Let's hark back to the days when meat was served in portions the size of Hyundais. Better yet, let's just mosey on over to Fogo de Chão, which loosely translates to "stuff of the face." Or maybe not — our Portuguese isn't so hot — but we know a great cut of meat when we eat one. The way it works, as most Miamians know, is a band of servers comes to the table hauling long skewers of fat, juicy meats, and provides continuous slicing privileges for those who want it. There are some 15 Brazilian-style cuts in all, our favorites being the picanha (prime sirloin), beef ancho (prime part of the rib eye), tender pork ribs, pork sausages, leg of lamb... well, guess we like it all. The meats here just seem fresher, moister, and more flavorful than those at other eateries of this type. Diners are likewise lassoed by fresh breads, side dishes, and a ridiculously extensive salad bar. The whole shebang costs $46.50 ($26.50 for kids) — not a bad deal when broken down to price per pound.

Brazilian food has become synonymous with meat, and lots of it. The brasileiros have the successful export of their churrascarias (think Texas de Brazil and Fogo de Chão) to thank for that. But there's a lot more to Brazilian cuisine than tender rump roast on a stick. And there's no better place to get the most authentic of Brazilian meals — feijoada — than at Camila's, a downtown Miami institution since 1989. Like other Brazilian chains, the restaurant is buffet style, and the best day to check it out is Saturday, when Camila's offers a special feijoada meal. What is feijoada? It's a stew of black beans with pork, which could include everything from bacon to smoked pork ribs. Best of all, Camila's prices are reasonable — just $10.95 for the super buffet. And if you want Brazilian-style meat, they have that too.

Señorita Juanita, translate the following to English, por favor:

La Señora Martinez sirve pequeñas porciones de exquisitas comidas muy gustosas — a continuación de las famosas tapas de Andalucía.

Sra. Martinez serves small plates of big-flavored foods styled after the famed tapas of Andalusia.

Muy bien. Ahora, Herman, translate this to Spanish:

Pork belly with sweet-and-sour glaze, sea urchin sandwich crisply pressed in French bread, smaller, tapas-like snacks such as Serrano ham with fig marmalade and Marcona almonds — chef/owner Michelle Bernstein imbues all with her own uniquely creative touch.

Puerco...

Ay! Tome asiento Señor Herman, por favor. Señorita Maria, cuéntenos un poco sobre la Señora Bernstein y la Señora Martinez.

Bernstein is one of Miami's most gifted chefs, and Sra. Martinez is her Design District, Seville-style restaurant. Most plates are under $18, there are great sherries and wines to go with the cuisine, it stays open for dinner until 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and the atmosphere is fun, fun, fun.

Super! Herman, por favor, déjeme saber cual es el mejor restaurante de comida española en miami?

Señora Bernstein?

Ay caramba!

The best Cuban restaurant in Miami lives in Wynwood. That's where La Fama Cafeteria puts out its consistently delicious, always affordable, nothing-more-than-$7.95 menu of classic meals and daily specials. La Fama consists of a lunch counter, a take-out window, and a small room with a couple of tables. But don't let the spartan environment fool you — the food exceeds all expectations. Huge portions of crisp fried chicken chunks, boiled yuca in garlic sauce, black beans, and white rice will set you back only $4.95 for the meal. Beautiful girls work the counter six days a week from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The place is closed Sunday, so whether you want a medianoche ($2.80), a flan de leche ($1.50), or a giant bistec de pollo empanizado ($5.95), you've come to the right place. Local businessman Hugo Jesus Roca says, "You gotta try the mondongo." The beef tripe soup is served as a special Fridays and Saturdays. Whether you sit down to eat or grab it and go, La Fama brings Miami heat to the melting pot and cooks up fire every time.

Thanasis Barlos has been the proprietor of the highest Michelin-rated restaurant in Greece, as well as of Elia, a posh Mediterranean eatery in the Bal Harbour Shops. But when he and partner Michelle Shimon opened Ariston in February 2008, the goal was more informal. They wanted to serve simple, well-executed Greek cuisine in a festive neighborhood-restaurant environment. Mr. Barlos's mother, Noni, provided recipes that come to life via vivid execution by chef Alexia Apostolidi, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. The mainstays are all on hand, including luscious renditions of tarama and tzatziki and a textbook moussaka. But what distinguishes Ariston are the suckling piglet roasted in a wood-burning oven ($21.95) and lamb aromatically spun in a charcoal rotisserie ($25.95) — both accompanied by potatoes softly roasted in olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs. Service is sharp, the wine list extensive, and the honey-dripped walnut cake (karithopita) not to be missed — and you won't miss it if you show up from 6 to 11 p.m. (or Saturday until midnight).

It was nearly a decade ago when Pascal Oudin opened his eponymous 55-seat restaurant. This is noteworthy because it began the trend of Miami's top chefs leaving big-money establishments to start modest places of their own. The restaurant is also noteworthy because Oudin, from Bourbon Lancy, France, is an unquestionably gifted chef. Using classic French technique gleaned from years of working under masters such as Alain Ducasse, Roger Verge, and Jean-Louis Palladin, he artfully creates light, fresh fare such as creamy lobster bisque with corn flan and tarragon, twice-baked Gruyère cheese soufflé, and duck dolce forte with pears, fingerling potatoes, and Savoy cabbage (entrées are in the $30 range). Well-priced bottles are on the wine list, white linens and delicate flowers are on the tables, the waitstaff is on the ball, and if you've never eaten at Pascal's on Ponce, you should get right on over there for lunch or dinner (open until 10 p.m. weeknights and an hour later on weekends).

Walk into Rincon Argentino with any doubts about the restaurant's philosophy and they'll quickly melt away. The reason: the gigantic fire pit in the middle of the dining room that's usually covered with dripping racks of sausage, beef, and sometimes a whole pig. Argentine cuisine is all about the carne, baby. An Argentine barbecue special brings a sizzling iron grill right to your table, with juicy flank steaks, kidneys, sweetbreads, and blood sausage simmering atop white-hot coals. Italian-Argentine appetizers such as queso proveleta Argentina (a giant hunk of grilled, fresh cheese) and mozzarella Caprese with prosciutto are delicious warmups. Then comes the main attraction: a whole menu of steaks, ribs, chicken, offal, and sausages spitting hot off the grill and washed down with fishbowls of perfect, best-value-in-the-world Malbec. Quiet your inner carnivore with the media parrillada, or half Argentine barbecue, a gut-busting rack of steaks and sausages for $19.95. The Coral Gables location, a warm space two blocks from Miracle Mile, has been around since 1987, when Argentine-Italian couple Miguel and Illena DeMarziani set up shop. Their son, Michael, opened the Kendall spot in 2001. Both restaurants feel as close to Buenos Aires as the Magic City can get. And that, che, is close.

Whenever some young, enterprising chef chooses to tamper with food basics, he or she runs the risk of popular revolt. And often the result is total failure. But now and then, a place such as Yiya's Gourmet Cuban Bakery arrives, executing the essentials with high ambition balanced by common sense, style, and unparalleled craft. Since opening in early January 2009, co-owners Delsa Bernardo and Abbie Cuellar have served an assortment of their simple yet sophisticated pastelitos filled with guava, coconut and cheese, and meat. And there are no high prices of the sort usually brought on by the word gourmet. In fact, all pastries cost between 95 cents and $1.25, including the hefty dulce de leche strudel. Add espresso or a smooth, not-too-sweet café con leche, and you have breakfast. Then, until 6 p.m. (AKA closing time during the summer), Delsa prepares the shop's signature lunch specials: a $5 pan con lechón and the slightly pricier goat cheese pizza on Indian nan crust. But whatever you do, don't rush off. This place was made for loitering. Slouch down on the throne-like leather sofa, sample some free wi-fi, and enjoy the modern, sun-soaked interior. Remember, though, to get a loaf of homemade bread or a half-dozen buttery croissants for the road. You'll love yourself the next morning.

A Miamian's life is spent trying to avoid gridlock. But when a line regularly backs up to a bakery's door, it's generally best to ditch the highway-learned evasive tactics, join the massive crowd, and take a number. At Buenos Aires Bakery Café in North Beach, where a beginner's Spanish will be tested, you'll be rewarded by a display case full of beautiful, buttery-golden Argentine pastries, most made with a flaky, croissant-like dough. While the cream cheese Danish is pretty incredible, we like to cut out the middleman and go with the croissant, a miniature of the French pastry, crisped in butter with cloud-soft dough inside. Pair it with a sweet and milky cortadito. By the way, you might as well order three croissants and save yourself another trip through the line.

Scarpetta is Italian slang for "little shoe," or the heel of bread used to scoop up sauce from a heaping plate of Italian goodness. It's fitting, then, that a meal at this glossy Fontainebleau outpost of New York chef Scott Conant's polished Italian fare begins with one of the most enticing breadbaskets in the city. House-made stromboli filled with smoked salami and cheese are accompanied by fluffy focaccia and crusty ciabatta, all of which are primed to be dipped or slathered in the mascarpone butter, fruity olive oil, and hearty eggplant caponata that grace each table. Entrées run in the $30 to $40 range, but refills of the breadbasket are blissfully free.