Appetizers in Miami

900 S. Miami Ave., #250 Brickell

305-981-2583

American, Appetizers, Bars and Clubs, Best Of

Listen up, single ladies and lads. If you're in the mood for a good after-work drink in a trendy and upbeat atmosphere with scantily clad bartenders and mostly good-looking people, Blue Martini might be the place. The Mary Brickell Village outpost of the chain is large. There's an indoor area lit by blue and purple neon, and an outdoor terrace that is often packed. Let's not kid ourselves - food is not the focus here, but Blue Martini does serve some pretty solid bites to enjoy with your martini. The menu is small, offering a few appetizers such as spinach and artichoke dip and a shrimp martini with four types of flatbread. Entrées include seared tuna, sliced beef tenderloin, and lamb chops. The martini menu is more impressive, offering 42 versions of the drink - from sugary-sweet to dry - ranging from $14 to $16. Take advantage of happy-hour specials. Drinks and appetizers are half off every day from 4 to 8 p.m. And keep in mind that on Saturdays and Sundays, the velvet rope comes out and there's a $10 cover charge.

16 articles

City Fish Market

7940 Glades Rd. Boca Raton

561-487-1600

Appetizers

Hurricane Grill & Wings

3201 N. Miami Ave. Midtown/Wynwood/Design District

305-576-7133

American, Appetizers, Bar Food, Bars and Clubs

The highlight of Hurricane Grill & Wings is the seemingly endless choice of sauces - 32, to be exact - that flavor the wings. They are broken down into groups ranging from category one (mild) to category five (seek shelter) and include flavors as varied as barbecue, Jamaican jerk, and "ridiculously hot hurricane sauce." It might sound a little gimmicky, but the sauces aren't bad. Wings - boneless and otherwise - are sold in ten, 15, 20, and 50 piece platters ($10 to $40). The menu also includes a large selection of appetizers such as smoked fish dip ($9) and nachos and cheese dip ($7), as well as sandwiches ($8 to $10), salads ($4 to $10), burgers ($8 to $9), and seafood ($11). Add to that a solid selection of beers and microbrews - from Corona to Purple Haze - and flat-screen TVs, and this Midtown Shops outpost of the Fort Pierce chain becomes a great place to watch sports in an area with few options for that.

4 articles

Mignonette Uptown

13951 Biscayne Blvd. Aventura/North Miami Beach

305-705-2159

Seafood, New American, Comfort Foods, Appetizers, Raw Food, Contemporary, Critics' Pick, Slideshow

Danny Serfer never intended to start a mini-empire. But the 36-year-old chef opened Blue Collar, a small MiMo District restaurant in 2012; debuted Mignonette, a larger seafood and oyster bar with business partner/buddy Ryan Roman, in 2014; and just a few months ago began operating Mignonette Uptown in North Miami Beach. Like the flagship in Edgewater, this location prominently displays the day’s East and West Coast oyster selections on a large marquee over the bar. Serfer says the raw section hasn’t changed; however; the “fancy” seafood section is completely different and based on the chef de cuisine’s ideas. One option is the striped bass. It’s served with a burnt black-carrot purée, peas, and a sweet onion cream sauce laced with garlic and shallots. For dessert, pastry chef Devin Braddock delivers with her Valrhona chocolate cake. It includes caramel, a nut crumble, coffee-flavored ice cream, and thick slices of banana. There’s a lot going on, yet every component enhances the taste. Just like Edgewater before the opening of the original Mignonette, North Miami Beach was in serious need of a place exactly like this one. And once again, Serfer, Roman, and their team have delivered.

18 articles

Mr. Moe's Restaurant and Bar

3131 Commodore Plaza Coconut Grove

305-442-1114

American, Appetizers, Bar Food, Brewery, Bars and Clubs, Best Of

A 92-foot bar, 32 flat-screen TVs, happy hour drinks for as low as $2.50â?¦ What's not to like about this rustic wood cabin complete with an 11-foot bear and a mechanical bull? Mr. Moe's has been serving tipsy college kids and families comfort foods like shepherd's pie, chili, country fried steak, and barbecued ribs since 2001. But the main reasons to visit this Grove sports bar are to drink, watch sports, and get silly. No matter what day of the week you go in, there's bound to be something special going on. Mondays it's beer pong, Tuesdays there's karaoke, Wednesday is ladies night, Thursday is college night, and Friday listen to live music night. And you're bound to find something you like among the 90 options of salads, sandwiches, pizzas, fajitas, steak, nachos, and wings. It's the perfect chow to soak up Mr. Moe's selection of 32 beers. No wonder ESPN featured it among the best sports bars in America.

11 articles

The Sarsaparilla Club

1 18th St., Miami Beach South Beach

305-341-1400

American, Appetizers, Comfort Foods, Contemporary, Fried Chicken, Modern American, Southern, Critics' Pick, Menu

There are many places in Miami that serve Chinese dim sum, but only one restaurant offers an American version: the Sarsaparilla Club at the Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach. During the appetizer portion of the meal, apron-clad waiters approach each table with pushcarts containing an assortment of American-inspired bites and small plates. The chefs behind the rustic poolside restaurant are power couple Janine Booth and Jeff McInnis. They met on the line at Gigi's in midtown Miami and were reunited at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar in 2011. In 2013, they opened a Root & Bone in Manhattan and earned rave reviews for their elevated Southern fare. The Sarsaparilla Club's dim sum selection contains eight or so items that change frequently. Try the sweet corn simmered in a corn stock and drizzled with a cornbread butter. Each order features half an ear of corn topped with lemon popcorn and cornbread crumbles. The citrus notes of the popcorn — though slightly odd at first — balance out the sweetness of this rich and thoroughly original dish.Read our full review.

22 articles

Sra. Martinez

4000 NE 2nd Ave. Midtown/Wynwood/Design District

305-573-5474

Appetizers, Bistro, Spanish, Tapas, Critics' Pick, Menu

Consider Sra. Martinez the Andalusian alter ego of Michy's - same big flavors crammed onto "small plates," albeit with a heavier anchor in the Mediterranean. And think of the décor as a Seville-style makeover of what was formerly Domo Japonese - a lovely, lofty space for dining. Many of the foods here are just like those you're likely to encounter at reputable neighborhood tapas bars in that country; these are the plates we were least impressed with, if only because of a nagging notion that one of our city's finest chefs, Michelle Bernstein, should do more than authentically mimic a Seville street cook. Yet there are also inspired offerings that amply amplify Bernstein's creative brilliance, such as monkfish cheeks piqued with sherry gastrique and molasses; a fat, meaty square of pork belly richly delicious in sweet-and-sour glaze; and a sensational sweet/salty sea urchin sandwich accented with ginger-soy butter and crisply pressed in French bread. The smartly selected list of regional Spanish sherries and wines is marked up in reasonable fashion, most by-the-glass selections selling for $10 and under. Diners can also get into the spirit with a smoked Kentucky ham-infused Maker's Mark Manhattan or any number of creative cocktails. Service is friendly and informed, the ambiance is noisy and fun, and the cuisine is fine enough to earn Sra. Martinez a hearty stamp of approval.

23 articles

Trust & Co.

2 Aragon Ave. Coral Gables/S. Miami

American, Comfort Foods, Breakfast, Contemporary, Latin American, Seafood, Vegetarian, Appetizers, Recommended, Slideshow

Trust & Co.'s name pays tribute to the trust and integrity of the early 20th Century. And with that, the Coral Gables restaurant promises to employ the best possible local ingredients without cutting corners. Consequently, the menu changes seasonally, and when chef Pablo Zitzmann and his team can't find products that meet their standards, they make it themselves. A great bet is the grilled peach and beet salad festooned with farm greens and crisp quinoa. On the heavier side, Trust's burger is a blend of chuck, brisket, and short rib that's coated in its own fat drippings for some extra oomph. The patty is glazed with a marmalade made by cooking down onions, whiskey, sugar, butter, rosemary, and thyme. Bibb lettuce, Florida heirloom tomatoes, and a brioche bun from La Provence bakery provide the finishing touches. The burger is amazing. The accompanying thick, crisp fries are great too. Grab a seat outside and enjoy the scenes of Aragon Avenue and Merrick Way. Out there, you can really appreciate the food.Read our full review.

2 articles

Vagabond Kitchen & Bar

7301 Biscayne Blvd. North Miami

786-409-5635

French, American, Appetizers, Bar Food, Comfort Foods, Contemporary, Continental, Fusion, Salads, Slideshow

Vagabond Kitchen & Bar (no more "Restaurant" in the moniker) in the MiMo District is heir to the place that chef Alex Chang vehemently tried to get locals to embrace. The task of attracting customers to the Biscayne Boulevard eatery now falls upon Julian Géliot and Fabien Chalard of Pléthore et Balthazar in Lyon, France. Helping them realize their vision is chef Roberto Dubois, whose resumé boasts stints at Makoto, Juvia, Klima, and Azul. For the tuna poke toast, Dubois enhances the raw fish through sesame oil, sesame seeds, chives, and a touch of seaweed. He arranges the cubes of ahi tuna atop a warm corn tortilla chip and tops it all off with a dollop of avocado mousse. Miami is going through a poke phase, and though this version isn’t the most exciting interpretation of the Hawaiian staple, it’s fresh, clean, and satisfying. Desserts come from Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop, although Dubois would eventually like to make most of them in-house. Try the chocolate peanut butter pie for a decadent treat or Derek’s key lime version for something lighter.

18 articles

Waxy O'Connor's Irish Pub and Eatery

690 SW 1st Court Brickell

786-871-7660

Appetizers, Bar Food, Breakfast/Brunch, Irish, Bars and Clubs, Menu

Boy, if those folks who have been hanging out at Fort Lauderdale's Waxy O'Connors for years got a glimpse of Miami's mint riverfront version, they would definitely make the schlep on a regular basis. (Most of them would probably do so by boat, too, which would be totally cool because this riverfront spot has free boat slips. Alas, Lauderdale's does not.) The sexier, sassier young sister not only boasts a gorgeous view of the Miami River, but also somehow pulls off authenticity despite its pristine sheen. Cutout dark-wood trim and stained-glass partitions, substantially spongy booths, a pool table with a red-felt surface, gobs of flat-screens, and glass-enclosed cases displaying artifacts assist the effort, while the sticky tabletops remind you that even new places can display signs of frequent lovin'. Chances are, most folks here probably come after work to down a few pints of Guinness, some Irish whiskey, or single-malt Scotch outside at the tables with barrel-shaped pedestals and to listen to live music three nights a week. (And no, not all performances are U2 tributes.) Sop up the sounds with a few forkfuls of shepherd's pie ($11.95), corned beef and cabbage ($12.95), or bangers and mash ($12.95) if you're full-on hungry. Or try a rustic flatbread (the $11.95 Irish bacon and three mushroom is killer) or a bowl of potato-leek soup for a pittance ($4.50). Die-hard Miamians can also go the less adventurous route, with items such as ceviche, mahi-mahi tropical salad, skirt steak, and key lime gelato. The only downfall to this hot spot is that it is relatively tough to find, because the only visible sign from the street is a glowing red moniker. You'll have to meander to the back of the Neo Vertika building to find this pot of gold, but you can bet your leprechaun ass it's well worth the hunting.

2 articles

Appetizers in Miami

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