Best of Miami 1996

We could salute this small storefront operation, which recently moved from down the street to its current location right next door to PK Oriental (see Best Oriental Grocery), for its catchy name. (Get it? I Kyu?) Or noodlemeister Carlos Chan for his catchy name. (Imagine the advertising potential: Carlos Chan, Noodle Man!) But in all seriousness, any South Floridian with a measurable IQ should hurry to I Kyu to stock up on all manner of fresh Asian noodles and dumplings. From the thickest wormlike Shanghai noodles to the thinnest vermicelli, I Kyu's got it, made up fresh. Plus an amazing array of freshly made and flash-frozen dumplings, dim sum delicacies, and soup stockers stuffed with combinations of pork, shrimp, leeks, scallions, garlic, scallops, and more.

White-coated waiters push steaming steel carts around the dining room, stopping tableside to dish out soups and appetizer-size portions of dumplings, spring rolls, shrimp balls, pork buns, lotus paste buns, stuffed winter melon. Like the line to get in, the variety is seemingly endless. But don't let the resulting array of empty plates distress you. When the time comes to add up, your wallet will be just as pleased as your belly.

BEST BREW
South Pointe Seafood House and Brewing Company
1 Washington Avenue
Miami Beach
673-1708

A year ago no fewer than six investment teams were preparing to flood Dade with fresh beer. Some were planning brewpubs (definition: taverns that brew their own), others microbreweries (definition: breweries that produce fewer than 15,000 31-gallon barrels per year). To date only a few have tapped their kegs of expectation. South Pointe Seafood House launched its brewpub this past June, and a few months later the Miami Brewing Co. in Medley became Dade's first active microbrewery since the early Seventies. On Miami Beach's Sixteenth Street, the Abbey brewpub has developed into a cozy joint with good microbrewed beer, but the stuff is actually made in Key West by a so-called contract brewer. Del Sol Brewing Company has plans to brew its own at its pub on Sixth Street in South Beach but has yet to fire up the vats. For the honor of best brew, we give the nod to South Pointe, which under the direction of brewmaster Jeff Nelson has consistently offered a gulpable education, in the form of an amazing array: nineteen different original beers, including the mainstays Government Cut Light Ale, Cuda Red Ale, Hogsnapper Stout, and Black Beard's Gold.

BEST CAESAR SALAD
Greenwich Village
1001 S. Miami Avenue
372-1716
Miami

Anyone can come up with good romaine. It's the tableside preparation that makes or breaks the caesar -- and the dressing. Greenwich wins on both counts. Fresh garlic, anchovies, and extra-virgin olive oil mashed together with forks into a mousselike paste. Egg yolk and dijon mustard for creaminess, a dash of vinegar for tang, and freshly grated Parmesan for body and pep. The romaine is crisp and chilled, the croutons made from focaccia. Molto delizioso!

Readers' Choice: Christy's

BEST PIZZA
Pucci's
Various locations in Dade
673-8133

Founded by Tommy Pooch, notorious nightclub owner and promoter turned pizza pioneer, this chain has four links: two on South Beach, another downtown, and a new one in Kendall. The demand for Pucci's Brooklyn-style pizza would seem to be greater than the supply. Have your doubts? Check out the late-night crowd at the original spot at Sixth and Washington and see if you don't have to fight for the right to sink your teeth into the stringy, gooey cheese, peppery sauce, and snappy crust. For thick-crust lovers, the pillowy Sicilian pies are a can't-miss proposition. Dieters can get it nonfat. But Pucci's won't cater to everyone. So if you're looking for one of those gourmet ham-and-pineapple concoctions, forget it. At Pucci's, authentic is spelled p-e-p-p-e-r-o-n-i.

Readers' Choice: The Big Tomato

BEST BARBECUE
King Palace Chinese B-B-Q
330 NE 167th Street
North Miami Beach
949-2339

This is not your typical American down-home barbecue joint. You can get barbecued chicken and pork here (on or off the bone). The sauce is lusciously Asian, red as a communist empire. Try a whole duck, or, if you're really feeling adventurous, go for the marinated pig intestine. Combo platters go for a bargain-basement $10.95. Substitute fried rice for mashed potatoes, Chinese broccoli for collard greens, and you've got a balanced barbecue meal.

Readers' Choice: Shorty's Bar-B-Q

BEST CEVICHE
Tino's Place
166 Giralda Avenue
Coral Gables
448-6313

Half Italian, half Peruvian, Tino's takes ceviche de camarones to a new level. Shrimp are steamed, sliced in half, marinated in lime juice, cilantro, and red onion, and then scattered over a bed of butter lettuce and garnished with a ring of red pepper and the traditional choclo (a section of corn on the cob). The result is tangy, cooling, lightly refreshing A and, oddly enough, the ideal precursor to a plate of hand-rolled gnocchi.

BEST FRESH SEAFOOD
Garcia's Seafood Grille and Fish Market
398 NW North River Drive
Miami
375-0765