Mark’s South Beach

A couple weeks ago I got together with some old friends and went to Mark’s South Beach for a Miami Spice dinner. This was a restaurant that ALL of us could agree on. Mark’s South Beach is located in the Hotel Nash, obviously on South Beach.

To start things off, I had myself a glass of wine. They had a Miami Spice wine special on a glass of Rioja and/or Chardonnay. So I had a glass of Chardonnay to complement my meal.

For my appetizer, I ordered the Southern Comfort Smoked Baby Back Ribs with Apple, Raisin & Celery Root Slaw and Crispy Onion Rings. Man oh man, I wish I had a half slab of these ribs instead of a couple. They were finger licking good! And the slaw was really interesting in that it was shredded apples in place of shredded cabbage. And the crispy onion rings added a perfect final touch. They were some damn good onion rings! It’s too bad this was an appetizer sized portion, as I could have easily have done a dinner size portion!

Azul

I’m SO late in doing this, but better late than never!

Last month I went to Azul for a Miami Spice lunch with some coworkers. I have been to Azul once before and had a really enjoyable dinner there. In case you’re not familiar, Azul is one of the restaurants at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Brickell Key. It overlooks Brickell and Biscayne Bay. Beautiful view!

So upon seating, we were given their normal lunch menu, as well as their Miami Spice lunch menu. While browsing the normal menu, one item piqued our interest: The Crab Falafel. So we just had to order it for the table as an appetizer (it’s really an entrée). Our waiter had said it wasn’t that big and we could easily share it. Well, it definitely was easy to share, but oh my, was it a big portion! It didn’t come the way we had imagined it to come. As in, the way a typical falafel looks like. Instead, it came looking like a wrap. It tasted like the crab was lightly fried and had lettuce, I believe tomato, some sort of creamy curry dressing in it and if there’s anything else, forgive me, I don’t remember. All served nice & warm! I’m not a huge fan of curry, but it didn’t detract from this dish for me at all! It was delicious.

Harrisons Steak House

I went to Harrisons for a Spice dinner on Friday night. I have to say that this place has to be one of the best bang for your buck during Spice.

To start off the meal we ordered a bottle of Campo Viejo Crianza, which complimented the steak very well. We went through 2 bottles of it. It was very smooth for a red wine, not too dry, not too sweet.

For appetizer I had the Calamari which I think was very well flavored and very fresh. It came with a dipping sauce on the side which I didn’t like because it tasted similar to a peanut sauce and I’ve never liked peanut sauce. It really didn’t even need the dipping sauce, I just squeezed some lemon on it and it was perfect.

Next we got a small salad which was not on the spice menu but was a welcome surprise.

Social Miami at the Sagamore (Lee’s review)

Heres the review of Social that won me a Miami Spice dinner for two from Plum Miami Beach! My Review on Plum

The restaurant I’ve found myself recommending to friends and dining at most often has to be Social Miami at Sagamore, located at 1671 Collins Ave on Miami Beach. Being part of the beautifully modern hotel, the restaurant fits right in with its stark white floors and tables, as well as the modern art that is exhibited throughout the hotel and restaurant.

My favorite dishes on their recently updated menu are the Crab stuffed deviled eggs, the Kobe sliders and the Tournado of beef Rossini. The Rossini has to be my top choice but if you are unsure of what to order go with all three of those. The dishes are pretty small so it is best to get a few and share with your party. I love this kind of meal because then you get to taste a little bit of everything and you aren’t just stuck with one flavor. A true foodie like my friends and I always appreciates getting to order many different items.

All the staff at Social aim to please. The last time I went it was for a birthday and we were with a large party. The host was delightful when taking us to our table. Then not only did we have our main waiter but we had others coming to ask if we needed assistance when they noticed he was busy. The waters were always refilled when needed. Even the managers came by a few times to make sure we were all right.

I highly recommend you to check it out, especially during Miami Spice. Their extensive Spice menu has so many wonderful dishes to choose from. My favorite part is that you can choose 3 main dishes instead of being forced to have dessert, as I’m not a big sweets person. Bon Appetite!