Basilic Vietnamese Grill, North Miami Beach

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.