Klaw

If it’s not obvious in the 30-second ride up Klaw’s golden elevator that you are about to drop some serious money on a lavish dinner, it will be when the doors ding open and a smiling host walks you through a dining room fit for a cartoon Disney protagonist. There, you will crack open a menu that confirms your suspicion. Steaks range from $84 to $431 and the minimum 16-ounce order of Norwegian king crab will set you back about $144.

Klaw is pricey and you should know that before you come. It’s just hard to do this opulent Edgewater steak and seafood palace right without spending around $200 per person. But while it’s far from Miami’s only wildly expensive upscale restaurant, Klaw is one of the very rare ones with food and service that warrant its colossal price point.

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings

Klaw is impressive before a single plate hits the table. The restaurant is located in a historic Edgewater building with towering waterfront views that make you feel like you’re on a cruise ship. The sixth-floor bar—perfect for Happy Hour or killing time with a martini while waiting for your chronically late dining companion—is also gorgeous. Klaw’s only aesthetic flaw is the grating house soundtrack that will make you close your eyes and wish three times for a live jazz band to materialize in the corner.

Klaw’s food is remarkable not because of any avant-garde culinary techniques, but because they source exceptional ingredients and are smart enough not to mess with them too much. The menu’s two main attractions are dry-aged steaks and Norwegian king crabs. There are no bad choices here when it comes to steak. Every cut is dry-aged in-house for at least 30 days, and has a melting tenderness that suggests these cows existed on a diet exclusively of butter while listening only to Sade albums. The king crabs are deshelled tableside and served with a thick garlic lemon butter sauce that coats the sweet crab meat like candle wax. When combined, both dishes become the greatest surf and turf dinner in Miami.

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings

But there are still ways to appreciate Klaw without going all in and spending half a month’s rent. Make a reservation at the rooftop bar, where there’s a menu of small plates, the same excellent cocktails you’ll find downstairs, and an even better view. Or you could just get the cheapest steak, a salad, and a side of the fantastic steak fries, which (if you don’t order alcohol) could keep your tab under $200.

The logistics are up to you. But rest assured that Klaw won’t just fleece your checking account and rush you out the door. That wow feeling you had riding up Klaw’s golden elevator? You’ll feel the same exact one going down it.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings

Chilled Seafood Platter

This is a great way to start the meal and prepare your tongue for an onslaught of perfectly executed seafood. The platter comes with a dozen oysters, pieces of Maine lobster, and chilled prawns. You’ll also get leche de tigre for dipping/oyster dressing, which is an idea so brilliant it should scare the mignonette industry.

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings

Norwegian King Crab Legs

You order these by the ounce, and the minimum 16-ounce order is enough for two or three people to share. You’ll get to watch a couple servers deshell the legs tableside with scissors before they heap them onto a plate with a saucière full of garlic lemon butter sauce you will use every last drop of.

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings

Hand Cut Steak Fries

These are a side dish, but we’re calling them out because they not only pair perfectly with a steak, but make us want to take back every slanderous thing we’ve said about steak fries. This version proves that they can be just as crunchy and tender as any fry out there.

photo credit: Cleveland Jennings

Snake River Farms Striploin

Like we said, there truly are no bad choices when it comes to the over a dozen dry-aged steak options on the menu. But the Snake River Farms striploin might be the most impressive piece of beef we've ever had. The 16-ounce portion is enough for two people to split. The fattiness of the wagyu balances with the tang from the dry-aging process. It comes with a choice of truffle or peppercorn sauce, but it doesn't need it.