2 nights--miami vs fort-lauderdale

[remdog99]

Be honest, now. 2 nights to spend, how to split them among Miami & Fort-Lauderdale for the foodie that I am? Do the top resto's in Fort-Lauderdale rival those of Miami, or should I hunker down in Miami for 2 nights and save the Fort for another time?

[jpr54_1]

Why not stay in Adventura, Hallandale Beach, or Hollywood ?

[mattstolz]

well if youre just plannin on spending the two days eating your way through miami, this would be pretty inconvenient.

[mattstolz]

it really depends on the atmosphere youre wanting. i personally love fort lauderdale for the more laid-back attitude. i always feel like going to eat in miami has to be more of a production where in fort lauderdale it doesnt have to be to get great food. (but thats just my opinion)

[remdog99]

Atmosphere is secondary. Food is numero uno.

[taiga]

Not close on any level. There are a few places to eat and enjoy in Ft. Lauderdale. Miami, on the other hand, is a kaleidoscope.

[remdog99]

And where those one or two places in fort lauderdale be?

[pilches]

It really depends on what you're looking for - both food and scene. Be a little more specific and I'm sure you'll get more help. Miami definitely has more "foodie" options, but FL also has sone really good choices.

[remdog99]

Ok, a few more details. I live in montreal so i am no stranger to great restaurants, especially french ones. I also just finished watching babdboy tony boudain's miami layover (btw whats the opinion of him here on chowhound?).

I am basically doing a 72 hr layover with my buddy. We are both huge foodies. We are flying into fll and out of orlando. Thinking of staying in miami area for first night, hitting the river for happy hour where i have been before, i love oysters and their bar snacks are awesome (duck empanadas with mango chutney anyone?). Then i would do a late dinner somewhere foodie-excellent but also typical of local cuisine- i am thinking garcia's--thoughts?

Night 2 could be fort lauderdale-- market 17 is looking good for one of their tasting menus.

Orlando i've got nailed down- rustic pig for dinner saturday, and the sunday will be bbq at the bbq joint up the street from ravenous (cant remember the name).

Those are the details--your suggestions welcome!

[gblcsw]

I'm not even sure Garcia's is open for dinner, but certainly wouldn't recommend it out of all the restaurants in Miami...It's basically a dump that sells fresh, if uninspired, seafood IMHO.

[remdog99]

Ok so what would you suggest?

[gblcsw]

Our last visit to Market 17 was disappointing...Search these boards for Miami and I think you will do better. If you can get in, I would suggest Michael's Genuine Food and Drink for something you probably won't find at home.

[CFByrne]

It's just one man's opinion, but to get a feel for what's going on in Miami, this might be a good place to start:

http://miamirankings.com/?page_id=20

Again - this is just one person's ideas of good restos in Miami.

There are many others, but this is a handy concise starting place to get familiar with many of the names you'll be hearing from others.

[Blind Mind]

Actually that's 4 people's opinions on restaurants in Miami...

Definitely suggest hunkering down in Miami, 100%.

[CFByrne]

Right - I was thrown off by one of his (older) comments on where the rankings come from:

"I'm going to put up a post soon about the methodology (short version: there is none; the website was hatched as a response to many friends asking advice on where to dine so it really is just one person’s opinion answering that particular question)."

Ryan @ MRPR January 21, 2010 at 10:23 am

[gblcsw]

I'm from Fort Lauderdale, but suggest you "hunker down in Miami."

[tpigeon]

+1

[mrmagee]

What sort of restaurant are you looking for?