Coral Gables 6/24/08 Dinner $25-35 p/p (w/o alcohol). What's a hot spot for that kind of money?
Hi folks. We're visiting from Maryland again and you guys hooked us up with the now defunct (from what I heard) Max's in Coral Gables in 2006 when we came down. It was delicious by the way, but we're coming back with our 14 year old vegetarian daughter to meet my sister in Coral Gables for a dinner. Any suggestions for aroung $35 p/p or less including soft drinks? We don't drink alcohol. We wanted something kind of "hot", a place that you say when you walk in "Nice. This looks great!"
I found this list from an earlier post but I checked out some of their menus and they look fairly pricey. We like Italian, and any place where our daughter can get a simple pasta. She's not adventurous at all and mostly just eats pasta and pizza and salad (vegetarian since 6 years old).
Artfish on the Mile
La Cofradia
Por Fin
Two Sisters
Cacao
Caramelo
Le Provençal
Ortanique on the Mile
Caffe Abbracci
Thanks in advance,
Steve and Julia R
Gaithersburg MD
stever500
Jun 16, 2008 08:04PM
Several Gables places are doing previews for Miami Spice June 16-30 with 3-course dinner menus for $36. Here's a list of the participants ->
http://www.ilovemiamispice.com/partic...
Of the places you've listed, I like Ortanique for Nuevo Caribbean (though may be tough to find something adequately plain for your daughter), Por Fin for Spanish-influenced Mediterranean (several tapas choices, salads, risotto/pastas to appease a vegetarian), Le Provencal for good simple French bistro type food. La Cofradia is interesting for upscale Peruvian but I never really hanker for it (lots of seafood but not a ton of vegetarian choices), would say the same about Cacao (upscale Nuevo Latino). Of these, only Le Provencal is likely to stay within your budget at dinner absent a Miami Spice deal.
For Italian, I vastly prefer Bugatti or Anacapri (in that order) to Caffe Abbracci, and either would likely be within budget.
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My post above neglected the "hot spot" factor. Places that best fit that description would probably be Ortanique and Por Fin. Le Provencal is more quaint and quiet, La Cofradia has a very nice spice but has not been busy whenever I've been there (has only been for lunch not dinner). Cacao is also a nice space and is usually pretty bustling in the evening. Bugatti and Anacapri are both OK spaces but not exactly "see and be seen" places - Abbracci is the latter but I'm not impressed by the food.
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Thanks so much for this. We were going for good food AND the "see and be seen" factor like you said, so if we can get a reservation at Ortanique or Por Fin, I think that might be best.
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Cofradia is excellent though a little more low key on the See and Be Seen vibe. Anacapri is very good, but also not flashy. Bugatti features fresh pastas and clean simple (delicious) sauces in contrast to Anacapri's more straightforward cravingworthy food. Abbracci is a classic hotspot as is Ortanique and Por Fin's novelty still has that see and be seen vibe going for it, though Houston's would probably be the king of that element. Going with the vibe, I would probably also add Randazzo's for an almost over-the-top homestyle New York Italian large portion food. Randazzo is a former boxer and he has pictures of his boxing days, as well as photos with celebrities throughout the restaurant. You can also count on a mafia-esque movie playing silently at all times. There's plenty of other restaurants in the area as well and those you chose are all excellent options.
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Randazzo looks good. Huge pasta dishes (our daughter will be happy with this), and decent tasting. Is it about Maggiano's quality? I know many people rag on Maggiano's but we actually like it alot.
Thanks,
Steve
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Isn't Randazzo's supposed to be moving into a bigger space soon?
It's a great choice, IMO. The Sunday Gravy there is one of my favorite Italian dishes in the area. Cool vibe, huge portions. It's a small place, but shouldn't be crowded since you're going on a weekday.
As for Maggiano's, even though both eateries have the "Little Italy" slapped at the end, Randazzo's quality is a bit better. The portions are huge, but not family-style huge like Maggiano's. Since you like Maggiano's, I'd venture to say that you will really like Randozzo's. Your vegetarian daughter will cringe at the size of the meatball and sausages in the Sunday Gravy, but there are plenty of simple pasta dishes available.
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Randazzo's is a great option and it's still in the same spot. I'm not sure when they will be moving.
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I think we'll try Randazzo's then. This board is great! Can't wait to check it out. I appreciate this info.
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I'd say Caffe Abbracci or Anacapri. I love La Cofradia but I'm not sure if it would be more than 35 or that your daughter would be happy there. Anacapri is delicious and it will be under 35 certainly.
Don't bother with Le Provencal or Two Sisters.
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Just an FYI, Artfish is now closed in case you were keeping it as a backup.
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temporarily or permanent closure?
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looks like it may be permanent. 99% likely.
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Thanks again everyone. We ended up at Randazzo's and no one from my family that lives in Miami had ever even heard of it! It was fantastic. Weird service, but the food shined. I had the ravioli and it was excellent. My sister split, yes, split the spagetti with meat sauce with my cousin. They let us split without a charge as we still ordered alot of food. The salad was pretty decent as well. My brother in law ordered a chicken dish which he ate every bite of. My stepdaughter had the fettucini in a rose sauce that was out of this world.
Everyone was happy and my sister went home with lots of leftovers. My little niece wasn't forced to order anything even though she's 10 and ate off our plates.
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I'm glad you enjoyed Randazzo's. It's a bit of a unique spot in Miami, being beachishly overblown in the decor and ambiance, but not ruining the vibe with all sorts of "here to be cool" people that typically infects such places. Most importantly, their food is consistent. I usually go on weekdays and have a great time as well. Hopefully you enjoyed the rest of the trip as well. Cheers
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