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News Cafe
Contact:
- 305/538-6397
- visit website
Location:
- 800 Ocean Dr
- Miami,FL33139
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Description:
Since opening its doors in 1988, this South Beach landmark has been serving up meals, drinks and international publications 24/7, having counted the late fashion designer Versace among its regulars. A combination sidewalk cafe, bar and newsstand, it's popular with tourists and locals, featuring a round-the-clock menu of morning favorites like bagels, pancakes, pastries and omelets, as well as a selection of salads, sandwiches, pasta, burgers and Middle Eastern platters. Although known for its indifferent servers, what it lacks in service with a smile, it more than makes up for in cachet and European style. The perfect place for people-watching, why not grab a house signature espresso and a newspaper and soak up some sunshine here?
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Joe's Stone Crab
Contact:
- +1 305 673 0365
- visit website
Location:
- 11 Washington Avenue
- Miami,FL33139
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Map
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Description:
So committed are they to their mission of serving the some of the best and freshest stone crab anywhere, this restaurant doesn't even bother to open its doors until fishing season (from October through May) for its namesake crustacean. But when it is open to the public, this establishment swarms with crowds lining up for seats and a chance to indulge what many feel are some of the finest crab anywhere. Dining here requires more than a little patience and a few dollars, but there are few who complain about the crab, or any of the other seafood offerings, for that matter. It's not hard to understand why this place has been around since 1913.
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Grove Isle Hotel and Spa
Contact:
- 800/884-7683
- visit website
Location:
- 4 Grove Isle Dr
- Miami,FL33133
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Map
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Description:
Hidden away in the bougainvillea and lushness of the Grove, the Grove Isle Hotel and Spa is off the beaten path on its own lushly landscaped 20-acre island, just outside the heart of Coconut Grove. The isolated exclusivity of this resort contributes to a country-club vibe, though for the most part, the people here aren't snooty, but just value their privacy and precious relaxation time. Everyone dresses in white and pastels, and if they're not on their way to a set of tennis, they're not in a rush to get anywhere. You'll step into suites that are elegantly furnished with mosquito-netted canopy beds and a patio overlooking the bay. You'll need to reserve early here -- rooms go very fast. Baleen, a hit-or-miss haute cuisine restaurant, serves fresh seafood and other regional specialties in a spectacular, elegant dining room, or, better yet, outside on the water. The 6,000-square-foot, Indonesian-inspired Spaterre is, er, terre-ific.
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CocoWalk
Contact:
- 305/444-0777
- visit website
Location:
- 3015 Grand Ave
- Coconut Grove
- Miami,FL33133
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Map
- user rating
Description:
CocoWalk is a lovely outdoor Mediterranean-style mall with the usual fare of Americana: Gap, Banana Republic, and so on. Its open-air style architecture is inviting not only for shoppers but also for friends or spouses of shoppers who'd prefer to sit at an outdoor cafe while said shopper is busy in the fitting room. A multiplex movie theater is also here, which comes in handy when there are big sales going on and the stores are mobbed.
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Smith & Wollensky
Contact:
- 305/673-2800
- visit website
Location:
- 1 Washington Ave
- In South Pointe Park
- Miami,FL33139
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Map
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Description:
Although it's a chain steakhouse, Miami Beach's Smith & Wollensky has a waterfront view that separates it from the rest. Inside seating is typical steakhouse -- dark woods, and so on -- but make sure to request a table by the window so you can watch the cruise ships pass by as they leave the port. Outdoor seating, weather permitting, is resplendent, with a bar that doubles as command central for the happy hour set on Friday nights. The menu here is a lot more basic than the priceless views, almost austere, with a few chicken and fish choices and beef served about a dozen ways. The classic is the sirloin, seared lightly and served naked. The veal chop is of Flintstonian proportion. Mediocre side dishes such as asparagus, baked potato, onion rings, creamed spinach, and hash browns are sold a la carte. Service is erratic, from highly professional to rudely aloof. You'll find much tastier steaks (at comparable prices) at the Forge or Tuscan Steak.
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The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Contact:
- 305/250-9133
- visit website
Location:
- 3251 S. Miami Ave
- Just south of Rickenbacker Causeway, North Coconut Grove
- Miami,FL33129
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Map
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Description:
Sometimes referred to as the "Hearst Castle of the East," this magnificent villa is more Gatsbyesque than anything else you'll find in Miami. It was built in 1916 as a winter retreat for James Deering, cofounder and former vice president of International Harvester. The industrialist was fascinated by 16th-century art and architecture, and his ornate mansion, which took 1,000 artisans 5 years to build, became a celebration of that period. If you love antiques, this place is a dream come true, packed with European relics and works of art from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Most of the original furnishings, including dishes and paintings, are still intact. You will see very early versions of a telephone switchboard, central vacuum-cleaning system, elevators, and fire sprinklers. A free guided tour of the 34 furnished rooms on the first floor takes about 45 minutes. The second floor, which consists mostly of bedrooms, is open to tour on your own. The spectacularly opulent villa wraps itself around a central courtyard. Outside, lush formal gardens, accented with statuary, balustrades, and decorative urns, front an enormous swath of Biscayne Bay. Definitely take the tour of the rooms, but...
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Tantra Restaurant & Lounge
Contact:
- 305 672 4765
- visit website
Location:
- 1445 Pennsylvania Avenue
- Miami,FL33139
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Map
- user rating
Description:
This restaurant-cum-lounge offers a diverse menu which features a host of dishes created from ingredients believed to possess aphrodisiacal properties. Try the Golden Tom Yum Thai Lobster Soup; entrees include Chilled Maine Lobster Napoleon, Moroccan Spiced Lamb with Mint and Mango, and Ginger Kissed Salmon. There is also live entertainment nightly, including a DJ, live jazz, and dance performances.
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Grove Isle Hotel and Spa
Contact:
- 800/884-7683
- visit website
Location:
- 4 Grove Isle Dr
- Miami,FL33133
-
Map
- user rating
Description:
Hidden away in the bougainvillea and lushness of the Grove, the Grove Isle Hotel and Spa is off the beaten path on its own lushly landscaped 20-acre island, just outside the heart of Coconut Grove. The isolated exclusivity of this resort contributes to a country-club vibe, though for the most part, the people here aren't snooty, but just value their privacy and precious relaxation time. Everyone dresses in white and pastels, and if they're not on their way to a set of tennis, they're not in a rush to get anywhere. You'll step into suites that are elegantly furnished with mosquito-netted canopy beds and a patio overlooking the bay. You'll need to reserve early here -- rooms go very fast. Baleen, a hit-or-miss haute cuisine restaurant, serves fresh seafood and other regional specialties in a spectacular, elegant dining room, or, better yet, outside on the water. The 6,000-square-foot, Indonesian-inspired Spaterre is, er, terre-ific.
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Versailles
Contact:
- 305/444-0240
- visit website
Location:
- 3555 SW 8th St
- Miami,FL33135
-
Map
- user rating
Description:
The name aside, Versailles has absolutely nothing to do with France, aside from once being a French restaurant. The only similarities between this Little Havana mainstay and its namesake French palace are the richly-decorated interior and well-dressed wait staff. But underneath it all, it's just a casual, down-home diner that not-so-quietly caters to the city's Cuban movers and shakers (and common folk). Immensely popular with a reputation for excellence that is well-deserved; the food is beautifully prepared and delicious. With a menu that goes well beyond the usual, in addition to the customary Cuban sandwiches and ropa vieja (shredded beef stew), Versailles is well known for its Moors and Christians (black beans and rice), Palomillo steak, breakfast tortas, lechon asado, boliche and other island staples. It's the perfect place to spend the evening. And if you don't have time for a sit-down meal, why not stop by the walk-up window for a steaming-hot cafecito?
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Grove Isle Hotel and Spa
Contact:
- 800/884-7683
- visit website
Location:
- 4 Grove Isle Dr
- Miami,FL33133
-
Map
- user rating
Description:
Hidden away in the bougainvillea and lushness of the Grove, the Grove Isle Hotel and Spa is off the beaten path on its own lushly landscaped 20-acre island, just outside the heart of Coconut Grove. The isolated exclusivity of this resort contributes to a country-club vibe, though for the most part, the people here aren't snooty, but just value their privacy and precious relaxation time. Everyone dresses in white and pastels, and if they're not on their way to a set of tennis, they're not in a rush to get anywhere. You'll step into suites that are elegantly furnished with mosquito-netted canopy beds and a patio overlooking the bay. You'll need to reserve early here -- rooms go very fast. Baleen, a hit-or-miss haute cuisine restaurant, serves fresh seafood and other regional specialties in a spectacular, elegant dining room, or, better yet, outside on the water. The 6,000-square-foot, Indonesian-inspired Spaterre is, er, terre-ific.
Miami
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Streets of Mayfair
Contact:
- 305/448-1700
Location:
- 2911 Grand Ave
- Just east of Commodore Plaza, Coconut Grove
- Miami,FL33133
-
Map
Description:
This sleepy, desolate, labyrinthine shopping area conceals a movie theater, several top-quality shops, a bookstore, restaurants, art galleries, bars, and nightclubs. It was meant to compete with the CocoWalk shopping complex (just across the street), but its structure is very mazelike. Though it is open air, it is not wide open like CocoWalk and pales in comparison to that more populated neighbor.
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Lowe Art Museum
Contact:
- 305/284-3603
- visit website
Location:
- 1301 Stanford Dr
- University of Miami, at Ponce de León Blvd, Coral Gables
- Miami,FL33146
-
Map
Description:
Located on the University of Miami campus, the Lowe Art Museum has a dazzling collection of 8,000 works that include American paintings, Latin American art, Navajo and Pueblo Indian textiles, and Renaissance and baroque art. Traveling exhibits, such as Wine Spectator magazine's classic posters of the Belle Epoque, also stop here. For the most part, the Lowe is known for its collection of Greek and Roman antiquities, and, as compared to the more modern MOCA, Bass, and Miami Art Museum, features mostly European and international art hailing back to ancient times.
- Destination(s): Miami
- Type: Arts and Culture
- 3 DAYS
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