Chipotle Mexican Grill

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One of the new crop of fresh Mexican grill. Food with a conscience.


What we had:


We've been here twice in the month we've lived here. We usually get a burrito, though last time I got the tacos. The chicken is pretty good, the barbacoa is good, the carnitas is good as well. The food here is pretty decent. I personally like Moe's better, but Chipotle isn't bad.


Décor
:


Nice & modern, with lots of stainless steel and wood. I love the sinks.



Service:


You pick your toppings, get your food & sit down. Not much service to speak of, but the burrito wrappers seem competent.



Overall impressions:


Not bad. Chipotle makes a nice large lunch. I wish they had a salsa bar and fish tacos, but other than that, they're pretty decent. I'm sure we'll be back.



Company website ; what
Google says.


Rating:


3.5 out of 5 salamanders

Lime Fresh Mexican Grill

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Burrito/fajita/taco place in the tradition of Moe's, Chipotle, Baja Fresh, etc.


What we had:


We both had a burrito. It wasn't bad. Not Moe's, but not terrible. You only get 10 chips as a side, though.



Décor
:


"Fun" taco spring-break/tequila night feel with pockets of upscale nice night dining.


Service:


Not bad. They deliver the food to your table.


Overall impressions:


Not terrible. We'd go again for a taste of something different. We're interested to see their quesadillas. Chipotle is right across the street. They could do more with the overall experience, though. I just went to the website, and I'm frightened.


Company website ; what Google says.


Rating:


3 out of 5 salamanders

Paul Maison de Qualite

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French bakery/bistro with locations all over the place; even at a kiosk in the mall. We ate at the Lincoln Square Mall location.


What we had:


I had a toastie. I can't remember the name, only that it started with an S and was the next to last listed. Fresh rustic country bread
(the crisp crust was great) with a light smear of olive tapenade, a mixture of cheeses (including enmetal, which I had never had) & tarragon, toasted so the cheese melts with a side of spring greens in a light citrus and herb vinaigrette. I loved it. A great light lunch. The cheese was tasty, the bread was faboo. Chris had the Croque Monsieur. Black forest ham, cheese, bechamel sauce; the ubiquitous French sandwich. He said it was great. His came with the greens as well. (yay! no fries!)


Décor
:


Nice, open, French.



Service:


There actually was some, which impressed me. It wasn't great, but it was there. You order and pay and then sit. We sat outside. Our food & drinks were brought to the table.



Overall impression:


I have a strong need to go back to sample the desserts. They looked phenomenal. I need to explore this place further! The bread loaf prices weren't bad ($3-4 per). I wouldn't mind eating here on a semi-regular basis.


Company website ; what
Google says.


Rating:


4 out of 5 salamanders (yes, redundant I know, but we really haven't eaten anywhere bad yet!)

Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza

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Pizza served "well done" as they say on the wall.


What we had:


Large pie with pepperoni on one half and eggplant on the other. The pizza wasn't bad at all. The coal oven is really hot and tends to char the crust. That's their deal. They know the pizza is burnt, and that's just fine with them. 1 bite of char tastes nice, but it can be a bit much. The coal imparts a nice smokiness to the pizza as a whole. The eggplant was good; huge slices. The pepperoni was more than plentiful. Good cheese. Awesome sauce.



Décor:

Big open pizza place.



Service:


Not bad.



Overall impressions:


Not too shabby. Raucous, busy. It seems like all pizza here is better than Jacksonville. I'd like to check around more to see if there's something better out there, but this place is within walking distance, so you really can't go but so wrong there.



Company website ; what
Google says.


Rating:


4 out of 5 salamanders

The Gourmet Diner

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Shiny, shiny diner on Biscayne. I love shiny.



What we had:


I had a chopped Diner Salad. Bleu cheese, tomato, cucumber, endive, etc. with a light vinaigrette. Chris had the BBQ bacon cheeseburger. Both were pretty good. I felt nice & healthy, and the fry I snagged from Chris was pretty good.




Décor:


Exactly what you'd expect from a shiny diner, only with less kitsch.




Service:


Not bad. Typical diner.




Overall impressions:


We could see becoming regulars here. It's a touch overpriced ($10 for a burger), but we're coming to see that that is typical for Miami. We'll just have to get used to that, I suspect. The menu here is quite extensive. And it is gourmet for a diner. They have interesting things like osso bucco, tons of seafood, pastas, etc. on top of normal diner fare.




No website of their own, but
Google does a pretty good job with telling you what's what.



Rating:


4 out of 5 salamanders