Hi I'm looking for some fine dining recommendations for Miami. My husband and I will be spending one or two nights in South Beach and would like to experience one or two of Miami's best restaurants. We're open to all kinds of cuisine.

Thanks!

When are you going???
If arrive before May 15th, Joe's Stone Crabs in SB not to be missed, but there is a looooong wait.

As for Azul or Blue Door, I have only been to Blue Door(about 6 yrs ago) and it was great, and Azul sound like it is also a great place, but have not been(located in Brickell). If not willing to leave the beach area, then Blue Door or Joe's are good choices. Another nice place is Osteria del Teatro--Northern Italian--I think they only seat 20-30 people, but they have great homemade pastas, and their service was flawless when I went a couple of years ago.

At the recommendation of rjw, I loved Wish! The Forge is also an old favorite of mine but it is in Mid Beach.

I had a very mediocre experience at Blue Door.

Chowhound may be able to give you some more up to date information.

The Blue Door is excellent but so is Azul. The only problem, as mentioned above, is that Azul is at the Mandarin Oriental which is located on Brickell. A cab from the beach would cost you about $15-20 each way. As far as other restaurants, yes Joe's is good but not if you want a "fine dining" experience. My favorite of the moment is Prime 112 it is at the Browne's Hotel at Ocean and 3rdish. Excellent meal and service everytime I go. The Forge is good too, you just may want to avoid a Wednesday night as that is the very popular night for Jimmyz next door and the bar gets a little crowded (which is a lot of fun, but as you are sitting trying to enjoy a meal it gets a little annoying for people going back and forth from the bar). And much respect to GoTravel's opinion, and I have disagreed with them on this point before, I have never enjoyed my meal at Wish and will never, ever go back again. Pearl recently (within the past few months) got a new chef and I have heard good things. You also might want to try Macaluso's, although I haven't been yet I have heard amazing things. There are many places but if I had my choice of anywhere it would definitely be Prime 112!!

Ashley, thanks for posting about Wish and it's been a while since I've eaten there. One of the problems with Miami Beach and South Beach in particular is that some restaurants have a revolving door when it comes to chefs. I know Blue Door has had this problem.

Of the two, I'd pick Azul, since it seems to be the most consistent in the restaurant reviews-- and since the Mandarin Oriental is so much less concerned with being Trendy or Au Courant. The only negative is its location on Brickell Key-- a short ride away from South Beach (but a pricey cab ride).

I love Wish-- although it's been several months since I dined there. It served the best two meals I had in my last trip to South Beach, and I plan to go there for my 40th in (shudder) August! We shall see if it's held up.

AZUL--IT IS AMAZING!!

One of the best restaurants that you will ever dine in. Service and food absolutely fabulous. Do not walk--RUN to Azul. Be sure to arrive early to have a drink in the bar and enjoy the complimentary sushi and hors d'oeurves. If you are looking for a top experience--this is it. Not for everyone.

Thanks everyone for your recommendations! I have yet to make up my mind. I'll let you know what I think about the ones I try. I'll be there mid June.

AZUL is amazing. The chef there is this really young woman who was nominated for a James Beard Award. Delicious food, fantastic service. If you can sit outside, you are right over the water.

The chef at Azul is Michelle Bernstein, and given her unique background (Argentinian mother, Italian-Jewish-American father, ex-professional dancer), the menu there is eclectic and artful. I'm planning to dine there one night to celebrate my honey's birthday (a little early, as a surprise), and can't wait!

rjw -- I noticed in another post you planned on going to Emeril's in South Beach. Since this post is on the same subject....

I went to Emeril's in March, and we all had a fabulous meal. Luckily, I didn't have to look at prices, which were expensive. However, I would go back on my own dime anytime.

The decor -- very modern, white, cool paintings, window treatments. We sat in a curved booth in the corner, so we had the best vantage point of the place -- very nice.

The food -- enough on the menu for everyone to choose from. I had a steak which was awesome. Everyone else had seafood and loved it. The specials menu was extensive, in fact most of our party ended up ordering from that. I think there was also a complete menu to order, however we didn't choose to do that.

The service -- exceptional. For every course, the waiters timed it perfectly so that all of our plates were placed in front of everyone at the same time (party of 6, 1 waiter, 2 runners for our table). Needless to say, on a ratio of 3:1, we had a very attentive wait staff. Every course worth it, and couldn't have asked for more. Dessets - very yummy. Portions were plentiful.

If you end up going, please let me know your experience, hope yours is as good as mine!

ethaete, I don't recall posting anything about Emeril's South Beach before. But I do agree with you on the service level of the restaurant. Although it was the Orlando FL one that I've been to, the level of service was amazing. And I am comparing this to a couple of the best restaurants in the world. Everytime, and left their seat, the napkin was neatly folded back on the table in less than 10 secs! In terms of food, all I remember is that everyone enjoyed their dishes very much. There was nothing to complain about!

oliviamc -- I put that first line into "rjw_lgb_ca" -- he had mentioned it in a previous post. Since this post was about Miami, I figured put my thoughts in the post instead.

I'm glad to hear you had great experiences at Emeril's -- I love the service! And the food!

So I'm back from my trip and we ended up going to Azul and Blue Door. Azul was fabulous. The only thing I can complain about is the view. We sat outside, but the view was not as great as I thought it would be. It was mostly towards the buildings and not out to the bay. The bar at the lobby of the hotel had a better open water view. Otherwise, the food was impeccable and service was smooth. We also enjoyed Blue Door. The room was stunning with high ceilings surrounded with floor to ceiling white curtains. I really liked my lobster dish. It was a pity since the room didn't have any kind of sound barrier with the lobby, that the same music playing in the lobby could be heard in the restaurant. As it got later in the evening, the music got more 'clubbier', and was distracting. I wouldn've liked to danced to it but not dine to it.