There’s nothing like having an amazing girl’s night out with some fabulous friends. I enjoyed an evening of food, drinks, and laughter with my beffies not too long ago at Scarpetta, the Fontainebleau’s Italian restaurant run by Chef Scott Conant.

If you’ve been to Miami, you probably know that Fontainebleau is a classic staple. This historic hotel has been around since the 1950s and has a rich past of celebs, Golden Era glam, and luxury. Since getting a facelift (as Miamians do) in the 2000s, this hotel is hotter than ever, making it as expensive as ever.

Luckily, a couple of times a year there are amazing deals, like Miami Spice. Scarpetta boasts a great three-course tasting menu for the occasion at just $39 for dinner (you should try it). Since we have friends in high places, we enjoyed a five-course chef’s tasting menu on this particular evening.

After a few small nibbles, we had a variety of selections for primi piatti, which included creamy polenta with fricassee of truffled mushrooms, Mediterranean octopus, raw tuna, and braised short ribs of beef on farro risotto.

For the paste course, we carb loaded on their signature spaghetti, squid ink tagliolini (my favorite), and ricotta ravioli.

Secondi piatti consisted of roasted branzino, oven roasted chicken, and filet of beef (yes, by this point I was stuffed as can be).

For dessert, we indulged in amedei chocolate cake, coconut panna cotta, and tiramisu. Yum (but I was dying of foodie overload)!

I asked the sommelier to pair the meal with a bold red that wouldn’t over power the meal. He brought me a Verso Rossi Salento IGT. It’s made from varietals Negroamaro (60%),Primitivo (35%), and Malvasia Nera (5%). It’s aged six months in a barrel, three months in steel, and then three months in the bottle. The grapes are made on two non-contiguous crud, with about 10,000 cases made, which is not a lot for Puglia, Italy.

Upon inspection, it’s rich and dark red in color with a nice earthy and spicy aroma and taste. It’s a very full-bodied, rich wine made with raisined grapes. You can taste the dark berries and fruit, which pleasantly lingers on the palate. I really enjoyed it, it paired well with almost everything. I found it online for around $15. What a great value. I would definitely get it again. 3.5/5.