Casavana Cuban Cuisine

Bright Cuban restaurant with a pretty large menu near the Zoo.

What we had:

I had the Cubano Regular, which was just what you would expect from a Cuban sandwich. Toasty, crusty bread, tasty tasty pork, melty cheese.

My DH had the Medianoche, also what one would expect. We still haven't decided which we like better.

Décor:

Bright, well-lit, open-feeling.

Service:

Pretty decent.

Overall impressions:

Much better than we had expected. It looks kind of like a chain from the outside, but the food is just right. The food was light, and there are plenty of options on the menu for anyone to get into. The prices are also very reasonable. For the 2 sandwiches, a side of fries and 2 soft drinks, our bill was only $19.

Company website; what Google says

Rating:

3.5 out of 5 salamanders

The Daily Creative Food Co.

Great little lunch spot with a journalist theme. Convenient since it's right across the street from the New Times and a few blocks from the Herald. The menu is ginormous.

What we had:

I had the Mermaid salad--mixed greens, grilled shrimp, goat cheese, corn, shredded carrot, strawberries, candied pecans, raspberry vinaigrette. This was a really good salad. Fresh, more tastes and textures than I knew what do do with, and well put together.

My DH had the Miami Today Prime Time sandwich--roast beef, pepperjack, horseradish mayo, crispy onions. The crispy-fried onions really made this sandwich.

Décor:

Oversized prints of old comics on the walls, newspaper clipping tabletops.

Service:

Pretty decent.

Overall impressions:

A great lunch spot when you just don't know what you want, you only know you don't want it to be too unhealthy.

Company website; what Google says

Rating:

3.5 out of 5 salamanders

CineBistro

Cocktails, dinner & a movie in 1, and no one under 21 allowed. CineBistro is a movie theater/restaurant combo located in the Dolphin Mall. The deal: Come half an hour before your movie starts, have a seat at the bar for pre-show cocktails or wait to be seated in plush leather armchairs with movable trays. Once seated, you order your meal, dessert & drinks and they bring it all out at once--tapas style; once the trailers start, service is discontinued. Payment is at the door for the movie ($30/2) and as you order (the meals are seemingly well-priced, but we still ended up spending $70 total for the two of us--watch out for the $5 beers).

What we had:

I had a decent shrimp and veggie burrito with red cabbage slaw. The shrimp had a nice grill taste, and the burrito was pretty good. My DH had a decent Cuban sandwich and fries.

Décor:

Really nice red leather seats--the whole place is very plush with a nice low-key feel.

Service:

Pretty decent.

Overall impressions:

This would be a perfect date or get away from the kids for an evening place, but it's just not practical enough to become an everyday movie place. If you were to go out to dinner and a movie separately (averaging $30 for a meal (sans alcohol) with similar quality and $20 for the movie tickets), CineBistro comes out $20 more. But with CineBistro, you have the added ambiance and the really, really easy to make it a special night feel. The vibe just feels "grown up" here. I don't think I'm willing to drive all the way there, battle the mall crowds and pay more than I'd like to see a movie often, but were I on a date or have small children, this place would be on my short list of places to while away a few hours.

Company website; what Google says

Rating:

3.5 out of 5 salamanders

100% Natural Restaurant

"Mexican" health-ish food, though I'm skeptical about the 100% natural part. I'm thinking their definition of "natural" might be pretty liberal.

What we had:

Pretty bland but still okay chicken crispy tacos and (for the second time in as many days) not what I ordered--I ordered chicken & beef tacos with cactus and got beef & 16 tons of onion tacos. The beef was nice, but it was way overpriced for what we got.

Décor:

Lots of that lime/avocado-ish green that seems to be synonymous with "health" lately. And a fake palapa over the counter.

Service:
Okay, though the order was messed up.

Overall impressions:

I was excited to see somewhere that was somewhat healthy at the mall (Dolphin Mall). Most dishes did seem to at least not go for the stereotypical US cheese-laden Mexican dishes, offering instead more Southern Mexican-style choices. Tons of sandwiches, too.

No company website; what Google says

Rating:

2.5 out of 5 salamanders (bland, but better than the food court)

Maya Tapas Grill

Spanish-style-ish tapas place in the Lincoln Road Mall, Miami Beach. Lured in by the over-dressed cleave-sporting hostesses speaking broken English and talking up the 2 for 1 happy hour, we decided to stop for a bite (mostly because we were hungry and almost out of restaurants until the theater).

What we had:

Rubbery, generic calamari

Carpaccio that wasn't very edible at all, and I'm glad we were dining by candlelight, since the meat had so much lemon juice it had ceviche-d.

Huge cold cuts platter (which we didn't order--we actually order the big ass cheese, fruit & meat platter which was more expensive) with okay-quality meats. The serrano ham was pretty good, the mortadella was decent, the rest was generic.

and a chickpea and chorizo dish in a little cermic low bowl thing, which was pretty decent if a bit bland.

Décor:

Burgundy everywhere and candlelight.

Service:
Oppressive. The busboys/waiter assistants/whatever hadn't perfected the art of inconspicuous hovering and lept straight for the fingers on the bread plate before asking if they could take it level. Woe be to you if you don't want water, either. Hide the glasses!

Overall impressions:

We were so lied to. Maybe we didn't understand the hostess in the din of street traffic, or maybe it was her accent, but we totally didn't get the 2 for 1 special. Our dinner ended up costing roughly around $60. $30, okay. Won't do it again, but not horrible. $60, total ripoff.

I can't find them on either Google (sans ad) or any company website. Just as well.

Rating:

2 out of 5 salamanders (a ripoff, but edible)

Cafe @ Books & Books

Bookstore/cafe in the Lincoln Road Mall, Miami Beach.

What we had:

I had the smoked chicken/sauteed onion/goat cheese/chevre panini with mixed greens and guava bbq sauce. This was a really good sandwich. The chicken was delicately smoked--almost with a pork taste--and the ooey gooey cheese was a great counterpoint to the crusty, nice-quality ciabatta. The greens were nicely dressed.

My DH had a burger cooked medium. The beef quality was nice and the cheese was well done. Same great ciabatta with fries.

The meal also came with a starter--a really nice black bean hummous with nice, sharp garlic and light & airy crackers. The tropical tea was spot-on as well. Exactly what we needed on a day where the heat index crept up close to 100.

Décor:

As everywhere in the Lincoln Road mall, this is a great place for people-watching and hanging out on a Saturday afternoon.

Service:
Not bad.

Overall impressions:

Nice menu, good quality food, and books! What's not to love?

Company website; what Google says

Rating:

3 out of 5 salamanders

Juice & Java

Natural food chain with a massive menu of sandwiches, pastas, entrees, juices, salads, soups, etc. and a small health convenience food market.

What we had:

I had the Billy Wrap: organic brown rice, grilled Tilapia, feta, avocado, spinach, sprouts, Miso dressing, Monterey Jack cheese. Nice, balanced flavors, great Tilapia, and it felt good to eat--no grease, and although I left feeling like I was having a food baby, it wasn't the wrap's fault. I blame that on the Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Pineapple smoothie I chugged down. (fantabulous)

My DH had the Chicken Caesar Wrap: grilled chicken, organic greens, Monterey Jack cheese & natural Caesar dressing. The chicken had a great flavor, the dressing wasn't overpowering and organic greens are always welcome. He also had an Orange, grapefruit & banana smoothie.

Décor:

Small, lots of healty convenience foods for sale.

Service:
Friendly. the manager was behind the counter talking to customers, many of whom seemed to come on a regular basis.

Overall impressions:

A nice place to grab a bite. The menu is massive with something for everyone--from the need to be tricked into eating healthy set to the uber-hippie.

Company website; what Google says

Rating:

3 out of 5 salamanders