Top 5 South Beach Restaurants
September 9, 2009
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Miami
• 0 Comments
Miami has one of the most vibrant and eclectic restaurant scene that you’ll find anywhere. Miami chefs go out of their way to wow the ultra hip crowds that gather along the streets of South Beach. You can sample dishes from all over the globe and pay just a few dollars, or you can have the meal of a lifetime and spend accordingly. Miami is the birthplace of New World cuisine, a high-flavor, low-fat melding of fresh seafood and exotic fruits, spices, and veggies. It is Florida Cooking at its best.
Miami Chefs Create Sizzle in South Beach
Here is our list of some of the best dining available in Miami. It includes everything from incredible (as expected) seafood to casual and campy diner fair.
Big Pink
Miami Beach’s take on the classic 50s-style family diner. Prices are affordable (something that is uncommon in South Beach) and the decorations are loud, stainless steel, and pink. The All-American menu choices require a table of contents to get through. Bring the kids and fun.
Blue Door at the Delano
The Delano is one of Miami’s finest hotels. Blue Door does not disappoint as its restaurant. The menu combines the flavors of classic French cuisine with South American influences to create a seasonal menu that might include the Big Ravioli, filled with crab-and-scallop mousseline, or osso buco in Thai curry sauce with caramelized pineapple and bananas. Superstars of the New York and Miami social scenes keep heads turning.
Nemo
Bright colors and copper fixtures highlight the tree-shaded courtyard of this hot SoFi neighborhood gathering place. The menu blends Caribbean, Asian, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern influences and delivers an explosion of cultures in each bite. Notable menu items include some to the best pastries in South Beach.
Pacific Time
Chef/owner Jonathan Eismann opened his doors amid much applause with features in Ocean Drive and Esquire magazines. The American/Asian-styled menu features cedar-roasted salmon, live soft shell crab tempura, and dry-aged Colorado beef grilled with shiitake mushrooms.
Joe’s Stone Crab
From its humble origins in 1913 as a beachside seafood stand, Joe's Stone Crab has grown to become a Miami institution. Located on the end of South Beach at 11 Washington Avenue, Joe's serves up some of the tastiest seafood in Miami. As with any local institution, the lines can get quite long so come early or late. Anything else and you’ll spend more time in the queue than at your table. Make sure you get there during stone crab season, which runs from Oct. 15 to May 15. Any other time and you’ll definitely beat the lines because Joe’s is open in season only.
Florida Cooking at Its Best
Start with these recommendations and then branch out to find the truly unusual and the truly delicious restaurants that make South Beach when of the travel destinations in the world. Be sure to bring both your appetite and your camera.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Miami. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Miami offers Le Cordon Bleu culinary education classes and culinary training programs in Miami, Florida To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Miami for more information.