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Miami's August Heatmap: Where To Eat Right Now

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More often than not, tipsters, readers, friends and family of Eater have one question: Where should I eat right now? Restaurant obsessives want to know what's new, what's hot, which favorite chef just launched a sophomore effort, where the Pubbelly group just opened their latest venture. And while the Eater 38 is a crucial resource covering old standbys and neighborhood essentials across the city, it's not a chronicle of the 'it' places of the moment. Thus, we offer the Eater Heatmap, which will change continually to always highlight where the foodie crowds are flocking to at the moment.


08/07/14: Added Il Mulino, Bistro BE, N by Naoe
07/03/14: Added Loba, L'Echon Brasserie, Oolite Restaurant & Bar, Niu Kitchen, Drunken Dragon
05/01/14: Added Kush, Shikany, Uvaggio, La Mar, Traymore Restaurant & Bar
04/03/14: Added Taperia Raca, Bocce Bar, 1826 Restaurant & Lounge
03/06/14: Added Buns & Buns, Naked Taco, Touche Rooftop Lounge & Restaurant
02/06/14: Added Seasalt and Pepper and R House
01/02/14: Added Blackbrick Chinese, Michael Mina 74, Batch Gastropub

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1826 Restaurant & Lounge

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1826, Miami Beach’s new upscale contemporary American eatery, claims a chic four-floor Prospect Design space for its home. Overseeing a seasonally driven menu with an emphasis on local ingredients is the young and talented Chicago-based, Michelin-starred chef Danny Grant.

Bar Crudo Miami

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Bar Crudo by Andy Travaglia (owner of Lee & Marie's Cakery) quickly gained popularity for its delicate and simple treats. Expect raw items like octopus carpaccio and a variety of other fish dishes; meat options like beef carpaccio; ceviches and creative desserts like vodka infused watermelon with feta gelato.

Batch Gastropub

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The new spot from owners Kevin Danillo and Jerry Flynn opened up a few months ago after what seemed like ages in the making. Expect beers galore and a hefty selection of craft cocktails as well as a creative menu curated by former Area 31 chef Michael Reidt.

Bistro BE

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Owned by Belgium-born Emmanuel Verschueren and Tim Michels, Bistro BE dishes out classic Belgian items like mussels, homemade frites, waffles, rabbit, bratwurst and beef stew. Definitely get familiar with their Belgian brews; they've got a TON.

Blackbrick Chinese

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Sakaya mastermind Richard Hales took over the former Acme Bakery space, replacing baked goods with some kick-ass Hales-style Chinese. Think wok-fried marrow, gong bao rabbit, xinjiang cumin lamb dumplings.

Bocce Bar

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The newest from the Samba Brands Management Group and Sugarcane chef Timon Balloo serves up playful takes on rustic Italian dishes and a variety of creative cocktails from head of SBM’s Spirit & Cocktail Development, Richard Woods. Oh, and there's a Bocce Ball court.

Buns & Buns

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A mysterious team of people traveled the world finding recipes, came back to South Miami, opened a restaurant and executed those worldly dishes awesomely. Oh, and they make bread to go with everything, fresh, warm, homemade bread of all sorts (focaccia, naan, etc).

Drunken Dragon

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The Alton Road construction isn’t getting in the way of Drunken Dragon’s big debut one bit. It’s already difficult to land a table at SoBe’s new Asian gastropub (especially a Korean barbecue-style one), but probably worth a try.

Il Mulino New York South Beach

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Il Mulino's much anticipated South Beach outpost just opened a few weeks ago and has since been totally packed. Must tries include the beef carpaccio, ravioli with porcini mushrooms and ossobuco.

Khong River House

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The latest from 50 Eggs Restaurant Group, Khong River House is about as close to eating in Thailand as you'll get in Miami. The former Miss Yip's/Buck 15 space is converted into somewhat of a Thai boat house with a bi-level space and expansive bar on both floors.

KUSH Wynwood

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The latest offering from LoKal owner Matt Kuschner and partner David Rodriguez boasts some seriously legit beer offerings (18 taps! And some very rare finds). Like LoKal, Kush sources locally, uses only fresh ingredients and keeps it playful with action figure taps, kegs for tables and fun menu items (see: kush brownies).

La Mar by Gaston Acurio at Mandarin Oriental, Miami

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Located in Brickell at Mandarin Oriental, La May by Gaston Acurio offers a combo of well-executed upscale novo-Andean fare and Asian-Peruvian fusion dishes. Think classics like lomo saltado, local offerings like yellowtail snapper and several ceviche options.

l'echon brasserie

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The Pubbelly Boys’ latest culinary offering tackles French cuisine (with their signature playful twist, of course) in their first ever hotel restaurant at the Hilton Cabana Miami Beach.

LOBA Restaurant

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MiMo’s new realtor-run restaurant has been getting serious attention since it opened just the other week. A small, crafty space decorated by owner Jessica Sanchez makes use of FIU students to fill various positions, and serves up a mix of Latin, New American and Southern dishes.

Lorenzo

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Tony Mantuano, renowned chef/restaurant owner, basically told Eater in an interview that the idea behind his latest eatery, Lorenzo, is to take all of the most loved dishes from his other incredibly popular restaurants and put them under one roof in South Beach. Need we say more?

Lure Fishbar

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Restaurateurs Josh Capon, John McDonald and Josh Pickard have brought their NYC gem (and arguably one of SoHo’s best seafood restaurants), Lure Fishbar, to the Magic City. Expect seafood galore, obviously, but also a killer Bash Burger.

Michael Mina 74

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Michael Mina’s newest eatery debuted at the Fontainebleau during Art Basel and has since been jam-packed. The self-proclaimed American bistro offers a global menu featuring fresh seafood options and creative twists on items like suckling pig, shabu-shabu and hay smoked steak.

N by Naoe

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Chef Kevin Cory from Naoe finally serves lunch at his newest offering, N by Naoe. Slightly less sushi here and a little bit more "natural Japanese cuisine." Make sure to reserve a spot as there's only one lunch seating.

Naked Taco

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This is chef Ralph Pagano’s newest concept, which opened recently in the former Serafina space. Pagano, who’s mostly known for his Italian cuisine at places like Alba, has swapped the ravioli for flautas, tacos, and other cheesy dishes of the Mexican variety, and an impressive amount of tequila worth looking into.

NIU Kitchen

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Named for the Catalan word “nest,” Downtown’s newest restaurant, Niu, serves up modern food from Barcelona in a small, cozy environment. Check it out for lunch or dinner any day of the week except Sundays.

Oolite Restaurant and Bar

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Kris Wessel’s back! He’s made good use of the ex-Cooper Avenue space where he now cooks up healthy and simple dishes like verbena steamed grouper and Florida orange rotisserie duck.

R House

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Owner/chef Rocco Carulli combines art gallery with restaurant at his newest Wynwood spot, an intimate, dimly lit space with moveable walls. Lounge around with a drink, buy art or delve into his eclectic menu, your choice.

Shikany

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It took a long, long while for Michael Shikany’s eponymous restaurant/cooking school to open its doors, but the general feeling seems to be that it was worth the wait. Shikany serves up a small menu of creative dishes like maple syrup braised wild boar cheeks, panko dusted fried oysters and a raved about butter poached lobster mac.

Swine Southern Table & Bar

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The latest tasty offering from the 50 Eggs restaurant group, Swine, is all about “pork-centric” dishes and southern charm. Try their raved-about burnt ends or any of their smoked and barbecued dishes. Or anything at all, really. Where have their restaurants ever gone wrong?

Taperia Raca

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Meet the latest from Eating House owner Giorgio Rapicavoli, his partner in crime Alex Casanova and ex Preservation chef Ryan Harrison, a Spanish tapas eatery. Open for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch.

The Cypress Room

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Michael Schwartz’ new eatery just opened up last week, but its already the talk of the town. With Schwartz as executive chef, Roel Alcudia as chef de cuisine and Hedy Goldsmith making her famed desserts, its no wonder their dishes are already turning heads.

The District Miami

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Design District’s latest opening, The District Miami offers Pan-American fusion dishes created by chef Horacio Rivadero (named Best New Chef for the Gulf Region by Food & Wine in 2012). A kick-back and relax kind of place, with a worthwhile happy hour menu.

Tongue & Cheek

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Jamie DeRosa’s first restaurant, Tongue & Cheek, just opened up a couple of weeks ago, but food enthusiasts are already raving about its contemporary American grub and hooked on dishes like the fried chicken, the beef cheek burger and the cauliflower panna cotta. Oh, and the spot’s swanky, laid back décor and specialty cocktails don’t hurt a bit.

Touche Rooftop Lounge & Restaurant

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Opened a few months back, Carla Pellegrino’s rooftop eatery is still on the tips of everyone’s tongues. It serves up a lighter version of the chef’s classic Italian dishes, on top of a club, way into the late hours.

Traymore Restaurant and Bar

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Paying homage to the old “Traymore Hotel” with its name, Traymore the restaurant offers up a menu of locally-inspired dishes, probably Miami’s most extensive gin menu and desserts made by a French-Portuguese master chocolatier. Oh, and an entire separate menu (called the Shambhala menu) of uber-healthy options.

Uvaggio

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Owned by Top Chef alumn Bret Pelaggi, Craig DeWald and wine-obsessive Heath Porter, Coral Gables’ new European-style wine bar and restaurant has gathered a quick following for its rare bottles and laid-back attitude. The menu, created by “tasting backwards,” hasn’t gone unnoticed either.

1826 Restaurant & Lounge

1826, Miami Beach’s new upscale contemporary American eatery, claims a chic four-floor Prospect Design space for its home. Overseeing a seasonally driven menu with an emphasis on local ingredients is the young and talented Chicago-based, Michelin-starred chef Danny Grant.

Bar Crudo Miami

Bar Crudo by Andy Travaglia (owner of Lee & Marie's Cakery) quickly gained popularity for its delicate and simple treats. Expect raw items like octopus carpaccio and a variety of other fish dishes; meat options like beef carpaccio; ceviches and creative desserts like vodka infused watermelon with feta gelato.

Batch Gastropub

The new spot from owners Kevin Danillo and Jerry Flynn opened up a few months ago after what seemed like ages in the making. Expect beers galore and a hefty selection of craft cocktails as well as a creative menu curated by former Area 31 chef Michael Reidt.

Bistro BE

Owned by Belgium-born Emmanuel Verschueren and Tim Michels, Bistro BE dishes out classic Belgian items like mussels, homemade frites, waffles, rabbit, bratwurst and beef stew. Definitely get familiar with their Belgian brews; they've got a TON.

Blackbrick Chinese

Sakaya mastermind Richard Hales took over the former Acme Bakery space, replacing baked goods with some kick-ass Hales-style Chinese. Think wok-fried marrow, gong bao rabbit, xinjiang cumin lamb dumplings.

Bocce Bar

The newest from the Samba Brands Management Group and Sugarcane chef Timon Balloo serves up playful takes on rustic Italian dishes and a variety of creative cocktails from head of SBM’s Spirit & Cocktail Development, Richard Woods. Oh, and there's a Bocce Ball court.

Buns & Buns

A mysterious team of people traveled the world finding recipes, came back to South Miami, opened a restaurant and executed those worldly dishes awesomely. Oh, and they make bread to go with everything, fresh, warm, homemade bread of all sorts (focaccia, naan, etc).

Drunken Dragon

The Alton Road construction isn’t getting in the way of Drunken Dragon’s big debut one bit. It’s already difficult to land a table at SoBe’s new Asian gastropub (especially a Korean barbecue-style one), but probably worth a try.