MIAMI TOP 5

1. Mark's South Beach
Nash Hotel, 1120 Collins Avenue
(305) 604-9050

Sit in the the dark-wood dining room of Mark Militello's newest restaurant and watch toques scurry in the open kitchen. Or, for a more relaxing experience, sit in the quiet garden near tinkling fountains. But don't expect a sedate meal. The menu is playful, with loony appetizers, like baby abalone with cucumber 'noodles' and grilled conch brushed wild rum and vanilla. There are also plenty of meat and poultry main courses - racks of lamb, garlic-stuffed beef tenderloin, and surf-and-turf - a pleasant surprise in fish-crazy South Beach.