Have mojitos at Tap Tap-- unsure of how many veggie options they actually have. You may also want to hit The Lido at The Standard. It's a local favorite and they have a great tofu dish as well as a very nice cheese plate. The view makes the place very romantic. You can go there and take a dip in the amazing pool.

I have been to Salmon Salmon a few times over the years hoping to be dazzled. It has yet to happen. ( Truth be told, it has been at least a year since my last visit).

I think the place has a charm all it's own. It's hip because it is so far removed from the very concept of hipness.

Perhaps I will try again...this time, I need to manage expectations.

Closer to your area are the following:

Sublime
1431 North Federal Hway
completely veggie, gourmet, a big hit with veggies

Sara's
2214 NE 123rd Street
inexpensive veggie options, fantastic pizza with secret ingredient apple sauce, "bakyen" instead of bacon.

Udipi Cafe
Indian and all veg
call to make sure they're still open: 954.748.5660

Here Comes the Sun
2188 NE 123rd
tons of veggie offerings, not my fave but people swear by it

You could also go to Ouzo (Greek) near Sardinia for mezes (fried cheese, hummus)
Pasha's on Lincoln Rd. for a quick bite.
The Cafe at Books and Books. They have both veggie as well as vegan options.
Lido at The Standard has an amazing tofu entree that makes my mouth water. Great atmosphere as well.
Miss Yip's has good veggie dim sum and some non-meat entrees.
Tap Tap has Haitian food and some limited veggie options. Their spinach dish is great.

Net, why so down on the place before it even opens? Seems to me that lots of good chefs with good restaurants have not succeeded in this town. I remember when Johnny V opened a casual spot years ago. The food was fantastic but the place flatlined anyway.

I think the Motel Blu is an inspired though untraditional site for a restaurant. It's a gutsy move.

As for not yet having opened...ever try to open a resto in Miami? It's no cakewalk. Permitting in this city is a nightmare.

Touch. They are wonderful and can provide all that you seek.

Yup, you're right. He is/was an original partner.

I am hopeful that Red Light will be worth the wait. Kris Wessel is the guy behind Red Light. He did Liaison on Espanola and Elia at Bal Harbour. I don't believe he had an association with Paninoteca.

Any word on the sushi place opening next to Bin or the Bengali place on 21st and Biscayne? I'm hungry.

I ate at Domo Japonaias the other day. It was good but (in my opinion) not excellent. We ordered the Berkshire pork ramen (crazily pricey for a bowl of ramen) and the chef kindly split it in two portions. My companion raved about the pork in his bowl but all I got was fat and gristle in an admittedly tasty broth.

The veal cheek dumplings were tasty. (Is cheek the new tuna tar tare)? Sushi was just mediocre. We had two rolls (one yellowtail with jalapeno and one souped up roll with prosciutto). Eh and double eh.

We also ordered an app of eggplant and (I believe) hamachi. This could've been more texturally interesting.

Dessert was that old standby- an oozing chocolate cake. It was nothing to write home about.

I would go back for drinks. Alas, I am still in search of a good sushi place nearby...

A friend and I went to brunch today at Talula. While the food was good (wild rice duck salad with large chunks of duck and crisp/hot bacon got an A), the service was appalling. We were one of four tables occupied but found it nearly impossible to get coffee, water refills and the champagne we ordered. My egg order came out wrong. I asked three times for a cup of coffee and then waited 20 minutes before it magically appeared with no excuse or apology. When it was poured, half of it landed on the table and was not wiped up.

Is this normal for Talula? I hate to write it off....

The Vagabond is a sensational space; I hope we get another winner on this side of the causeway. There's signage for a Bengali resto on 20th and another potential churrascarria (pardon my spelling) on 30th.

I heard a rumor that there will be brunch around the pool and a raw bar as well. Do we know if there will be a resto in the Vagabond hotel?

I drive by the Motel Blu a few times a week in the hopes of seeing the space completed. Anyone know when he's supposed to open? I'm hungry!

From what I was told, it was an entree and not a dessert - possibly served with parm and cracked black pepper? Clearly, there are variations out there. I may just have to have a dinner party and give this a whirl. (I should invite only good friends over for this one- have no clue what I'm doing).

I thought they just had new owners?...

Was it good? I am intrigued...

GREAT List!

I went to Food Gang last night and was impressed. I found the lighting and the music a bit bizarre but the onion soup and chicken caesar apps were good. I had snapper and my seatmates had duck and churrasco entrees. All the entrees were above average.

Thank you for your help!

From high end to low end...from destination to dive...I'm all ears.

I saw the same episode and immediately tried to google up the recipe! I found beef stroganoff recipes when I googled "noodles" "onion soup mix" and "cream of mushroom"

Thanks, Mike. Good start and great advice! My goal is to stay under $50 dollars - but under $30 would be fantastic.

I tried a few Cloudy Bay chardonnays several days ago and did not fall in love with them. I believe they are from Australia and New Zealand.

I would like to develop a taste for good whites...can anyone recommend a few that are not prohibitively $$$$? Many thanks!

I went the other day to Chipotle and it was dreadful. Ordered a chicken burrito bowl and the chicken was all fat and gristle. A big yuck. Such a disappointment. Sniffle.

It's nice to hear that someone had a good meal at Devito's. I've heard nothing but bad things about it up 'til now. (Ultra pricey food, bad service, a tourist trap, etc). Perhaps it's time I tried it myself!

Yesterday, I went to the wine pairing dinner at The Setai that combined Australian wine and Asian food. I was struck by the imaginative, delicious pairings and the warmth and graciousness of the Chef, PR Director and wine maker- who was flown in especially from Australia. They really went all out for the evening.

The highpoints of the meal were the delicate and fresh sashimi course (punctuated by some serious heat) and the exquisite fried quail with fried radish cake. (Kind of like a potato pancake).

We sat at a communal table and had lovely seatmates. This is the kind of dinner where a single diner or a big group will be equally at ease.

It was a lovely, memorable evening. Below are some future wine dinner dates and the featured wines.

TERRAZAS DE LOS ANDES
A five-course traditional Argentinean meal prepared
by Chef Jonathan Wright, uniquely paired with the
wines of Chief Wine Maker Julio Lasmartes
SEPTEMBER 27TH
AT THE GRILL AT 7:00PM
$150 PER PERSON

UPCOMING WINE DINNERS IN OCTOBER
Château Palmer, October 19th 2007 at The Grill
Salon & Delamotte Champagne, October 23rd 2007
at The Restaurant

Thanks to all of you. I think Jaguar and the Jimmy Cefalo place sound interesting. I have fond memories of Scotty's from years ago. Any of the above three sound perfect.

I will be in Coconut Grove next Thursday and need to find a spot that serves beer/wine and possibly some light bites. It can be up or downscale. Any thoughts on Monty's, Berries, Baleen, Barracuda? Any wine places in the area or really good hotel bars? Many thanks!

What kind of food is it and what did you order?

You could try the downstairs lunch noodle place at O Asian on Miami Beach. I can't say that it's a particularly worthy choice but they do have noodles galore. I have high hopes that one day we will have our own Wagamama.