I will be visiting a friend in Miami for several days next week and would like to her out to dinner. I will be staying on Key Biscayne and would like to dine in either Coconut Grove or South Beach. Price isn’t much of a factor, and I have no preference as to the type of cuisine. I’m seeking recommendations for good, yet trendy restaurants. I have done a little research and have formulated possible restaurant choices in South Beach:

-Casa Tua
-Joia
-Escopazzo
-Dab Haus

Any suggestions on the restaurants I have listed or new suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Robert

Though not on South Beach I would highly recommend "Azul" which is downtown as one of MIA best its in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in the "banking district" off Brickell Ave.

I also ate at "Nemos" on South Beach on Sunday which was very good and as the name suggests specialises in seafood. Its at the corner of Collins and Ist in the far end of the beach ( a bit away from the action) Just be careful you do not do what i did which was dropping the heavy copper plate-clad menu into your groin area.

mike

In the US South Forum, using the search function, the following was found for restaurants in Miami:

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=309402
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=309390
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=309380
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=309365

There are some fun restaurants in Coconut Grove, like Tutu Tango where they serve Tapas. Not chique but fun in a group.
In the excellent restaurant category, there is a fantastic Crab House in South Beach. It may be Joe's crab but I don't remember the name. I highly suggest that. Fantastic seafood there.

Alex

I second the recommendation of NEMO.

BTW, although the food was good, I had some service 'issues' at WISH, also in South Beach. I would steer clear.

I LOVE that hotel! Azul is nice. If you're a big meat eater, there is a churrascaria called Porcao that is good. It's right at the head of the bridge that takes you to Brickell key, the island that the Mandarin is on.

Thanks to all of you who responded to post. I just returned from Miami last night and wanted to share with you my thoughts on where I ended up eating...

I took all your considerations into mind, but I decided to go with Joia. It is a trendy restaurant with Mediterranean cuisine located on Ocean Drive. The atmosphere was very nice (we ate out on the candle-lit terrace), and the food was delicious. To start, I had the crispy jumbo lump crab cake with creamy mustard sauce. The portion was small, but very tasty. For my main course I went with the Oxtail Tortelloni with Porcini mushrooms and fresh ricotta. Finally, for dessert I had the warm apple crostata with cinnamon ice cream (the ice cream was amazing!) Much to my dismay, I can't comment on the wine selection since I'm just shy of my 21st birthday, but it looked like they had an extensive wine list.

The restaurant is right across the street from the new South Beach Marriott hotel. I'd recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a good restaurant with a "chic" atmosphere in South Beach. I plan on checking out other restaurants mentioned above like Azul and Nemo on my future trips to Miami. Thanks again for all the recommendations.

-Robert-

Porcao has a nicely priced "executive lunch" if you'd like to have a "lighter" churrascaria experience.

You don't get the meat on spits, but you get a big ol' chunk and still get access to the salad bar.

I would also say that Barton G is worth trying. The food was very good but it was really the presentation that made it a memorable meal. Very clever presentation, especially the duck and popcorn shrimp - both worth trying. We also ate outside on the patio - not sure how nice that would be in the heat of the summer, but for any other time it was great. It does get a little noisy and is at times kind of scene-y. But then again I guess it's South Beach, so go figure.

Barton G is also a leading caterer in South Florida. What's considered Miami's best Cuban restaurant these days?

I thought Blue Door at the Delano was quite spectacular; perhaps more for the ambience (white everywhere) than for the food which was still quite good.

I wish I knew how good Azul is. Even staying at the MO did not make it easier to secure a table there. Advice: Book in advance!