I'm transferring this from a posting on the Latin America forum so other folks looking for Miami restaurant information might find this posting also.

Author: miguelgcuadra
Date: 11/15/2004, 02:08 pm
Message: I have never been to Peru, very soon, very soon, but able to enjoy peruvian cuisine in Miami...IT IS MY FAVORITE..
We have a Francesco in Miami bit overpriced due to location..but La Flor de la Canela is not in a fancy location, but to die for.
Big VOTE for "chupe de camarones"...

Author: miguelgcuadra
Date: 11/15/2004, 03:48 pm
Message: Sharon, what type of food do you like, in Miami we have all type of restaurants.
Ms. Saigon, Vietnamesse is excellent..this in Coral Gables.
Hy-Vong also Vietnamesse is excellent, been in business for over 20 yrs. This on 8 street SW and 32 Avenue.
Do not go for over priced cuban restaurants..

What type of food do I like?.... Now, that's a loaded question. May be easier to ask what I don't like: chicken feet, tripe and most other organs. Although I enjoy cerviche, I prefer to stay away from raw fish-style sushi and any meat that's uncooked (or undercooked) and wiggly.

As to the type of restaurants I like. I prefer Mom & Pop style or locally owned establishments where all the food is prepared on-site from the freshest of ingredients. Bottom line: I prefer to stay away from any kind of restaraunt chain. Good service earns many points in my book and I prefer not to be hurried through my meal. Ambiance is a bonus, but I'd certainly forego ambiance if it came with mediocre high-priced food. I enjoy a variety of ethnic cooking.

I also enjoy a good bakery or specialty sort of establishment like Finkelsztajn's cheesecake in Paris. (And, yes, I know bakeries are not restaurants.)

While traveling I prefer to sample what is special to the area and enjoy trying things I can't find easily at home. So what special places await me in Miami?

I will be there only three short days in January before heading off to South America. I have tickets to see Sara Baras perform during Miami's Flamenco Festival at the Gleason Theater in Miami Beach, so I need one meal at a classy place for that evening for sure.

Since I live in land locked Oklahoma, I would be quite appreciative of recommendations for good seafood.

I also understand that Versailles is great Cuban restaurant that is actually more noted for it's terrific people watching than it's food. So, it's on the list of places. What does one order at Versailles? What is the time of day/day of week for best people watching... we'll be there a Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

A good friend of mine recommended Wolfie's Deli. She say's it's not elegant, but that they have very good food and amazing cheesecake. It has been awhile since she's been to Miami, so is it still the terrific Jewish deli she recommended? Is it even there? I did a search on Wolfies and found a 2002 article from the Miami Sun-Sentinel that announced it was closing. If it was purchased and refurbished, etc, is it recommended?

As to budget, I prefer a mix of places. I don't mind paying for a phenomenal meal (let's make that $100-$125 absolutely tops with wine for two people). I do prefer to mix meals up a bit between simple and elegant. For instance, what's a trip to Chicago without buying a hotdog from a hotdog stand? Is there a Miami equivalent to the Chicago hotdog?

I suppose that's plenty of background. Suggest away...

-Sharon

Sharon, it isn't really called Wolfies Deli but it is Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House. There was a Wolfie's Deli in South Beach but it closed a couple of years ago. The Rascal House has been a staple in Miami since the 1940s and the food is excellent. The location is around 172nd and Collins. Lines are always long, no reservations.

I'm not a big fan of Versailles. I think they've gone a little commercial but that is my opinion. I know a lot of other people love Versailles. My favorite Cuban is Davids in South Beach. There is an excellent Cuban restaurant in Little Havana but its name escapes me.

Joe's Stone Crab is also an establishment but Monty's is just as good, not as expensive, and the wait isn't as long.

I'll call my sister and find out the name of the Cuban restaurant in Little Havana if you are interested.

Miami Beach restaurant recommendations dot this travel board, so you can do a search and come up with lots of ideas. Here are some of mine....

For the best deals in seafood, two places that come to mind immediately are Grillfish (Collins and Española Way) and A Fish Called Avalon (in the Avalon Hotel, Ocean and 7th). Not too pricey, really good seafood. I liked Grillfish's wine list-- not outrageously expensive, good selection.

I still haven't tried David's for Cuban, but next time I promise I will (disclosure: I live in California). I always go back to Puerto Sagua (Collins and 7th, I think) for cheap, tasty, substantial Cuban meals. It's a diner with no atmosphere but loads of heart. The iced Cuban coffee is STRONG, the waitresses are sweet and the food is delicious and truly Cuban. They do speak English, have no fear (but I have never spoken English with the staff myself).

Cheap, good breakfasts are to be found at the Front Porch Café (Penguin Hotel, Ocean north of 14th). Well, last time I went (lots of yummy grub). I've heard grumblings that it's slid a bit, but....

Your South Beach splurge dinner could be at Wish (in The Hotel, Collins at 8th). Inspired, creative Floribbean-Asian fusion cuisine, gorgeous outside patio, inside dining room designed by Todd Oldham, Electric Martini menu. Very expensive, but worth it. Great wine list, and the markup isn't obscene.

Want to eat a great sandwich in an alley around the corner from a tattoo parlor? Admit it, you do. Wait no more! Head to La Sandwichérie (Collins and 14th) and nosh on some of the best meat-between-bread meals you'll ever have behind a gas station. Thankfully, you can also take them to go (back to the hotel). Cheap and awesome.

There are lots of good places in South Beach, and these are just off the top of my head. Anyone else...?

Thank you for the recommendations. GoTravel - I'd really like it if you would check with your sister for the name of the Cuban place in Little Havanna.

Hope miguelcuadra sees this posting. Put the link on the Latin American posting about Lima restaurants...

Fodor's has been giving me havoc all week with it's up and down service. (just a little rant...)

-Sharon

I love Barton G's in South Beach. In Coral Gables: Randazzo's, Normans, Mundo, and Chispa. Seafood: Garcia's it is on the river and serves very fresh seafood kind of a dump but great food. For Cuban with a Miami flair we love Havana Harry's in the Gables area. Enjoy!

Topping again. Perhaps GoTravel will see this and be reminded to check with sis about the Cuban restaurant.

Happy holidays one and all! May you have a holy and joyous holiday season.

-Sharon