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What'll Wow Me in Miami?

Schneier

By Schneier
in Florida: Dining

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richw

richw

Posted
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If your idea of high end is very contrived, "foamy" food you might want to check out this place.

La Broche

http://starchefs.com/chefs/rising_stars/mi...staurants.shtml

some other places that are considered high end in Miami-dade county would be:

http://www.chefmark.com/southbeach/index.htm

http://www.normans.com

blue door at the Delano - http://www.ianschrager.com (my experience there was horrible but maybe I was there on a bad night)

I can keep going but this should get you started. Hope you enjoy Miami.

South Florida

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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

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Joe's Stone Crab. If you leave florida without eating Stone Crabs you're crazy.

Joe's is a very old restaurant... the place dates back to 1913. the oldest operating stone crab place in Florida, I think.

Not "high end" or "haute cuisine" but stone crabs are expensive as hell. but very much worth it, if you are a seafood person.

You may have to wait to get in there.

http://www.joesstonecrab.com/

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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LJC

LJC

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I agree with Jason about needing to eat Stone Crabs while they are in season (Oct. - May) but not at Joe's. Joe's is the most expensive Stone Crab eatery that I know of; and the quality is not better than, and in some cases it's even worse than some of the others. Although it could be hard to find Garcia's in Miami is, IMO, your best bet. It is very casual with offer outdoor seating (picnic tables); when I am in town I have lunch there as many time as possible. In fact I was just there for 4 days and I ate crabs at Garcia's 3 out of the 4 days.

Enjoy!

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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

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There's also Billy's Stone Crab in the hollywood area on N. Ocean Drive which serves very high quality stone crabs, but its probably around 30-40 minutes out of Miami.

http://www.digitalcity.com/southflorida/en...le.adp?aid=3546

This is a page listing the prominent Stone Crab places in South Florida.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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richw

richw

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Joe's is definitely is overpriced. Stone crab claws are usually cooked on the boat right after they are harvested and chilled immediately. Joe's only advantage is that they probably get most of the largest jumbo claws.

And since stone crab claws are all the rage this time of the year in South Florida freshness isn't usually an issue as they move them so quickly. I would consider Billy's in Hollywood as a place where you get the same claws at a more reasonable price with a shorter wait - but it won't have the ambiance. IMO stone crabs are way overrated.

South Florida

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joiei

joiei

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what about The Forge?

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

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LJC

LJC

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Schneier, I am sorry to turn this into a Stone Crab thread...

If you have a car then I would also suggest Nobu, La Broche and the Blue Door. By Florida standards they are all excelent.

richw,

I completly disagree with your suggestion that, "Joe's only advantage is that they probably get most of the largest jumbo claws". Acctually, on my last visit this was far from the truth. Joe's “take out” (I am addicted to the key lime pie; best in the world) offered only three sizes "med., large and Jumbo". Many others offer 5 sizes. The “Jumbo from Joe’s were 5 claws per pound at $43 or $44/lb compared to 3 claws per pound at $29/lb.

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Chazzy

Chazzy

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Norman's is the best high end and has been for a long time, you can get a good idea of whether you'd be interested in it by visitng their website at normans.com. Also, some say Chef Allen's has gone downhill, but I was there recently and it had improved and was back to challenging Norman's, Azul and the few other consensus top places.

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robyn

robyn

Posted
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Miami, Miami Beach or South Beach?

I have no idea. Near the airport, I guess. But I'll have a car.

How far can things be?

Bruce

Things can be *very* far in terms of both time and distance. Miami is kind of like Los Angeles - albeit on a smaller scale.

Note that La Broche closed a while back. I also wouldn't recommend Joe's unless you're willing to wait 2 hours - or give a nice gratuity to the seater (or have a friend who's the G_dfather to his grandchild).

Where will you be - and what's your timetable (are you staying overnight - or are you just trying to catch dinner between flights)? By the way - I also do not recommend driving at night unless you're at least a little familiar with Miami and don't plan to drink. Florida is kind of death on DUI these days.

Do you want high end - low end? Give me a clue and I'll try my best. Robyn

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robyn

robyn

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P.S. Just saw you want high end. On my last trip a couple of months ago - I liked Bizcaya Grill at the Ritz Carlton in Coconut Grove the best. Azul (Brickell Avenue) was nice - but I didn't like it as much as Bizcaya Grill. Both of these places are about 20-30 minutes from the airport. Robyn

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plax

plax

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If you want to stay close to the airport, your best bet is Coral Gables or Coconut Grove; so Norman's or the Bizcaya Grill would be best. It will be about a 20-minute drive to South Beach, but traffic and parking there will be difficult. You will most likely want to valet, so add the difficulty factor to any decision on a South Beach restaurant. Joe's is relatively easy as there's a garage attached and it's in the slightly less trafficked area of South Pointe. I'd rule out the Blue Door at the Delano just for the inconvenience factor-- heavy traffic to get there and a $17 parking charge.

Neil

Author of the Mahu series of mystery novels set in Hawaii.

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robyn

robyn

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I just realized you said *this* Sunday. Terrible weekend in Miami. Most crowded weekend of the year. Coconut Grove art show. Boat show on Miami Beach. Plus it's Presidents' Day weekend. I would forget about any high end place anywhere without a solid reservation. And art show roadblocks will be a problem in Coconut Grove. I do hope you have a hotel reservation. Robyn

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robyn

robyn

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I would definitely had to Coral Gables to check out Norman's.  Well worth the trip and not terribly far away.

Terrarich

Norman's got a bad writeup a month or two ago (think it was in the New York Times). I haven't been there for about 8 years - so I don't know if the review was accurate. Wouldn't surprise me. I used to eat in Louie's Backyard in Key West when Van Aiken was there. It was new - it was fresh - it was terrific (think he was the first person in Florida to put aged balsamic on just-picked strawberries). From the day Norman's opened - it always seemed a bit tired to me. Was never my favorite. That was the heyday of Mark Militello (whom I preferred).

I read this week that Norman Van Aiken is opening a new more bistro type restaurant in Coral Gables. And Doug Rodriguez is returning with a new restaurant around 50th and Biscayne Blvd. - strange neighborhood IMO - near but not quite in the Design District (I always liked his stuff - from the day he opened YUCA - so perhaps this new restaurant will be really good).

I'm going down to Miami for a few days in March. Will dine again at the Bizcaya Grill - but I'd like to try some new places. Robyn

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robyn

robyn

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Hey, I'm gonna be in Miami this weekend as well.

Gimme some more stone crab suggestions.

Like I said - this weekend in Miami is a total bear - particularly for high end restaurants. The Miami Beach boat show is the largest boat show in the country - and everyone in the world who feels like spending a bunch of money on a boat will be in town.

Will you be in Dade County proper? If you're staying/dining with friends/family - you could do a lot worse than take-out from Joe's. Same meal - same prices - no need to wait on line for 2 hours. There are other places with great stone crabs - like King's in Boca (a gourmet market) - but they're not cracked. So unless you feel like learning how to crack stone crabs....

Monty's Stone Crabs in Coconut Grove is ok. Not on the same level as Joe's in terms of crabs - but it's a nice laid back place with a large patio on the water. They have lots of things besides stone crabs too. My accountant's office is across the street - and our lunch there is an annual affair. Robyn

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