We sussed out three deal-friendly choices in the city of fun and sun.
Finding great food in Miami isn’t the problem. As you may have gathered from this past Top Chef, the financial capital of Latin America is increasingly its culinary capital, too. The challenge comes in finding service to match the flavor. It’s rumored the city’s convention bureau recently even implored the hotel and restaurant community to get its act together. But not to worry: At these spots, “America’s Casablanca” is already firing on all cylinders.
Breakfast: The name of Panorama, on the eighth floor of the Sonesta Bayfront Hotel Coconut Grove, says it all. The dining room is a bit small, but you’ll want to sit outside, closer to the 180-degree view of Biscayne Bay, anyway. The specialty here is Peruvian cuisine: Latin with a heavy Japanese influence. Try chef Chris Cramer’s lomo saltado con huevos, eggs served with a beef stir-fry of tomatoes and onions, seasoned with soy sauce and flambéed with Pisco, the national distilled spirit of Peru.
Lunch: A central location in the Brickell Business District, meticulously prepared Latin-Asian fusion cuisine and superlative service make Acqua (below) at the Four Seasons your best (and safest) midday choice. With a fabulous collection of Botero sculptures right outside the door, the ambience is both elegant and comfortable. Tables are far enough apart to allow for private conversation about what’s really going on in Cuba, and there’s a semi-private dining area with a custom-built table for 12.
Dinner: At his polished Coral Gables hot spot Cacao (above), Daniel Boulud protégé Edgar Leal has fashioned a contemporary Latin American cuisine based on classical, in some cases ancient, recipes. Show off your sense of history by ordering the braised veal cheeks with yuca mofongo or wild-boar tenderloin with huacatay sauce. The décor is reminiscent of the drawing rooms of Monte Carlo or Seville (both stops on the native Venezuelan’s career), with marble floors, gleaming chandeliers and silver walls unadorned but for a solitary photograph of cocoa beans. Ask to be seated in the smaller, more intimate room off the main space. There’s also a private room for up to 20.
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