Ivan Dorvil has cooked for P. Diddy and Lil Wayne. He has manned the stoves at high-end South Beach spots and at Haitian institution Tap Tap. He has emerged victorious from reality cooking competitions. But the Haitian-born chef is at his best inside his eponymous North Dade restaurant, where he plays cook and host for a loyal crowd that returns time and again for a bill of fare that starts in the Caribbean and stretches out across the globe. Don't miss Dorvil's griot ($14) and tasso ($16). The fried chunks of pork and goat offer supremely crisp crusts encasing juicy meat. No other cook seems to have Ivan's ability to bring these Haitian classics to this perfect point of equilibrium. With a deft hand, he grills and fries red snapper ($22) and all other manner of Caribbean fish, leaving them supremely moist. Then comes a smattering of crunchy, blistering pikliz that hurts so good. He amps up a similarly styled seafood stew with funky salty miso. It's a quick visit to Asia, but soon you're back home with sweet boniato pudding á la mode ringed with sugary caramel ($7).
Readers' choice: Tap Tap