We are planning one night in Miami for my birthday. We're staying at the 4 Seasons on Brickell Ave. and booking Wish for dinner and perhaps drinks at the Delano afterwards. We're looking for recommendations for 2 lunch spots (good food, atmospheric). Either Miami Beach, South Beach, or around our hotel (Biscayne Bay) Any advice is appreciated.

The 4S has a very nice restaurant - I like sitting at the outside tables. (There's also a pool side restaurant - haven't tried that). Cafe Sambal at the Mandarin is also close, very good and atmospheric.

Ortanique in Coral Gables (not far) is wonderful for lunch.

Anyone know if they serve lunch at the Mandarin Oriental in Azul? I'm assuming they do? That would be wonderful and very close.

Close to your hotel is Perricone's, a very nice, Italian restaurant with a beautiful setting under a huge tree. Ask to sit outside. Key Biscayne, also relatively close, has an outdoor restaurant in the state park at the end of the island in No Name Harbor. It's waterfront and the seafood has received great reviews. In an area of Miami not as popular with tourists, but just off Brickell, Big Fish next to the Miami River is good. You can watch the steamers go by as they head to Haiti and all points to the Caribbean.

Try Azul in the Mandarin, christy's in Coral gables, or chispa in the gables as well....

Azul does serve lunch, in fact I'll be having lunch there next month when I have a mini-vacation scheduled with a spa day and doing some research at Viscaya. LMF