MAJOR CHANGES AT THE TOP IN ZAGAT'S
2008 MIAMI / SO. FLORIDA RESTAURANTS GUIDE
Prices Continue to Rise; Miami Welcomes Celebrity Chefs;
Floridians on the Fence About Going Green
NEW YORK, NY. November 28, 2007 – A vibrant but pricey dining scene – with a dash of celebrity star power – emerges in Zagat's 2008 Miami/So. Florida Restaurants guide, released today. The guide features ratings and reviews of restaurants in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Key West and Palm Beach based on input from over 5,700 consumers, who dine out an average of 3.7 meals per week.
Major Changes at the Top: The winners for Top Food in each of the four areas covered by the guide are new this year: In Miami, Michy's passed Francesco with a 28 score on the Zagat 30-point scale. In Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County, Cafe Maxx, with a 27 rating, replaced Sunfish Grill. In the Keys, Pisces, with a 28 outpaced the Dining Room at Little Palm Island Resort and in Palm Beach, Chez Jean-Pierre has taken the lead from 11 Maple Street with a 27.
Shakeups were also seen in the Décor and Service categories. In Miami, Karu & Y won the top spot for Décor from Blue Door and Palme d'Or replaced Romeo's Cafe for Top Service. And in Broward County, Grille 66 overtook Satine for Top Décor and Eduardo de San Angel replaced now shuttered Victoria Park for Top Service.
"It's no secret that Miami and South Florida are home to some of the country's most innovative restaurants," said Tim Zagat, co-founder and CEO of Zagat Survey. "What's interesting is how quickly things change here – showing that all restaurateurs need to work hard to stay at the top of their games."
Celeb Owners: Among the newly opened restaurants in the guide, several are owned by celebrities. Actor Danny DeVito opened DeVito South Beach, while Top Chef celebrity judges Michael Schwartz and Govind Armstrong launched Michael's Genuine Food & Drink and Table 8, respectively. Next year, former Top Chef contestant, sommelier and Palm Beach native Stephen Asprinio will open Italian Forté di Asprinio in Palm Beach.
Pricey Palates: Among the regions that Zagat surveys, South Florida is the country's third most expensive venue for dining out, closely following New York City and Long Island. The average meal cost ($38.86) for South Florida shows a 4.5% annualized inflation from two years ago, when the average was $35.60. Surveyors felt the price hikes, with 74% claiming to spend more per meal than two years ago. But this has not discouraged them from going out: 45% say they are dining out more than two years ago, versus 12% who say that their dining frequency has slowed.
Playing Favorites: Joe's Stone Crab once again held on to its title as Miami's Most Popular dining destination; Blue Moon Fish took the No. 1 position in Ft. Lauderdale; and Kee Grill was Most Popular in Palm Beach. An overwhelming number of surveyors chose Italian as their favorite cuisine (29%), followed by American (14%) and Japanese (13%).
Surveying the Scene: South Florida's overall dining scene was rated 19 out of a possible 30 for both choice/diversity and culinary creativity, but table availability ranked a mere 15 and hospitality only 12. These figures are underscored by the fact that 83% of surveyors find service to be the greatest irritant when dining out.
Going Green? Not Quite: In an interesting split, this year's results detail an interesting shift from other leading U.S. dining capitals, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. Results show that Floridians have not fully jumped onto the green bandwagon, with 85% of surveyors who did not deem locally grown or raised food to be important. Further, 51% were not willing to pay more for organic food, and 50% would not pay more for sustainably raised food.
Comings and Goings: Florida bid adieu to several restaurant legends, including Norman's and Pacific Time, but welcomed the arrival of notable newcomers Armadillo Beach, Cantina Laredo and Oceanaire. The Palm Beach dining scene witnessed a stampede of new steakhouses including Amazonia Charrascaria, Chops Lobster Bar and III Forks – and several seafood eateries too, including Aqua Marine Grill and COOL'A FISHBAR.
Bang for Your Buck: Although the cost of eating out has risen, South Florida diners still enjoy inexpensive finds. Miami's Dogma Grill, which just opened a new location in Ft. Lauderdale, ranked highest on the list of Miami's Best Buys, followed by La Sandwicherie, OneBurger and the popular fast-food chain restaurant, Baja Fresh. In Broward County, LaSpada's Original Hoagies is the top Best Buy, followed by Dogma Grill and Cheese Course. And in Palm Beach, Sloan's Ice Cream gets the nod for Best Buy followed by 5 Guys Burgers and Pizza Rustica.
The 2008 Miami/So. Florida Restaurants guide ($13.95) includes reviews of more than 1,000 establishments, as well as lists and indexes to help readers find everything from late-night dining spots to child-friendly eateries. The guide was edited by Bill Citara, Rochelle Koff, Jan Norris and Troy Segal. It is available at bookstores and other retail outlets, through ZAGAT.com or by calling 888-371-5440.
Editor's Note: Miami Beach Restaurants ($5.95) and Palm Beach Restaurants ($5.95) pocket guides are also available.
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