If you’re looking to get away from beer-centric establishments for a nice meal, two of Montelius’s favorites are Michy’s (michysmiami.com; 6927 Biscayne Blvd.) in Miami’s Upper East Side and Michael’s Genuine (michaelsgenuine.com; 130 Northeast 40th St.) in the Design District. Each bistro serves locally sourced, seasonal cuisine and, don’t be surprised, each carries a “pretty decent bottle list.”
Michael's Genuine in Miami's Design District
When it comes time to call it a night, if you want to partake of South Beach’s glitz and glamour, there are the Fontainebleau (fontainebleau.com; 4441 Collins Ave.) and Delano (delano-hotel.com; 1685 Collins Ave.) hotel and spas. For something less pricey (starting at $159 it’s not insanely less, this is still a world playground), there’s The New Hotel (thenewhotelmiami.com; 7337 Harding Ave.). Not only is it centrally—and coastally—located, it’s home to the poolside Lou’s Beer Garden (lousbeergarden.com) with a dozen craft beers on tap. As Montelius puts it, “Why trek though all that sand when you can lounge by a pool and eat and drink this well? Try one of their homemade pizzas with a Summit Horizon Red Ale and you can’t go wrong.”
In the morning, though Miami isn’t really a breakfast town, Montelius recalls the Stone Brewing Brunch he did at Smoke’t (smoketbbq.com; 1450 S. Dixie Highway, Coral Gables) as part of American Craft Beer Week. Though they specialize in BBQ and other Southern delights, the hearty breakfast menu includes almond-berry Challah French toast and a Cornbread Benedict so as to get your fill of jalapeno cornbread topped with bacon and hollandaise. Two added perks of Smoke’t is that Coral Gables is down the highway from Miami Beach on your way to Biscayne National Park, and it takes almost an hour to get to the entrance.
