ecruz1026

YES! It's about time we got our own board. We'll make the rest of the SE jealous.

I remember seeing storefronts for Paul all over France and Spain. I never went in thinking it was just a chain. Now one opened in NMB and while I don't regret not having gone while in Europe, I'm glad they've decided to come stateside. Visiting it is probably the same feeling Europeans had when visiting McDonald's for the first time. It was something new and foreign. The place is a bakery/restaurant. The breads are outrageous (at least by Miami standards) and desserts are equally as good. Their sitdown menu is mainly sandwiches, salads, soups, quiches, etc. All are made using bread baked in house with flour imported from France (I would think we'd have good enough flour here in the US, but I guess they're sticklers). It's the type of place that I wish there were more of in Miami. Portions are normal sized, the food tastes fresh. The service, however, is typical Miami. Chaos reigns on Saturday and Sunday breakfast and lunch times. I'd give it a chance if I were in the area and take some goodies to go for sure (the macaroons are amazing).

Yes, it is good to hear that management does care about what's on the menu. I think it's rare for a restaurant to pull something from the menu if it is not prepared properly. But then again it begs the question, why was it on the menu in the first place if it is not prepared properly to begin with? I have to admit that the most expensive sandwich I've had in Miami was at VQ and if it was not perfect, I would have had no qualms about sending it back. Now I stick to their desserts and coffee (which are a bit on the high side as well). Now speaking of upscale chains, have you tried Paul in North Miami? It's a little more downscale than VQ but definitely worth a trip.

Key lime pie. What else can taste so good with so few ingredients?

robyn - I've been to OLA a few times. It's one of the few restaurants in my up-and-coming neighborhood but I'm glad that if we only have a few that OLA is one of them. It's the type of place that you would think would have opened in Coral Gables; however, it probably would've been lost in the pan-latin crowd (Ortanique, Cacao, etc.). It's about 5 miles north of downtown and would be a hefty cab ride, but at least it's a straight shot up Biscayne Blvd. I went to Acqua once and liked the atmosphere more than the food. Given a choice, I'd rather hang out and have tapas at Bahia on the same floor as Acqua. I agree about the cabs, they're touch and go. A cab ride to Hollywood would be outrageous and not worth it. As for Merrick Park, Mundo (the Norman van Aken restaurant) and Pescado have closed. Pescado will be replaced by OLA Steak (see, I told you OLA was the type of place that would open in Coral Gables) and the ovens at Mundo are still too warm to have gotten a replacement. There's an outrageously expensive Italian osteria (Villa "something") which I don't see lasting very long, Chispa, which is Robin Haas' place (haven't been, heard mixed reviews), and another Italian restaurant which I forget the name but is probably the least expensive of the restaurants in the area. From what I've heard, the mall in general is not doing very well.

Personally, I think Joe's is overrated. It's better to just get stone crab claws at a fish market and do-it-yourself at home. Considering the location of the Four Seasons, Garcia's would be a good bet. It's very divey but what do you expect from a fish market on the river. A little more upscale seafood can be had at the River Oyster Bar. Not necessarily on the river (close enough) it has a good happy hour and focuses on seafood. Between Versailles and Las Culebrinas I'd pick the latter. Although there are two locations, the original being the better of the two; however, it is located in a possibly sketchy neighborhood. Both would be a good cab ride away (make sure you have the name and # of a cab company to pick you up since cabs are not necessarily prevalent in either area). I'd also recommend Havanna Harry's for Cuban; however, it's a hefty cab ride away unless you're willing to take Miami's oft neglected Metro. Good luck.

Yuca moved to Miami Beach years ago. The chef, Douglas Rodriguez, left to fame and fortune in NYC. Yuca then opened again in Coral Gables for about 2 months then closed again. Douglas has moved back to MIA and opened OLA in the eternally up-and-coming Biscayne corridor north of downtown. It's latin food but more of a push towards South America than other upscale latin places.

Not sure what your preferences are, but I'd give Talula a shot. It's not over the top, more of a neighborhood place, but I've never been disappointed. If you want more recs on Cuban places, there's Las Culebrinas on Flagler St and 43rd? Ave. is one of my favorites. Theres also a Cuban fast food place called El Rey de las Fritas (8th St. around 15th Ave). A frita is a type of cuban burger with heavily seasoned beef on cuban bread with pik-nik type french fries (in the sandwich, not as a side). The place is dumpy but it is always packed. Maybe worth a try and then go to Versailles bakery for desert. Enjoy your stay.

Any of Ari's recommendations would be great. I'd also like to add OLA to the list. It's run by Douglas Rodriguez, one of the pioneers of the FLA/Carib/Latino upscale dining craze. He as properties in different parts of the country specializing in different regions. This one in particular focuses on Peruvian with a whole ceviche menu. But there are dishes with influences from all over Latam. The restaurant is in an up-and-coming neighborhood but hopefully that won't turn you off. I believe that's why the tourist to local ratio is fairly low.

Johnny V's is hands down my favorite place in Ft. Lauderdale. I've followed the chef from Miami Beach to Delray to FLL and have never been disappointed. Great atmosphere and bold flavored food.

I went the first year (when I could still get comped tickets) and I enjoyed it. However, towards the end of the day, my girlfriend and I looked around the tent and saw how packed it had become. We knew there would be problems with overcrowding and sure enough, the following year and last year, the crowds were onerous. I heard stories of wine and food stations running out, people getting food and drinks spilled on them, etc. Apparently this year the crowd will be thinned down and the prices hiked. What you can expect is a very large tent on the sand in South Beach. Local S. FLA restaurants will give out small tastings of their items. I remember when I went, Wish handed out a mini tuna tartare with a shot of blood orange mojito (this was about 3 years ago when these items were still cool). There is a large stage set against one wall of the tent where the celeb-chefs do their demos. It's a good time, especially if the crowd control issue is taken care of. That's the only reason we haven't gone to the last 2 events.

Well Melissa, it's really 4 things: 1) Your first point is correct. As much of the dining in Florida is done by tourists, and often tourists with families or retirees, the restaraunts are prone to maximize their one-time profit and not worry about return business. 2) Almost all the people who complain so vociferously about Florida food are from somewhere else, and what they're really whining about is that they can't get what they had when they were at "home" It's actually not limited to the food down here, I hear it constantly from transplants about the weather and the culture and the sports and the people and the blah blah blah. If it's so great where you came from, really, go back. We like it here and won't miss you. If you're going to stay, stop complaining, learn to appreciate what we have here, and maybe do your part to make it better? 3) Florida has another issue from a food perspective - it's a very young state as far as growth, and since that is the fact it has been at the vanguard of the recent proliferation of chains throughout America, whether food, retail or whatever. If you want a depressing thought, Florida will not become NYC, but rather eventually NYC will become Florida - if you don't believe look at the recent success of retail and restaurant chains in Manhattan. Darden is headquartered in Orlando, Outback is from Tampa, and Hooters started in Clearwater. They are all taking over America. We are all being Super-Sized, it's up to us to fight the power 4) Florida is also a state of have and have-nots, and while there are pockets of wealth on the coasts, it is still a quite poor state in-between, both in rural areas as well as retirees on fixed incomes. Since much of the wealth is at an advanced age, restaurants that serve sophisticated diners outside of Miami have a hard time getting a steady flow of customers. It's a complex issue, but if you look hard enough, you can still get a great meal. ← Excellent post Bill. Your background is in sociology perhaps? I agree, most of the people that gripe about food here are not from here. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'll fess up, I'm a born and bred Angeleno (but note that I am a Dolphins, Marlins and Heat fan) so growing up in one of the largest cities in the country can spoil you. It's not that I'm yearning for what I can get back home. Believe me, I've given up on finding good Mexican food here. But as an example, you take the typical Mexican place in L.A. and the typical Cuban place in Miami you can see a world of difference. The Mexican food tends to be prepared with more care, the facilities are usually cleaner and the staff attentive. It's embarassing what a Cuban place here offers. Then there's the produce, organic food, farmers market phenomena. Not only in California, but all over the country, there are great, good-sized farmers markets with produce, meats, cheeses, etc. In a word, the farmers markets in my area suck. Not stink, suck. They're tiny, with virtually no selection. The bulk of the produce is something I can find in my local supermarket, but just a little cheaper. However, I'm committed to keeping these things going because I know what an important part of the community they can be so on Saturdays and Sundays I make my rounds in Coral Gables and Pincrest to buy my veggies. I agree, Florida is a new state on the culinary map and it's as if there is a polarity between those trying to drag it into the world class destination and those that want to keep the status quo. I don't want Florida to become another California and I don't want Miami to become the 6th bourough, but if there's improvements that can be made by benchmarking practices in other places, then dang it, why not make 'em.

I gotta agree with you. Florida as a whole is pretty mediocre when it comes to restaurants. Laziness and apathy run rampant and cleanliness is sometimes an afterthought. Supermarkets are the same, no variety and no exploitation of locally grown produce. This state has a lot of potential when it comes to gastronomy, but it doesn't seem to have the drive. Good luck wherever you go.

There's also Wild Oats in South Beach and Whole Foods in Aventura. They have them on occasion, but it's hit or miss.

The only Meyer lemons I've seen here come from California. Go figure. Florida seems to produce mostly citrus for juicing whilst California I believe produces fruit for supermarkets. You wouldn't believe how much citrus from California we have in Florida markets. It's almost embarassing.

If Baleen in Naples is like the one in Coconut Grove, then you have at least one winner. In my travels to Naples, I've never been overly impressed with the restaurants.

Captain Jim's in Miami possibly. Great prices, but I'm not sure if they ship.

There's a couple of ways of getting around the Joe's dilemma. One is to get the food at Joe's Take Out next door and have the food somewhere else. Believe me, you don't go to Joe's for the service. If you have to, take a walk around the dining room so you can say you've been there. The other suggestion depends on where you're staying. When I lived on the beach and I had friends in town that insisted on going, I'd stop by the restaurant on my way home from work and leave my name. I literally had time to go home (about a mile away), shower, nap, have some drinks, and still get to the restaurant early. There's not much to do around the restaurant besides The Room (a beer and wine bar) or maybe a drink at Nemo or Shoji Sushi. Whatever you decide to do, don't have high expectations, but have lots of patience. GO TROJANS! BEAT OU!

I'm glad you had a good experience. I live in Miami and my 2 visits have been disappointing. Both times I waited at the bar for a table when there were plenty available. Both times our waiter was rude and aloof. Once he was no where to be found when we needed our drinks refreshed. It's a shame because I like the food and the decor. You didn't mention anything about the service. How was it on your visits?

I've had the same experience at Norman's in CG. Some things good, some things bad. But it's always different so you can't call him boring.

I agree about the food. I was there about a month ago and the food was horrid (how can a ruben get screwed up?). It was late at night, but there was only one other group in the restaurant. I can't quite put my finger on why, but the place felt odd. I know they had been bought out by Jerry's which I was ambivalent about. I grew up in L.A. and had been going to Jerry's for a while. It was the same formula as Rascal House; however, the restaurants were newer and a lot cleaner. They've opened a branch in South Beach and I'm not sure how it's doing. I believe the tourists are the ones keeping it open. I hope they don't let RH go the way of Wolfies.

If you ever find yourself in Miami try The River Oyster Bar near downtonwn. Great selection of oysters from the Northeast and Pac NW. Malapeques, kumamotos, Fanny Bay, you name it. Selection depends on season and availability but there's usually at least 10 on hand. Better yet, happy hour from 4-7 is 1/2 price oysters (you can't beat a dozen kumamotos for $10!).

Tony, You've hit a bug frustration of mine on the nose. I grew up in California and am entirely spoiled when it comes to restaurants (ethnic and otherwise), produce and imported items (especially cheese!). I live in S. Florida and find the variety and availability of certain foods severely lacking. I'm not sure if it's the location of the state or a citizenry that is not very demanding that lead to this. On common gripe I hear is about the availability of seafood. We should be tripping over fish stores but instead I see more grouper in stores in NYC than here. I asked the "fishmonger" at Publix about their seafood selection and he said the best seller is salmon. SALMON! Not snapper or grouper which come right from our coast. Their best-selling shrimp is actually from Thailand (frozen obviously) and I have a feeling that their other seafood has also made a trek to get here. Enough of my diatribe. Your post just stuck a nerve. This state has so much potential but so little drive to have world class food for the masses.

How is Ola? Is Doug Rodriguez in the kitchen? I'm going to Scottsdale AZ next month and was thinking of trying his new restaurant there (Deseo?). I used to love YUCA - but that was a long long time ago. Robyn ← Every time I've gone for dinner or drinks I've come across Douglas. I think Miami is defintely his element. Yuca is not the same since he left. They tried to resurrect it a few months ago without him and it crashed. I've been curious about how the other restaurants in his far flung empire are.

It's still there. I've gone a couple of times in the last few months and it was great. Not many places like this in MIA.