Miami Beach

305-531-7007

www.joeallenrestaurant.com (Note to guests visiting our fair city: The following is of no interest to you. Really boring stuff. Please just skip on ahead to the next item, because reading this will surely be a waste of your precious vacation time.) It's not that Joe Allen is totally devoid of tourists -- Mr. Allen's original restaurant has long been a desirous dining destination for Broadway theatergoers in the Big Apple, so it's only natural that a few of those familiar with his skills as a restaurateur would seek him out down here. The small number of visitors who do manage to find Purdy Avenue blend in seamlessly with the eclectic mix of locals. Feeling as though you belong is easy at Joe Allen, which is one reason so many natives gather nightly at the bar for a neighborly reverie of chatter and drink. Another draw is the unfussy American menu of burgers, pizzas, pastas, steaks, meatloaf, sautéed calf's liver, mashed potatoes, peach cobbler, and other foods that are as comforting as the no-nonsense Deco décor. Maybe the biggest attraction for neighborhood residents is the things Joe Allen doesn't have: DJs, karaoke nights, giant TV screens, and pretension. Plus, as we say, out-of-towners are outnumbered and unnoticeable. Which is a good thing, because they aren't to be trusted -- just the sort of folks who would read this item even though we politely asked them not to.