Enter Palomilla Grill and find yourself surrounded by ceramic trinkets and sunflower paintings that evoke the sensation of a faraway island. The setting is rich with lingering memories and remnants of hearty conversation. This is the kind of place where families go to spend time together and laugh over savory Cuban meals prepared by able hands. Some of the seat cushions are still even wrapped in plastic, just like abuela's. Sure, you'll want to try the signature palomilla steak ($11.25), but no proper Cuban meal is complete without flan for dessert. It's made in house, and you can practically taste the love in each bite. The soft, caramel notes melt on your tongue and get your taste buds dancing to the beat of Celia Cruz's "Azucar!" Basically, if your abuelita doesn't have her own top-secret flan recipe, she should be infiltrating Palomilla Grill to get her hands on this one.

What's icy, tangy, zesty, crisp, tart, sweet, smooth and positively peerless? It's the key lime pie ($7.95) at Joe's Stone Crab. It's the kind of dessert you have to eat with your eyes closed to fully take in the multitude of textures and flavors. And like the 100-year-old restaurant's world-famous stone crabs, it's worth waiting in line for. The pie is said to have originated in Key West, where key limes abound, but Joe's does Miami Beach proud with its exquisite rendition of the quintessential American treat. Enjoy it after a filling meal at the storied institution, or grab it to go from Joe's Take Away next door. Full pies are available if you order ahead of time. Tote one home, refrigerate it, and enjoy its scrumptiousness for days.

Fro-yo is a way of life. You either get it or you don't. For some, closing an evening by swirling low-fat yogurt into a cup and accessorizing it with myriad toppings is the happiest of endings. Mimi offers that treat in North Beach. The flavors rotate frequently, but salted caramel and Tahitian vanilla are regulars. Sample some of the more exotic varieties, especially green tea, taro, and watermelon sorbet. You pay by the pound, so try to sail under the $5 mark on the scale. Toppings such as fresh fruit, cookies, and chocolate chips can really add up, but the soft mochi and burst-in-your-mouth fruit-flavored boba balls are light enough to keep the weight in check.

There's so much to love about Restaurant Michael Schwartz. For starters, there's the idyllic poolside setting, which makes for one of the most outstanding outdoor dining experiences on the Beach. Then you have a menu overseen by one of Miami's most acclaimed chef-restaurateurs, Michael Schwartz. Best of all, you've got a dessert list created by executive pastry chef and James Beard Award finalist Hedy Goldsmith. If you visit in a party of four or more, the family-style pie à la mode (flavors change regularly) served with homemade ice cream ($36) is haute comfort food at its finest. Meanwhile, the tangerine creamsicle pot de crème ($12) features custard dotted with vanilla beans and three warm, fluffy doughnuts. The desserts here are anything but ordinary. But they're not gimmicky or pretentious, and that's definitely something to love.

Misha Kuryla-Gomez's cupcakes are pretty, oh so pretty. In fact, it might be impossible to enter Misha's Cupcakes without breaking into a smile. And in this case, appearances aren't deceiving, because these little treats are undeniably divine. Kuryla-Gomez began baking out of her kitchen to earn money while staying close to her young daughter, and — voilà — now there are five Misha's Cupcakes stores. What's more, her sweets are sold at numerous locations throughout Miami, including the Café at Books & Books and Epicure Gourmet Market in Sunny Isles Beach. Seasonal flavors include key lime, orange creamsicle, and s'more, and some regulars are red velvet, cookies 'n' cream, and coconut ($1.35 for mini, $2.60 for regular). Picture-perfect cakes (starting at $20) are also available.

Oreos may be vegan, but an unrecognizable Crisco-based filling and some mass-produced chocolate wafers aren't exactly the stuff of a healthy diet. So what are meatless eaters supposed to look forward to at the end of a meal? Enter Beehive Juice Bar's cake du jour. Whipped up daily, the vegan lunch counter's cakes are dairy-free, flour-free, and processed-sugar-free. Owner and master chef Carlos Schicchi generally uses whole-wheat pastry flour, brown rice syrup, flax meal, pineapple purée, and an array of other good-for-you ingredients to craft cruelty-free masterpieces for your mouth. On any given day, there could be apple, strawberry, carrot, banana walnut, chocolate, or tangerine cake. And they're all guilt-free, cruelty-free, and bad-stuff-free. At $2.99 a slice, it's a sweet steal.

Sweat is the city's only vegan coffeehouse. You'd think herbivorous caffeine fiends would be banging down the door. They'd do anything to avoid Starbucks' ludicrous 60-cent upcharge for soy milk. But not so much. Instead, the chocolate coconut lattes ($4) and Panther Coffee espressos at this music lovers' paradise are still on the DL. The Vanilla Iced Rice Baby ($3.21 for a regular) is a piquant treat — an iced, toasted rice green tea with vanilla milk (almond or soy, pick your pleasure). Pair it with a vegan cookie and use the free Wi-Fi to look up kale smoothie recipes and baby animal pics on Pinterest. You'll feel like you're in Portland — till you step outside into the sunshine.

Once upon a time, there was a busy little corner with a café named Mary's. This magical shop, located inside a laundromat, smelled like freshly cleaned blankets and coffee. All sorts of good people gathered there to drink an elixir known as café con leche. This hot beverage, the color of chocolate pudding, was rich and sweet, and when the townsfolk drank it, they were energized no matter what time of day or night. In the morning, workers dropped in for a quick pick-me-up before heading to their jobs. In the afternoon, people would gather for a shot of the drink on their way back from lunch. Even in the middle of the night, folks who worked while the rest of the city slept — policemen, paramedics, and others who burned the midnight oil — flocked to the window at Mary's for a much-needed caffeine fix (only $1.87 for a medium). The little café was an important part of the community. The people of Miami loved her for that, and they all lived happily ever after.

Of all the cocktails in the world, the martini conjures up the most romance. After all, it's the drink that James Bond sips (shaken, not stirred) in those moments between bedding a gorgeous babe and saving Her Majesty and mankind. Because of that, note must be made not only of those who take proper care in the making of the martini, but also in the ambiance of the drink. Even the best-made cocktail of its ilk loses face if served in a red Solo cup. Which is why you're at Lazuli Lounge, the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove's indigo-tinged oasis, for the Spice of the Ritz-Carlton ($14). Just like Bond and one of his girls, spicy pepper vodka coos to fragrant St-Germain as they're both kissed by lime and heated by red pepper flakes. Sexy and sophisticated, it's the ultimate cocktail for the international man (or woman) of mystery.

Dearest mojito:

Why do you tempt me with your delicate notes of sweetness?

The way your mint leaves dance around the white rum —

That twirl is enough to drive sound minds mad.

Your body sparkles,

Your contact cools,

Your taste excites.

Refresh me, but don't emborrachar me.