Just what Miami needs: another burger place. But why not? You can never have too much of a tasty thing, even if you’d get in trouble with Mom for saying its name. Damn Good Burger (DGB for short and sweet) is the latest entry into the ground beef fray and, like most places, is trying to keep ahead of the competition.

Morgans on the Beach doesn’t have the charming porch of the original Morgans in Miami’s Midtown neighborhood. Nor does it have the consistent comfort of Joe Allen, which occupied the same squat space for 13 years as an iconic respite from South Beach glam.

Sipping a daiquiri by the ocean with a view of gently lapping waves and swaying palm trees — it’s pretty nice to be a tourist in Fort Lauderdale.

<span class="bold">The goods:</span> Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar is a seductive, noir-ish taco joint in the old Nemo space operated by CB5 Restaurant Group (sister restaurants are in Massachusetts and Connecticut).

Edge, Steak & Bar at the ever-elegant Four Seasons has done everything it can to dispel that fancy-hotel vibe of stuffy inaccessibility and make itself welcoming, especially to locals.

For years, it mystified me that a restaurant that boasted such appealing views served such appalling food as the Rusty Pelican. The contradiction kicked in with management, and the place is now reborn with new décor, hip ambient music, a bar serving the requisite trademark cocktails, a kicking wine list and a hot new chef. If once The Rusty Pelican was the place where one took guests who would value the wow factor and ignore everything else, today’s restaurant is much improved but a work in progress.

There is much to love about Peruvian cuisine, from its bracing ceviches to its bountiful potato dishes, but it is the exquisite sauces made with the uniquely flavored ají chile that most captivate me.

<em>This post was produced by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/OpenMediaMiami">Open Media Miami</a> a community news partner of the Miami Herald. </em> <br /> --

Gastro-pubbed and tapas-plated out, we were eager to start the new year at Kopas, a Peruvian-Japanese restaurant on Eighth Street, especially since vaunted Spanish chef Ferran Adria and other world-trotting foodies call this South American country’s cuisine The Next Big Thing.

Despite the name, there are no herring sandwiches at The Dutch, the sexy new addition to the W Hotel on South Beach. Instead, the food is described as “roots-inspired American” with influences “from the Caribbean to Morocco, the Gulf Coast to the West Coast and Cuba to Italy.”

<span class="bold">The goods:</span> A clandestine supper club serving upscale American standards in South Beach’s revamped Shelborne Hotel.

The new little Chinese bistro, Wok Masters in South Miami, is taking over the world. Well, not exactly. But they are planning an aggressive expansion beginning with a Brickell location later this year.

Rossopomodoro, a major Italian fast-casual chain, wants a bigger slice of the U.S. culinary market. The branch that brother-and-sister franchisers Andrea and Francesca Neri opened two months ago in downtown Fort Lauderdale is the third on this side of the Atlantic and the second in Florida.

It’s a good sign for the economic recovery to see restaurants opening at a faster rate. Here are three places in South Broward that opened in the last several months.

Sitting in the hip, new Tap 42 Bar and Kitchen, listening to Weezer and sipping a Kona Longboard, it’s hard to believe we’re on the site of Brownie’s, Broward’s oldest bar. Built in 1935, it drew top black entertainers like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington before they became legends. Later, its devoted clientele sipped 50-cent drafts and threw peanuts on the floor.

A mini ice rink and fake snow brought a taste of winter to Las Olas this year, but at Tundra, the chill factor is real. The restaurant uses 10,000 pounds of ice a week for the gleaming sculptures and other arctic accents crafted by ice sculptor David Berman, a former Broward Convention Center executive chef, and Tundra co-owner with Alex Podolny, a native of Ukraine.

The new Gianna’s Pizzarant in Plantation is the type of family-run Italian restaurant we’d all welcome in our neighborhood. It’s run by the brother-sister team of Francesca Hixson and Giuseppe Ribaudo, who grew up in the business. Their father, Bartolo Ribaudo, owns nearby Pizza Center, long a popular destination in West Broward.

For years, Café Sharaku was one of Broward’s best-kept secrets. In fact, the first time we visited the 18-seat restaurant in 2007, we were afraid it might not survive. But chef-owner Iwao “Jin” Kaita has slowly built a devoted clientele that appreciates his artistic Asian fusion cuisine. These days, it’s a good idea to have a reservation on weekends.

It’s the time of year to dine along the water and enjoy the beauty of South Florida that tourists pay big bucks to experience. Here are two long-time outdoor dining favorites and one newcomer, all with a low-key vibe.

The ponies are racing again at Gulfstream Park, and there’s a new place to spend your winnings (or forget your losses). Bet on 6-week-old Blu Sushi as a hip, hot destination offering a crowd-pleasing menu of elaborate rolls, sushi and sashimi combos and standards like dumplings, salmon teriyaki and Chilean sea bass.

We could dine at Pine Court Chinese Bistro in Sunrise every night of the year and still not sample all the dishes available. The basic menu alone features more than 200 items, plus there’s the more authentic Chinese menu and dim sum carts loaded with goodies that make the rounds daily.

At this busy time of year, we often find ourselves heading home late without a plan for dinner. In our neighborhood, one good source for late-night grub is our local pub.

The Fort Lauderdale beach dining scene just got a little hotter thanks to chef Steve Zobel, whose East End Brasserie at The Atlantic Resort & Spa joins 3030 Ocean and Steak 954 as worthy draws for locals as well as tourists.

Cupid’s holiday has always been a day of wine and roses. I can’t help you with the flowers, but some wines are better suited to Valentine’s Day than others.

Marc De Kuyper, 11th generation of the Dutch family that produces a rainbow of popular hard-partying liqueurs, didn’t exactly have a free ride into the business. He had to get the right degrees and succeed at several other jobs first. Finally, with an impressive resume in hand, he had to go through a series of formal interviews, business exams and psychological and IQ testing at De Kuyper Royal Distillers, which was founded in 1695 and has always been run by the family.

Wow. The street price for a ticket to Super Bowl XLV is reportedly $2,000 and up. Way up. And an RV parking space for tailgating at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where the average February high is 40 degrees, is $900.

Ask any good cook: When you make a complex dish such as curry chicken, you’re blending a dozen or more flavors — cardamom, turmeric, cumin, chilies, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, coriander, mustard, garlic, fennel, black pepper and others. Oh, and chicken.

Snow and cold weather blanket the Midwest and Northeast, and Miami is having its version of a cold snap, with daily highs barely in the mid-70s. It’s time for comfort foods – beef stews, macaroni and cheese, tuna casserole, chili.

It used to be that when winemakers blended two or more grapes into a wine, it was so the strengths of one could make up for the weaknesses of the others. France’s Bordeaux red had cabernet sauvignon for flavor and structure, malbec for its inky color, merlot for sweet and fleshy fruit.

It’s not easy being Alessio Planeta, traveling the world to sell the wines of his native Sicily.

It’s been a fabulous year for wine. Fans of the grape, whether Tea Party types or Occupy Wall Streeters, revolted and demanded cheaper wines. Sellers cut $90 wines to $50.

Beer for the holidays? Why not? It’s certainly in the right spirit. Kindly old Ben Franklin once said: “Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”

Wines and beers with South Florida ties make gifts in good taste

As New Year’s Eve approaches, the question arises: Where do the bubbles in bubbly come from?

Peacock Garden Café in Coconut Grove prepares a Fresh Basil Lemonade with basil from its on-site garden. It’s the perfect warm-weather drink, with or without alcohol.

Atelier Monnier French Bakery is a one-stop Pinecrest shop for Valentine sweets, chocolates and wines. The sleek space has glass cases filled with patisserie plus sandwiches on fresh-baked breads or croissants and quiche by the slice.

Alma Mexicana (Soul of Mexico) is hidden in plain view on Washington Avenue, its sign obscured by palm fronds. But those in the know are keeping this fast-casual spot busy serving home-style fare beneath the gaze of a Frida Kahlo-like beauty whose photos adorn the walls.

Get thin-crust New York-style pizza with gourmet toppings at I Love Pizza with two hip locations on Miami Beach. The pies, named after places in New York City, are one size only (16 inches) but can be ordered by the slice. There’s the Queens (no tomato sauce, mozzarella and ricotta), Little Italy (with Genoa salami, peppers and onions) and the Bronx (marinara sauce, garlic and oregano with no cheese).

Cupcakes capped with swirls of French buttercream lightened with egg whites sit beneath glass domes on a counter that also displays house-made granola, cookies and crackers at Bryan in the Kitchen, a bakery-cafe with a gourmet touch in downtown Miami.

Limon y Sabor Peruvian Seafood is a no-frills fonda (neighborhood eating joint) filled with Peruvian families. The name means “lemon and flavor,” although in Spanish limon can also mean lime, and both citrus are used here. Most of the tables are in front, but there is a communal table in back near a small lounge with a wall-size poster of Machu Pichu.

Gaysha New World Sushi Bar is open for dinner only in gay-friendly Wilton Manors, serving dishes made with seafood and organic produce selected by chef-owner Takeshi Kamioka.

Road construction has finally ended on the stretch of Northeast Second Avenue that runs past the Little Haiti Community Garden. Tucked behind a fence at the northwest corner of 58th Street, the 1/3-acre plot is planted with produce to support the local food network and encourage healthy eating in the neighborhood.

Celebrate the Christmas season Portuguese-style

Grill House is the newest kosher eatery on Miami Beach’s 41st Street. Owner Shimi Alon, a master chef who trained in Israel and France, runs the spot with his cousin Edith Shalom. Both are Israelis who now call South Florida home.

Express Bakery Café is a hangout for South Florida Venezuelans in a small strip mall behind a BP gas station in Miami Lakes. It has authentic dishes served fast.

Angelina’s Coffee & Yogurt is named for owner Donald Vernon’s 6-year-old daughter. The single dad juggles running the café and taking Angelina to school, and has friends who babysit when he works on weekends.

Just what Miami needs: another burger place. But why not? You can never have too much of a tasty thing, even if you’d get in trouble with Mom for saying its name. Damn Good Burger (DGB for short and sweet) is the latest entry into the ground beef fray and, like most places, is trying to keep ahead of the competition.

Whether you’re dining in, eating out or taking out, we’ve got you covered for Valentine’s Day

<span class="bold">The goods:</span> Expect over-the-top parties and high-rolling meals at the Delano’s new restaurant, Bianca, managed by Las Vegas’ Light Group.

I am afraid that Havana 1957 is best known for its overpriced mojitos and sunburned tourists. If you want to stay on South Beach, you can go classic grunge with the iconic <span class="bold">Puerto Sagua</span> (700 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-673-1115) or, a few blocks away, the recently renovated <span class="bold">David’s Cafe</span> (1058 Collins Ave.; 305-534-8736, www.davidscafe.com), which also has a location just off Lincoln Road. Either would work for affordable, authentic and delicious Cuban basics. My favorite dish is rope vieja (“old clothes”), a great shredded beef stew. Both have beer and wine and menus in English.

Give your game-day buffet a Mexican accent with recipes from the Cantina Beach chef

The first Shula Burger opens in the Keys, making the legendary Miami Dolphins coach’s empire even meatier

<span class="bold">The goods:</span> The revamped Surfcomber Hotel channels Southeast Asia with Lantao Kitchen + Cocktails, a stylish noodles and ribs joint named for an island in Hong Kong.

<span class="bold">Jean-Georges Vongerichten </span>has arrived in the Magic City. The acclaimed French chef delivers a “comfortable yet elegant hideaway” to the sparkling new <span class="bold">St. Regis Bal Harbour</span>, 9703 Collins Ave. <span class="bold">J&G Grill </span>promises a “curated selection” of Vongerichten’s greatest appetizers, sides and accompaniments paired with high-quality meats and seafood. Sweeping floor-to-ceiling windows and a muted zen vibe pair with a menu blending American, French and Asian influences. Look for cucumber martinis, Florida hearts of palm salad, Peekytoe crab cake, black truffle pizzas, roasted grouper, grilled veal chop, black truffle cheese fritters and kumquat mojitos. This is Jean-Georges’ second J&G Grill, following a 2009 opening in Park City, Utah.

Leave it to a country suffering from massive debt to give us a restaurant that understands our household austerity budgets.

Cupcakes capped with swirls of French buttercream lightened with egg whites sit beneath glass domes on a counter that also displays house-made granola, cookies and crackers at Bryan in the Kitchen, a bakery-cafe with a gourmet touch in downtown Miami.

The Miami Chapter of <span class="bold">Les Dames d’Escoffier</span> presents Tea in the Garden from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Pinecrest Gardens,11100 Red Rd., Pinecrest. Tea authorities <span class="bold">Bruce and Shelly Richardson</span> will pair teas with food prepared by Les Dames members. Tickets are $75 with proceeds benefitting Casa Valentina for young women transitioning from foster care to independent living; brownpapertickets.com, event 219937.

Miami Dade College’s <span class="bold">Miami Culinary Institute</span> is launching a new series of enthusiast classes this month including cake baking and decorating, wine tasting, beer brewing, and three food-and-fitness classes with sports nutritionist <span class="bold">Lisa Dorfman</span>; <a href ="http://www.mdc.edu/culinarium" target="_blank">www.mdc.edu/culinarium</a>, 305-237-3276.

Ask Victoria Pesce Elliott about dining out

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