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BEST EXPENSIVE ITALIAN RESTAURANT

Escopazzo

BEST EXPENSIVE ITALIAN RESTAURANT Escopazzo 1311 Washington Avenue

Miami Beach

305-674-9450

www.escopazzo.com We love our spaghetti and meatballs as much as the next diner, and we delight in a deftly grilled chicken breast dressed in balsamic-drizzled greens, but we'll leave those dishes for the plethora of little neighborhood pasta joints to produce. When we want our concepts of Italian cuisine expanded, our senses jolted, and our expectations surpassed, we make reservations at Escopazzo. The 90-seat dining room and cozy indoor courtyard elicit rustically romantic flashbacks to some Tuscan trattoria you may have visited long ago. Chef/owners Pino and Giancarla Bodoni nudge guests toward such nostalgia by way of their hospitality, helped along by the waitstaff's doting service and a kitchen crew that excels in producing gutsy contemporary takes on traditional regional foods. The menu is without peer: carpaccio of Scottish salmon marinated in fennel and orange; salad of roasted beets in goat cheese and coriander sauce and topped with slices of black truffle; fresh ravioli plumped with tiny croutons, truffled sheep's milk cheese, porcini mushrooms, and oxtail jus; Bell & Evans chicken; grass-fed New Zealand beef; Neiman Ranch pork chop; Alaskan halibut with foie gras sauce -- cuisine here is defined by quirkiness, quality, and unqualified deliciousness. You simply can't get Italian food like this anywhere else, and the extensive wine cellar contains enough bottles to match every fantastic flavor.

Readers´ Choice: Caffé da Vinci

BEST EXPENSIVE ITALIAN RESTAURANT

Escopazzo

BEST EXPENSIVE ITALIAN RESTAURANT Escopazzo 1311 Washington Avenue

Miami Beach

305-674-9450

www.escopazzo.com We love our spaghetti and meatballs as much as the next diner, and we delight in a deftly grilled chicken breast dressed in balsamic-drizzled greens, but we'll leave those dishes for the plethora of little neighborhood pasta joints to produce. When we want our concepts of Italian cuisine expanded, our senses jolted, and our expectations surpassed, we make reservations at Escopazzo. The 90-seat dining room and cozy indoor courtyard elicit rustically romantic flashbacks to some Tuscan trattoria you may have visited long ago. Chef/owners Pino and Giancarla Bodoni nudge guests toward such nostalgia by way of their hospitality, helped along by the waitstaff's doting service and a kitchen crew that excels in producing gutsy contemporary takes on traditional regional foods. The menu is without peer: carpaccio of Scottish salmon marinated in fennel and orange; salad of roasted beets in goat cheese and coriander sauce and topped with slices of black truffle; fresh ravioli plumped with tiny croutons, truffled sheep's milk cheese, porcini mushrooms, and oxtail jus; Bell & Evans chicken; grass-fed New Zealand beef; Neiman Ranch pork chop; Alaskan halibut with foie gras sauce -- cuisine here is defined by quirkiness, quality, and unqualified deliciousness. You simply can't get Italian food like this anywhere else, and the extensive wine cellar contains enough bottles to match every fantastic flavor.

Readers´ Choice: Caffé da Vinci

BEST CANDY

The Fresh Market

BEST CANDY The Fresh Market 18299 Biscayne Boulevard

Aventura

305-466-1786 Maybe it's not so much the candy itself but the way it's displayed -- in a beckoning rainbow of glass jars -- or that you'd never expect to see such an impressive candy section in a "health food" market; or the elaborate holiday displays stocked with specialty sweets the store creates at Christmastime, Valentine's Day, Easter, and Halloween. It's nearly impossible not to get positively giddy the first time you discover the candy section at The Fresh Market, even if you are a jaded adult. The colors and shapes will hypnotize you as you set about the difficult task of deciding what to scoop into your plastic bag: Swedish fish or gummy bears; orange slices or green apple juicy twists; sour babies or malted balls; pixie sticks or caramel clusters; gumballs or truffles; lemon drops or Jelly Bellies (in twenty flavors); peanut brittle or peppermint bark. Gee, not only is it the best candy, but it's also the best variety of candy.

BEST CANDY

The Fresh Market

BEST CANDY The Fresh Market 18299 Biscayne Boulevard

Aventura

305-466-1786 Maybe it's not so much the candy itself but the way it's displayed -- in a beckoning rainbow of glass jars -- or that you'd never expect to see such an impressive candy section in a "health food" market; or the elaborate holiday displays stocked with specialty sweets the store creates at Christmastime, Valentine's Day, Easter, and Halloween. It's nearly impossible not to get positively giddy the first time you discover the candy section at The Fresh Market, even if you are a jaded adult. The colors and shapes will hypnotize you as you set about the difficult task of deciding what to scoop into your plastic bag: Swedish fish or gummy bears; orange slices or green apple juicy twists; sour babies or malted balls; pixie sticks or caramel clusters; gumballs or truffles; lemon drops or Jelly Bellies (in twenty flavors); peanut brittle or peppermint bark. Gee, not only is it the best candy, but it's also the best variety of candy.

BEST SERVICE IN A RESTAURANT

The Forge

billwisserphoto.com
BEST SERVICE IN A RESTAURANT The Forge 432 Arthur Godfrey Road (41st Street)

Miami Beach

305-538-8533

www.theforge.com The crowning moment at the Forge is when tuxedo-clad waiters approach the table with silver-domed entrées, place them down in unison, and remove the lids with synchronized flair -- the way it would be done in a Busby Berkeley musical. If you remember Busby, you'll also recall the days when going out to eat in a fine-dining establishment meant the white-glove treatment by a team of pampering professionals. The whole idea of spending oodles of money was to be treated like someone special, even, maybe especially, for those who weren't special at all. The staff at the Forge harkens back to those times, and we're not just referring to the choreography and formal attire. Like veteran stage actors, the waiters here perform with an anonymous polish and panache; they hit their marks by rote. Sure, the somber demeanors of some might remind you of the stuffy butler Dudley Moore mimicked in Arthur, but their maturity is comforting, and it's quite refreshing to hear menu items described in a knowledgeable and articulate manner, to have wines properly handled by a suave sommelier, to have your chair held and napkins refolded, to barely notice the table cloth being silently swept of crumbs. It's nice to be served, and nicer still within the ornate stained-glass grandeur of the Forge. Makes you feel special, which in these parts, in this day and age, is something special indeed.

BEST SERVICE IN A RESTAURANT

The Forge

BEST SERVICE IN A RESTAURANT The Forge 432 Arthur Godfrey Road (41st Street)

Miami Beach

305-538-8533

www.theforge.com The crowning moment at the Forge is when tuxedo-clad waiters approach the table with silver-domed entrées, place them down in unison, and remove the lids with synchronized flair -- the way it would be done in a Busby Berkeley musical. If you remember Busby, you'll also recall the days when going out to eat in a fine-dining establishment meant the white-glove treatment by a team of pampering professionals. The whole idea of spending oodles of money was to be treated like someone special, even, maybe especially, for those who weren't special at all. The staff at the Forge harkens back to those times, and we're not just referring to the choreography and formal attire. Like veteran stage actors, the waiters here perform with an anonymous polish and panache; they hit their marks by rote. Sure, the somber demeanors of some might remind you of the stuffy butler Dudley Moore mimicked in Arthur, but their maturity is comforting, and it's quite refreshing to hear menu items described in a knowledgeable and articulate manner, to have wines properly handled by a suave sommelier, to have your chair held and napkins refolded, to barely notice the table cloth being silently swept of crumbs. It's nice to be served, and nicer still within the ornate stained-glass grandeur of the Forge. Makes you feel special, which in these parts, in this day and age, is something special indeed.

BEST CEVICHE

Cacao

BEST CEVICHE Cacao 141 Giralda Avenue

Coral Gables

305-445-1001 In a town where good ceviche is seldom far enough away to require hopping in the car, and great ceviche is served in dozens of places (from humble neighborhood Latin joints to nationally known gourmet palaces like Ola), Cacao's creations nevertheless shine. Though young chef Edgar Leal is Venezuelan, his specialties in the restaurant's main dining area are inventive Nueva interpretations of dishes from all over Latin America, and the newer ceviche bar follows suit. To taste-test the difference between a Mexican ceviche (chunks of guachinango fish with poblano peppers) and a Peruvian tiradito (sliced tuna, salmon, and grouper with aji amarillo sauce, cilantro pesto, and diced fennel), this is the place to go. The roughly half-dozen daily offerings always include at least a couple of marinated fish dishes that have decidedly Floribbean tropical touches too, like tuna ceviche with key lime juice and mango, or guacamole-garnished grouper ceviche marinated half in lime and half in sweeter passion fruit juice. And the ceviche bar doubles as a full bar, so skip the cerveza. Cacao's Santa Teresa Rum Old Fashioned is a more appropriately elegant accompaniment to such new-fashioned snacks.

BEST CEVICHE

Cacao

BEST CEVICHE Cacao 141 Giralda Avenue

Coral Gables

305-445-1001 In a town where good ceviche is seldom far enough away to require hopping in the car, and great ceviche is served in dozens of places (from humble neighborhood Latin joints to nationally known gourmet palaces like Ola), Cacao's creations nevertheless shine. Though young chef Edgar Leal is Venezuelan, his specialties in the restaurant's main dining area are inventive Nueva interpretations of dishes from all over Latin America, and the newer ceviche bar follows suit. To taste-test the difference between a Mexican ceviche (chunks of guachinango fish with poblano peppers) and a Peruvian tiradito (sliced tuna, salmon, and grouper with aji amarillo sauce, cilantro pesto, and diced fennel), this is the place to go. The roughly half-dozen daily offerings always include at least a couple of marinated fish dishes that have decidedly Floribbean tropical touches too, like tuna ceviche with key lime juice and mango, or guacamole-garnished grouper ceviche marinated half in lime and half in sweeter passion fruit juice. And the ceviche bar doubles as a full bar, so skip the cerveza. Cacao's Santa Teresa Rum Old Fashioned is a more appropriately elegant accompaniment to such new-fashioned snacks.

BEST RESTAURANT FOR A POWER LUNCH

BEST RESTAURANT FOR A POWER LUNCH The Capital Grille 444 Brickell Avenue

Miami

305-374-4500

www.thecapitalgrille.com Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and absolutely corrupt power tearing up 5-pound lobsters and ravaging through 24-ounce slabs of porterhouse is downright frightening. Yet it occurs daily come lunchtime at The Capital Grille. Located at the Brickell Avenue apex of Miami's financial center, the Grille's mahogany walls and private booths provide the proper backdrop for corporate wheeling. An award-winning wine list and aptly dry martinis set the stage for daring dealing. And quiet, gracious service minimizes distraction. Giant cuts of meat dry-age on hooks in a glass locker visible to diners, perhaps a not-so-subtle metaphor for the worst-case scenario of a deal gone bad. Still there's always the considerable consolation derived from executive chef Innocent Utomi's powerful steak-and-seafood house cuisine. How important can money be when one is presented with a wedge of iceberg smothered in blue cheese and bacon; a thick, succulent Delmonico steak; a decadent chocolate espresso cake? Only important enough to pay the hefty bill. But don't worry, the company will pick it up, and besides, lunch here is well worth the price. Delicious food satisfies, and The Capital Grille's absolutely delicious food satisfies absolutely.

BEST RESTAURANT FOR A POWER LUNCH

BEST RESTAURANT FOR A POWER LUNCH The Capital Grille 444 Brickell Avenue

Miami

305-374-4500

www.thecapitalgrille.com Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely, and absolutely corrupt power tearing up 5-pound lobsters and ravaging through 24-ounce slabs of porterhouse is downright frightening. Yet it occurs daily come lunchtime at The Capital Grille. Located at the Brickell Avenue apex of Miami's financial center, the Grille's mahogany walls and private booths provide the proper backdrop for corporate wheeling. An award-winning wine list and aptly dry martinis set the stage for daring dealing. And quiet, gracious service minimizes distraction. Giant cuts of meat dry-age on hooks in a glass locker visible to diners, perhaps a not-so-subtle metaphor for the worst-case scenario of a deal gone bad. Still there's always the considerable consolation derived from executive chef Innocent Utomi's powerful steak-and-seafood house cuisine. How important can money be when one is presented with a wedge of iceberg smothered in blue cheese and bacon; a thick, succulent Delmonico steak; a decadent chocolate espresso cake? Only important enough to pay the hefty bill. But don't worry, the company will pick it up, and besides, lunch here is well worth the price. Delicious food satisfies, and The Capital Grille's absolutely delicious food satisfies absolutely.

Best Of Miami®

Best Of Miami®

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