Anthony Bourdain prefers San Loco for the burritos. Mario Batali enjoys Las Vacas Gordas. And Paula Deen is a fan of Joe's Stone Crab.
But it was Table 8 that was repeatedly among the top chefs' top choices when we informally polled them during the four days of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival.
'' Govind[Armstrong] brings such a chefy pedigree to the city and he's such a cool guy that everyone in the food world knows him and loves him,'' said TedAllen, from Top Chef.
So we had to ask Table 8's executive chef -- what are you feeding them?''I am feeding them a lot of MSG. Just kidding. I really do love the salt, but I am just kidding,'' Armstrong said as he passed out samples from Table 8 at Friday night's BubbleQ at The Delano. ``I think my food is just something that everybody can understand and appreciate. I am not trying to reinvent anything.''
Armstrong was appreciative that his colleagues recognized his work.
''It feels great, of course, but it's not just me,'' he said. ``I have a phenomenal crew that does a great job when I am here and when I am not. A lot of love goes into Table 8.''
Here's a quick sample of some of the chefs' favorites.
• Tyler Florence -- ``I really like Table 8, and Joe's Stone Crab and Prime 112. . . . Casa Tua is one of the sexiest restaurants in the country. It's fantastic.''
• Bobby Flay -- ``I think Prime 112 does a fantastic job. I know it's a hot scene and everything, but the food is always fantastic. And you gotta go to Joe's Stone Crab. I hold an annual lunch there . . . I take like 20-something people. It might be a cliché to people who live here, but when I am down here, to me there is nothing better.''
• Jamie Oliver -- ''He is an incredible talent,'' Oliver (aka The Naked Chef) said of Michael Schwartz and Michael's Genuine Food & Drink in the Design District. ``I have to say, of all the places I've been to in America in the last 10 years, it's in my Top 5.''
• Giada De Laurentiis -- ``Casa Tua. It's not only the food that is excellent, but the ambience, the whole feeling in that place is like going home. I think that's what I love about it so much. It's kind of tucked away, not on the main strip, romantic, kind of like a hidden treasure. For me, those are always the most fun.''
-- COMPILED BY FRED GONZALEZ, HOWARD COHEN, LYDIA MARTIN and AURORA RODRIGUEZ
