Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tap Tap
HAITIAN
305-672-2898;
www.taptaprestaurant.com
; 819 5th St; mains $9-20;
noon-11:30pm)
In Haiti, tap-taps are brightly colored pickup trucks turned public taxis, and their tropi-
psychedelic paint schemes inspire the decor at this excellent Haitian eatery. This is no
Manhattan-style South Beach lounge - here you dine under bright murals of Papa Legba,
guardian of the dead, emerging from a Port-au-Prince cemetery. Meals are a happy mar-
riage of West African, French and Caribbean: spicy pumpkin soup, snapper in a scotch-
bonnet lime sauce, curried goat and charcoal-grilled Turks and Caicos conch. Make sure
you try the
mayi moulen
, a signature side of cornmeal smothered in a rich bean sauce -
bloody delicious! If you need some liquid courage, shoot some Barbancourt rum, available
in several grades (all strong).
Cafe Mistral
FRENCH
305-763-8184; 110 Washington Ave; mains $11-18;
9am-11pm Tue-Sat;
)
Mistral's simple French fare makes this cafe a favorite breakfast and lunch spot in SoFi.
You're on Miami Beach but removed from its worst excesses, and treated instead to tasty
croque monsieurs, garden salads, the 'Fruban' (which of course blends a Cuban sandwich
and a baguette) and killer coffee.
Big Pink
DINER
305-532-4700; 157 Collins Ave; mains $11-26;
8am-midnight Sun-Wed,
to 2am Thu, to 5am Fri & Sat)
Big Pink does American comfort food with joie de vivre and a dash of whimsy. The Amer-
icana menu is consistently good throughout the day; pulled Carolina pork holds the table
next to a nicely done reuben. The interior is somewhere between a '50s sock hop and a
South Beach club; expect to be seated at a long communal table.
Prime 112
STEAK
noon-3pm Mon-Fri, 5:30pm-midnight Sun-Thu, to 1am Sat & Sun)
