If you keep up regularly with our blog, you know all about the new series we’ve kicked off to help our community get to know the people behind the product here at BrightGauge. Through lists of our favorite things, we’re letting each team member tell us as much or as little about the topic at hand for each post. So far we’ve talked about our favorite movies and our hometowns, so now let’s dive into our favorite places to wine and dine:
David: My favourite place to get food from is actually a take-out Chinese restaurant called Hong Kong Chinese. It's deep in the Kendall suburb of Miami and as much as I live near Downtown I haven't found Chinese food that's anywhere near as good or for as low a price.
Kristian: As cliché as this sounds, my favorite place to eat is in my very own home. Growing up in a hispanic household with your grandmother and a father who used to be a chef, kind of spoils you. Yes there are a countless number of awesome restaurants here in South Florida (which I love to indulge in, don’t get me wrong), but none of the food compares to a good ol' home cooked meal.
Adam: All of South Florida? Wow. That is a large area. One of the great things about South Florida is the wide variety of Latin American and Caribbean food. Great Haitian food in Little Haiti, the ceviche at Peruvian restaurants, the cafecitos everywhere, and new food trucks coming up every weekend all contribute to an endless tasting course. I'm not sure I can definitively say there is one place that is my favorite. Perhaps because pho is hard to find down here I do enjoy a little place called Pho Thang near Palmetto Bay in Miami. It's not fancy and the service isn't amazing, but the pho is very delicious and the prices aren't crazy.
Stephen: My favorite place to eat in South florida has to be Shibui - best sushi in Miami for the price.
Orlando: Versailles. Great cuban food. Reasonable prices. Real "Miami" experience.
a team celebration at Versailles
Francisco: Hillstone's in Coral Gables. I have yet to go to a place where everything I have ever tried on their menu is as delicious as the next item. Never exited the restaurant with a bad experience and always with a happy mood and full stomach.
Larry: Burger Bob's. One of the last greasy spoons left in Miami.
Rick: Uh, POC Buffet & Sushi... Obviously. Fantastic Sushi, all you can eat, right below the BrightGauge headquarters?! Oh, and a premium Zagat rating. Haters need to learn to appreciate. (Eating House, definitely Eating House).
Editor’s note: The story behind Rick’s response is that we all give him a hard time about the “all-you-can-eat” sushi buffet that sits in the lobby level of our office building. While the Yelp reviews do give the restaurant 4 stars, most of us have tried the restaurant and the easiest way to explain it would be the old line about “you get what you pay for”. Rick has been known to fly solo at POC because he can’t seem to convince anyone else on our team to join him there.
Eric: Christy's in Coral Gables. My father, brother and I have a monthly "Dosal Boys Lunch" on Fridays where we get to catch up so it has a special meaning to me.
Steve: Well whenever I pick lunch for a work event it's always Swine. The brisket and pork are amazing and I love the pickled onions. A close second is Mellow Mushroom in South Miami. That's my wife and I's new date spot. Great variety of funky pizza and good beer selection.
lunch at Swine... the lights say "Run Pig Run"
Amanda: Wow, it’s hard to pick just one! Coming from a small town with mostly chain restaurants, the variety that we have in South Florida is so awesome and trying out new restaurants is one of my favorite hobbies. I’ll have to name a few of them: For pizza, there’s a tiny place in Fort Lauderdale called Luigi’s Coal Oven Pizza - the owner is originally from Naples (Italy, not the gulf coast of Florida) and he does true works of delicious art. In Coral Gables, there’s a fantastic Caribbean restaurant called Ortanique that I always enjoy. I could go on for ages, but the list is getting long so I’ll cap it off with DaDa in Delray Beach - the restaurant is a historic home and property that also focuses on a rotating artwork collection. Pretty cool vibe and always tasty food, but it’s their drink menu that I really love. Their signature item is the mojito, and they have an entire menu of different flavors made with fresh fruit puree and Hawaiian sugar cane sticks. Delicious!
Ryan: Living next to the ocean for the first time in my life, I am taking advantage of the great seafood. I love eating at Divino Ceviche in Miami because of their namesake dish... the ceviche! I also enjoy The Local and Swine in Coral Gables because they serve modern/southern fare that reminds me of Tennessee.
Brian: Hillstone. Coral Gables. Amazing food, awesome service, great location, and they serve the best wine experience by the glass. Always fresh, perfect temp, and affordable.
Randall: Shiver's Barbecue. Homestead. I love me some good ribs.
Have you been to the South Florida area? If so, tell us about your favorite restaurants so we can check them out!
