Time to Go 'Rolo
A Bastion of British Cool on Ocean Drive

We'd like to discuss your dinner plans for this evening. We think they should involve a sassy English woman and her luscious Italian food.

We're referring to Barolo Ristorante, a handsome Italian grotto that's been slowly building buzz since it opened a little while ago in South Beach.

An alcove of understated cool on Ocean Drive's boulevard of cheese, this classy spot feels like the kind of place you'd wander into in London's Soho neighborhood. The place is a fortress of British expats—the architect/owner who designed the place hails from the UK, as does the chef, a tough-as-nails blonde who earned her stripes in Gordon Ramsay's kitchen across the pond.

You'll want to bring a Malbec-loving companion here and start off with a few drinks at the bar, where the towering wine wall soars through the double-height space with quaffs from New Zealand and Argentina. Pair them with $5 plates of Fried Baby Artichokes and platters of Parma Ham, then move to a cushy gray banquette and work your way through dishes of honest, soulful Northern Italian like the Lune de Zuca, pasta stuffed with pumpkin and topped with an amaretto cookie grated tableside.

It's the only place to grate an amaretto cookie.