If you’ll be joining me in Miami for MAWC 2017 in February, I hope you’ll also take some time to get to know the city. Miami is a growing metropolis on the verge of something amazing at every corner. This year, as we wind down 2016, the Best of Miami has been revealed by the experts who know and love this city as much as I do. Read on for a list of the best Miami’s had to offer in 2016. Take note!
GET TO KNOW MIAMI: The Best of 2016 Revealed
Best New Year’s Eve Party – Five Star New Year’s Eve
A sought after event attended and hosted in the past by actor Ryan Phillippe, DJ Robin Schulz, Brazilian singer Michel Telo, soccer star Ronaldo “The Phenomenon” Nazario de Lima and renowned Brazilian actress Isabeli Fontana, to name a very few, Five Star New Year’s Eve celebrates its fourth year with a week-long lineup of VIP events in Miami Beach. The festivities include access to the Sunset Party, Luxury Yacht Cruise, Surreal Party, Day Time Beach Party, Miami Beach VIP Club Experience, Five Star New Year’s Eve, which features endless libations all night long, and Post New Year’s Eve Brunch.
Best Any Hour Dining and Decor – Paris 6
Located in the heart of Miami Beach, Paris 6 French Bistro — open 24 hours, 7 days a week – offers an extensive menu of unpretentious traditional French cuisine only rivaled by cafes in the 6th arrondissement. Paris 6’s refined yet comfortable ambiance is reminiscent of the Woody Allen film Midnight In Paris as you find commissioned paintings by Brazilian artist Flavio Rossi complemented by the Damasked covered walls, chandeliers, and an ornate green bar with tractor stools. Offering elaborate dishes with ingredients local to the area (with a focus on producing the best quality food possible), Paris 6 is the best spot to recover after late night happenings.
Best Nightclub – WALL
Having celebrated its 7th anniversary this year, WALL is currently the longest running lounge on South Beach. Its intimate mixture of models, celebrities, locals and renowned DJs is what appeals to visiting celebs including Jennifer Lopez, George Clooney, Leonardo Dicaprio, surprise DJ sets with Jamie Foxx and Paris Hilton to name a few.
Best Steakhouse and Wine Bar – El Churrasco
Featuring breathtaking views of the Biscayne Bay and Key Biscayne, El Churrasco features an array of international ingredients, including pasture-raised, grass fed Premium Aberdeen Angus beef sourced from family-owned estates in La Estancia San Carlos, Argentina, an expansive wine collection from the family vineyards in Rioja, Spain and its signature Colombian coffee, Café Regina. The restaurant features happy hour specials all week long, Karaoke nights on Thursdays and most recently have added live music to their Saturday programing.
Best Mexican – Cantina la Veinte
Cantina La Veinte offers diners an authentic Cantina dining experience – a traditional Mexican gastronomic adventure in which the bar plays a pivotal role and offers a cultural expression of its location. Guests enjoy an eclectic menu of traditional Mexican cuisine, as well as expertly crafted cocktails and a massive selection of over 260 tequilas and mezcals, considered one of the largest in the U.S.
Best Waterfront Destination– Seaspice
Often credited as leading force in the revitalization of the Miami River neighborhood and recently celebrating its third anniversary, Seaspice continues to be the leading waterfront restaurant and celebrity favorite destination. Offering diners sweeping views of the Miami River, this year, Seaspice welcomed the likes of Barbra Streisand, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Marc Anthony, Justin Bieber, Dwyane Wade and Lebron James, to name a very few.
Best Asian Cuisine – DÔA
the latest venture from globally renowned restaurateur Arjun Waney, DÔA (meaning “The Door” in Japanese), is a true neighborhood restaurant serving high-quality LatAsian cuisine offering affordable options in a casual destination every day until 5 am.
Best Premium Spirit – Maestro Dobel Humito Tequila
Found in Miami locations Seaspice and DÔA, Maestro Dobel Humito comes straight from the hands of eleventh-generation distiller, Juan Domingo Beckmann. Maestro Dobel has redefined the category once again by creating the world’s first ever smoked silver tequila called “Humito.” Spanish for the word “little smoke”, Humito replicates artisanal methods from over 200 years ago, using mesquite wood to embue an extraordinary aroma and taste hearkening back to the original 17th century spirit.
Best Coffee – Great Circle Coffee
Founded by Guatemala-native Sergio Boppel, Great Circle Coffee is Miami’s newest small-batch coffee roaster, focused on making positive contributions across the coffee supply chain. Available online at ww.greatcirclecoffee.com or at 1 Hotel’s Nativ Café and Pericone’s Market, Great Circle distributes three lines of organic and non-organic products: year-round handcrafted blends, single-origin or single-estate coffees, and cold brew. Combining four generations of coffee tradition with cutting edge, environmentally-conscious roasting methods and sustainable purchasing practices, Great Circle aims to deliver a new level of quality and social awareness to Miami’s rapidly-growing coffee scene.
I hope you’ll be joining me in Miami in 2017! See you in The Magic City! xoxo
