Hominids have existed for 3.5 million years and they are renowned for eating anything.  Termites wandering in a mound? Stick a twig in and suck them up like candy. Berries growing on a bush? Put in the mouth and find out if they’re edible. Tarantulas walking on bamboo? Take a bite. Corpse of a zebra rotting on the open savannah? Sweet, you’ve hit the mother load. 

Homo sapiens, in short, evolved from creatures who were the ultimate omnivores. Plant, animal, live, dead—it was all good nutrition and who knows when such open-minded gusto will be seen again. 

But as human society progressed, rotting antelope was much less of an acceptable option.  We started becoming picky eaters, becoming finicky about taste, nutrition and microbes.  In fact, some of us humans want a specific place to shop for gourmet food, or a place that specializes in a certain kind of cuisine, or has a particular type of lunch special, or has a dinner show with Gypsies, etc. 

Oh, how far we have come since we began to walk upright. If only our rival hominid species had learned how to fashion ploughs or how to draw instructive hunting scenes, perhaps they too would have been able to share in the potential culinary wealth we alone now enjoy on this planet. Read on fellow hominid homo sapiens… reap the benefits of being on top of the food chain. 

Best Supermarket

Publix on the Bay

First of all it looks really cool. Designed by the Boston firm of Wood and Zapata, it looks like something out of the latter half of the 21^st Century. Second, it’s huge: that means more room for both items and people, a commodity that a few other Publixes don’t have.  Third, it has a pharmacy, allowing customers to gather food and other needed items while pharmacists do whatever it is they do (magic) to create the medicine. Fourth, it has a rare commodity in the city it’s in (cough: Miami Beach)--parking, and plenty of it thanks to a (gasp!) free garage.

Location: 1920 West Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-535-4268

Best Gourmet Supermarket

Epicure Market

A year ago the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade named the Epicure Market as one of the six best gourmet markets in the United States of America. Want to check out the other five, buy some plane tickets: three are in New York, one is Massachusetts and one in the state of California, according to a Miami Herald blip.  Epicure, though, is located in South Beach, readily accessible for South Floridians who have a tank of gas in the car.

Founded by Leonard and Edward Thal in the 1940s, Epicure market has had decades to gain a reputation for being the source of all things gourmet: be they baked products, meat, produce, spices, olive oil, soy sauce, candy, wine, or even potato chips.  Now owned by mega-restaurateur Isaac Starkman, this reputation has only been enhanced.

Location: 1656 Alton Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-672-1861

Best Health Food Market

Wild Oats

A granola-head paradise, Wild Oats is the place to find natural health food products and supplements without ingredients that originated in a laboratory. Besides fresh meat, produce and milk products, there are entire aisles where someone can find those hard-to-find vitamins, herbal supplements, or anti-oxidants. What? You’re a massage therapist and you want to find the proper oils and soaps to make your clients all nice and happy in a natural sort of way?  Wild Oats has ‘em.  For those who feel the sudden urge to eat out, check out the Wild Oats food court where you’ll find a killer salad bar, healthy pizza, homemade soup and other tasty treats. And, if you see that it’s getting close to midnight and you just gotta stock the frig with booze (‘cause you are expecting company, not in the mood to drink in a bar or a raving alcoholic) don’t fret, Wild Oats has beer.

Location: 1020 Alton Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-532-1707

Best Food Shopping Experience

Publixdirect.com

The parking is a nightmare, schlepping the bags home is even worse and the stalker in aisle 6 won’t stop glaring at you. Why leave the comfort of your own home or office to go food shopping when you can do it with the click of a mouse at www.publixdirect.com, the most ingenious invention for lazy people since, well, the Internet? For a $50 minimum and just a $7.95 delivery fee (which is waived when you first sign up), you will have all your goods delivered straight into your kitchen, no sweat, no hassles. The delivery guys are always on time (you get an email the day of delivery giving you an hour timeframe in which they will be by--you choose the day and time of delivery) and if they’re not, you get a discount on your next purchases. And the delivery guys wear booties on their feet so they don't mess up your floors! How cool is that? Even better, they take coupons, but no tips!
 

Best Kosher Grocer

B.E. Kosher Grocery Store

Wine, dairy products, meat, poultry, fish—anything that is digest-able can be found here and everything has been approved according to the standards of a higher source.

Location: 1436 Alton Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-531-7060

Best Bakery

Epicure Market

What better place to get your baked goods than at South Florida’s ultimate gourmet source. Besides the fact that the goods are fresh, many of the goods are hard to find elsewhere. How many places do you know carry olive and rosemary bread?  And whenever there is an anniversary or holiday, Epicure is the first place knowledgeable locals check out.  Have you ever heard of a 4^th of July cake?  How about a Father’s Day cake in which “dad” is depicted sunning himself on the beach?

Location: 1656 Alton Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-672-1861

Best Spanish Bakery

Coma’s Bakery

Specializing in Spanish and European baked goods, bakery fans from all over seek Coma’s for their crème brulee cakes, pastries and fresh baked bread.  But that’s not all: Coma’s bakery also has a lunch and dinner menu. That’s right: you don’t have to eat just cookies and cake at Coma’s. You can also order a Spanish omelet or a nice sandwich or an empanada.

Location: 1710 Alton Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-695-4151

Best Baked Goods

Karlo Bakery

This is especially good if you prefer your food items fresh. Everything on the premises is made that day: bread, cakes, pastries, sandwiches, etc.  This fact has made the place extremely popular. As one frantic employee said between orders, “This is a very busy bakery.”

Location: 1242 S.W. Coral Way, Miami

Phone: 305-858-1080

Best Mini-Pastries

Buenos Aires Bakery

Literally every day the pastry makers of Buenos Aires display different variations of pastries made from custard, caramel, chocolate, fruits and other sugar and sweet substances. Just point at the pretty pastries in the display case and pile it on. Don’t worry, the mini-pastries are only $7.99 a pound.

Location: 7134 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-861-2021

Best Liquor Store

Gulf Liquors

Wine, beer, vodka, rum, whiskey, bourbon… Gulf Liquors stocks from the most popular brands to the hard to find on its shelves, its wine racks, and its refrigerators. In fact, don’t be surprised if you see someone handing out samples at Gulf Liquors. Distributors hold their showcases at Gulf Liquors all the time. 

Location: 1681 Alton Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-531-5551

Best Booze Transporter

M.B. Liquors

Sometimes you just want a bottle of vodka or a six-pack of Guinness without having to walk outside of your home or deal with strangers. Fortunately M.B. delivers. Better yet, it has a free delivery service and there is no minimum charge.

Location: 814 Alton Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-532-8300

Best American Contemporary

Nemo

Nemo has a new executive chef, Michael Sabin. And, while the menu has evolved, it still retains the quality and direction that has made Nemo so successful. Like Chestnut Soup, with fresh chestnuts cooked with butter and foie gras to which Sabin adds puréed spinach, cream and a touch of cognac. The rich, Hudson Valley Foie Gras is just barely seared, its softness playing counterpoint to the crunchy beluga lentils it rests upon. Sabin describes his menu as “made with all the good stuff.”

Location: 100 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-532-4550

Best Hello

Moshi Moshi

Literally meaning “hello” in Japanese, Moshi Moshi is a favorite amongst locals who desire friendly service with their sushi which ranges from the ordinary to the extra-ordinarily exotic. The truly hungry and adventurous may want to seek the super roll section. Don’t want to eat on the premises? Moshi Moshi does take-out and delivery. And if you want to serve sushi at your next mixer consider calling Moshi: they cater.

Location: 1448 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-531-4520 

Best Old World Cuisine

Crystal Café

A native of Macedonia, Klime Kovacevski expanded his view of the world and his palate when he journeyed across Europe. As a result, when he opened his restaurant in Miami Beach, he opened it to critical acclaim with dishes such as his pan-seared duck a l’orange Floribbean, veal medallions dressed in smoked bacon or his veal scallopini basted in Portobello wine sauce. Dimly lit Crystal Café is also the perfect place to take the date you wish to impress. Also, in your corner will be Kovacevski himself, who is renowned for going table to table, making sure everything is superb.

Location: 726 41^st Street, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-673-8266

Best Theme Restaurant

Rock and Fellers

The ultimate Americana site on trendy Brickell Avenue, Rock and Fellers is a fun and friendly place that attracts an upscale power lunch clientele and plenty of action at its impressively handsome elliptical bar and patio. The theme is Rock and Roll, and photos and posters of rock legends abound, as do some memorabilia items, and combined with the rock and roll music in the background sets a perfect scene for all manner of occasions. The menu focuses on American classics as well – perfect accompaniment to the theme, décor and revelry of their loving customer base.

Location: 1441 Brickell Avenue, Miami

Phone: 305-372-2922

Best Health Food

Taste Bakery Cafe

More of a café than a bakery, really, but those are just details. What is important is that the establishment seeks to provide their customers with healthy yet tasty food that is free of hormones and pesticides. So make your own sandwiches, order a salad, sample a wrap, try a focaccia pizza and know that you won’t be digesting anything like steroids or DDT.

Location: 900 Alton Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-695-9930

Best Selection

Nexxt Café

We have a theory about why they call this place Nexxt Café, perhaps they wanted to subliminally say to the customer, “Yeah, we got that. Next. We got that too. Next. Got that also. Next.”

Chicken, steak, giant salads, pan-asian dishes, seafood, American hamburgers, tacos, pizza, pasta… look Bo Onur has everything, here. Take our word for it.

Location: 700 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-532-6643

Best Bistro

Café Papillon

This Lincoln Road landmark benefits from most of the characteristics that make for a great bistro. One, it is affordable, comfortable and laid back and diners can eat indoors or out in the midst of the performance art venue that is Lincoln Road. The menu’s bistro fair includes terrific Euro-sandwiches, soups, salads and spectacular desserts. Lunch is Café Papillon’s busiest time, when tables tend to be dominated by locals, regional office workers and others who enjoy the casual environment. It isn’t east to survive year after year on Lincoln Road, where restaurants seem to open and close every day. But Café Papillon manages just that by focusing on what makes a café work here: friendly, relaxed service, extremely consistent foods, and a total lack of stand-offish attitude. The combination isn’t easy to find – but it is utterly laudable when it is!

Location: 530 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-673-1139

Best Bavarian Food

Edelweiss

One might think that with the host of visitors Miami sees from Germany, that there would be a host of German and other eastern and central European restaurants every other block or so. But one would be wrong. Thankfully, the area’s best Bavarian restaurant continues to thrive and maintain a high level of culinary and service excellence. This homey “gasthaus” on lower Biscayne Boulevard started attracting business patrons for lunch and has since grown into a local institution. As for the menu – think wiener schnitzel, bratwurst, and for those not afraid of rich foods, their various tasty home-made sausage are also excellent; though it takes a brave soul to attack the “schwein schnitzel”! Sauerkraut and other sides are excellent and Edelweiss’ huge beer selection includes a number of obscure German brews. Bavarian wines are also highlighted, presenting patrons not familiar with those brisk vintages a delightful opportunity to explore them.

Location: 2655 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami

Phone: 305-573-4421

Best Home-Cooked Mexican

Mexico Magico

Okay, if you’re into the Tex-Mex or the Southwest thing, Mexico Magico has plenty of those dishes. But, if you want some authentic home-cooked Mexican, try some dishes like Chiles en Nogada where a Poblano pepper is stuffed with the establishment’s “family recipe” of picadillo consisting of ground beef with carrots, peas, pear, apple, raisins, potatoes and almonds and topped with Nogada sauce and pecans.  Or, for some real original stuff, try something from Ellie’s Recipes.

Location: 314 72^nd Street, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-866-6516

Best Mexican Restaurant

El Rancho Grande

Why is it that El Rancho Grande is so popular?  Granted, the full service bar has a lot to do with it. And its close proximity to Lincoln Road. But the real answer, as with all restaurants, is the food. El Rancho Grande’s food is simply addictive, particularly their stellar salsa!

Location: 1626 Pennsylvania Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-673-0480

Best Mexican with Music and Art

Sancho Panza al estilo Mexicano

A brand spanking new restaurant with some of the best Mexican dishes that can be found in the Downtown region, including the famous Sancho Panza’s Parrilla: beef, sausage, morcilla, chinchulines and mollejas; and Tampiquena Beef Fillet. This wasn’t good enough for owners Maria and Ricardo Corrales. So Sancho Panza also has live entertainment and a full-fledged art gallery on the top floor.

Location: 190 S.W. 1^st Avenue, Miami

Phone:  305-377-0990

Best St. Tropez-Style Cuisine

La Piaggia

Founded by Robert Pascal, La Piaggia is a private beach club so, unless you are invited, you are not going to get in. But let’s torment you a little with some authentic Southern French cuisine: poached salmon, cucumbers, and green sauce; grilled giant Tiger shrimps with garlic served on Risotto; fresh mussels, white wine and cream, served with honest-to-God French fries; grilled lamb chops with herbs; rib eye steak with Cognac pepper sauce; etc. Not hungry yet? Then ask a Murano on the Grande resident what they think of the food.  Then prepare to save up for a membership fee.

Location: 1000 South Pointe Drive, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-674-0647

Best Italian Restaurant—Argentine Style

Café Prima Pasta

The fact has been beaten to death by the local press: there are a lot more Argentines living in Miami-Dade County, particularly in the North Beach area. And many of these Argentines have opened up businesses: the most common form being restaurants. 

But long before people started calling North Beach “Little Buenos Aires,” Gerardo Cea and family opened Café Prima Pasta in 1993. Back then, as brother Fabian describes, “There was nothing here, there were bums all over the place.  This whole place was dead.”

Yet Café Prima Pasta thrived. The quaint, cozy romantic atmosphere inside—where the photographs of various celebrities who have visited Prima hang on the walls—has a lot to do with it.  So does the classy full-service bar, the outdoor seating area and the friendly staff. But what really makes Café Prima Pasta a success is its food: hot and cold antipasta, soups, chicken, fish and veal dishes so authentic tasting you would swear that it was made in the old country of Italy. (And yes, like many Argentines, the Ceas have roots in Italy.) The real treat, though, are the pastas: Capelli Primavera, angel hair pasta sautéed with vegetables, olive oil, garlic, basil and a bit of wine; Linguini Putanesca, made with tomatoes, marinara sauce, black olives, capers, anchovies, garlic and basil; Crab Raviolotti, homemade pasta stuffed with crabmeat and covered in a creamy pink sauce and smidgen of garlic and Linguini W.C.S., another homemade pasta with baby clams marinated in white wine sauce with basil and garlic.

Location: 414 71^st Street, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-867-0761

Best Trattoria Menu with a Bistro Attitude

Locando Sibilla

Chef Santi is from Bologna (“The town of lasagna.”) So we couldn’t pass up his mother’s recipe. It was remarkable, the lasagna, loaded with beef and a bit of pork in a sauce that was full of flavor but practically invisible, the large slice seemingly white and enticing with celery, onions, carrots and tomatoes. The béchamel topping had a touch of ground nutmeg and parmesan. The Ravioli Di Gamberi Con Salsa Di Mare ($15) were stuffed with shrimp and spinach, a nice pairing that worked well. Santi then splashed these pasta pockets with a ragout of lobster stock and garlic with pieces of scallops, tuna, salmon, swordfish, and sea bass. This was pasta heaven.

Location: 833 Lincoln Road Mall, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-695-1654

Best North Dade Italian

Bella Luna

While Tom Billante Senior helped his grandmother in the kitchen he picked up a few recipes, enough to open up a series of Italian restaurants including Bella Luna, which Tommy opened four years ago. At Bella it’s a simple Italian cuisine enhanced by only fresh ingredients: vegetables, fish, seafood and sauces.

Location: 19575 Biscayne Boulevard (Aventura Mall), Aventura

Phone: 305-792-9330

Best Casual Italian Dining

Da Leo Trattoria

What better way to dine than beneath the night sky on Lincoln Road. That was what Leonard Marchini thought when he opened Da Leo 10 years ago at the 800 Block of what was then a pedestrian mall in transition from being a desolate dump into a popular shopping, arts and dining center. He knew that Lincoln Road would complement his vision of “a true trattoria with al fresco dining.”

“Eating in a trattoria in Italy is like eating at home,” explains Da Leo’s web page. “The look can be rustic, homey or elegant, but always has it’s own personality. The mood can be relaxed or boisterous but always friendly and informal. The customers are families, singles, older people or anyone that wants to have simple, affordable good home style cooking.”

Da Leo’s home cooking has attracted a loyal following. So, too, has its Presto Pasta special where between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. (5 and 7:30 on Sunday) dinners can feast on Penne Alfredo con Scampi, Penne Alfredo con Pollo, Linguini Aglio E Olio, Rigatoni Melanzane, Penne All’Arrabiata and Rigatoni Quatro Formaggi—as well as a glass of wine, soft drink, coffee or tea—for only $13.95.

Location: 819 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach.

Phone: 305-674-0350.

Best New Italian Restaurant

Marcela’s Italian Café

Serving classical Italian dishes with an Argentine accent, Marcela’s has it all: great food, good service, decent prices and a full bar. 

Location: 946 Normandy Drive, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-861-6222

Best Italian Catering

Mama Jennie’s

There’s nothing noveau about Mama Jennie’s cuisine, whether in its busy dining room – a North Miami institution – or via their wildly popular catering service. Italian-American specialties are the name of the game, done right, and at affordable prices. That combination has led to a loyal following. Of course, dedicated fans don’t just stop in regularly for lasagna and other favorites like…well, mama used to make. They also utilize Mama Jennie’s very popular, efficient, affordable and tasty catering service for events of all sizes.

Location: 11720 N.E. 2^nd Avenue, Miami Shores

Phone: 305-757-3627

Best Home Made Pasta

Timo

I would have used words like stylish, classy, upscale, creative and exotic for everything about Timõ except its price tag. It’s priced so we all can afford it. The squid-ink Fettuccine was prepared with Calabrina chilies for just the right amount of heat, and then loaded with sautéed calamari and shrimp. Something as simple as spaghetti was tossed with little peas, shrimp and prosciutto, but rather than murkying the dish with a red sauce, Andriola chose to soften it with a little stock, some cream and a sprinkle of parmesan. Of course, the Pumpkin Ravioli ($14) was outstanding, the pasta stuffed with a pumpkin/ricotta blend. But we’re certain the smoked pancetta, diced calabaza and pecorino cheese took the dish up several more levels.

Location: 17624 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles

Phone: 305-936-1008

Best Pasta Connection

Mister Pasta

The name Jorge Stekelorum is known by Italian restaurants and pasta lovers everywhere.  For the last 12 years he has owned Mister Pasta, a place that can be best described as a bakery of pasta.  Using old-fashioned pasta machines, the staff creates homemade pasta that is coveted by gourmet addicts and many a local restaurant.

Location: 7311 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-866-8020

Best Happy Hour with Your Italian

Trazzo Lounge at Il Pomodoro

Take advantage of the lounge’s full service bar, hors d’ oeuvres, and live DJ. You’ll have so much fun that soon you’ll be tanked and making “spicy meatball” impersonations.

Location: 468 41^st Street, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-534-1788

London Tavern at Bay Harbor Inn & Suites
Between 5 and 7 p.m. this establishment offers two-for-one drink specials. And why not have a 10-ounce steak or a six-ounce sliver of fresh salmon for just $9.99?

Location: 9600 E. Bay Harbor Drive, Bay Harbor Islands

Phone: 305-868-4141

Best Wine Selection

The Forge

Like the restaurant itself, the wine selection at this Florida institution, The Forge, is famed, colorful, often fuels rumors, and, oh yes, is the best in the city bar none and one of the finest in the country. Its bars, utterly elegant dining room, world-class service and top of the line, if traditional, food remain alluring facets of this Miami Beach landmark. But one of the most exciting and impressive aspects of any visit to The Forge is a tour of its massive and diverse wine cellar. It is a site sure to impress even the most well-traveled and jaded vinophile. So much so, in fact, that if there were a category for “Best Place to be Locked in Overnight,” The Forge’s wine cellar would be the favorite for most tasteful folks in the know.

Location: 432 Arthur Godfrey Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-538-8533

Best Place to People Watch

Barton G

Let’s take this category off of Ocean Drive and Lincoln Road Mall and bring it inside for a change. Barton G, the eventauratuer – the Grand Master of the Event now turned Restaurateur – is a man who will never sit back, wipe his hands and declare “finis.” Not even when the restaurant baring his name is turning 300 covers a night after barely three weeks of operation. You see, he’s already bored with some of the dishes (“With all the tastings we did, I’ve been eating this food for eight weeks!”) and will be quickly bringing in new items. But what could he possibly replace? The potato crusted oyster? The truffled macaroni and cheese? Dover Sole with shrimp mousse? Watch the people and be amazed by the food.

Location: 1427 West Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-672-8881

Best Kitchen Classroom

Islands Café

How else are you going to learn how to cook if not by serving it to other people.  Essentially Bay Harbor Inn is an extension of the acclaimed Johnson and Wales University of Hospitality and Culinary arts. And the advanced students end up working for this hotel and the Islands Café. Menu is always changing here. But the chances are fairly good that the food you eat here will be prepared by a famous chef.

Location: 9660 East harbor Drive, Bay Harbor Islands

Phone: 305-868-4141

Best Restaurant to Dine and Be Seen

Pearl

Taste and aroma are the hallmark of new Executive Chef Frank Jeannetti, who redirected Pearl’s menu from New American cuisine to Asian fusion with multi-cultural influences. It’s a bit of Middle Eastern, French classical, South American and California bistro blended into his Asian basics. To some, the Pan-Asian “thing” might be over, but with Jeannetti’s creativity and light touch, there are still a multitude of flavors to enjoy. Pearl embraces all your senses even before the late evening music takes over. Visually, it’s one of a kind. The Stephan Dupoux room is draped in white, while orange neon filters through gauzy pillars, projecting a warm hue. The champagne bar – dotted with large orange polka dots – with its futuristic orange and white chairs whose backs sweep to a high apex, is a focal point of the room. But so are the waterfall wall in the lounge, the covered-yet-open-air Bay Deck and Ocean Deck where you can watch the cruise ships sail out or view the Atlantic.

Location: One Ocean Drive, Miami Beach

Phone:  305-673-1575

Best Brickell Dining Experience

Perricone’s Marketplace & Café

Steven Perricone wanted to create a relaxing dining experience in the middle of Brickell.  The key to his goal: a house built in 1900. 

It fell apart.

No matter, Perricone transported a bar from Vermont built in 1700 and reassembled it on the very same spot. Thus diners can enjoy brunch, lunch and dinner in a New England barn (now the oldest structure in Miami) or outside in sight of one of the more beautiful, tree-laden parts of Brickell.

Location: 15 S.E. 10^th Street, Miami

Phone: 305-374-9449

Best Oyster Bar

River Oyster Bar

It’s not Fishbone’s anymore so get over it. Good news though is that old Fishbone executive chef David Bracha bought the place with Miami lawyer guy Kieran Fallon and re-christened it River Oyster Bar. Described as a “chic urban dining experience, serving bold American cuisine” with a bit of continental and West Indian flavor, River Oyster Bar also has plenty of oysters and they’re half price during happy hour on weekdays.

Location: 650 S. Miami Avenue, Miami

Phone: 305-530-1915

Best Steakhouse

Shula’s Steakhouse

Miami’s one and only true Don – as in Don Shula, former championship coach of the Miami Dolphins – has been quite a business figure around town since he quit prowling the sidelines of Pro Player Stadium or whatever the Dolphins home stadium is going to be called this year. Sure, the Don Shula’s Hotel and Golf Club in Miami Lakes is a handsome and popular destination out in that part of Miami-Dade County. But most on Miami Beach are reminded of the winningest coach in the history of professional football when they visit Shula’s Steakhouse in the Alexander All Suite Luxury Hotel. Diners find the highest quality beef – like butter – prepared to perfection a winning combination too. Leave the neo- this and new age- that to other restaurants, at Shula’s the emphasis in on meat that once went “moo,” and no one does it as well. An opulent but comfortable dining room rounds out the experience nicely.

Location: The Alexander, 5225 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-341-6565

Best New Restaurant

Quinn’s

Spacious, stylish and with indoor and terrace dining, Quinn’s is the new love child of former Executive Chef Gerry Quinn of A Fish Called Avalon. Quinn’s Caribbean Snapper made the cover of Where Magazine a few seasons ago. Prepared in basically the same marinade as the Bang Bang Shrimp, the filet is caramelized and splashed with a cool sauce (instead of the shrimp’s mint) of orange juice and Grand Marnier reduced down to a marmalade and mixed with yogurt. The accompanying grilled plantains also received the 14-spice treatment.

Location: 640 Ocean Drive in the Park Central Hotel, South Beach

Phone: 305-673-6400

Best Seafood Restaurant

A Fish Called Avalon

Obla de, obla da, life goes on. And A Fish Called Avalon continues to pack ‘em in post-Quinn with a seafood menu that encompasses virtually every sea creature that we are legally allowed to eat in the United States. Yes, endangered species fans, that means the dolphin served here have gills. But where the Avalon is bound by federal law it makes up for in global creativity, for executive chef Joe Monteiro can prepare lobster, flounder, snapper or shrimp in a such a way you swear you were dining in France, Italy, Japan or California.  Okay, California is still technically in the Union, but still…..

Location: 700 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-532-1727

Best Restro- Lounge

Rumi

Named after the 13^th Century Sufi poet Jelaluddin Rumi by co-owner Alan Roth, Rumi the restaurant lounge is one of the most popular nightspots in South Beach: attracting groups, musicians and locals alike. But while Rumi may be among South Beach’s anointed nightspots, it’s really all about the food, and executive chef J.D. Harris can cook some scrumptious Mediterranean yet tropical dishes thanks to his intense culinary training under Chef Emeril Lagasse. From a tamarind steak sauce to Mahi Mahi served with finger bananas, cippolini onions and lime, each of the dishes served at Rumi finds a way to incorporate citrus or fruit for an exotic but strangely familiar taste.

Location: 330 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-672-4353

Best Aventura Restaurant Lounge

Q

Okay, the restaurant lounge experience is a tad different in Aventura than in South Beach.  For example, you won’t find a DJ spinning in the corner every damn night at the Q. You will, however, find one of the more generous happy hours in Aventura-land. You will also find one of the most eclectic menus offering anyway-you-like-it crepes (example of one crepe creation: a sautéed shrimp in creamy lobster and asparagus sauce or a Portobello mushroom, goat cheese, sun dried tomato and basil crepe), gourmet sandwiches, appetizers that are labors of love, and panini that are to die for. So if you want to hang out in a classy café atmosphere (with a choice of indoor and outdoor seating), get buzzed, and enjoy an eclectic menu that’s enjoyable for lunch, dinner or late-night fun, then cue it up for Q.

Location: 3375 N.E. 207^th Street, Suite B-11, Aventura

Phone: 305-931-9957

Best Restaurant Setting

Casa Tua

This super-deluxe boutique hotel and small restaurant is the brainchild of mastermind Micky Grendene and it’s a true sight to behold. Although easy to miss if one does not know what to look for, Casa Tua is truly like a piece of the Mediterranean lifted and relocated right to the middle of South Beach. The hotel is simply elegant without being off-putting and the same applies to the restaurant. Italian fusion is the culinary centerpiece here, led by Chef Sergio Sigala. The menu is constantly changing and evolving, but diners will see fabulous gourmet ingredients not often found in these parts such as black truffles, white asparagus, artisanal cheeses, quail, etc. The food is clever and sophisticated and, combined with the beauty of the hotel, make for one of the truly unique and classy dining locations in the city.

Location: 1700 James Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-673-0973

Best Greek Food

Taverna Opa

This third location of Taverna Opa (the other two are in Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale) makes for a perfect fit with its South Beach location, in that it combines entertainment with a terrific variety of Greek food. Entertainment comes not just in the form of belly dancers and Middle Eastern-style music, but the requisite plate smashing, napkin tossing and table dancing associated with a truly lively and authentic Greek eatery. It’s all part of the environment at this fun and friendly location. Even if it were not for the raucous good times, Taverna Opa would still be popular for its delicious and affordable menu alone.

Legitimate Mediterranean cuisine is the essence of simplicity: high quality ingredients, accentuated – not dominated – by pairing tastes and preparations. Fish here is mostly marinated and grilled over oak wood with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and herbs. There is also plenty of wood-fired meat with the grilled lamb chop being one of the most popular selections. If a party wants a whole roast lamb, Taverna Opa can handle the request with 24 hours notice. But there is a host of other Greek specialties to choose from as well – so much so that one can’t possibly try everything one might want to in a single visit. But that’s OK. Any meal polished off with a shot of Ouzo is bound to get one thinking about the next meal.

Location: 36-40 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-673-6730

Best Mediterranean Cuisine

Lemon Twist

Before Lemon Twist, there was little in the way of upscale quality dining in the North Beach area. When Lemon Twist opened, some thought the location might be a mistake. As it turned out, however, Lemon Twist’s backers either recognized that North Beach was about to change or else the very presence of this friendly and tasty restaurant actually fueled the change. In any event, North Beach has had a resurgence of late with a number of good restaurants finding a home there. But Lemon Twist remains the flagship eatery, with its Euro-Med environment, live jazz and fashionable diners. The fun starts with complimentary shots of their house liqueur, which happens to be ambrosia. Afterward diners can choose from a host of Mediterranean and Med-themed dishes. Pastas, meat and fish abound with lauded specialties such as spinach lasagna with smoked salmon and chicken with lemon and cream sauce. But it is hard to go wrong on the Lemon Twist menu – leaving it up to diners’ individual tastes!

Location: 908 71^st Street, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-868-2075

Best Consistent Good Food

Balan’s

This English-themed eatery toward the western end of Lincoln Road is much loved by locals. So much so, that they have made it arguably the most popular breakfast spot on Lincoln Road. It could be the unparalleled breakfast specials offered seven days a week. Or the legitimately friendly and helpful staff. Most likely, though, it is the consistency, which never waivers from excellent, period. Their consistency doesn’t just show up in breakfast, though. Their lunch and dinner menu includes not just English fare such as bangers and mash but plenty of salads and Asian-themed dishes as well. All are quite good, leaving the decision up to the whim of the diner. However, any Beach diner not familiar with Balan’s Lobster Club Sandwich has really missed out on something spectacular.

Location: 1022 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-534-9191

Best Fast Food

Dogma Grill

The original Biscayne Boulevard location wasn’t open long before Dogma owner David Tunnell decided to launch a second branch on South Beach, set for September: not too shabby for what is essentially a glorified hot dog stand. Ah, but Dogma has made the hot dog respectable again after years of being confined to kids’ food and ballpark “food”! They’ve done it with great dogs –- some 15 varieties in all and counting (beef franks, Polish sausages, veggie franks, etc). And then there is how one wants his or her dog prepared. There is the Classic of course with mustard, ketchup, relish and onions. And then there are cool variations such as the Matador (spicy mustard, horseradish cream, frilled onions and melted Swiss cheese) and the Athens (with chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, kalamata olives, virgin olive oil, fresh oregano and feta cheese), to name just two. Heck, if a really good dog at an affordable price isn’t enough to tempt you, Dogma offers a few other items too: fresh-to-order corn dogs (very good), a chicken sandwich, grilled cheese sandwich and even fresh salads. Here’s to the return of an American classic!

Locations:  7030 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami (Soon to add second location at 15^th and Alton Road)

Phone: 305-759-3433

Best Kosher

Prime Grill

With the opening of The Prime Grill, Kosher has gone upscale, expanded into realms we have prayed for, and encompasses a world cuisine those who keep kashruth would have never thought possible. The Prime Grill’s beautifully designed 375-seat waterfront restaurant is alive with style, character and more families than you can shake a kugel at. If you could find a kugel, or a brisket, a roasted chicken or a bit of strudel on the menu. Rather we are presented with empanadas, sushi, spring rolls, chicken paillard, seven cuts of hand-selected, prime aged meats, and blueberry spring rolls.

Location: 3599 N.E. 207^th Street, Aventura

Phone: 305-692-9392

Best Deli

Jerry’s Deli

A masterstroke move by master restaurateur and entrepreneur Isaac Starkman, Jerry’s was opened right in the middle of SoBe’s entertainment center (and in the old Warsaw’s Ballroom no less) during a time when other restaurants were folding up and dying. The location and timing helped Jerry’s become a success, not to mention a menu of 600 items that range from the traditional deli to the not-so-traditional. Want to wet your whistle after scarfing down pizza, salad, soup or a gigantic salad?  Jerry’s Deli has the longest 2-for-1 happy hour special known to mankind spanning from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Location: 1450 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-532-8030

Mo’s Bagel & Deli

Aventurites have appreciated the food and friendly atmosphere at Mo’s Bagel & Deli since it opened in 1995. There were of course the bagels: gefilte fish, chopped liver, matzoh brei, herring in cream sauce, etc. There were the giant Hebrew National product sandwiches. There were the salads, soups, lox, whitefish, nova, etc. But, darn it, it didn’t stay open past lunch.

Not the case any more. Mo’s is staying up past its old bedtime – ‘till 9 p.m. and is even offering a brand spanking new dinner menu with plenty of beef flanken, Hungarian goulash, grilled beef liver with onions, baked scrod and broiled Atlantic salmon. Just as with breakfast and lunch there are plenty of specials to choose from and you won’t find any entrees costing more than $13.99.

Location: 2780 N.E. 187^th Street, Aventura

Phone: 305-936-8555

Best 24/7 Diner

11^th Street Diner

Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and located smack in the middle of the craziness of Washington Avenue, the 11^th Street diner is great for late night dining and people watching.

Location: 1065 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-534-6373

Best Argentine Restaurant

Novocento

Empanadas are not usually a favorite of ours as the dough is often heavy and dry. But these plate-sized treats were light and flaky – almost buttery. Choose two from a selection of hand-carved beef (rich and slightly spiced), spinach and cheese with onion, or a sweet and creamy corn. The corn empanada was deep-fried but is also available baked. Artichoke Salad was superb in its tasteful simplicity. Baby artichoke hearts, baby greens, fresh corn and haricot vert – even a bit of grapefruit – with a sprinkling of slivered almonds in a honey/lime vinaigrette. If you really love sweetbreads order the Mollejitas Doradas. Rather than simple grilling, these choice tidbits are pan roasted in a demi until almost caramelized and served with sautéed string beans, tomato, corn and sliced mushrooms. Shoestring potatoes share the plate.

Location: 1080 Alton Road, South Beach

Phone: 305-531-8100

Best Latin Cuisine in Aventura

Barrio Latino

What kind of restaurant is Barrio? A hostess answered: “Spanish, Cuban, Argentine, Mexican, all kinds.” In one roof you can have New York strip steak Argentine style, chicken fajitas, Milanesa de Pollo (breaded breast of chicken covered with ham, tomato sauce and mozzarella), Cuban sandwich, and Masas de Cerdo (tender pork chunks served on a avocado sauce).

Location: 3585 N.E. 207^th Street (inside Waterways), Aventura

Phone: 305-692-4455

Best Cafeteria Window

David Café II

Technically this is the second David’s set up by the Gonzalez Family, hence the two. For locals, though, the place is number one for Café con Leche, empanadas, Cuban sandwiches, chicken soup, and something we can only describe as “meatballs.” (They are good though.) Just drive by on Meridian Avenue and you will see a mass of suits, bikini boppers, casual t-shirt wearers, rambling schizophrenics and Spanish soap opera stars all congregating at the window and striving to get the server’s attention.

Location: 1654 Meridian Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-672-8707

Best Sushi

Sushi Doraku

Priding itself as one of the cooler evening spots on Lincoln Road, Doraku is not afraid to use images of Japanese animation as their mascots. Doraku doesn’t buy from local fish vendors, but the fish are flown in daily, allowing Doraku to offer 20 different fresh fish choices and several forms of sushi rolls. 

Location: 1104 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-695-8383

Best Thai Restaurant

Red Thai Room

California Craig Gereau got a taste for Thai food when he lived in Thailand for a few years. And his Thai experience inspired his opening of the Red Thai Room. It’s called Red Thai Room for two reasons. 1.The color red is very noticeable. 2. Real authentic Thai food. Example: Pad Thai, consisting of rice noodles or your choice of chicken, beef, pork, vegetables, or shrimp. There’s plenty of curry dishes like Masaman (amber curry), Kaeng Dang (red curry) and green curry (they didn’t give us the Thai name for green, probably because its too hard to spell). There are also several forms of exotic seafood dishes.

Location: 20301 Biscayne Boulevard, Aventura

Phone: 305-792-0232

Best Place for a Steak and Chinese Cuisine

Christine Lee’s

A popular restaurant that has existed for the last 36 years, Christine Lee’s serves Mandarin and Szechuan dishes. But they also serve plenty of Western dishes: particularly those with some meat on ‘em like prime sirloin steak and veal chops.

Location: 17082 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-947-1717 

Best Chinese in North Beach

Fu Manchu

One can’t help but notice the kitschy architecture of this North Beach institution passing by on busy 71^st Street, and it’s a good thing: without the visual reference, too many people might miss North Beach’s best Chinese restaurant. It’s been an institution here for decades, and while the location itself might have lost a little luster while so much redevelops around it, the menu has not lost a thing. There’s plenty to choose from at Fu Manchu, including a clever selection of dim sum and some terrific house specialties. Upper-end Chinese tastes abound, though there are also some more traditional Western items – for diners who simply must. Most, though, will face but a single crisis: what to try from among items on a large and imaginative menu. There are definitely worse problems to have…

Location: 325 71^st Street, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-866-4263

Best Authentic Chinese

Yeung’s Chinese Restaurant

As often happens in these United States of America the unique cuisines of cultures sort of become melded together. That is even more the case in Miami-Dade County where restaurateurs kind of pride themselves on creating unique blends of fusion restaurants.

Not so at Yeung’s where the restaurant’s cuisine is distinctly Chinese with dishes such as Lobster with Black Bean Sauce, Salt and Pepper Flounder, Soft Shell Crab with Cellophane Noodle, Pork Shops with Honey Garlic Sauce and Cantonese Style Roasted Duck. And culinary nuts take notice: Yeung’s authentic dishes even got a nod from the Zagat Guide of 2003.

Location: 954 41^st Street, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-672-1144

Emerald Coast Chinese Gourmet Buffet

Emerald Coast doesn’t deal in any pedestrian budget buffet business. See that “gourmet” in the title? It’s there for a reason. The food at the Coast is always fresh and never warmed over, inspiring, never limp. Unlike others of its ilk, this Chinese buffet also features a wide variety of dishes spread over at least seven mini-buffets, with everything from sushi rolls, fresh crab legs and shrimp to succulent barbecue ribs and naughty deserts. Furthermore, the atmosphere and service are tops, enough to make you forget that your wallet is still as stuffed as you are. The only thing you might have to contend with is the mass of regulars lusting for a table and a plate, but trust us, it’s worth the wait.

Location: 16850 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles Beach

Phone: 305-787-1530

Best Parillada

San Telmo

A different singer performs at San Telmo every Saturday night. On the night we visited a woman sang ballads so passionately that owner Mario Szwark had to sing along with her just outside.

But on any given day or night diners can enjoy another show: a view of how chefs Juan and Alejandro prepare their meals. The grill and kitchen is separated from the main restaurant only by a counter, allowing folks to observe the preparation of breaded veal, chicken cutlet, parillada para dos (mixed grill for two), tender stuffed rolled veal, chicken brochettes, linguini, fettuccini, etc.  Trust us, it’s a hunger-inducing experience.

Location: 16850 Collins Avenue, 102, Sunny Isles Beach

Phone: 305-957-0006

Best New York Invasion

Prime Grill

A stylish Kosher favorite in New York has made its unique presence known in Aventura. Patrons tour the world with BBQ Duck springrolls, a delicious confit, lightly marinated and wrapped in spring rolls, then quickly fried and served with a sweet secret with a bite; short rib empanadas, light and flaky pastries, stuffed with seasoned, pulled short rib meat and topped with a grilled mango/smoked papaya salsa; and a black bean polenta with the corn meal cakes soft and moist, topped with a smashed black bean sauce, a bit of onion and guacamole.

Location: 3599 N.E. 207^th Street, Aventura

Phone: 305-692-9392

Best Gourmet Cuban Restaurant

Tete Restaurant

Take a Little Havana storefront eatery, add a classically trained chef and a rapidly developing area and the result can be as delightful as at Tete. There are two ways to approach Tete. One could either see it as an upscale Cuban eatery – or once could see it as a gourmet restaurant with a touch of Cuban influence. Chef Caprice Tassinari trained at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, which helped transform this storefront into an exceptional restaurant. It’s a bit, uh, rustic inside but the menu is anything but. Some items are gourmet takes on Cuban and neo-Cuban dishes. Others, though, such as el chino (a local fish called snook marinated in a terrific oregano cream sauce) are quite rare. There’s plenty of ethnic food to be found in Little Havana – but none that quite compares to that of Tete.

Location: 1444 S.W. 8^th Street, Miami

Phone: 305-858-8801

Best “Sporting” Cuisine

Sport Café

With a name like Sport Café, one might imagine considerably more “sport” than “café,” but the opposite is true at this unusually tasteful spot in the middle of South Beach. Chicken wings and beer? Greasy burgers? Nope, not here. Think more along the line of Italian and Italian-American specialties like lasagna and gnocchi. Sport Café looks a little snazzier than in its original incarnation, but not to worry – that hasn’t changed the wonderful affordability factor of this fun and friendly little gem.

Location: 560 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-674-9700

Best Gone Restaurant

Now where will we find the world’s best osso bucco?

Best Upscale Bar and Restaurant

Pearl

You have to open a lot of oysters before you find a single pearl. And you have to enter numerous restaurants before you come close to ever finding one in any way as spellbinding as Pearl. Pearl embraces all your senses even before the late evening music takes over. Visually, it’s one of a kind. The champagne bar – dotted with large orange polka dots – with its futuristic orange and white chairs whose backs sweep to a high apex, is a focal point of the room. But so are the waterfall wall in the lounge, the covered-yet-open-air Bay Deck and Ocean Deck where you can watch the cruise ships sail out or view the Atlantic. The food is a bit of Middle Eastern, French classical, South American and California bistro blended into Asian basics.

Location: One Ocean Drive, South Beach

Phone: (305) 673-1575

Best Sake Selection

All of their excellent sushi washes down just perfectly with Doraku’s terrific assortment of sakes.

Location: 1104 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-695-8383

Best Hibachi Grill

Benihana

Before sushi was the most ubiquitous dine-in trend in South Florida, renowned Benihana was the most famous purveyor of Japanese food in the city. It remains wildly popular for local residents’ special events and legions of visitors. One real appeal is the show – master samurai chefs cooking on open grills in front of diners, demonstrating their knife work and culinary skill. Of course, afterward the result is succulently tender prepared grill specialties – favorites of adults and children alike and one of the truly rare style of preparations to be found in the city.

Location: 1665 N.E. 79^th Street Causeway, North Bay Village

Phone: 305-866-2768

Best Chef

Michelle Bernstein

Azul

Executive Chef Bernstein continues to impress diners nightly with a quality that has never faltered. For example: chicken. Chicken has never been treated so well. Bernstein de-bones a half chicken and prepares chicken sausage with a little minced apple and jalapeno, sautéed and caramelized shallots and garlic and folds it all in tiny croutons made with brioche. To this is added a bit of goat cheese and mascarpone. When the preparation’s complete she wraps it all in the chicken breast, sautés and oven roasts it. Think succulent, flavorful. And the dark poultry sauce with diced pieces of apple doesn’t hurt it either.

Location: 500 Brickell Key Drive, at the Mandarin Oriental, Miami

Phone: 305-913-8288

Best Unsung Chef

Novocento

Novocento is full nightly and has compiled quite a list of happy regulars. The man in the kitchen who is responsible for most of that action is Medici who was the original chef in Novecento’s first location in SoHo and has traveled the company’s ‘Opening Circuit’ ever since. One evening’s special, Red Snapper, was a hearty, bone-free filet sautéed in a lemon/lime/mussels broth, with sweet mussels scattered across the plate. There were even more mussels, still in the shell, guarding the perimeter of the dish. Alongside the moist snapper was a beckoning sweet potato mash that surprised our tastebuds with its not-so-subtle cayenne and black pepper bite. The surprise was a definite treat.

Location: 1080 Alton Road, South Beach

Phone: 305-531-8100

Best Chef to Blow in From Chicago

Andrew Rothschild

The Forge

Rothschild received critical acclaim in his native Chicago. Now, after taking the first few months to acclimate himself, he has begun incorporating his vibrant, new dishes in with old Forge favorites. So in addition to the Forge Salad and Rack of Lamb, expect sea scallops with foie gras, a two-pound lamb shank and lacquered striped bass. As owner Shareef Malnik puts it: “We have always had loyal locals, tourists and celebrities. With Chef Andrew in the kitchen, we are now attracting the foodies.”

Location: 432 West 41^st Street, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-538-8533

Best Breakfast

Front Porch Café

Appreciated by late-night denizens suffering from exhaustion by dancing, alcohol poisoning by hours of drinking and visions from taking who remembers what. We’re talking omelets, pancakes, fruits and eggs.  Everything a self-destructing partier needs. But just remember acid takers: the pancakes are not really telling you to strip naked and run down Ocean Drive.

Location: 1418 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-531-8300

Best Irish Breakfast

The Playwright

Probably the only place south of the Dade-Broward line where a body can enjoy an authentic Irish breakfast. The eggs are imported from Ireland! The bacon, filled with less fat and more meat, also comes from Ireland. The sausages are made from an authentic Irish recipe kept in owner Eamon Guilfoyle’s family for generations. And, oh yes, Irish baked beans and home fries. Yum!

Location: 1265 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-534-0667

Best Sunday Brunch

Bleau View

Monday is coming in less than 24 hours. It will soon be back to the grind of lifting boxes, cleaning tables, filing papers, making deals and being yelled at by your boss. So how do you make the transition from not-having-to-do everything to having-to-do everything? 

The Bleau View.

On Sunday mornings you can head inside this classy Mediterranean restaurant and stuff your face with wide ranging buffet that includes fresh bagels, ice cream, smoked salmon, sushi, oysters, shrimp, crab claws, whole Maine lobster, Caribbean seafood chowder.

Location: 4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach (inside the Fontainebleau)

Phone: 305-538-2000

Best Lunch Take-Out

Kim’s Chinese

When you aren’t in the mood for fancy, overpriced sandwiches or artery clogging fast food, Chinese Take Out is always a sure bet. For 41 years, Kim’s Chinese has perfected the art of Chinese delivery with affordable chow mien, roast pork, special fried rice, moo goo gai pan and several other tasty—yet filling—delicacies.

Location: 1245 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-672-8822

Best Power Lunch

Café Avanti

Gain energy for the second half of the day by heading over to Café Avanti and devouring some shrimp scampi, anti-pasta, pasta with mushroom and prosciutto cream sauce, minestrone soup or veal scallopini. Lunchers will find out why Café Avanti is an Italian institution on Lincoln Road. And, for those working in SoBe-Downtown area, Avanti is strategically located: just 10 minutes away from Miami and five minutes from South Beach.

Location: 732 41^st Street, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-538-4400

Best New Lunch Addition

Grillfish

A landmark for years on South Beach for its unpretentious selection of fresh fish prepared to the diner’s specification, Grillfish recently opened for lunch, when the appeal is very much the same. Grillfish is neither attitude-laden nor minimalist, making it a comfortable place for visitors and residents alike who want to try some of the best-prepared fish and seafood in the city. Savvy diners know they can inquire about the availability of fish pulled from local waters if they want to sample the South Florida bounty – and will actually be given accurate information from staff! That alone sets Grillfish apart from many seafood eateries in the County. Their new lunch hours are likely to add to the legion of aficionados who rate Grillfish a must-visit Miami Beach eatery.

Location: 1444 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-538-9908

Best Early Bird Special

Tiramisu

If you’re looking for something special, get to Tiramesu’s any evening between 6 and 8 p.m. Their Beat the Clock promotion enables you to order one of their pasta specials, based on the time you place your order. Order at 6:15 and pay $6.15 for linguine, rigatoni or pipette.

Location: 721 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-532-4538

Best Outdoor Dining

A La Folie

When the weather permits A La Folie the French crepe restaurant becomes A La Folie barbeque central on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. The fun begins just outside the restaurant in what the management calls “the garden.” OK, so “garden” might not quite adequately describe the environment, but, hey, how many people have ever attended a French Barbeque? What sort of menu?  Depends on the night… the menu is never the same.

Location: 516 Española Way, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-538-4484

Best Cuban Sandwiches

Latin American Café

Let’s face it – scenic Bayside Marketplace is largely seen as more popular with visitors to Miami than its residents. Neither its vendor walkway nor the mall shops offer much that locals can not find elsewhere, although Bayside remains a popular evening spot for lively entertainment and a handful of watering holes. What many people might, unfortunately miss, is the seemingly innocuous Latin American Café. It might not be the place for Brickell bankers to host their power lunches but it has something going for it that aficionados of the particular flavors of Miami-style cuisine covet deeply: they make the best Cuban sandwiches in the area. Now you might think that tossing some meats and accoutrements in a bun and grilling it flat is a pretty simple procedure. But when done right, with the right quality ingredients and when warmed to just the correct temperature, the result is a unique and decidedly tasty sandwich that even that Subway pitchman might have a hard time resisting. At this casual, inexpensive eatery, it is always the right time of day for the famed medianoche!

Location: Bayside Marketplace, 400 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami

Phone: 305-381-7774

Best Italian Sandwich

Panfiore

The ubiquitous Euro-sandwich gets the extra special treatment here, with top-notch fresh ingredients and great bread. They deliver, which is nice. Now, if only their great sandwiches were easier to sneak into the adjacent South Beach Cinema…

Location: 1627 Alton Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-674-0930

Best Minestrone Soup

Café Avanti 

There are a lot of reasons to dine at this institutional Arthur Godfrey Road restaurant.  Veal Chop, Pasta, Steak: all are nice and tasty here. But the staff of Café Avanti is quite proud of its Minestrone soup. Served only with fresh, homegrown vegetables, Avanti will prepare your Minestrone anyway you like it. Have the urge for Minestrone Genovese?  Head on down to Avanti where the cooks will prepare it Old Country style.

Location: 732 41^st Street, Miami Beach.

Phone: 305-538-4400.

Best Sandwich Buy on Lincoln Road

Russian Bear Café at Books & Books

Hey, how could a small, boutique sandwich shop located inside a bookstore not be a hidden gem ready to be discovered? Within Lincoln Road’s Books & Books, this little café pumps out coffees, delicious desserts and great sandwiches to hungry literati and to others in the know. What’s to know, you ask? How about a delicious Russian Bear Café sandwich with chips and a beverage for $5.50?  It’s a deal that can’t be beat on Lincoln Road.

Location: 933 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-532-3222

Best Beef

Palm

This Bay Harbor institution is a bit of a throwback – really resembling a 1930s era New York chophouse, which can be a lot of fun. The emphasis is on steaks and chops here – massive portions of high quality meat prepared to the exact specification of the customer. Their unsurpassed quality in steaks and the other meat is roughly comparable to their stellar and much-lauded attentive service. Palm isn’t for everyone – vegans be damned! But it serves up beef in a manner that would make an Iron Chef blush – and that’s saying something.

Location: 9650 E. Bay Harbor Drive (Kane Concourse), Bay Harbor Island

Phone: 305-868-7256.

Best Eggplant Parmesan

Il Pomodoro

The kids at this sophisticated Northern Italian restaurant make all manner of tasty dishes with this vegetable: Melanzana alla Griglia (marinated grilled eggplant, gorgonzola, roasted peppers), Rigatoni Pollo (eggplant and zucchini in marinara sauce with chicken) or maybe the Ravioli Mondello (eggplant stuffed in homemade ravioli along with ricotta cheese and sun dried tomatoes).

Location: 468 41^st Street, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-534-2470

Best Pizza

Pizza Rustica

Surprisingly, pizza is not as ubiquitous on South Beach as, say, sushi, fusion cuisine and more elaborate Italian restaurants. Maybe that’s because a handful of pizza-oriented establishments in town gobble up all the business. Pizza Rustica would definitely be one of those coveted institutions. Their Tuscan style pizzas are not quite comparable to your average pizza fast food joint – not with options like spinach with bleu cheese and arugula and rosemary potato. Still, they are filling and bound to ruin one’s appetite for the run of the mill delivery pizza. In fact, so popular is Pizza Rustica that the word has been for some time that it is a must-visit for designer Todd Oldham when he is in town.

Location: 863 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-674-8244

Best Designer Pizza

Spiris La Pizzarie del TiramesU

La Pizzarie has antipasta, carpaccini, salads and sandwiches. But Spiris is a La Pizzarie.  And boy is it: examples of its pies include Quattro Stagioni (1/4 margherita, ¼ mushroom, ¼ artichoke and ¼ ham), Gamberetti (consisting of tomato sauce, mozzarella, shrimp, arugula and olive oil), Hawaiian (sliced pineapple and ham), and Caprese (sliced tomatoes, salerno buffalo, mozzarella, fresh basil and olive oil) are just some of the examples of pies prepared by Spiris.

If that isn’t enough, Spiris La Pizzarie also has a “beat the clock” special where between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., if you order a pie, the price will be the same as the time for Pizza Margherita, Pizza Romana and Pizza Marinara.

Location: 731 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-673-2020

Best Brick Oven Pizza

Piola

A few years ago, it seemed that brick oven pizzerias could be found anywhere. But like martinis and cigars, after the initial craze, only the quality purveyors have gone on to continued success. Piola is in the pantheon of successful brick oven pizzerias for its terrific oven and a staff who knows how to get the best pies out of it.

Location: 1625 Alton Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-674-1660

Best Large Pizza

Pucci’s Pizza

Hungry for some pizza?  Pucci’s is a believer in “more filling, tastes great.”  Don’t believe it? Check out the “two feet of pizza” known as the Giant 2 Footer.

Location: 1608 Alton Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-674-1110

Best Thai Appetizers

Zooz

This friendly little eatery specializes in flavorful but light fare. Wraps, salads and a make your own salad bar are available and good. But the selection of Thai appetizer items are the real star here and can easily make for a meal themselves. Healthy and delicious don’t always come wrapped in the same package, which makes Zooz a little gem on busy Lincoln Road.

Location: 445 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-695-9669

Best Sandwich Shop

Le Sandwicherie

One would have to either be blind or committed to the latest supermodel diet to not notice the preponderance of Euro-sandwiches around Miami Beach. Few folks, though, know that the first place in town to offer gourmet sandwiches with the highest quality products and home-baked bread is this tiny spot near the beach. How does one know this is the place for the best sandwiches in town? How about because local businessmen, cabbies and beach boys make up the bulk of their business – people, in other words, who are knowledgeable about such things.

Location: 229 14^th Street, Miami Beach

Phone: 532-8934 

Best Quesadilla

Texas Taco Factory

Mexican fast food (at chain venues that shall remain nameless) is something of an oxymoron – often being neither Mexican nor food by any decent definition! So, imagine the joy when Texas Taco Factory opened this branch on Miami Beach. Or better yet, step in and figure it out yourself. You see, Texas Taco Factory abides by the common principle of inexpensive tacos and other Tex-Mex specialties. Only your few bucks gets you fresh ingredients, prepared perfectly and left up to the diner to finish off with the fine accoutrements available. Their quesadillas are tops on the Beach, but it’s hard to go wrong with any of their southwest delights.

Location: 1608 Alton Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-535-5757

Best Tuna Appetizer

Metro Kitchen + Bar

Located in the Hotel Astor, this classy upscale eatery and bar is picking up steam with local devotees who know the Astor has long been one of the hippest sites in Miami Beach. It’s a quirky place in all the right ways. In addition to their tuna appetizer, a favorite of aficionados, the menu ranges from fried chicken to tartare – not something one sees every day even here. A lovely dining experience is further livened up by a great selection of wines priced at under $25 a bottle. Finally, a restaurant that pairs good food with affordable wine – something Europe has long been famed for!

Location: 956 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-672-7217

Best Fish

AltaMar

There’s a lot of great choices here: Blackened North Atlantic Salmon Fillet served with red bell pepper vinaigrette; Black Grouper/Acqua Pazza with capers, tomato concasse; Fresh Filet of Florida Keys Snapper served with mixed citrus pieces and Pinot Grigio sauce; Seafood Cazuela with mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari and fish fillet on croutons.  There’s a few pasta and “land lover” dishes here too, but why pass up on the fish?

Location: 1223 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-532-3061

Best Place to Eat Caviar in Bed

B.E.D.

Known as Beverage Entertainment and Dining, there are plenty of other forms of French cuisine to sample while lying on their comfy beds.  But there is something about the caviar.

Location: 929 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-532-9070

Best Juices

Athens Juice Bar

For close to 66 years Athens Juice Bar has perfected the art of turning all manner of fruits into good tasting, and healthy, slush drinks. 

Location: 1214 Washington Avenue; 6976 Collins Avenue

Phone: (Washington) 305-672-4648; (Collins) 305-861-2143

Best Chicken Wings

Automatic Slims

Location: 1216 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach

Phone: 305-695-0795

Best Mojito

Mojitos

The ubiquitous Cuban libation is the star at this friendly eatery at the Dolphin Mall, because they are done just right and served in great number, particularly during their 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. happy hour. While imbibing, one can also order from their menu of authentic Cuban dishes ranging from palomilla to shrimp Creole to sandwiches and delicious desserts. Live music on Friday and Saturday nights also adds to the revelry.

Location: 11401 N.W. 12^th Street, Miami (The Dolphin Mall #E-502 near Entrance #3)

Phone: 305-406-1002

Best Coffee Distributor

Sterling Coffee

If you think all of the upscale cafes and other fine purveyors of coffee are picking up bags of the freeze-dried variety at their local convenience store, you would be wrong – and possibly delusional as well. Sterling Coffee for more than 15 years has been the major distributor of over 60 types of coveted Arabica bean coffee to many of the high-end cafes and restaurants in town. They are also the sole local distributor of the Illycafe brand of coffee and carry tea and other products as well.

Location: 18379 N.E. 4^th Court, Miami

Phone: 305-654-0555

Best Ice Cream

The Frieze

It is impossible to list all of Frieze’s flavors: there are 176 types of ice cream, sherbet and yogurt. Because of the huge selection, the flavors are rotated. Every day customers can expect to find a new selection of frozen goodies. Not a hard feat considering that this is one of the few locally owned establishments that make its ice cream right on the premises.  Maybe that’s why the Frieze, while forced to move its location every so often, has been on Miami Beach for 16 years.

Location: 1626 Michigan Avenue, Miami Beach