Station 5 Table & Bar

The polenta Julia Ning serves at her South Miami restaurant Station 5 Table & Bar is there for a reason. Sure, it's best topped with a smattering of mushrooms from Sublicious Farms, flash-roasted and then sauteed in white wine and garlic. But it's also an homage to her Italian grandmother, Nonna Daniela, who traveled to Baltimore from Sicily to teach Ning how to cook when she was just starting out. The menu at her restaurant is layered with such tales. The gluten-free fried chicken is what got her through long days during her time at the now-closed Khong River House. But it's the short-rib tacos that seem to be the most important, and not because Ning goofily tops them with Cheetos to satisfy a lifelong junk-food craving. They're a direct link to her French-Canadian grandmother, who helped form her as a cook and raised her on warming, unctuous braises and stews.Read our full review.