Carpaccio
Picture a romantic Italian restaurant on a terraced piazza with swaying palms and bow-tied waiters, catering to impeccably dressed Europeans. Now switch Italy for Florida, and piazza for shopping mall, and you've got Carpaccio, a tasty home-style Italian restaurant in the middle of the see-and-be-seen Bal Harbour shops.
The menu offers up antipasti like baked artichokes stuffed with Fonina cheese, a selection of namesake carpaccio, including paper-thin slices of raw tuna topped with avocado and baby shrimp. The breads are rustic and house-baked, the pizzas come forth from a wood oven, and the pastas are simple and luscious, like pappadelle with ricotta and meat sauce, tossed with melting clumps of mozzarella.
Carpaccio: Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave. , 305-867-7777. Reservations not required.
Tantra
The valet takes your car keys, you enter the restaurant and it smells like … a barn. You look down and realize you're walking on real grass. House music is playing and the lighting is very dim. You catch a glimpse of yourself in one of the mirrors and realize you're gorgeous—in fact, everyone who walks into this red glow is instantly transformed. Which is a good thing, since most of the drinks (from the Tantric Kiss to the Sensual Pucker) and dishes (including Seabass Aphrodite and oysters on the half shell) are based on aphrodisiacs from around the world. Delving deeper into the dark, the décor has a nouveau Asian vibe with some Moroccan influences. From the cushions and banquettes to the ceiling-strung hammocks, it's clearly a great spot for canoodling. And eating: Golden Tom Lobster Yum Thai is a dazzling interpretation of my favorite soup, and the rare-seared tuna is a massive hunk of flash-seared loin that slithers down the throat like a rush of blood to the head.
Tantra: 1445 Pennsylvania Ave. , 305-672-4765. Reservations required.
Wish
Where Tantra says sensuality, Wish is all about romance. Located in the Todd Oldham-designed The Hotel, you walk through the lobby into the back, and come upon an al fresco restaurant that's all twinkling lights, linen umbrellas and towering palms—the epitome of South Beach chic. The cuisine leans towards French-Brazilian, some of it weird, most of it divine. Breads with coconut butter, glowing mojitos, spicy crab rolls with pea shoots that say zip and zap, and a Wish Salad of green mango, bean sprouts and cashews with lychee-mint vinaigrette that goes snap, crackle and pop. The pan-seared foie gras topped with black pepper marshmallow should be institutionalized, while crispy-skinned snapper with Chinese sausage and Vietnamese tea seems to be out on a day pass. In the end, it all adds up to one great big memorable meal.
Wish: The Hotel, 801 Collins Ave. , 305-531-2222. Reservations recommended.
Cascade
This aptly named restaurant overlooks North America 's largest hotel pool and waterfall at the historic Biltmore. Easing into poolside faux wrought-iron furniture, we sip iced tea while taking in the vast blue view. “Fried baby calamari beignet with pesto aioli and Provencal tomato sauce” turns out to be a cute way of saying “fried calamari with two dipping sauces.” That said, one couldn't hope for more crisp and tender tendrils. The Peruvian snapper ceviche is all sweet, tart freshness, while the Spanish-style gazpacho soup is icy and vibrantly seasoned. Salads, too, are successful, like the Cascade Salad, a great take on the Cobb. A finishing slice of Key Lime pie screams, Welcome to Florida! Go for a swim! Have a great afternoon!
Cascade: Biltmore Hotel, 1200 Anastasia Ave. , Coral Gables, 305-445-8066 ext. 2734. No reservations.
Sushi Samba
Sushi meets South Beach by way of Brazil . This offshoot of the popular New York outlet is funky and cool with its lovely outdoor patio glowing red by night under lanterns and votive candles. But above all, the food is seriously delicious. Fresh lobster and mango ceviche, shrimp and Latino vegetable tempura that tastes as good as it sounds, and chicken teriyaki with Peruvian potato puree. Imagine, all of this—plus the best people watching in the city, on the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall.
Sushi Samba: 600 Lincoln Rd. , 305-673-5337. Reservations recommended.
David's Café
After shopping the streets and sunning on the beach, get a quick pick-me-up at this Cuban eatery's walk-up window. You'll find mustachioed men in hats leaning and drinking, plus some tourists. But they're all ordering the same thing: plastic shooter-sized cups of strong espresso, loads of sugar and a bit of froth. The best bang for your buck.
David's Café: Corner of 11th & Collins Ave. , 305-534-8736. No reservations.
Amy Rosen is the author of Cook This. She writes for numerous publications, including US Weekly, Food & Wine, and the National Post.
