Stepping into NiMo is like going on a visual and culinary journey through the Mediterranean coast. Calming hues of orange, green, and yellow combine with natural light and artwork, while the menu is filled with unique dishes meant to be shared tapas-style. “Order lots of food and experience it together—that’s how we want guests to enjoy NiMo,” says Chef Niven Patel.
NiMo—which opened in February in the old Josco Garden space in Tequesta and also offers alfresco dining in its gorgeous courtyard—is the latest venture from FEAL Hospitality, the company behind Miami’s Ghee Indian Kitchen and Coral Gables hot spots Orno and Erba. The name comes from a mixture of the co-owners’ names, Chef Niven Patel and Mohamed “Mo” Alkassar, and the blending of their talents and cultures is evident on the menu, which is bursting with Middle Eastern, Greek, Spanish, and Italian flavors. Even the “classic” dishes on the menu pack a special punch. “When you read our menu, it may sound very familiar,” says Patel. “But when you eat, there are a lot of flavor bombs.”
The chef says he leaned into his Syrian-born partner’s background. Alkassar spent part of his childhood in Madrid and ran restaurants in Dubai, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia before moving to the United States. “Mo told me about his favorite dishes from childhood, and I recreated them how I saw it through his eyes,” Patel says. “He sent me grainy footage of lamb chops he grew up eating in Spain, and my butcher and I dissected it and tried different cuts of lamb and thicknesses. I created a rub that’s a little smoky and salty and blends spices including cumin, coriander, paprika, and dry mustard.”
Many of the ingredients used in NiMo’s open-concept kitchen are grown on Patel’s residential farm in Homestead, and he and Alkassar take great pride in presentation—so prepare to be wowed. “You first eat and drink with your eyes,” says Patel. “We put emphasis on our presentation of everything.” That includes decadent desserts like the 12-component Sundae Circus and the Instaworthy signature sangria and NiMorita (their take on a margarita).
Featured image: Green chickpea hummus with pickled beets. Photo by Adi Adinayev
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