Category: Food

Whether you want to skip the cooking and eat a top notch Thanksgiving dinner at home or eat out and be served,   there are some great options for Miami restaurants for Thanksgiving and one for Fort Lauderdale, too. Here are my Thanksgiving restaurant picks at different price points for 2021.   
The MILA brunch  is now one of the tops in Miami, especially if you sit in the handsome outdoor space with a massive water feature, two cabanas, and its own bar area. There’s unlimited luxury French champagne or fine rose, very good service, a delicious menu of Asian and Mediterranean cuisine with a generous selection of dishes, and attractive people watching.
Casa Mariano made a very big impression on Mr W and I at its media preview over  a month ago.In fact, Mr W and I agreed we needed to return to do a meal on our own and see if it was as wonderful as in the first visit, giving it time to settle in. Settling in can either mean getting even better or, sometimes, going downhill (yes, it happens too often here in Miami). We returned, and sure enough, had a five star experience. In fact, it will be one of our ‘go to” places for dinners with friends and just the two of us. No surprise that it has a 60% repeat diner rate.
Leading steakhouses are often top picks for celebrations. And they “dress” for the part, if you know what I mean – white tablecloths, chairs or banquettes you sink into, and wait staff who dress professional. Traditional. Enter, the The Wagyu Bar,  a new kind of steakhouse that is totally casual, where the celebration is exclusively about the delicious beef and variety of cuts.  As they say right off the bat, “we’re not your typical steakhouse". The owners also have a combo butcher shop, Meat n Bone, and store selling everything you could want for grilling a few doors down. 
A top choice for stone crab delivery nationwide, ventanita with free cafecito and rum shots, new Surfside farmers' market,  Vietnamese restaurant find in Miami Beach, high profile restaurant opening on the way, a paw menu at Jaguar, and the bread basket,  all in Eating News for October, Part 2. If you missed Part 1, click here.
Star Tokyo born chef does an omakase popup at the Four Seasons Brickell,  Nevin Patel highlights American cuisine in his new restaurant, OMG milkshake for Halloween at the Sugar Factory, L'Artisane French vegan bakery in Coral Gables, Chef Michelle Bernstein's new restaurant in Bayside with live music, and not to be missed light bites, all in Eating News - Part 1 for October.
 Executive Chef Scott Lindquist’s Mexican restaurant, Como Como Miami, in The Moxy Hotel has it all: original, upscale ambiance; friendly and professional service; and wonderful, creative dishes, much different from what you usually find here. Plus, there's a separate lounge, Mezcalista, featuring an impressive collection of 210 mezcals and tequila, and music and dancing on the way.
Vinya wine retailer and wine bar has a winning formula. And they think so too, as after Key Biscayne where they just opened, they're opening on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables and then Brickell in a high profile spot. You can go there and have a glass or two of reasonably priced wine from a large selection (or cocktail), delicious food, and pick up some wine or liquor from a collection of 2000 bottles along with gourmet food items to go. Plus, the ambiance is casually stylish, friendly, and inviting. And there's much more.
Unlike other foodie cities in the USA, Miami has had few notable Chinese restaurants, so I was happy to try a newcomer to the Miami food scene, and one with two “new” twists. Jia restaurant features elevated Cantonese cuisine, one of eight kinds of cooking styles in China, whose origin can be traced back 2,000 years to the early Han dynasty. Cantonese is about mild spices and fresh ingredients so the natural flavors can shine through. Jia also bills itself as a dinner club offering music programmed by LA based artist advisor Hayes Bradley. Soon to come is a late night menu on Thursday through Saturday from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
 Here's Part 2 with 7 more places for breakfast in Miami, the best breakfasts in Miami in my book including cafes, diners and delis. For Part 1, click here.