Now is one of the best times for fruit and produce in Miami which is in abundance at the many Miami farmers markets all over town. And even better, many offer other appealing features, ranging from stylish clothing, accessories and items for the home, to artisanal prepared foods, entertainment, and even early morning yoga and a visit to the zoo. Check out this two part series with over 20 markets to check out. Here is Part 1 ..read more

As you can imagine, I’ve seen some super creative presentations of dishes over the year, chefs with a finely honed artistic eye, especially at Michelin star restaurants. But never did I see a chef who created dishes that recreated works of art and with a QR code on the menu to see the works that inspired the dishes. Hats off to Valeri Fuentes at Verde Miami waterfront restaurant at the Perez Art Museum who manages to do this and make delicious food. And speaking of lovely sights for the eyes, then there’s the view of the Miami skyline that’s special ..read more

A welcome addition to the culinary scene in Miami for its elevated “American” cuisine with a twist, the intimate and welcoming atmosphere, and its talented and charming Executive Chef and Partner James Taylor with a background of Michelin starred restaurants is The Joyce Miami on Espanola Way in Miami Beach. It also boasts the distinction of having the first entry of the year for my “best dishes of 2025” list, latkes with caviar ..read more

Lafayette and Queen, owned and operated by Mr. Hospitality,  have been on my list for top spots in Miami and now, the renovated Marion, $4 million later, joins their exclusive club. It shares some of the features of the other two – the top chefs from Lafayette and thus the excellent cuisine; entertainment as at Queen (though more of it); and an attractive décor, fancy but less formal and more about fun and special celebrations ..read more

Lots of new restaurant openings, entertainment offerings, iconic new doggies, serious new vegetarian menu at Osaka, and a major mixed use development on the River with food offerings for your watch list, all in Eating News Miami for February ..read more

Consistently in my list of the top restaurants has been Novikov Miami. Since it opened I’ve probably been there a dozen times for lunch, dinner and brunch if not more. I even went to their restaurant at the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. Though dinner is fun and buzzy, my favorite time is lunch, so I didn’t hesitate to go back recently with Mr. W to try their updated 3 course $30 business lunch menu which has always been a great deal by a number of criteria. After our wonderful experience and great value, it has risen to the top of the list ..read more

MIMI Miami is unlike other  Chinese restaurants in Miami. In fact it’s more like the kind of place you’d find in New York. The menu is creative -- different, and very well curated. The stylish décor has the Chinese inspiration going in the rich,  deep red colors and to me, had hint of a speakeasy with its dim lighting and intimate space seating 80 including the bar. There’s no DJ or party scene, though the scene is still “buzzy”. The diners were most fixated on the food, and judging by the people at nearby tables, were loving it.  ..read more

First off, happy new year and all the best to you and yours!!! A year has passed since my last post on restaurant trends in Miami dining, and a lot has happened, so I decided to relook the changes in prices of eating out, cuisines that are on the move, new restaurant practices I’ve experienced,  what's new on the beverage front, and what's in store for 2025.  Want to know more? Check out the link to a 15 minute podcast I just did on Food, News and Views with Linda Gassenheimer ..read more

Miami needs more restaurants like Chimba Miami, restaurants where you can have dinner for two for $100 or lunch for $22 in an attractive place with good, friendly service; tasty food; appealing menu; and a glass of wine for $11 (5 ounce pour) or bottle for $42. Plus, they do some interesting takes on fusion Latin American cuisine ..read more

The 10 most popular blogposts of the year --- here they are. Most were about food topics, but travel and A Day In series also scored high. You'll realize you've seen some of these over the past few years. That's because, given their popularity, I have continued to update them. At the end of each paragraph is a link to the post.  Without further adieu, here they are ..read more