If you live in Miami and love to eat, you're probably well aware that Miami Spice is in our midst right now and will be so until the end of September. The two month restaurant promotion that began on August 1st has been a yearly tradition in Miami for over a decade now and is perhaps one of the most anticipated dining events in South Florida after the South Beach Wine & Food Festival...at least to the bargain hunting gourmand. Nevertheless, perusing each and every menu of the well over one hundred restaurants that are participating this year is a daunting task. There are restaurants that choose the cheapest things from their regular menu to offer on their Miami Spice menus, making the prix fixe dinner barely a bargain, and there are those normally spectacular restaurants that create a special Miami Spice menu featuring dirt-cheap and boring options like Caesar salad and grilled chicken breast with steamed asparagus. Furthermore, this year there are two categories of dining instead of just one, and the prices for lunch and dinner are reflective of which category a restaurant thinks it's part of - luxury dining ($39 dinner, $23 lunch) or fine dining ($33 dinner, $19 lunch). As one can imagine, some of Miami's restaurants are suffering from delusions of grandeur, and while they might be offering a good Miami Spice menu, it is hardly worth the luxury dining price tag.
Keep your glass and your belly full as you indulge in all that Art Basel has to offer.
MIAMI BEACH
Collins Park Café
If you're going to the Bass Museum or Art Public's free gallery in Collins Park, stop by the Collins Park Café for French pastries and sandwiches by Atelier Monnier. Wednesday – Sunday, 11am to 5pm.
201 21st St
Miami Beach, FL 33139
STK Miami’s “The Macallan House of Stone”
Thursday, December 1st 7PM - 9PM
Scotch tasting & live performance by acclaimed sculpture artist Moses Nayanhongo. Nayanhongo – who has showcased his works at the Louvre, amongst other art world staples – will carve his latest piece inside the chic South Beach steakhouse as guests sip Macallan 21-year-old whiskey. The event is open to the public with RSVP to stkmiami@taraink.com.
2377 Collins Avenue at Gansevoort Miami Beach
Need a shakeup from your usual early-morning trips to Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts? You may want to try two new alternatives being served up by South Florida based businesses.
Boca Java, who produces coffee up in Deerfield Beach, has come out with a new blend they call Maple Bacon Morning. With hints of maple and a slight bacon flavor this coffee is supposed to be "Reminiscent of a hearty Saturday morning breakfast around the table." You can buy some on their website.