Like a giant colorful bird, Art Basel swoops down upon our Miami and the beach for a glorious few days. Though the event is now scattered all over Miami-Dade, with satellite events and gallery shows, the focal point and heart of the show is at the Miami Beach Convention Center. 
Todd Erickson serves up the world at Haven.
Read also:
- Art Basel in Midtown: Where to Eat, See, and be Seen
- Art Basel Eats: from a Phuc Yea! Pop-Up to a Basel Biergarden
With that in mind, you can sip champagne from a plastic flute and dine on an expensive cookie at the event, or you can stroll a few short blocks to Lincoln Road, where pretty girls in short dresses will offer you their wares. No-- we're not talking about hookers. We're talking about the hostesses who are employed to lure you into their fine dining establishments.
We've put together a list of the best restaurants on Lincoln Road -- so you can skip the siren songs of the hostesses and get down to dinner... and back to Basel.
10. Shake Shack
Danny Meyer's outpost is quick, cheap, and delicious. Sure it's fast/casual food that you order at a counter..but it's trendy fast/casual food that you order at a counter. Come on, live just a little and order a Shack Burger, loaded with hormone-free Angus beef and "shack" sauce. Wash it down with a Key Lime Pie Oh My concrete or a Brooklyn Lager and you'll be in and out long before anyone saw you cheat on that HCG diet hell you've been living in.
9. Nespresso
You've been out partying and you need a caffeine infusion. We hear you on that! You could go to that chain with the green mermaid, or you could walk your tired but fabulous self over to Nespresso for a cup of perfectly made java. Choose from over a dozen different crus, sip and breathe. Now you're ready to tackle another day of parties and art.
8. Five Napkin Burger
Surely among all the skinny model types that come to Art Basel there are a few closet carnivores that just want to dig into a burger and a beer, which is why we've put Five Napkin Burger on our list. Ten ounces of ground chuck lie on a golden bun for your pleasure, along with dozens of craft beers, wines, and shakes. If you're worried that someone you know is watching you go crazy on a burger, ketchup smearing your perfectly painted lips, just think - if they're watching you it probably means they're there for the same reason.
7. Spris
So you've just spent your last $500,000 on a painting depicting the end of the Roman civilization as seen through the eyes of an Arctic fox? Now you're hungry but you maxed out your credit cards. Might we suggest Spris for some "beat the clock" pizza? From 5:30 to 7 p.m., your pizza is priced according to the time you order it (5:45 p.m.? Your pizza is $5.45. Get it?). With house wines starting at six bucks, you can be a starving artist or art collector and still eat well.
6. AltaMare
It sounds crazy, but there are few places to get beautiful freshly caught seafood in Miami Beach. AltaMare is a standout. The menu reads like the Little Mermaid's family tree, full of local offerings like fresh wahoo, grouper, and kingfish. The daily specials are vast -- mostly because they're offerings brought directly from the boat to your plate.
5. Sushi Samba Dromo
Beautiful people, good sushi, potent caipirinhas, and a large outdoor patio make Sushi Samba a Lincoln Road staple. Sushi is given a sexy Brazilian twist with samba rolls incorporating tropical mango and smooth coconut into the high quality seafood. High rollers can dine on Wagyu for $25 an ounce, and everyone can enjoy one of their champagne cocktails.
4. Books & Books
The quintessential Miami Beach cafe. Books & Books is loved by man and dog alike, so don't be surprised if your next-table dining companion is a chihuahua in a tutu. Just go with it for solid food, people watching, and a large vegan menu for the non-meat eaters in your group.
3. Meat Market
One
of the few places on Lincoln Road where you can have a grown-up
meal. Chef Sean Brasel's steaks are pricey but satisfying and the
bustling crowd of well-heeled and beautiful souls pair well with the
meal. Sip on one of the champagne cocktails specially crafted for Art
Basel, the Garden of France ($19) with candied carrot puree, bay leaf
syrup, lemon juice, orange bitters and Ruinart Blanc de Blanc, or the
Basel 75 ($25) made with Bombay Dry, lemon juice, a zingy cinnamon
infused raisin syrup and topped with Ruinart Blanc de Blanc. See? You
really can drink in the art.
2. Haven
Chef Todd Erickson take small
plates on a world tour with an eclectic range of treats from forbidden arancini to pork
belly gyoza at this gastro-lounge. Enjoy a special liquid nitrogen Lemon Fizz sorbet, made with AriZona sparkling Lemon Fizz soda designed by acclaimed artist Richard Prince or enjoy The Fresh Prince, an artist-inspired cocktail crafted by mixologist Issac Grillo. Haven will also debut a custom wall art installation featuring Lemon Fizz designs by Richard Prince on Friday, December 6, and will offer complimentary "Fresh Prince" cocktails to guests between 6 and 8 p.m.
1. Juvia
The view from the terrace could be considered a work of art in itself, but Juvia is actually the showcase for Dominique Rousserie's newest piece of work, "The Smoking Room." Part of the artist's Toys R Us series, this 80-inch long submarine sculpture is made exclusively of aluminum, with see-through engraved mandala sections. The sculpture will be suspended in the air and exhibited over Juvia's terrace aquatic pool the entire weekend of Art Basel, December 5 to 9.
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