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  • Image: Clandestino Pub

    Clandestino Pub

    758 Washington Ave., Miami Beach South Beach

    305-397-8946

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    Beer & tapas make a great pair. Just ask the regulars at this unassuming spot. As far as brew options, they've got somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 bottles of beer on the wall -- plus drafts, wine and cocktails to boot. Pair your fave fermented option with tapas, including quesadillas, tacos, nachos and hot dogs cooked in beer. It's a pleasing alternative to the usual South Beach scene.
    18 articles

  • Agave Bandido

    14531 SW Fifth St. Pembroke Pines

    954-367-6141

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  • AlmaRosa

    1250 S. Miami Ave. Brickell

    305-846-9114

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  • Image: Asia De Cuba

    Asia De Cuba

    1100 W. Ave., Miami Beach South Beach

    305-514-1940

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    A breathtaking sunset over a stunning bay and pool-scape feet from the chic restaurant terrace, white-on-white whimsical wonderland effects indoors, and big, distinctive Asian-Latin fusion cuisine - it's all pretty impressive. Diners can start with a tower of tuna tartare picadillo-style - flecked with currants, almonds, coconut, and olives in soy-lime juice - but we preferred the oversize calamari salad with chayote, palm hearts, bananas, and cashews. Entrées also touch upon all taste points, beginning with a juicy wedge of "sustainable" Chilean sea bass speckled with coconut and mustard seed atop jalapeño-plum coulis. A pounded palomilla of seared lamb is luscious too, as are tender planks of pork "pot roast," which pleased with a sweet honey-rum glaze and Asian-spiced bok choy plugged with nubs of bacon. Asia de Cuba offers a panoply of contrasting textures and flavors in its food, as well as a similarly quilted clientele of hotel guests and hipsters.
    12 articles
  • Image: Azul Restaurant

    Azul Restaurant

    500 Brickell Key Dr. Brickell

    305-913-8358

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    Azul chef Joel Huff apprenticed under José Andrés, and the notion of many teeny flavors in petite portions conspiring to form a larger-than-life meal is at play here. But instead of a procession of miniature courses, the tiny taste explosives come bundled upon each plate. Too many misfire. When the idea works well, as with a smoked octopus appetizer, it's like incongruously styled musicians harmonizing in a surprisingly moving manner. When it doesn't work, as with an Alaskan king crab appetizer, it's like a variety show with jugglers, drag queens, and clowns crammed onstage at once, each clamoring for your attention. What else works: pumpkin soup with goat cheese and rock shrimp; risotto with wild mushrooms; smoked octopus; and braised Wagyu short ribs. What else misses: pan-seared branzino, duck breast, and overgarnished oysters. Dishes are pricey, excellent wines are expensive, service is inconsistent, an air of pretentiousness reigns, and valet is a ripoff at $13.Read our full review.
    61 articles
  • Image: B.E.D. Miami

    B.E.D. Miami

    929 Washington Ave., Miami Beach South Beach

    305-532-9070

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    This self-explanatory supper/dance club oozes silky seduction with a dreamy decor featuring king-size beds garnished with snow-white drapes. Nightly house music and hip-hop affairs attract a jet-set crowd. This is one hard place to get a seat: Beds take up waaay more room than tables. And then there's B.E.D.'s reservation system. There are exactly two seatings per night, one 8 to 8:30 p.m., the other 10:30 to 11 p.m. But once one is seated (or gets laid, whatever), then comes the surprise: a standout crabcake appetizer and terrific crayfish tapenade. Main courses include roasted rack of Australian lamb, which features a full-bodied mustard-tarragon sauce, and pan-seared Chilean sea bass sauced with a rich but light herbed vermouth cream. Desserts like the "Go Deep" cappuccino crème brûlée are more outrageous than original and the only food items that seemed to pander to B.E.D.'s gimmick aspect.
    7 articles
  • Image: Balan's

    Balan's

    901 S. Miami Ave. Brickell

    305-871-9783

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    9 articles
  • Image: Barton G. the Restaurant

    Barton G. the Restaurant

    1427 W. Ave., Miami Beach South Beach

    305-672-8881

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    The swank, attractive surroundings; swank, attractive crowd; thoughtful wine list; alluring fare; and countless titillating details make Barton G. a daringly and delightfully different restaurant in Miami Beach. Cuisine here can be whimsical and down-home or tastefully sophisticated — the point is, you can eat any which way you please, from crisped pork shank lacquered with Southern Comfort syrup to togarashi seared tuna with coconut-laced carrot purée. Desserts look like props from Pee-wee's Playhouse, especially the Dolla Dolla Bills Y'All!!!!, a chocolate ganache and dulce de leche tart that comes encased in a gold brick shell of graham cracker crust, soft meringue, and golden nuggets of chocolate feuilletine.
    34 articles
  • Image: Basil Park

    Basil Park

    17608 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach Aventura/North Miami Beach

    305-705-0004

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    Basil Park is Tim Andriola's healthful, long-awaited followup to his Mediterranean mainstay, Timo. For the bright, airy bistro, he partnered with Tamer Harpke, a farmer with tracts in Hollywood and Dania Beach that produce the restaurant's microgreens and soon up to 30 percent of its produce. But beyond Basil Park's farm-to-table aspirations and "intact foods" philosophy is an actual restaurant using sophisticated techniques and balance that set it high above your favorite vegan café. "Dairy" items here are surrounded with quotes for a reason: There's no dairy at all. All beef is grass-fed, and the succulent, crisp-skinned chickens twirling in the rotisserie hail from Joyce Farms. What makes it all worthwhile is not even that it's good for you and leaves you feeling great. It's that the generous plates, with all their healthful mumbo jumbo, are simply delicious.
    15 articles
  • Image: Bizcaya

    Bizcaya

    3300 SW 27th Ave. Coconut Grove

    305-644-4675

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    Bizcaya's meu encompasses two soups (including a decent gazpacho with crabmeat), two salads (citrus lobster and blackened tuna Nicoise), five appetizers (try the succulent scallops with polenta cake and lemon-truffle vinaigrette), and a number of entrées (lobster and seafood cazuela being the noteworthiest), some straightforwardly cooked and served à la carte with a choice of sauces. The most interesting sides are polenta fries with a fondue of tomato sauce and melted cheese, and cheddar truffle mashed potatoes.
    5 articles
  • Image: Brava

    Brava

    1300 Biscayne Blvd. Downtown/Overtown

    786-468-2365

    Inside Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts you'll find Brava, the restaurant located on the second floor of Arsht's Ziff Ballet Opera House. The restaurant's 2021 reopening coincides with the launch of a new menu heavily inspired by classic French cuisine, with starters like sherry-spiked lobster bisque and filet mignon steak tartare to pan-seared salmon or coq au vin. For the finale, try the house-made Girl Scout cookies, including lemon shortbread, do-si-dos, and coconut macaroons. A five-seat bar serves wine, Champagne, beer, and specialty coffees.
    3 articles
  • Image: Cafe Sambal Restaurant

    Cafe Sambal Restaurant

    500 Brickell Key Dr. Brickell

    305-913-8358

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    The sushi bar tenders a first-rate array of maki rolls, nigiri sushi, sashimi, and temaki (cones); even the California roll, usually crammed with crappy surimi, is laden with luscious lumps of blue crab. The sake selection rocks as well, from aged, sherrylike Hanahato Kijoshu to fruity Harushika Daiginjo. The elegant interior, replete with loud, splashy waterfall; and the spacious outdoor terrace, replete with sweeping vistas of Biscayne Bay and the Brickell skyline, are among Miami's prettiest dining areas. If you wish to partake of Sambal's romantic waterfront ambiance, stick to sushi and sake.
    10 articles
  • Image: The Café at Books & Books

    The Café at Books & Books

    927 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach South Beach

    305-695-8898

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    The food at most bookstore cafés usually encourages more fear and loathing than great expectations, but the cute little Café at Books & Books is actually a casual, inexpensive, unpretentious garden of earthly delights. The menu covers all the expected soup-salad-sandwich bases but also offers a few more adventurous options. Try the guava-glazed pork tenderloin with boniato mash, as well as coconut-crusted seared raw tuna with mango-pepper slaw. And save room for luscious cream cheese-coconut flan for dessert.Read our full review.
    5 articles
  • Image: Canyon Ranch Grill

    Canyon Ranch Grill

    6801 Collins Ave., Miami Beach Mid/North Beach

    786-837-0034

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    Thai ceviche brings Key West shrimp marinated in pomelo juice perked with jícama, bird chili, and cilantro. Other raw starters mostly end with the letter o: tiradito, carpaccio, gazpacho. This is clean, calorically correct cuisine that is surely better for you than anything ordered in a steak house -- but it's likewise the sort of fare that can be found on nearly every menu in town other than at a steak house. And, unbelievably, only one of 11 entrées is vegetarian: carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash cut into thin, wide strands and tossed with marinara sauce and toasted pine nuts. The good news: It's only 200 calories. The bad news: You might die of boredom. Still, diners are privy to fresh food, and some entrées are quite tasty -- such as a lean, sumptuously soft grass-fed bison tenderloin sided by polenta with blue cheese and sautéed kale. The price is right too: Most appetizers run $8 to $13; entrées range from $18 (vegetable ribbons) to $25 (bison tenderloin). Booze is served, which might not be healthy for you, but it's definitely salubrious for profits.
    6 articles
  • Image: Chateau ZZ's

    Chateau ZZ's

    1500 Brickell Ave. Brickell

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    2 articles
  • Image: Chef Adrianne's Vineyard Restaurant & Wine Bar

    Chef Adrianne's Vineyard Restaurant & Wine Bar

    11715 Sherri Lane East Kendall/Pinecrest

    305-408-8386

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    Miami chef, author, and TV personality Adrianne Calvo offers guests a taste of her signature "maximum flavor" recipes with her namesake restaurant located in The Palms at Town & Country. Here, find her take on modern, refined American fare alongside a wide assortment of California wines, served amid wine-country decor.
    27 articles
  • Image: Chef Allen's

    Chef Allen's

    19088 NE 29th Ave., Aventura North Dade

    305-935-2900

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    The refurbished restaurant is now billed as a "modern seafood bistro," the emphasis being placed on local, sustainable fish and produce - and on lower prices, an effort to change the perception of Allen's from fine-dining destination to casual neighborhood haunt. Start with seafood chowder - a thin, bracing broth brimming with fresh shellfish - or with a sprightly salad of roasted gold and red beets, feta cheese, and organic baby arugula leaves dressed in sour-orange vinaigrette. You can't go wrong with shrimp-and-grits "brûlée": plush Florida crustaceans baked in stone-ground cornmeal enlivened by Manchego cheese, tamarind, and shallots. A main course of swordfish astonished with its bold and unique accouterments of smoked almonds, chanterelle mushrooms, and red grapes in Pinot Noir pan sauce. Also noteworthy are meats, imbued with fantastic smoky flavor thanks to a 720-degree wood-burning Lyonnaise grill. A double-cut Berkshire pork chop, served with not-too-sweet mango chutney, is as fine a plate of food as you will find for $22. Susser's signature double Valrhona chocolate soufflé is still the number-one crowd pleaser here, although fresh fruit sorbets offer a lighter, more refreshing finish. In short, the reinvented, reinvigorated Chef Allen's has reasserted itself as one of Miami's premier restaurants.
    8 articles
  • Image: China Grill

    China Grill

    1881 SE 17th St. Causeway Fort Lauderdale

    954-759-9950

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    Jeffrey Chodorow's famed China Grill waited 20 years to land in Fort Lauderdale, but now that it has, this glitzy pan-Asian fusion eatery is attracting the young and beautiful in droves. From the infused saketinis and Poire cocktails to the giant platters of spareribs, moo shu duck, overwrought sushi rolls, mountains of toro and Kobe, and bananas in a tuile "box," the food at China Grill is excellent even if the flavors, like a decorating scheme that relies on special effects such as a pair of glow-in-the-dark bars, can sometimes seem a little too outrageous.
  • Image: City Hall Restaurant

    City Hall Restaurant

    2004 Biscayne Blvd. Downtown/Overtown

    305-764-3130

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    You like meat loaf? Of course you do. Then you'll surely love a whole lot of it, as in a miniloaf sweetly glazed with tomato marmalade, flagged with frizzy fried onions, and paired with skinny green beans, a side of old-school gravy, and a dish of mac 'n' cheese -- a sweet-and-salty rendition with chorizo and maple. This is the point of City Hall Restaurant: fairly priced fare with mass appeal served in a two-level, 6,000-square-foot, snazzy, and comfortable art deco space. More gastronomía americana comes via fried chicken with a dish of local honey on the side, buttermilk mashed potatoes, and bacon-flecked corn; these are big plates of food. So is the signature "timpano": pasta, cheeses, meats, and sauce baked in a wheaty pasta crust -- a cross between mac 'n' cheese and an Italian Sunday supper, with bread included. Lighter fare features dishes such as miso-sauced, sesame-seared North Atlantic salmon sided by steamy baby bok choy bulbs and pecan-and-shiitake-studded rice. Desserts include chocolate banana cream "pie" served in a parfait glass. Appetizers and pizzas run $10 to $14.75. More than a dozen entrées are in the $17 to $24 range; a few go for less, while a New York strip steak and filet mignon are respectively $30 and $33. Shareable desserts are $10 to $12. This is one City Hall that serves its constituents well.
    20 articles
  • Image: DB Bistro Moderne

    DB Bistro Moderne

    255 Biscayne Blvd. Way Downtown/Overtown

    305-421-8800

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    Dining at DB is a classy experience from start to finish. Service is professional, and the waiters are well informed on the cuisine -- orchestrated by executive chef Jarrod Verbiak, who has worked with Daniel Boulud for nearly a decade. Sommelier John Mayfield entertains an encyclopedic knowledge of the wines that compose a 30-plus page list (a blend of classic French and contemporary boutique). Steamy, eggy cheese gougères kick-start the meal, which can then be taken in any number of directions: platters of assorted fresh shellfish; assiettes, or plates of regional bar snacks (Basque, Provençal, Lyonnaise); and a host of soups, salads, and appetizers. Favorites include chilled vichyssoise greened and lightened with lettuce, and pté de campagne -- a coarse, fresh, pork-dominant slice crusted with peppery, pastrami-like seasonings. A few pastas are available in starter portions as well; try the ricotta cavatelli with fennel-flecked sausage. Among the entrées, bread-crusted pompano wowed, as did seared sea scallops with shellfish over saffron-soaked fregola. The original DB burger of ground sirloin, short ribs, and foie gras is the menu signature. Light desserts such as lemon gratin or a basket of madeleines provide a light finish. A finale more fitting of France would be by way of selected cheeses -- a genteel end to an elegant dinner.Read our full review.
    95 articles
  • Image: DiLido Beach Club

    DiLido Beach Club

    1 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach South Beach

    786-276-4000

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    With all the oceanfront venues in SoBe, it's surprising that the Ritz-Carlton's DiLido Beach Club is one of a stingy handful of restaurant/lounges that allows guests open access to and from the beach. Named after the original building the Ritz Carlton now inhabits, The DiLido is open to the public and offers a Mediterranean-inspired menu from noon to sunset. Notable mezes are prosciutto wraps ($9), fava sliders ($9), and chickpea falafel ($8). For a bigger appetite, try Florida snapper ($18), the DiLido burger ($16), and signature kebabs. More exotic selections include lobster curry ($12), preserved lemon shrimp ($17), and haloumi vegetables ($14). From October through April, the club hosts monthly Full Moon Nights, featuring fire dancers, complimentary flavored hookahs, high-tech telescopes, DJs spinning world lounge music, $10 tropical cocktails and "lite bites," and $5 beers from 8 to midnight, all with no velvet ropes or cover charges attached.
    16 articles
  • Image: The Dining Room

    The Dining Room

    413 Washington Ave., Miami Beach South Beach

    305-397-8444

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    A dimly lit chandelier and some table candles illuminate this intimate Washington Avenue venue; a large mirror and family-style photos of the owners serve as décor. Twenty-four seats surrounding linen-draped tables and a petite cooking station occupy the rest of the teeny arena (with about two dozen more seats outdoors). The palate gets teased from the start via slices of baguette served with soft white truffle-perfumed butter and a plate of pickled vegetables. Chefs Horacio Rivadero (executive) and Christian Alvarez (de cuisine) show a consistent knack for adding sharp flavors that puncture the routine nature of dishes. To wit: Celery sprouts, a small dice of green apple, and a splash of vanilla heighten a vegetarian butternut squash soup; a salad of arugula and duck confit bores through the stale, old French standard via grilled apricots and a kumquat vinaigrette; and grilled nubs of calamari are spicily spiked with chili, citrus, cilantro, and kalamata olive purée. Entrées, too, are scintillating, such as halibut that whirls with a carousel of Brussels sprouts, parsnip purée, and minced trumpet mushrooms. A hunk of slow-braised pork shoulder is no less impressive with sharp multicolored grain mustard, a meltingly luscious white-bean purée, and pickled radish slices. A small "Patagonia" dessert brings fresh, soft swirls of browned Italian meringue encasing layers of pistachio cake and dulce de leche ice cream; blackberries, blueberries, and dabs of passion fruit sauce dot the plate. The Dining Room is a simple spot and a simply wonderful place for dinner.
    8 articles
  • Image: Driftwood Room

    Driftwood Room

    1825 Collins Ave., Miami Beach South Beach

    305-503-5700

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    The roasted eggplant dip at Driftwood Room, the new restaurant at the revamped Nautilus South Beach Hotel, arrives packed inside a charred zucchini. Diners have two options: Plunge the accompanying pita slices into the tangy eggplant, or cut right into the zucchini and enjoy two tasty vegetables in one bite, sans bread. Such was the intention of the eatery's executive chef, Alexandra "Alex" Guarnaschelli, who willingly admits she has a hard time eating just one piece of pita. The Iron Chef's goal at her second eatery (the first being Butter in Manhattan) is to highlight Florida's natural bounty of ingredients while ensuring the cuisine is in harmony with the hotel's beachy, Mediterranean vibe. Refreshingly, Driftwood Room does have the least celebrity vibe of the many restaurants helmed by TV-famous chefs in Miami Beach. The prices are also reasonable considering its location. However, if Guarnaschelli wants this spot to be truly embraced by locals, there's much work to be done. A good starting point would be less concentration on fussy cooking methods and de-emphasizing the use of lemon and vinegar — a recurring issue in many dishes.
    15 articles
  • Image: El'eat Restaurant & Lounge

    El'eat Restaurant & Lounge

    3207 NE 163rd St. Aventura/North Miami Beach

    786-440-7104

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    This North Miami Beach spot's decor screams of the heady 1970s, and the food offers flavors bombastic enough to fit the bill. Asparagus spears are topped with a fried egg and nutty shards of manchego cheese. The seemingly vegan-friendly kale salad takes a shameless topping of pork belly. Chef Will Biscoe, formerly of Jeffrey Chodorow's Biscayne Tavern, has also brought his famed dark chocolate chip cookie recipe with him. The opaque Maldon salt crystals make these cookies some of the most addicting things on the menu. Gird your loins for this place. The same goes for your wallet. The kitchen is always happy to plunk osetra caviar atop your deviled eggs. http://www.miaminewtimes.com/restaurants/eleat-in-north-miami-beach-70s-excess-meets-decadent-comfort-food-6565762
    1 article
  • Image: Fontana Italian Restaurant

    Fontana Italian Restaurant

    1200 Anastasia Ave. Coral Gables/S. Miami

    305-913-3200

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    The fare at the Biltmore's lesser recognized Fontana consists of melodies simpler than those found at the signature Palme d'Or. The emphasis here is on fine-tuning Italian staples that have been passed from generation to generation: bruschetta, lasagna, chicken with sausages, and broccolini. It's common Italian/Mediterranean fare that's handled with an uncommon finesse. À la carte meats and seafoods are char-grilled or roasted in the wood-burning oven. Specials include New York strip, filet mignon, Florida grouper, salmon, and succulent sea scallops as munificent as marshmallows.
    4 articles
  • Image: The Forge

    The Forge

    432 W. 41st St., Miami Beach Mid/North Beach

    305-538-8533

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    The Forge is as famous as any South Florida restaurant not named Joe's Stone Crab. After a $10 million renovation, the museum-like mahogany interior has been lightened and brightened to invigorating effect. Yet the six cuts of proffered beef remain the most sought-after entrées. Pair a steak with a glass of wine in one-, three-, or five-ounce pours from a choice of 80 bottles from the restaurant's vaunted cellar collection. Read our full review of the Forge.
    73 articles
  • Image: Fratelli Lyon

    Fratelli Lyon

    4141 NE Second Ave. Midtown/Wynwood/Design District

    305-572-2901

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    Fratelli Lyon serves fare that is really, honestly, literally just like the kind you find in Italy. Heck, many of the products here come from the boot, including olive oil, salumi, Italian DOP cheeses, heirloom legumes, and wines from boutique vintners. And what isn't shipped from overseas is equally virtuous, such as organically grown produce, grass-fed beef, and airy loaves of home-baked ciabatta bread. Even the water is flush with integrity; an in-house filtration system produces still and sparkling waters served in reusable one-liter bottles. Try cold antipasti, salads, and some two dozen salumi and formaggi than can be divvied up in different ways: an individual selection (most under $10), a quintet of vegetable or fish antipasti ($25), a trio of either salumi or formaggi ($16), or an esplosione di antipasti. Pastas are near-perfect. Main courses stand out in terms of not only great flavor but also value. Moist, meaty slices of calf's liver come capped with softly sautéed onions and sides of steamed Swiss chard and halved fingerling potatoes - for $18. Add sleek industrial décor, solid service, and a great list of wines and you'll understand why Fratelli Lyon has folks lining up to get in.
    9 articles
  • Image: Fresco California Bistro

    Fresco California Bistro

    1744 SW Third Ave. Downtown/Overtown

    305-858-0608

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    You know a restaurant has tapped into those wacky Californians when you can eat Mexican-style chicken eggrolls, caesar salad, herb-marinated and grilled skirt steak, spinach-sausage lasagna, and chocolate souffle all in the same meal. Throw in a mostly California wine list, affable servers without a shred of Miami's infamous 'tude, and an ambiance so relaxed that half the diners seem to have gone limp, and you've got Fresco California Bistro, a modest (and modestly priced) little eatery a sundried-tomato's throw from Biscayne Boulevard. Even if the food isn't all that special -- more like good home-cooking than high-wire, big-city restaurant fare -- it's such a pleasant place to dine that you can make like a wacky Californian and just kick back and enjoy the show.Read our full review.
    4 articles
  • Image: Gigi

    Gigi

    3470 N. Miami Ave. Midtown/Wynwood/Design District

    305-573-1520

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    Everything about the place is smart, starting with the lofty, industrial, urban-chic décor that bespeaks big city, late night, youth, energy, and fun. Comestibles are categorized into noodle bowls and rice bowls (three of each); "raw" and "grill" items (five of each); and a quartet of "basics." Just about every dish delights: two fluffy, white, taco-shaped roasted-pork buns; shreds of braised short ribs compacted into a "meat loaf" with smoky plantain sauce; a BLT with brown-sugar-cured pork belly on griddled bao buns with a small jar of ginger-pickled cucumbers and cauliflower alongside; steak chow fun; pork ramen with organic egg; and so forth. Mini nondairy ice-cream cones go for a buck apiece, but try the homemade carrot cake or peach crumble - like all else at Gigi, delectable and a great deal.Read our full review.
    49 articles
  • Image: Golden Fig

    Golden Fig

    1250 S. Miami Ave. Brickell

    305-374-4612

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    Sometimes, changing the menu simply isn't enough — you need to change the entire concept. At least that's what Michael Sullivan did when he closed his popular Brickell gastropub, OTC, and opened Golden Fig in its place. Named for an indigenous Florida tree, Golden Fig serves dinner and brunch in an intimate setting best described as farmhouse chic. Miami-born chef Tomas Prado (the Bazaar, My Ceviche) is behind the seasonal menu, which includes a cheese-and-charcuterie section and plenty of vegetarian options. Trained at Johnson & Wales University, Prado clearly demonstrates a knack for seafood dishes. His tuna tartare, served with a preserved-lemon-and-saffron aioli ($15), tastes effortless, while his pan-seared scallops ($25) from Portland, Maine, are impressive. For dessert, the s'mores jar ($9) is sinfully good; all of its components, from the chocolate mousse and the graham cracker to the lightly torched marshmallow, are made in house. It shows.
    6 articles
  • Image: The Grill on the Alley

    The Grill on the Alley

    19501 Biscayne Blvd. Aventura/North Miami Beach

    305-466-7195

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    Between frenzied flings with wasabi foams, foie gras ice cream, and other frivolous foods, diners return to safe and steady steakhouses such as the Grill on the Alley. The original Grill has thrilled Beverly Hills A-listers since 1984, and this Aventura branch relies on the same menu and formula — that of the classic American grill. That means sidecar martinis, shrimp cocktails, and oysters on the half-shell; Prime USDA steaks such as a juicy 16-ounce rib eye; pristine seafood entrées such as pan-seared mahi-mahi amandine; Buick-size baked potatoes, creamed spinach, and a wodgy wedge of iceberg lettuce glopped with blue cheese dressing; six-layer carrot cake, hot cobbler à la mode, and key lime pie. So consistent, so reliable, and so comforting in its predictability, the place brings no frills, no ills, and no unexpected thrills. Read our full review.
    5 articles
  • Image: Habitat

    Habitat

    2341 Collins Ave., Miami Beach Mid/North Beach

    305-604-6700

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    24 articles
  • Image: Haven

    Haven

    1237 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach South Beach

    305-987-8885

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    The snow-capped mountain range is dazzlingly white against an impossibly blue sky, and snowflakes slowly drift to the rhythm of the Tom Tom Club. The Tom Tom Club? Don't ask questions; just go with the flow. The wraparound LCD walls might soon change to images of the Mediterranean. A thousand or so ice-cube lights running in rows on a black ceiling subtly switch hues. The Siberian white-onyx bar changes color too, and if you sit long enough, Haven Gastro-Lounge fills to the brim with an electric late-night South Beach crowd (the room stays plugged in daily till 5 in the morning). Cocktails, placed on our table by a young waitress in a skin-tight micro-skirt, emanate smoke from liquid nitrogen -- also used to great visual effect in creating made-to-order ice creams for dessert. Among the drinks, desserts, and dramatics are a global mix of delectable small plates orchestrated by chef Todd Erickson. There are six categories of haute bar snacks: Crudo, Green, Roll, Crisp, Skewer, and Slider. Everything bursts with clean, fresh flavors, from a spicy tuna roll with crisp rice to coconut-crusted rock shrimp with wasabi-peach marmalade to a skewer of jerked chicken thighs atop a cucumber-pineapple salsa. Scintillating food in a stimulating psychedelic environment for the digital age. Cool.
    88 articles
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