patel's exit to a new chef

Patel, who opened Mamey in August 2020 during the pandemic with outdoor-only seating, announced his departure on Instagram on Dec. 28, 2023. He and partner Mohamed "Mo" Alkassar of the Alpareno Restaurant Group separated from both Mamey and Orno at THesis effective Jan. 14, 2024.

Orno, Patel's second restaurant at the hotel, was reimagined as the Collab, a chef-collaboration concept. Coral Gables Magazine's July 22 review describes it as one of the top three fine-dining restaurants in the Gables south of U.S. 1, alongside Daniel's and Beauty and the Butcher.

Mamey kept its name but struggled to find a culinary direction. Pasco's arrival brought a defined concept: Caribbean-Italian fusion. Before Le Jardinier, he worked as a sous chef in Miami and has more than 15 years in fine-dining kitchens.

Same jungle-chic interior, new menu

The restaurant's interior, designed by Carolina Freyre, remains unchanged: jungle-plant-covered walls, a long backlit bar, a wall of windows, wooden tables and baskets of soft overhead lighting anchored by one large woven chandelier. Outdoor seating is available in the hotel's breezeway, weather permitting.

Mamey is at 1350 S. Dixie Highway, Coral Gables. Reservations can be made at mameymiami.com or by calling 305-266-2639.