Morgan's on the Beach

Tourists may flock to Miami to enjoy the sun, but every local knows the summer heat can wear you down. Thankfully, the city's spas offer restorative hydrotherapy services that are even more satisfying when it's scorching outside.At Exhale Miami—Miami New Times's pick for Best Spa in 2012—swimsuit-clad visitors rinse off under a warm-water wash before lying upon heated stones in the coed hammam. There, an aesthetician dissolves dry skin with a double exfoliation that includes an organic aromatherapy scrub. A cool shower rinses skin clean, and an aromatherapy mist seals in the moisture that results from the scrub.On the rooftop of the Delano South Beach Hotel, patrons catch ocean breezes and take in 360-degree views in Agua Spa's open-air lounge area. Guests can laze outside on lounge chairs and enjoy poolside massages and manicures, or they can head indoors to air out their pores with oxygen-infused facials. Uhma's half-hour Vichy showers drizzle water onto overheated limbs, a treatment the spa suggests as a prelude to the acclaimed massage services that were twice featured in Allure. Visitors plan their own water journeys at Lapis, the spa at the landmark resort Fontainebleau, by choosing from a selection of six Lapis Ritual Water Elements and Journeys. The mineral-treated waters of the 75-foot pool energize and soften the skin, and the jets of the Elements rain tunnel massage limbs with alternating showers of warm and cool water.For a more extreme cooling experience, breeze through The Standard Spa, where guests submerge their sweltering skin in a 50-degree soaking tub known as the Arctic Plunge. The spa's hydrotherapy menu is extensive, boasting everything from cold rain showers to relaxing dips in an outdoor infinity pool that features a front-row view of breezy Biscayne Bay.

At street level, it’s easy to forget how beautiful Miami can be. But a handful of Miami restaurants offer great vistas of the city's modern skyline and waterfront while serving up cuisine representative of the Miami’s Cuban, Latin, and American traditions. Named for the expanse of Atlantic, Gulf, and Caribbean waters around Florida where chefs source sustainable fish and shellfish, the EPIC hotel's Area 31 delights guests with both fresh flavors and spectacular views. The restaurant's Terrace Bar, perched on the 16th floor of the hotel, opens up to panoramic views of the Miami skyline, designed to complement the sophisticated cocktails from mixologist Jacques Bezuidenhout. Acclaimed chef E. Michael Reidt displays precision and creativity through a tasting menu and dishes that incorporate cooking techniques from around the world. Nearby, a different hotel holds another of Miami's best views—this time, closer to the ground. Mandarin Oriental's Azul is known for its Mediterranean and Asian fusion cuisine served alongside sprawling views of Biscayne Bay through floor-to-ceiling windows. The indoor views stun in equal measure, with gleaming white marble decorating the open kitchen, raw bar, and the long wine table flanked by heavily stocked wine cabinets. These climate-controlled safes preserve the more than 700 wines hand-picked by sommelier Claudio Giordano from well-known vintners and boutique wineries. From inside an enormous old residence on the southern tip of South Beach wafts the aroma of prime porterhouse steaks that have been dry-aged for four long, tenderizing weeks. At Smith & Wollensky's Miami location, breezes drift across outdoor tables shaded by massive umbrellas while, a mere fork's throw away, ships cruise through the Government Cut channel. The two floors of dining-room seating feature water-view private rooms for parties that range from 20 to 450.

Small plate eating is running rampant in Miami and it’s a trend that I embrace fully.  Tapas has always been a preferred eating style for me - after all, one entree is never enough for The Hungry Goddess.  I want to experience multiple delectable bites and I don’t want it to break the bank. To identify a small plate, I have a loose definition.  It should be under $15 (or in that area), ultimately shareable and it should communicate its gastronomic punch in that one bite.  Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink has a menu full of small plates that just beg to be shared.  Their Steamed Mussels is a completely social small plate.  Everyone can pick a perfectly cooked mussel, spear a generous chunk of house made bacon and a fingerling potato and complete it all with the grilled sourdough bread dipped in the savory juices gathered at the bottom of the bowl. Lest you think that Bacon or some form of pork figures in all of my food excursions, let me tell you about Blue Collar.  Their Veg Chalkboard is priced at $4 per veggie plate and Chef Daniel Serfer is serving up some of the freshest food in Miami.  Be greedy and order the Veggie Plate that gives you 4 of the veg dishes for $14.  Yardbird and Chef Jeff McInnis serve up Southern favorites with a flair!  The best small plate is the Fried Green Tomato BLT - a stack of perfectly fried green tomatoes with pork belly, greens, tomato jam and house made pimento cheese.  The seasonal Butter Bean Risotto with Grilled Hen of the Woods mushrooms is a great dish for several forks and don’t discount the Grilled Endive Salad with generous amounts of Virginia Ham, Blue Cheese and candied pecans.  Yardbird is open for lunch during the week and is just the excuse you need to share some food over a business meeting. The Bazaar by Jose Andres takes traditional Spanish cuisine and makes it new, modern and droolworthy (not that it already wasn’t but...).  The Bazaar menu meets small plate standards and exceeds them (by about 60 shareable plates).  Weeks could be spent reveling in Chef Jose Andres’ creations.  The Cubano Sandwich with Iberico Ham and a mouthwatering foam inside the sandwich which makes it easy to end up with some of it down the front of you but you really won’t care.  Delicate cones and skillets and plates filled with gastronomic wonders abound - this is small plate paradise.  Michy’s by Chef Michelle Bernstein encourages “half” selections on the menu - all the better to eat a varied smorgasbord.  Serrano Ham and Blue Cheese Croquetas as well as Ceviche and White Gazpacho are siren calls of small plate delight.  Warning, you may end up just ordering one entree for the table to share as well!  The Pubbelly Restaurants could be known as the Small Plate Empire - each restaurant has a slew of delectable bites that can be eaten with one or more companions, enabling you to sample more than one (or five if you are greedy like me) dish.  The Pork and Scallion Dumplings at the Gastro Pub ensure everyone in a party of four gets a flavorful bite.  The Barceloneta Pulpo a Feira is a requirement to savor a spoon of potato foam, grilled octopus and the house made chorizo (best I have ever had!).