Dining in Miami and Miami Beach

Dining in Miami
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Karu & Y
Mix one part cuisine, one part art and one part theater and you get Karu & Y (71 NW 14th Street; 305-403-7850), Miami’s hot new dining and entertainment complex in the nascent arts and entertainment district west of downtown. Chef Alberto Cabrera, one of the city’s most sought-after culinary geniuses, oversees the kitchen at Karu. His alta cocina -- that’s haute cuisine with a Spanish twist -- spins tradition on its head, taking, for example, foie gras and creating foie gras lollipops served with mango, papaya and guava marmalades in the tradition of the untraditional Spanish deconstructionist chefs like Ferran Adria and Jordi Valles.
More recognizable dishes such as the organic chicken breast with lobster and corn ravioli, sweet pea foam and cachucha pepper relish are also available, and the setting alone is worth the trip. Enter by crossing a bridge over a reflecting pool of water; the Dale Chihuly chandelier and wall of multicolored Murano glass from Venini, the Italian art glass studio are two of the scores of original art works on the walls. Y Ultralounge serves drinks and tapas like a fig roll up with ham and Spanish cheese. The soon-to-be-open Tottem and Tottem Gardens next door will be entertainment venues
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Versailles (my favorite!!!!)
Despite its French name, Versailles (3555 SW 8th St.; 305-444-0240), a mirrored diner in the heart of Little Havana, is one hundred percent Cuban. The food and experience are memorable, and the menu is diverse. If it’s your first venture into Cuban dining, choose a classic such as lechon asado, roasted pork marinated in mojo sauce, which is a combination of sour orange juice, olive oil, onions, garlic and spices. Another traditional option is the Versailles half chicken, roasted to a golden brown, infused with the flavor of garlic and the tang of sour orange.
Traditional side dishes include moros y cristianos (black beans and rice), platanos (fried plaintains, a sweet but starchy banana) and yuca (cassava, a root vegetable). If your Miami visit is short, try a combination with several Cuban specialties. The exception is the paella, a traditional Spanish dish with seafood, chicken, chorizo, peas, pimento, sweet peppers and onions cooked in saffron rice. Choose from rich, sweet and creamy desserts such as flan or go next door to the Versailles Bakery for a pastry. Low prices attract local families, so the atmosphere is casual and full of loud chatter and laughter. Language is a surmountable barrier (point a lot), service is ambivalent, but locals don’t seem to notice. Come early for breakfast and an eye-opening café Cubano or café con leche (an eye opener with milk) or come late for an after-partying dinner. It’s open past midnight.
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The Forge
The Forge (432 Arthur Godfrey Rd.; 305-538-8533) earns a spot on two best-in-the-country lists: "best wine lists" and "best steakhouses." The baronial setting of Old World oil paintings, large stained-glass windows, chandeliers, tapestries and polished woods in this Miami Beach restaurant of multiple dining rooms seems apropos for dining on tender, aromatic oakwood-grilled prime rib and "The Super Steak," rated the No. 1 steak in America by Wine Spectator magazine. Most unusual is the selection of salad entrees that are as mouth watering as the main meat and seafood plates. The old-fashioned full-on luxury attracts an “A” list of stage, screen and sports celebrities. Expect a cadre of servers to hover inconspicuously and the food to be perfect. It's a misnomer to call the wine list a "list," because the Bordeaux section alone is more than 40 pages and the California section is 50 pages. Alas, spectacular food, wine and service come with a spectacular price tag. Reservations recommended.
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Taverna Opa
Taverna Opa (36 Ocean Dr., South Beach; 305-673-6730) has three locations in south Florida; this one’s at the foot of South Beach. The cavernous dining room outfitted with long brown tables resembles a boarding school refectory, and once the evening gets underway, the atmosphere is just as rambunctious. Meals start with hot pita bread served with a mortar of whole, cooked garbanzo beans, olive oil and chunks of garlic and a pestle to crush them for the freshest hummus you'll ever have.
Along with traditional Greek fare, the menu features prawns, octopus, shellfish and wood-fired meats, from lamb to filet mignon, priced from $7.50 to $19. The lamb shank ($8) cooked on a wood-fired grill is fall-off-the-bone tender, mildly seasoned and served with orzo, in a pool of tomato sauce.
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Restaurant St. Michel
Picture windows, polished wood floors, soft lighting and an art deco setting lend Restaurant St. Michel (162 Alcazar Ave., Coral Gables; 305-444-1666) a bistro charm. It’s located in the Hotel Place St. Michel, and its fabulous Sunday brunch makes it a favorite among local residents. Chef Gabriel Roldan created a New World take on the Old World napoleon: eggplant coated in Parmesan and bread crumbs is fried and then layered with seared and then baked black grouper and salmorejo sauce, a thick paste of tomato, bread, garlic and oil. It’s drizzled with a yellow pepper coulis for color. The result is beautiful, crunchy yet delicate. Most entrées are in the low-to-mid $20 range. Lunch and dinner daily; dinner served until 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Reservations recommended.
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Perricone's Marketplace & Cafe
Few people could imagine an enjoyable lunch with an angry Sicilian, but that’s just one of things you’ll find, and fortunately only on the menu, at Perricone’s Marketplace & Café (15 S.E. 10th St.; 305-374-9449). This particular “Italian” is a deli-fresh sandwich of thinly sliced layers of prosciutto di Parma, soppressata, Genoa salami, provolone cheese, and ripe tomato, topped with capicolla peppers and a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, on a freshly baked baguette. With a few whole wheat pasta selections, even the health-conscious diner can indulge here. The building is a reconstructed circa 1700s barn, creating a laidback, rustic setting. There’s woodsy, canopy-covered outdoor seating, and a bustling Italian deli in front where you can browse the wine racks for your lunch libation. This may not appear to be a likely venue for a working lunch, but don't tell that to the scores of downtown professionals who dine there throughout the week. They go for the moderately priced antipasti, salads, pastas and good service -- once they get a seat. Make a reservation, and request one of the quiet sections. At just under $16, the Sunday Brunch is one of the best dining values in town.
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Christy's
If the wood-paneled walls at Christy’s (3101 Ponce de Leon Blvd.; 305-446-1400) could talk -- and were discretion not paramount here -- they would speak of the thousands of deals sealed at the white-linen tables in this steakhouse's quiet club-like dining rooms. They also would talk about the rich corn-fed Midwestern aged beef, which runs $31-$36. At this classic eaterie guests often start with a traditional oyster Rockefeller, then dine on a juicy, grill-marked eight- or twelve-ounce filet mignon over a bed of asparagus and sliced portobello mushrooms. The finishing indulgence is another classic, a baked Alaska served flaming tableside. Tradition never tasted so good. Service is prompt and professional. Selections begin with a signature Caesar salad and include a baked potato and vegetable or mushrooms. You can't go wrong with choices other than steaks, either. The lamb, roast duck, lobster and sea bass ($19.50–$38.50) are favorites and beautifully presented.
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Big Fish
At Big Fish (55 S.W. Miami Avenue Rd.; 305-373-1770) the formula is simple: build a casual seafood eatery along the downtown riverfront, set up tables outdoors and indoors with a view of the Miami skyline and river boat traffic, and then serve delicious Italian specialties such as polipo al libure, an octopus, artichoke and potato salad tossed with a tangy lemon vinaigrette, and crab cakes fried to a golden brown, set on a bed of mixed greens and drizzled with a slightly pink aurore sauce. Those two appetizers are ample enough to be meals in themselves. The seafood pastas, made fresh daily, are just as appetizing. And you can’t go wrong with local fish dishes like the whole fried yellowtail that’s succulent within, crispy outside, and flavored with a lemon ginger sauce. Get a little bit of all the foods you like -- lobster, tuna, shrimp and calamari -- in the seafood grill for two, which is big enough for three. In the late afternoon, join the after-work crowd gathered around the patio bar wrapped around a large banyan tree for drinks and lively conversation. Most entrees are priced in the $20-$30 range. Reservations recommended on Friday and Saturday nights. Closed between lunch and dinner during the week, but on weekends it's open straight through to 11:30 p.m.