Miami Spice Restaurant Month

carolynk — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:05:00 GMT

It’s August, and for those of us who are “in the know,” it’s time to chow down in style.

August is Miami Spice Restaurant Month -- a special summer dining promotion created by the Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and sponsored by Campo Viejo Wine. During August and September, Miami’s top restaurants offer special three-course menus (appetizer, entrée and dessert) at reduced prices. For just $20.07, you can have a three-course lunch. For $30.07, you can enjoy a three-course dinner. Beverages, tax and gratuity are extra. For those of us with caviar tastes and a beer budget, Miami Spice Month is a very good thing.

This is the time of year when locals like me finally make plans to try out a certain fancy restaurant that we’ve been hearing raves about. Because, quite frankly, why pay any more for a gourmet meal than you have to?

More than 70 restaurants are participating in the 6th Annual Miami Spice Restaurant Month. This year, I’m making reservations at Fifty Restaurant & Lounge, a new spot on Ocean Drive whose chef, Rolando Cruz-Taura, is known for whipping up some really creative New American-style dishes. Another place that has caught my eye is Ginger Grove at the Mayfair House Hotel & Spa, which features a Pan-Asian menu that sounds absolutely scrumptious. Carmen the Restaurant, in Coral Gables, is also on my personal wish list, not only for the fabulous meal I know I’ll have there, but because it’s close to my house. (Saves on babysitter time and gas!)

I wish that I could go to every single restaurant on the list, but, as the English poet William Marvel (and Captain Jack Sparrow in the latest Pirates of the Caribbean) said, “Had we but world enough, and time….”

The best way to take advantage of Miami Spice Restaurant Month is to visit the web site, check out the various menus offered by participating restaurants, and read the fine print. (Restaurants offer their Miami Spice menus on different days of the week. Some offer dinner only, others lunch only.) So plan ahead and figure out which restaurants you really want to try. Make reservations for the days (or evenings) when the Miami Spice menu is offered, and get ready to enjoy gourmet food served at prices you can only take advantage of if you're “in the know.”

Isn’t it great to be in the know?

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Miami Spice Restaurant Month