Joia   Pacific Time    Blue Door
The Forge    Astor Place Bar and Grill    Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant
JOIA
150 OCEAN DRIVE, SOUTH BEACH
(305) 674-8871
Joia is IT for the BP (beautiful people) set. Loud, trendy and the place to see and be seen. Models and celebs are flocking...this month anyway, to this new chi chi Italian eatery. Lots of candles and lare wooden tables with inviting white cushions create a sensual atmosphere that works. Chris Pacello and partner Ingrid Casares of Liquid opened up this white hot spot along with Nicola of Bar None fame. The bar at Joia also provides an entertaining evening if you forgot to make the crucial dinner reservations. Pasta entrees $10 to $15 and the meat and fish entrees are in the $16 -$28 range. Top choices include the rissotto special, angus beef with marsala wine, rolled salmon with leeks, and a veal chop with mushrooms. Serving til midnight during the week and 1am on weekends.
PACIFIC TIME
915 LINCOLN ROAD, SOUTH MIAMI BEACH
(305) 534-5979
Pacific Time is a gem. A rare and wonderful Lincoln Road Cal/Asian restaurant that gets the top vote by every discerning local polled. Jonathan Eismannn’s unique combination of flavors and ingredients are enough to tantilize the taste buds of all gourmet pacific rim/Asian food fans. The top picks of the menu include heavenly fish entrees that literally melt in your mouth. The steamed halibut and wok charred tuna are famous. Entrees run $14 -$28. The in-crowd dines late so don’t show up before 9:30pm. But do make reservations or you’ll never get a table. Open til midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
THE BLUE DOOR RESTAURANT AT THE DELANO HOTEL
1685 COLLINS AVE., SOUTH MIAMI BEACH
(305)674-6400
Madonna is part owner of this insanely trendy restaurant in the painfully hip Delano Hotel. The romantic deck with the flowing white drapes, oversized couches and views of the pool is the best place to sit. Chef George Morrone (who put San Francisco’s Aqua on the Map) makes a valiant effort, but the food fails to live up to the buzz that it has received. Dining at the Delano is more about the "experience" and the "ambiance." Be prepared to pay the big bucks for the privilege of dining here and being seen.
THE FORGE
432 41st St., Miami Beach
(305)538-8533
The Forge rocks on Wednesday nights when this staid, formal and very expensive restaurant caters to the South Beach social set. It’s packed with local columnists and writers,( e.g. Tara Soloman of the Herald, Louis Canales and Tara Gilani of the now defunct Fashion Spectrum) as well as a sprinkling of model types hanging on rich "Cuban Investors" and highly paid Miami Dolphins players. Louis describes this place as silicone city. Get a late table to catch the best of the action. It’s other claim to fame is the enormous wine cellar. Be sure to check out the adjacent private club known as Jimmy’z Cuba Club complete with walk in humidor and the best Cosmopolitan cocktails anywhere! The private cigar lockers have a bizarre collection of name plates that read like a Who’s Who in People Magazine from F. Lee Bailey to Madonna. Just be sure to bring the Platinum Card and a business client...if you can write this one off the Vanilla Duck and 1959 Margeaux will surely slide down more easily.
ASTOR PLACE BAR AND GRILL
956 WASHINGTON AVENUE, SOUTH BEACH
(305)531-8081
Where the chefs eat! An intoxicating blend of Caribbean/American cuisine has won chef Johnny Vinczencz high praise and a loyal following. The dining room fills up around 9:30 so book a table on the late side. Arrive early enough to have a drink at the bar and check out the sophisticated, low-key scene (see full listing under Debbie Does it on the Rocks).
JOE’S STONE CRAB RESTAURANT
227 BISCAYNE STREET, SOUTH BEACH
(305)673-0365
"Orgasmic Stone Crabs" should be Joe’s real name. A trip to Miami without a visit to Joe’s would be like going to Paris and not having a French fling. The Weiss family has been running this institution for years. They have their own fleet of fishing boats which guarantees them the creme-de-la-creme of the Stone Crab crop. They don’t take reservations and the wait for a table is notorious. To beat this problem go for lunch, go for an early dinner or go for take out. (They have a great take out operation next door). The stone crab are the stars here, not the model wannabes. How refreshing! But remember that Stone Joe’s is only open between October and May when stone crabs are in season.






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