Miami Spice 2016 Last Call: Five Restaurants to Try Before September 30

It's hard to believe, but fall is upon us, and Miamians are already carving their pumpkins in anticipation of a new season. Sure, summer was tough with 90-degree days filled with humidity and the threat of Zika. But there's one thing we'll miss when September draws to a close: Miami Spice.

The annual two-month restaurant promotion that offers three-course lunches for $23 and three-course dinners for $39 will end this Friday, September 30. There's still time, however, for one or two more Spice meals before it hibernates till next year.  

Here are five restaurants to try before Friday. Note that prices do not include tax and tip and that menus are subject to change. 
5. Izzy's Fish & Oyster
Jamie DeRosa's ode to New England seafood shacks is perfect for those waxing nostalgic for Northeast summer days on the beach that give way to cool evenings spent eating fried clams and drinking cold beer.

The Miami Spice dinner menu includes your choice of Bangor Maine scallop with sweet local corn, beef tartare, or a charred romaine salad for starters. For your entrée, there's a half-split roasted chicken, a Florida Keys daily catch, or a vegetarian white bean stew. You should, however, opt for the clam bellies or lobster roll (served warm or cold) for a true experience. Finish the meal with Del's frozen lemonade, a Rhode Island staple. You can also forgo your dessert for a glass of house wine, a summer ale, or a Miami Spice cocktail. 

Miami Spice is offered for lunch and dinner seven days a week. 
4. DB Bistro Moderne
Think of DB as a Parisian bistro in overdrive. It's a gorgeous space — with tonal, modern furnishings and impeccable service — that serves classic bistro comfort foods by executive chef Clark Bowen. The offerings for Miami Spice stay in the traditional range, with soulful renditions of your favorite French items.

For your appetizer, there's salade du marche or scallop carpacchio, but allow yourself the chef's coupe du jour. For an entrée, choose between mussels, pompano with blistered potatoes and focaccia ($10 additional), seafood paella ($12 additional), or fettuccine with lamb ragout, mint, and ricotta. For dessert, there are creme puffs with chocolate sauce, bread pudding, or a tropical fruit sundae. Nothing, however, is more French than finishing with a generous cheese plate.

Miami Spice is offered for lunch Monday through Friday and for dinner Monday through Saturday.
3. The Dutch's Bar Primi Miami Spice Pop-Up
The Dutch's Andrew Carmellini decided to tap into the recipe book of his other New York restaurant, Bar Primi, for a special pop-up edition of the eatery for Miami Spice. Bar Primi's chef/partner Sal Lamboglia has brought his Bowery neighborhood pasta shop to SoBe, using recipes handed down from his family for the special menu. 

Appetizers include a choice of Sal's antipasti salad, cow's-milk ricotta with truffle honey and hazelnut, Sicilian tomato arancini, or mussels rosso. Entrées include spaghetti Nero with crab, garlic crema, and fresno; rigatoni alla Norma from the chef's family recipe; and spinach ricotta cavatelli with veal bolognese. For dessert, try the warm bombolini or a strawberry copa. 

Miami Spice is offered for dinner seven days a week.
2. The Sarsaparilla Club
Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth serve American dim sum from their restaurant inside the Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach.

That means you can have dim sum for dinner — your choice of ten options from the various hot and cold dim sum carts that roll around the room. For your entrée, there's pork tenderloin, steamed snapper, short-rib meat loaf, or rock shrimp laksa, but go for the Sarsaparilla fried chicken, dusted with kaffir lime powder and toasted coconut and served with a side of fresh corn grits. For dessert, pick from a cart cart that includes a sarsaparilla soda ice-cream float — complete with a striped straw and "filthy" cherry.

Miami Spice is offered for dinner seven days a week.
1. Mignonette
Danny Serfer's seafood restaurant, Mignonette, is a favorite for its simple approach to food. The dishes are never overworked, allowing the fresh ingredients to shine.  

The Miami Spice menu starts with either a Boston lettuce salad, snow-crab cocktail, or the CBGB daily selection, which rotates among chowders, bisques, and gumbo (hence "CBGB"). For your entrée, choose from fancy red fish with andouille crust, rock shrimp, bomba rice, and lobster broth; fancy trout with red beans and rice; and Colorado lamb chops. Vegetarians will enjoy the veggie plate of sweet potato wedges, parsnip purée with toasted pine nuts, sautéed spinach and watercress, and green peas with shallots. For dessert, there's a daily pie, but go for Serfer's now-famous butterscotch Heath Bar bread pudding with cayenne whipped cream. 

Miami Spice is offered for dinner seven days a week.