Bourbon Steak
Address: 19999 W. Country Club Drive, Aventura
The Buzz: Restauranteur and chef Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak inside the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa is certainly a crowd-pleaser. Elegant and bountiful, the holiday prix fixe menu has a choice of appetizers, including Mina’s signature hand-cut prime steak tartare served with grilled ciabatta bread. For an entrée, there’s nothing like the filet mignon, decadent and juicy, served encrusted with blue cheese. Feeling more like something closer to comfort food? The Amish roasted half-chicken fits the bill. Entrees come with a trio of side dishes, including the must-have truffle mac and cheese, another signature dish. The in-house-made desserts include an apple tart tartin, citrus panna cotta, or the festive Bûche de Noël, the French name for Yule Log Cake, a classic —sponge cake rolled around a lightly sweetened filling of cream and mascarpone.
Contact: 786.279.6600; bourbonsteakmia.com
Gold Marquess at Baoshi Food Hall
Address: 8525 Pines Boulevard, Pembroke Pines
The Buzz: Filbert Ip has transformed the Gold Marquess Cantonese restaurant, which his parents gave up after retiring, into an Asian street food hall. But the beloved Gold Marquess, which opened in 2015 and then shuttered since Chinese New Year 2022, hasn’t gone away; it’s just one of the choices inside Baoshi. Other options under one roof include Temple Street Eatery with Latin-Asian fusion, Gangnam Chikn, and Poke OG. Baoshi is a fun alternative for a holiday meal and Gold Marquess will resurrect the dim sum that made the restaurant so popular. The ideal selection for Christmas is Ip’s Peking roasted duck creation served with housemade bao buns perfect for duck stuffing.
Contact: 305.768.9826; baoshifoodhall.com
Shooter’s Waterfront
Address: 3033 NE 32nd Ave., Fort Lauderdale
The Buzz: The Intracoastal restaurant sees Santa docking every Saturday in December for the popular weekend brunch. Bottomless mimosas for Mom and Dad, the buffet filled to the brim with the best breakfast items and pictures with Old Saint Nick. Shooter’s also has a New Year’s Eve celebration lined up with LED Robots and fireworks, samba dancers, and a four-course dinner specially curated to ring in the New Year: a ham hock croquette as one of the appetizer selections, Cornish hen, grouper, or filet mignon with lobster mashed potatoes for the entrée, and mango cheesecake and more for dessert.
Contact: 954.566.2855; shooterswaterfront.com
Thai Spice
Address: 1514 E. Commercial Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
The Buzz: Guests coming to town for the holidays? Chef-owner Michael Tatton’s restaurant is a South Florida destination and a crowd-pleaser. And if you have someone in the group who’s not keen on Asian cuisine, this is precisely the place that can accommodate anyone’s tastes. The menu goes on for miles. There are steaks, chops, and seafood, including a Maine lobster tail trio available daily, or a 3-pound Maine lobster stuffed with lump blue crabmeat, topped with shrimp and scallops. For Thai food lovers, Pad Thai, with a choice of shrimp, lobster, beef, chicken, or pork, is the fan favorite. The weekday happy hour can’t be beat with half-price appetizers and two-for-one cocktails. Open for lunch and dinner on New Year’s Eve, its NYE dinner reservation list fills up fast.
Contact: 954.771.4535; thaispicefla.com
Serafina Restaurant
Address: 926 NE 20th Ave., Fort Lauderdale
The Buzz: Nestled in Victoria Park with a cozy ambiance and views of the Middle River, plan a romantic, candlelit New Year’s Eve dinner for two seated on Serafina Trattoria’s patio. The special menu for the evening features the best of the best from the restaurant’s rich Northern Italian-inspired heritage. Polpette di Carne, meatballs like mama used to make, hearty helpings of pasta with homemade sauces, meats a la marsala, Francese, or piccata, soups, salads and sides. The wine list is filled with reds and whites from Italy, and of course, prosecco (the Italian version of Champagne) for a bubbly midnight toast.
Contact: 954.463.2566; serabythewater.com
