The Very Best Of Miami Spice 2015

Back in 2002, the city of Miami launched a special restaurant promotion entitled Miami Spice as a way to boost post-9/11 tourism.  The program, which runs through the end of September, is now something both locals and visitors look forward to every summer. This year, over 150 restaurants are participating in the price-fixe menu offerings: $39 per person for dinner and $23 for lunch, with all meals comprising an appetizer, entrée, and dessert (at least). 

We've researched and tried many of the numerous offerings (life is hard), and have paired down the list to highlight the best of the best for you. Read on to discover the chefs who are rolling out their A dishes, the restaurants offering the best bang for your buck, and which newbies you should check out now while you can utilize their discounted menu. Additional details and menu updates can all be found here.

NOTE: Be sure to double-check the restaurant's Spice schedule making a reservation, some locations exclude Friday/Saturday.

Atrio Restaurant
The Conrad (a Hilton property) is one of those downtown hotels that you know is great, you would recommend to a friend, and you've probably grabbed a drink there, but their restaurant Atrio can get overlooked amidst the trendy competition. Well, ever since executive chef Virgile Brandel unveiled a new menu in July (and a show-stopping Miami Spice line-up), this 25th floor eatery with spectacular views, European influences, and warm service will never be overlooked again. This chef and his food are the real-deal. Spice offerings include starters like the popular Waldorf Salad with blue cheese, candied pecans, and apple soup; or the romaine with Parmigiano-Reggiano panna cotta, truffle aged Parmigiano-Reggiano béchamel, and Parmigiano-Reggiano crisp (both excellent), while entrées such as the pan roasted Monkfish with red wine reduction and the slow cooked braised spice lamb shank with mascarpone polenta are both solid choices. For dessert, go with the chocolate coulant cake with salted caramel ice cream. And if you work in the area, the Spice lunch is a fabulous and well-discounted break from the day (it's the same menu as dinner, so plan to leave nice and full).

BLT Prime
Golf-course-meets-steakhouse is the oldest love story in the book. Now, Miami-Spice-meets-solid-steak-menu-on-the-golf-course is the newest amorous tale. BLT Prime features comfortable lounge seating, a dramatic circular bar, and views of the legendary Blue Monster golf course. The Spice menu for September is simple and to the point — the exact things you'd want to eat. Appetizers include the fennel and arugula salad with balsamic roasted figs and chevre, and the octopus carpachio with passion fruit sambal and tangerine oil.  For entrées — you guessed it — a steak option, of course.  There's the 1855 grand island angus flat iron in fact, with foie gras crumb and red wine jus, or go with the almond crusted skate with caperberries, pearl red onions, and pea tendrils. BLT Prime also includes a side dish in their spice offering: roasted baby carrots with orange blossom and sage or spaghetti squash with brown butter and candied pecans. As for dessert, the options are mango Napoleon with caramel and coconut cream or spiced chocolate pave with malt ice cream and honeycomb.

Bulla Gastrobar
Maintaining a popular and critically acclaimed Spanish restaurant in Miami is no easy feat, but Bulla ("boo-ya") in Coral Gables has pulled it off. One taste of the food and it's easy to see why the hip tapas bar with slam-dunk dishes, friendly service, and a trendy happy hour receives rave reviews week after week. The only challenge with their Spice menu is deciding which delicious dishes to select. For appetizers, they're offering some of their greatest hits like gambas al ajillo (sautéed shrimp in garlic sauce), montados de chistorra (spicy Spanish sausage), and albondigas de cordero (lamb meatballs with potatoes). Entrées include Spanish classics like arroz caldoso (rice with clams, shrimp, chicken and saffron), rabo de toro (braised oxtail with shisito peppers), pulpo a la plancha (grilled octopus with corn purée and mojo), and even a New York strip steak with bell peppers and wrinkled potatoes.  As a small add-on, delving into some of their cheese and cured meats is strongly suggested (the Spanish "Leonora" goat milk is unforgettable).  For dessert, the arroz con leche (rice pudding with cinnamon) is a must. As an added bonus for Spice, Bulla is offering two glasses of sangria (they have many to choose from, including an inventive beer sangria) for only $10. 

Byblos
Miami's newest hotspot, the Eastern Mediterranean restaurant Byblos, is offering a generous Spice menu, which is a clever way to try out the new locale. Located directly in front of (and part of) the Royal Palm Hotel on South Beach, Byblos features gorgeous décor and delectable food (a mix of Turkish, Greek, and Spanish). The restaurant went all-out for Spice, creating a full meal complete with their best dishes. Diners begin by selecting three mezze plates for their appetizer — including dishes such as Maltese spiced olives, roasted local beets with pistachio labneh bread, duck kibbeh with dried fig, and steak tartare with barbari bread. For the entrée, choices include roasted snapper with chraimeh sauce, Turkish coffee rubbed steak, Turkish manti dumplings with smokey eggplant (a standout), chargrilled hen with fried leek, and maitake mushroom pide with goat cheese (a delicious Turkish flatbread). Additionally, all entrées include a side, such as their thrice-cooked chips or Persian rice. As for dessert, the pizzelle baklava ice cream with salted caramel is something of a no-brainer.

Corsair
Corsair is celebrity chef Scott Conant's second Miami restaurant (Scarpetta at the Fontainebleau being his first)  This one is located in the tony Turnberry Isle Resort & Spa, and mixes Conant's expertise in Italian cuisine with his love for the Eastern Mediterranean (his wife is Turkish).  The bright and roomy outpost is putting forth a solid menu for their first foray into Miami Spice, featuring a wide variety of choices.  Appetizers include hamachi crudo with pickled rhubarb and spiced chiles, beef carpaccio with mushrooms, a crispy eggplant parmigiano, or the fan-favorite polenta with sausage and porcini mushrooms. As for entrées, delve into dishes like the squid ink farfalle with baby clams, mussels, and calamari; the Scottish salmon with asparagus and baby kale; the raviolini rivotta; the grilled skirt steak with smoked eggplant; or the roaster diver scallops with sugar snap peas and morel mushrooms. The decadent milk chocolate budino with smoked chantilly and cranberry-orange biscotti is a perfect closing number.

Red Ginger
As the newest addition to the hot SoFi (South of Fifth) neighborhood of South Beach, Red Ginger is bringing luxury Asian cuisine to a beautiful build-out. The restaurant features a high-end sushi program, binchotan charcoal robata grill and omakase menu, along with a unique and impressive Japanese whisky menu. The Spice Menu is really just an excuse to check out this stunning and popular destination — you'll probably want to add on, as there are just too many delicious options (we're talking to you, bao buns). Spice appetizer selections include the well-sized mizuna salad with watercress, ume shiso, crispy garlic, and rice pearls; chicken meatballs with sansho-ko and micro chives; and el mar ceviche (a $10 upcharge) which includes tuna, salmon, wahoo, aji limo, and avocado. The entrées have nice variety such as the sushi and sashimi chef's selection, the miso sea bass with saikyo miso, spinach, coconut foam, and garlic confit, the pan seared chicken with Peruvian potato puree and balsamic teriyaki and the skirt steak with nuoc mam soy, kabocha, feta, and shiso.  Finish it off with some refreshing mochi (Japanese ice cream).

Red, the Steakhouse
There are those restaurants in Miami that operate on "island time" when it comes to service.  Red is NOT one of them. Probably due to the fact that much of its staff (including executive chef Peter Vauthy) hails from the original location in Cleveland, Red is consistently on the ball with their reliable food and professional service.  That may be one of the reasons why many Miami insiders consider it the best steakhouse in the city. As for Spice, Red happens to have one of the best menus and the best bang for your buck in town. Each week they'll be previewing a different "theme" such as the Classic Steakhouse (and yes, they actually give you steak) — like a petite five-ounce C.A.B. filet or a bone-in ribeye, the Seafood Menu (when Vauthy gets fresh items like bluefin tuna from Maine, he uses it with excited joy), and Italian week — don't miss their famed meatball. The garlic shrimp is a particularly tasty appetizer, as is the steak tartar and classic Caesar, and we'd highly recommend the popcorn sundae for dessert. Probably the most exciting element in Red's Miami Spice repertoire is their Prime Rib Fridays, when they offer a 10-ounce C.A.B. prime rib as your second course option. 

Tongue & Cheek
Tongue & Cheek has been slaying it ever since they first opened in 2013. Under the watchful eye of experienced chef Jamie DeRosa, the restaurant delivers inventive cuisine in a lively atmosphere  It was even featured on Bravo's hit show, Best New Restaurant. T&C is doing Spice a bit differently, changing the menu each week and even offering a three course weekend brunch for $23 with dishes like Johnny cakes and fish sandwich Reuben style (that one is most definitely worth trying out). For dinner, plan to see appetizers like yellow beat ravioli with local chard, local crudo with poached apricots, bouchot mussels with Chinese sausage and ginger beer, and chicken liver pâté. Entrées thus far have included braised lamb shoulder with shelling bean cassoulet, Moqueca Stew with local fish, coconut fumet and Key West shrimp, crisp lamb belly with roasted eggplant, and coq au vin a la Julia Child with pearl onions and mushrooms (they did a whole Julia Child month, so if you ask nicely, you may get this dish). They are offering indulgent desserts like peach cobbler and chocolate cremeux, but in a smart move, T&C is also allowing you to substitute a signature cocktail or draft beer if you aren't a sweets person. 

The Trapiche Room
The Trapiche Room at the JW Marriott in Downtown Miami is truly a unique dining experience, and one you've likely not tried.  As the first hotel in the Brickell neighborhood, the JW is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. The intimate Mediterranean restaurant seats 24 people, serving as a sharp contrast to the newer, louder, more trendy restaurants in the neighborhood. Led by executive chef Alex Paz (previously of the Four Seasons Palm Beach), who especially dedicated to serving local and home-grown products, Trapiche Room is an excellent Spice option for those seeking a refined, tranquil meal. It is also an ideal venue for a working power lunch. The Spice lunch menu features winning appetizers like the summer vegetable soup; scotch egg with grilled asparagus, sundried olives, and crisp migas, and beluga lentil and spring onion salad with house smoked salmon, spring vegetables, and Meyer lemon mousse; entrées including pork cheek ravioli with rapini, roasted tomato, merlot butter, and Florida tome; Murray's Farms chicken with acorn squash, pink lady apple gel, and English peas; and spinach risotto with a seared diver scallop, cranberry and horseradish gels. Dinner additions include the beef tartare appetizer with cucumber and shallot, and the prosciutto cotto with asparagus ribbons and fennel puree as well as entrées like the monk fish ossobuco with springtime bitter greens, stewed variety of onion, and fava bean puree and the Flat Iron steak with king oyster mushrooms, vibrant cauliflower, smoked marrow, and braised cipollini. Trust us, go with the Key lime pie for dessert (though other options exist).