Restaurants in Miramar

When shaping the menu of Rodeo Restaurant and Bar, owners Trent Baker and Chris Robbins pulled inspiration from snapshots of their lives as Southern-raised children. The Cajun, Southwestern, Tex-Mex, and barbecue recipes inspire feelings ranging from sipping fresh lemonade on a sun-bleached cedar porch to watching young boys pelt each other with fallen pecans from the tree in the backyard. Each dish is assembled with authentic ingredients including roasted corn, thick molasses, ripe chilies, cumin-scented black beans, and pickled Stetsons. In addition to lunch and dinner specialties, Rodeo Restaurant and Bar features a list of specialty cocktails and martinis, as well as beers and wines from Southern vineyards and microbreweries.

Diners at Basilic Vietnamese Grill can accessorize the chicken, rare steak, or brisket in bowls of steaming pho with a personalized combination of green onions, cilantro, basil, lime, and bean sprouts. This interactive dining experience "results in some fine, empowered eating," according to New Times Broward-Palm Beach in 2009. However, chefs flex their own culinary muscles when forging the assorted curries, wok-fried noodle dishes, and Vietnamese staples that fill the rest of their flavorful menu, which earned a rating of "very good to excellent" from Zagat.

Though a screen of bamboo poles give a definite nod to its Vietnamese roots, the rest of Basilic's dining room embraces a more modern ambiance. Simple white tables fill the floor, and the neutral-toned walls host only a handful of framed pictures and runaway shadows trying their best to look inconspicuous.

Rochelle Koff of The Miami Herald wrote that Trata Greek Taverna "isn't the typical belly-dancing, confetti-tossing, plate-breaking Mediterranean restaurant. Its spell is more subtle, cast by a charming staff led by co-owner Dimitrios 'Jimmy the Greek' Tsiakanikas, who warmly greets patrons with a 'welcome home.'" His hearty salutations drift from a building the color of fresh artichoke leaves out onto a covered patio with flower boxes and twinkling string lights.

In the dining room, lights like glowing tulips hang over the fully stocked bar, casting a buttery glow on flame-kissed kabobs, gyros, spanakopita, and lamb chops soaked in olive oil and fresh herbs for 24 hours. Lilac napkins cover diners' laps as servers arrive with flaming cheese saganaki, the crackling flame punctuated by shouts of “opa.” Photographs of ocean-side Greek villages and stone statues on the wall give one the feeling of having landed in the sun-soaked country without constantly getting hit in the head by college kids throwing discuses.

Ever since 1981, owners Joe and Helen Mineo have been serving generous portions of wings and seafood, integrating New York–style pizza seamlessly into their menu years after. Mineo’s tempts taste buds with dishes that range from lightly battered wings and spaghetti with chili to fried scallops and catfish sandwiches. It also dazzles palates with a raw bar, which features clams and oysters that appear raw, steamed, Rockefeller, or casino. No matter what they order, diners marvel at Mineo’s atmosphere of warmth and familiarity, fostered by the three generations of employees on staff and their leader, Debbie Carvalho, who’s been managing the restaurant since the day it opened.

Oakland Park Subs lines rye bread, wraps, or white and wheat rolls with more than 25 classic sandwich combinations ranging from traditional corned beef to kraut-laden hot-dog subs. All-day breakfast options cover plates with cinnamon french toast, three-egg omelets, and stuffed breakfast sandwiches. With free delivery, patrons can enjoy a piping-hot sub handed off by a loyal delivery person or launched at high speed from Oakland’s delivery catapult.

Anthony DeMaio and Domenick Falcione's culinary venture, Mojo, reflects the partners' shared ideology of providing a feast for all the senses. When Falcione isn't busy festooning the dining room's walls with his abstract mixed-media artwork, he dons an executive-chef hat and concocts the restaurant's menu of inventive international cuisine. In an interview with the Sun Sentinel, he describes his approach to art and cooking: "I believe food is a feast for your senses, eyes, nose, taste buds and your soul. For plate presentation, I use the colors and positioning of the food, which is similar to when I paint on the canvas."

Falcione creates these aesthetically pleasing dishes with organic grains and vegetables, Lock Duart salmon, free-range chicken, and local, seasonal ingredients. His entrees blend French, Italian, and Asian flavors and preparations, and his housemade desserts include the popular flourless chocolate-espresso torte.

His passion for beauty is also apparent when examining Mojo's sleek, ultramodern décor. Once guests enter the restaurant's stainless-steel doors, they're surrounded by crisp, white tables and chairs, striped teal banquettes, white orchids, and chandeliers adorned with rows of peacock feathers.