Pride & Joy (Wynwood)

Located off of N Miami Ave and 28th Street, Pride & Joy is an upscale barbecue restaurant that serves a wide range of barbecue dishes.  It is a "honky-tonk", which is a Southern style bar/restaurant that plays country music. The restaurant is very cute and decorative, there are picture and posters of famous singers all over the restaurant. The whole inside is rustic wood and the light fixtures are antique. Pride & Joy gives off a very fun and exciting vibe.

I eat at this restaurant often. Typically I go for lunch and order off the lunch special menu. I love the barbecue pulled pork sandwich. Sometimes I order the grilled wings too. All of the sides are amazing. They have Mac n cheese, sweet potato fries, buttered green beans, and delicious beer battered onion rings. My mom likes to order the Southern style salad, which is basically a Cobb salad with grilled chicken.

The workers and manager are very friendly and treat their customers well. Since my mom owns a bakery down the street, they personally know her and even sell her desserts there. I'm not sure if that's the reason why their service is so good, but most of the employees are very nice people. I recommend eating here for lunch. The prices are affordable and you get a good amount of food for your money.

NaiYaRa (Miami Beach)

In close proximity to Lincoln Rd, NaiYaRa is an Asian Fusion restaurant that gives off a Bangkok feel.  I decided to eat here for my birthday this past Friday.  My family, friends, and I all loved it.  The menu was extremely unique and there were some pretty risky plates that I was skeptical to order.  The portions weren't that big so we ordered a few of each plate to feed all twelve of us.

We started off with some sushi roll appetizers.  We ordered a few spicy tuna and a few shrimp tempera rolls both with a twist that was out of the ordinary.  The tastes were spectacular.  My other favorite appetizer were the Sriracha chicken wings.  They were the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.  As for entrees, we ordered Pad Thai, Shrimp plates, Asian Style Steak, and Thai Dumplings.  My mom ordered a bunch of Thai Doughnuts
for the table to sing happy birthday to me.  The doughnuts were drenched in a banana nut sauce that melted in my mouth.  I would go back just for the doughnuts.

I would definitely consider this place a gourmet restaurant.  It is on the pricey side, but the food is very good quality and worth it.  I recommend eating here if you want to eat out in Miami and are willing to spend a little extra to get some great food.

The Big Cheese (South Miami)

The Big Cheese is a local small business located in South Miami. This is an Italian restaurant with a full menu of pizza, pasta, and meat dishes. I have been going to the Big Cheese for awhile, especially as a young child. It is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the area. Not only is the pizza amazing, their chicken Parmesan is also very good.

I would definitely call this place a family restaurant. There are always families with children eating there. They have a very wide range of Italian food so there is always something on the menu that everyone likes. The prices are pretty reasonable too. The Big Cheese sponsors a lot of local sports teams and fundraisers. The owners are very involved in the community.

On Tuesday night, my whole lacrosse team and I went to eat there the night before our game the next day. All 30 of the girls were very satisfied. We had an abundance of garlic rolls and ordered a few pizzas. Some of the girls also orders some pasta dishes, such as chicken Alfredo and baked ziti. Overall, it was a hit. The servers were patient with all of us and our food came out quick. I would reccomend this to anyone who is looking for an Italian restaurant in the nearby area.

Spring Chicken (Coral Gables)

New to the area, Spring Chicken is a Southern eatery specializing in fried chicken.  Although there are other locations in Miami, this location just opened last week in place of Miami's Best Pizza.  Their menu has a large variety of different ways to eat chicken.  They are most known for their fried chicken, however, you can choose the healthier route and order grilled chicken.  The atmosphere was very nice.  The restaurant was modern, clean, and welcoming.  All of the workers were very friendly and the food came out quick.

I went with a group of friends and we all tried to order a few different meals.  I ordered the "Country Club" which is a fried chicken breast on a potato bun with bacon, avocado, lettuce, pickles, and southern sauce on it.  As for sides, I ordered a side of waffle fries and mac-n-cheese.  Both were good, but I was slightly disappointed in the mac-n-cheese; it was not cheesy enough.  One of my friends ordered the Fried Chicken plate which was basically just a few different pieces of fried chicken.  This order came with a side of pickled watermelon, which was very tasty.  My other friend ordered the "Yard Bird" which was another sandwich similar to the one I ordered.  In replacement of the breast, it was a chicken thigh and it was also on a biscuit instead of a potato bun.

Overall, I would recommend trying Spring Chicken.  I was satisfied with the food and the prices were very reasonable.  Its suitable for any occasion or just for a day out to lunch.

El Rey de las Fritas (Bird Rd)

     Located off of Bird Rd, El Rey de las Fritas is a must for anyone in the area. It's located right next to Bird Bowl and is a small little cafe with a to-go window. It is extremely authentic and is famous for their "Frita". By definition, a Frita is a Cuban sandwich made up of a seasoned ground beef and pork patty on Cuban bread topped with shoestring potatoes. It's definitely not the healthiest meal to eat, however, it is very delicious.
     I'm at pretty consecutive customer at El Rey de las Fritas. I've been going every few months for years now. It's one of my brother and my favorite.  It's a perfect place to eat at and pass time when you're waiting for your extremely long wait time to bowl.  The buzzer for Bird Bowl will even buzz if you're inside of the restaurant. They have a few other things on the menu, but I just don't see the point of not ordering a Frita, especially considering the place's name. The vibe when you walk in is very friendly and openning. To order, you have to speak Spanish(or at least try) or you can just point to the pictures on the wall. It's one of those places that prefers cash. However, most of the items on the menu are fairly cheap anyway.
     El Rey de las Fritas has the best Fritas in Miami, hands down. Once you try one you will be hooked! It's worth the drive, especially since you can bowl too.

   

Cheesecake Factory (Kendall)

I know what you're thinking... "Cheesecake Factory?  Really?"  Well, I finally decided to get over my childhood fear of this place.  They have definitely stepped it up a notch from the last time I remember.  My mom and I met up with my friend and her mom when we got there.  Although we arrived around 6, there was still no wait.  The place is huge.  The weather was perfect with clear skies and a slight breeze, so we sat outside.  Our server was very friendly, but slightly slow moving.  I guess it wasn't her fault; the kitchen seemed to be somewhat backed up.            

          We started off with a few appetizers.  My mom and I ordered the Fried Mac-n-cheese Balls and our friends ordered the Avocado Spring Rolls.  Both of the meals were a hit.  The Mac-n-cheese balls were super cheesy and melted in our mouths.  The Vegetable Spring Rolls weren’t as good, but they were still scrumptious.  The warm avocado threw me off.  As for our entrees, we ordered two plates of the Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Romano.  The chicken was cooked to perfection and was super tender.  The Parmesan curst stuck to the chicken perfectly and tasted like a garlic Parmesan outer layer.  It came with two sides: creamy mashed potatoes and bean sprouts.
            
The overall experience was a hit.  I highly recommend eating at Cheesecake Factory for dinner, especially if you are with family.  It has a great atmosphere and is in the nearby area, located in Dadeland Mall.