Ben
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
My kids love Sports Grill. It's right down the street from our house. I loved Scotty's, before it left us. I like something with a water view outside with a breeze where you can get a good fish sandwich. While you don't quite have the view, I like the patio at the Spillover, and they have music on the weekends. We'll usually go to River Oyster bar. It's kind of a go-back to our old days of being single and no kids. And if it's a nice weather night, we like going to Mandolin.
Jane
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Anything that chef Niven Patel does. Ghee is our all-time favorite and he just opened Mamey in South Miami. Then, we go every week to Babes Meat and Counter. We just ride our bikes there. Darren toggles between the Bahn Mi and the Cuban sandwich. I toggle between the BLT and the burger and Scout always gets the BLT.
Stephan
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Not surprisingly, I’m interested in Indian food. One of my favorites is on South Dixie – called Saffron. I’ve eaten Indian food all over the world, and they have some of the best I’ve ever had. I get the paneer makhani – fried cheese with spicy sauce, malai kofta – dumpling with Indian cheese, chickpea flour and gravy. They adjust the spice level to your taste. There’s also a great appetizer with baby spinach leaves, coated in chickpea flour and fried. Another recommendation, if you need quick and cheap Indian food, there’s a place called Bollywood Masala – near the quick stop on Red Road. I get the Dal and Sambar soup. Sometimes they have fresh dosas. It’s a good deal. One dosa is really big and my wife and I can split it for a meal. They have some tables, but it’s mostly take out.
Mike
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
I am a Palmetto Bay guy, and having a small business, I understand the need to support our small businesses. My favorite place not just to eat, but to have a beer, is Golden Rule, which is right next to my house. There's a great Italian place in Palmetto Bay called, Cafe Portofino, which I absolutely love. And, there's a pizza place called Zio Artú, which is fairly new.
Robyn
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Well, I'm super lucky because both my husband and my daughter are amazing chefs. We eat at home a lot and I get to eat the most amazing meals. When we do go out, I'd say the places we like to eat would be Mandolin, a Mediterranean restaurant with great outdoor seating. It yummy and fun. We like to eat at Lokal in the Grove. They have good burgers and I like their veggie burger and they have a delicious local IPA. Shibui is a great little Japanese restaurant. It's off of Sunset and 102nd. It looks like a little house. You can either sit at a table downstairs or sit on the floor upstairs.
Patricio
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
I don't really go out to restaurants. Maybe Whole Foods and Nahuen in Doral.
Susan
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
I really enjoy Whisk, with my husband, for a date night. We love Tropical Chinese. They've been around forever.
Jenna
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
Whisk. I've never tasted a pork chop that's so consistently perfectly cooked. Salvatore D. It's unexpected because they're in a strip mall and the food is amazing. The grilled octopus is my favorite. Sometimes they don't have it on the menu. But, if you ask for it, they'll make it for you.
David
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?
That list is supremely long. Do we go geographically...alphabetically? My buddy Niven, just opened up (Mamey) a new spot in Coral Gables. The food looks great, but I haven't been yet. The guys that Bar Lab cocktails opened up their natural wine popup on South beach, and it looks amazing. I still haven't gotten my hands on one of those pizzas that Brad and Old Greg's are doing in the Design District. I really miss the eating the ceviche at Itamae on an everyday basis. I still get my share of my EL Bagels - that's like my essential breakfast and brunch item. I still eat a ton of Stanzione's pizzas. I had an amazing lobster roll from Justin Flit and Mike Beltran at Nave. They're doing a New England style clam shack menu on the weekends. Aaron Brooks is doing a pop up at Stanzione 87. It's like a Turkish inspired pide and lahmacun. Aaron is supremely underrated. His food is incredible. One of the silver linings of the pandemic is all the creativity that's coming out of it. I've also had some random homemade things. There's a nice girl, that I met through the Miami food community, that's making homemade Armenian food every weekend. People are signing up and she's selling out every weekend. Her name is The Spicy Dolma. The guys from Kyu, Chef Raheem and his crew, are doing amazing barbecue right out of their front yard. It's impossible to list everyone. Jaguar Sun is doing amazing things right now in Little River. People are finding ways to survive. They're finding ways to thrive. They're finding ways to support their teams and to support their families. All of that is really amazing.
Howie
What local restaurants or businesses do you recommend?