Thanks estufarian! So many choices, so little time;( Wish I could try them all! Blacktree sounds intriquing, I'll definitely check that out and i read somewhere about Treadmill's being farm to table. We have our own backyard hens, garden and tropical fruit trees and easy access to fresh fish so we really have an appreciation for farm to table type cooking. We are staying at the Queen's Landing and our package includes a bottle of wine awaiting our arrival but would love to try some other tasty local wines of the area. Down here we generally drink either Californian, South American or French wines, they have zero selection of Canadian options at our local wine stores and grocery stores etc so I don't know at all about Canadian wineries, any specific ones you'd recommend?

Thanks so much, I truly appreciate it! Just went and looked at the menu for Stone Road Grille and I'm already salivating! Mmm, sounds awesome. BTW, forgot to mention that I have two teen sons but they are both foodies too so I hope they are welcome at the places you've recommended.

Hello there,

We are flying intoToronto with a 5pm arrival and then driving out to Niagara on the Lake for a two night stay before we drive up to the Bruce Pennisula where we will stay three days in a B& B in Red Bay which is near Sauble beach and then staying another three days at the Bruce Anchor Inn in downtown Tobermory.

Does anyone have some good suggestions to eat dinner either in, near, or on the way to Niagara on the Lake from Toronto? Or any suggestions for breakfast, lunch and dinner in NOTL and the surrounding areas. We already booked the "Taste of the Town" tour in Niagara on the Lake to act as our brunch for one day lol but would love some ideas for places to eat in the area. We don't mind driving a bit out of our way if there's a tasty yet affordable option in a neighboring area etc Also any suggestions for the drive up to the Bruce Peninsula from NOTL would be appreciated. Also hoping to get some tips for eating in Sauble beach, Lion's head, Tobermory or anything within an hour drive of these.
Thanks in advance for any tips and suggestions;) We love food and don't believe it has to be fancy to be good, the dishes just have to be made with fresh ingredients that have been optimized for their flavor etc. Also if you have any suggestions for Canadian wines, please let us know that too. We really enjoy dry, medium to full bodied reds and also a nice crisp and refreshing white or sparkling now and then too. My hubby was born and raised in Toronto, but we live in Miami Florida.

Here are a few casual yet very tasty options for some great cuban food that give a good bang to the buck along with being filled with locals rather than tourists. Good food doesn't need fancy atmosphere and these places prove that...

For one of the best Cuban style whole fried snapper, (a must try being it combines Miami seafood and cuban cooking), make a visit to Disco Fish at 1540 SW 67TH Ave
menu - http://southflorida.menupages.com/restaurants/disco-fish-2/menu

IMHO, the best black beans and rice and an arroz con pollo that is totally killer are served at Villa Habana on the east end of Coral way just outside of Coral Gables (305) 446-7427
3398 SW 22nd St(coral way) ps - call ahead to order the arroz con pollo, don't miss out on this! Their ropa vieja is quite good too;
)http://southflorida.menupages.com/restaurants/villa-habana-restaurant/menu

For the best lechon (pork) that totally satisfies your craving, visit La Esquina del Lechon only a short drive from the airport in Doral at 8601 NW 58th St The lechon asada & Masas de Puerco Frita (fried pork chunks ;) ) are heavenly.
menu - http://www.esqlechon.com/images/MainMenu.pdf

For one of the best fritas in Miami go to either El Mago de las fritas(5828 sw 8 st) or El Rey de las fritas(1821 sw 8 st) or Morro Castle is good too.
http://www.elmagodelasfritas.com/#!menu
http://www.reydelasfritas.com/Menu.aspx
Have fun and happy pigging out,
Kim

Mai Kai is about as UNIQUE as you can get and is located in Broward county and really fun for the whole family; it's almost as if you are transported to a tropical island escape! You'll forget all your worries and just take all the tiki fun in. You can't help but just sit back, smile and enjoy the decor and the fire dancing island show etc. Check out their website, I think it will be a hit with all of you. http://www.maikai.com/specials/dinner...

El Toro Taco on Krome Ave in Homestead has some of the best Mexican food to be found in Dade County. It's informal, nothing fancy but the food is absolutely authentic and quite tasty. The service is friendly and casual and it is amusingly a byob ( bring your own bottle ) establishment which adds a bit of unexpected charm and fun to it if you plan ahead and bring yourself a cooler and make a pit stop at a grocery store or gas station with a selection of nice beers or a bottle of wine. The guacamole is beyond amazing! The chicken mole, chimigangas and the mexican pot roast (can't remember the spanish name for it) are super good and worth ordering. Homestead doesn't really offer any upscale places but plenty of mom and pop restaurants that do what they do well, if you like BBQ, Shiver's offers good old fashioned southern bbq or if you're in the mood for cuban, Mario's Latin Cafe is quite tasty. HOpe this helps, KIm

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El Toro Taco
1 S Krome Ave, Homestead, FL 33030

Mario's Latin Cafe
1020 N Homestead Blvd, Homestead, FL 33030

Being you have 8 hours, keep in mind that South Florida has some of the most reasonable car rental rates of anywhere. Consider renting a car and driving to a cuban restaurant and then perhaps taking a nice drive over to either Key Biscayne or South Beach to enjoy Miami views, beach etc or as planned a taxi will work.
As far as non fancy Cuban cuisine w/o pretention etc. As a Miami native, I'd highly recommend Villa Havana (3398 SW 22nd St Miami, FL 33145 ) basically on Coral Way which is a 10 minute drive from the airport and a short drive to either Key Biscayne, Coconut Grove or South Beach for a nice stroll after your meal. Villa Havana is technically located in Coral Gables but further down Coral Way in closer proximity to Downtown and more of a place locals go to really enjoy some great Cuban cooking. The decor is unremarkable but the food is as memorable as a sunday dinner at a cuban friend's Abuela's house and totally worth the visit. I'd recommend trying the ropa vieja, the arroz con pollo, the house snapper or the creole snapper chunks and definitely get the black beens and rice because theirs are the best! Here's a link to the menu -http://southflorida.menupages.com/res...
ps in spanish Villa Havana is pronounced more like Vee-yuh Ha- ban-a if you use a taxi. It's one of the hidden gem type of unassuming restaurants in Miami. I'm confident that you'll really enjoy the food.ps - small tip - It might be good to call ahead for ordering the Arroz con Pollo ((305) 446-7427 because it is so amazing that I'd hate for you to miss it and sometimes it's only served to those who called for reservatiion for it.

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Villa Havana Restaurant
3398 Coral Way, Miami, FL 33145

I don't remember the name of it but the restaurant in the Morocco pavillion was quite tasty and had some nice vegetarian options. I've been to Marrakech and Disney did a pretty impressive job of replicating the ambiance and food.

Everyone here is right, Miami is not comparable to the DC/Maryland shore style crabs/crabcakes other when our stone crab claws are in season and they can be found at most restaurants with Joe's Stonecrabs on South Beach as the most well known place for them or at local grocery stores etc. Stone Crab season is Oct 15 - May 15 only. But, If you love seafood, South Florida is known for conch, snapper, dolphin, swordfish, grouper etc where as where you live crabs or mussels are the coveted item. I personally think that hog snapper or yellow tail snapper are the best fresh catches of the day in Miami. For a real treat that is authentic caribbean style here in Miami, a whole fried snapper at a local cuban restaurant is pretty amazing. As a native Miamian, I'd suggest seeking out the best fish/seafood in the area you want to stay rather than focusing on crabs unless you want stonecrabs which are generally very high priced even in more casual restaurants, but very yummy either cold with a mustard sauce or hot and steamy with drawn butter.

For a terrific inexpensive & authentic cuban meal, I'd recommend Villa Habana (3398 Coral Way). Very affordable, huge portions and unbelievably yummy and frequented by mostly locals. I'm a native Miamian and I'd say they have the best black beans and rice, hands down other than at a friend's abuela's house;) Try the arroz con pollo or the ropa vieja which are incredible. But truthfully the whole menu rocks. Don't be turned off by the pedestrian decor, the food is so much better than the more expensive cuban restaurants in town. Trust me, you'll totally love the food! Or if you are in the mood for seafood, the whole fried snapper at Disco Fish is a total WOW. Disco fish is located at 1540 SW 67TH Ave and is basically a fresh seafood market that serves up their local fresh catches of the day and you can't go wrong being it always has a total latin atmosphere found only in Miami other than in Habana.
If you want seafood with broader American flavor trends other than latin influence, head further south to Captains Tavern which is a family run restaurant for over 30 odd years popular with locals in the know. They are located at 9621 S Dixie Hwy and basically on your way south towards the keys. The menu is pretty large and the wine list is pretty incredible and the fish is super fresh right from their very own seafood market around the corner.
Middle Keys suggestion, although more of a chain restaurant, Islandmorada Fish Company has a great location on a little harbour where tarpon, sharks etc can easily been seen as you dine al fresco to tiki torches etc and the food is decent, not great but satisfying. or there is a smaller place called lazy days restaurant that has nice catch of the day specials that's in Islandmorada as well. Anyhow, hope this helps! KIm
ps- just in case you are in the mood for Italian when flying into Miami, there is an amazing little place run by two brothers just north of the Airport and literally about a one mile ride from the terminal called Basilico. It has dishes that blend northern italy with Argentina and the wine list is awesome. The food is delicious and not at all like the fake american version of italian cusine. Basilico is tucked unassumingly into an unremarkable strip mall but the food is that of a high end Miami restaurant and totally worth a visit. Save room for dessert because the tiramisu, creme brulee, flan, chocolate souffle are all worth treating yourself to;) Definitely a hidden gem in Miami, even if it's not cuban cusine.