WD 555 might sound like the name of a Star Wars robot, but it’s actually a welcoming wine shop and bistro off the beaten track on South Beach.

South Beach has a new go-to spot for locals who want fresh food at prices not meant for tourists. Charles St. is so laid back and easy that you nearly forget that it is on one of Collins Avenue’s most upscale blocks. And although it’s situated in a hotel, its storefront entrance doesn’t plunk you down in the middle of a lobby.

Soon after opening Stout Irish Bar & Grill 13 months ago, the owners changed its name Stout Sports Bar & Grill. Owner Ed D'Ottavio and his three partners — all of them Irish — realized that customers were looking for much more than shepherd's pie and corned beef and cabbage.

WD 555 might sound like the name of a Star Wars robot, but it’s actually a welcoming wine shop and bistro off the beaten track on South Beach.

Temaris or ball sushi — warm mounds of rice with thin-sliced toppings drizzled in spicy sauces — was almost impossible to find in South Florida until Temaris opened on Brickell.

You may have been advised to dine out less often if you want to weigh less. That’s like telling people to leave their cars in the garage if they want to avoid getting into an automobile accident.

A gunshot to the head is the state’s recommended method for disposing of invasive Burmese pythons, whose swelling population threatens the Everglades. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission offers no guidance, however, on how to cook the slithery creatures.

What you put on a hot dog reflects where you come from, and for Colombians, it is lots of sauces and potato chips.

When Frances Alfonso was a little girl in Miami’s Little Havana she loved going with her parents to eat a Cuban’s version of the American hamburger, known as a frita.

The cuisine of Uzbekistan reflects the cultures that passed through Central Asia in caravans on the transcontinental Silk Road, and you can sample it at Chayhana Oasis in Sunny Isles Beach.

Sushi master Nobu Matsuhisa operates 31 restaurants on five continents — in Beijing, Budapest, Cape Town, London, Melbourne, Moscow and more. He has published five cookbooks and acted in movies such as 1995’s Casino, 2002’s Austin Powers in Goldmember and 2005’s Memoirs of a Geisha.

When you pry a piece of corn silk out of your teeth, you’re yanking out a fallopian tube. Good sake should never, ever be served hot. And though you might shudder to hear it, some brewers in Brussels are quite happy when bugs fall into open vats of yeast, because they churn it up, thus becoming “unwitting accomplices in the dance between sugar and yeast.”

The logo at Cecci Italian Peruvian Kitchen is a fish eating a slice of pizza, symbolizing the union of sea and land here. There are pies, pastas and tiraditos, ceviches and saltados (stir-fries) plus creations like pizza a lo macho topped with seafood cream, octopus, shrimp and calamari, and fettuccine in ají amarillo-spiked huancaina cheese sauce served with steak.

A competition by Krups has five Miami coffee spots in contention for top prize

It still looks like a majestic Mediterranean mansion at the corner of Ponce and Andalusia, but it’s a whole new juego de pelota inside the former Por Fin. The white tablecloths have been stripped, the chandeliers traded for filament bulbs and the main bar moved downstairs to the center of the action.

Latin American cafeteria grub gets globalized at Albert Cabrera’s new Bread + Butter in Coral Gables. Some in the rice-and-beans crowd may find it too precious, but if you’re open to trendy homages to classic Miami dishes, you’ll be tickled by what this native son conjures up.

Though Brazilian, the charming chef-owner of Tutto’s Mare extends his love of seafood across borders and continents, from spaghetti alla vongole to Creole shrimp in mashed yuca, with mostly good results.

When I visited Paris, my girlfriend spent the whole flight chattering about Coquilles St. Jacques and goat-cheese tarts and escargot. Except to annoy her by interjecting “You mean snails?” every time she mentioned the escargot, I mostly kept quiet. My first meal was going to be at the McDonald’s on the Champs-Elysees, where I wanted to check out a report that Le Big Mac was stuffed with foie gras. (It wasn’t. Damn Internet.) I like gourmet food, but nothing beats eating a cow. At heart, I’m a burger guy.

Giorgio Rapicavoli, the first Miamian to take the top spot on Food Network’s Chopped, used some of his prize money to launch a pop-up with childhood friend Alex Cassanova last winter. That temporary gig has taken permanent root in a place that really needs its.

Vine-covered Hotel St. Michel, built in 1926 as the Sevilla, oozes Old World charm in the middle of Coral Gables, with ornately tiled floors, Belgium rugs, vaulted ceilings, a brass elevator and even the original telephone switchboard behind the front desk.

Catch and South Beach make a perfect pair. They’re both hip, stylish, quirky, a bit garish and extremely expensive. Plus, they’re sprinkled with celebrity dust.

A longtime Jamaican favorite in Wynwood, Clive’s Cafe, has closed after 38 years. A new restaurant is planned for the location.

It’s rare that I review a chain restaurant, and rarer still that I get to Kendall, where there are so many of them, but with the buzz about Devon Seafood + Steak resonating 25 miles away in South Beach, I had to check it out. I was prepared for a Cheesecake Factory experience, but found something entirely different.

If you’re thinking the last thing South Beach needs is another fancy Italian restaurant, Dolce might make you think again. It’s perfectly situated, right across the street from the Delano in the newly rehabbed Gale Hotel, a Deco jewel spit-shined with exquisite detail. It’s stunningly beautiful with its minky-gray wood paneled walls and cushy leather banquettes. The low-slung light globes make the buff and buffed crowd look even better. Tables and staff are dressed sharply in contrasting white and black.

Casabe 305 Bistro chef-owner Diego Texera doesn’t just want you to enjoy his food. He wants you to feel good and sleep well after you’ve eaten it, too.

It took nine years, but Jeremy "Jay" Armstead has found the perfect spot for his Texas Hold ’Em BBQ. He opened the doors last month of the quirky A-framed cottage on Federal Highway just south of Oakland Park Boulevard that has housed everything from Green Fish to Shuck’s on the Water. It backs up on the Middle River, and dockside seating is in the works.

I get why some folks love Smashburger. The restaurant chain uses never-frozen Certified Angus Beef, which is literally “smashed” into the shape of a burger on a 400-degree flat grill to “sear in the juicy flavor.” The beef is tasty. But after two visits, I’m just not impressed.

Located in downtown Hollywood, Kussifay is an extension of a restaurant that opened six years ago a mile west. Both are owned by Yanina Arias, a transplant from Argentina whose family has operated pizza restaurants here and abroad.

Inside a hangar on the edge of the tarmac at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport sits one of the best lunch spots in Fort Lauderdale.

If you’ve lived in South Florida for any length of time, you already know that Chez Porky’s is famous for its wings. But owner Tom Douglas says only one quarter of all guests order them. The rest choose from what may be the biggest menu in town. Douglas figures there are more than 60 items. Along with wings, the menu devotes sections to barbecue, chicken, seafood, steaks and sandwiches. A menu board lists daily specials, and a different menu is available at lunchtime.

It’s always a good sign to see new restaurants opening and entrepreneurs willing to invest in an opportunity for growth. Here are three new faces in Broward that cover a wide-range of cuisines and dining territory.

Ask Chiara Troccia why she’s only open four hours every weekday, and she’ll say it’s because her little sandwich shop is near office towers and light industry. It’s a lunchtime business.

Like the sirens you see on Las Olas Boulevard on a Saturday night, the 2-month-old Voodka begs you to turn your head and notice.

I sometimes try to imagine what it would be like to run a restaurant for five years. Or 10 years. Or the 25 years that Darrel Broek and chef Oliver Saucy have been operating their namesake Pompano Beach cafe.

Observe the care with which the American backyard grill jockey shifts and turns that New York strip over a 2,000-degree gas flame to give it the perfect crosshatch of grill marks, and you’ll sense there’s something primal going on.

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”

California’s 2011 chardonnay is in the market now, and — despite some weather challenges — it’s an excellent vintage.

America’s love affair with wine continues. We’re pulling further ahead of Europe in consumption, but are seeing increased competition from China.

If there’s an official wine of today’s 21-something generation, it’s the Italian bubbly prosecco. U.S. sippers buy a million cases a year, up 35 percent since 2011, according to a Wine Spectator magazine website.

A French winemaker once told me his dearly departed grandmother had lived under four different governments without ever moving from the house in which she was born. She was from Alsace, of course.

Rome is eternal. Tuscany is terrific. But there is a lot more to Italy, and every region has its trademark wines.

It’s one of my favorite wine sayings: Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it.

Wine can be confusing, and three grape names in particular add to that perplexity: syrah, petite sirah and shiraz.

WD 555 might sound like the name of a Star Wars robot, but it’s actually a welcoming wine shop and bistro off the beaten track on South Beach.

The Riverside Hotel in Fort Lauderdale turned 75 this year, and as part of the celebration debuted Wild Sea Oyster Bar & Grill in an elegant space that retains Old Florida charm. All the seafood is wild caught except the oysters and Sunburst trout, and much of the produce is locally grown.

Temaris or ball sushi — warm mounds of rice with thin-sliced toppings drizzled in spicy sauces — was almost impossible to find in South Florida until Temaris opened on Brickell.

What you put on a hot dog reflects where you come from, and for Colombians, it is lots of sauces and potato chips.

The cuisine of Uzbekistan reflects the cultures that passed through Central Asia in caravans on the transcontinental Silk Road, and you can sample it at Chayhana Oasis in Sunny Isles Beach.

The logo at Cecci Italian Peruvian Kitchen is a fish eating a slice of pizza, symbolizing the union of sea and land here. There are pies, pastas and tiraditos, ceviches and saltados (stir-fries) plus creations like pizza a lo macho topped with seafood cream, octopus, shrimp and calamari, and fettuccine in ají amarillo-spiked huancaina cheese sauce served with steak.

There is no sign for Sacha’s Café, but financial district fans are finding it for morning coffee and quick lunches.

A French ice skater and an Israeli developer joined forces to open Montefiore Café & Restaurant in a former Miami Beach bakery. There are still cakes and croissants, but the place is now a kosher-dairy restaurant offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner for locals. The menu includes omelets, salads, panini, fish, pastas, pizza with a chewy crust and crisp bottom and both savory and sweet crepes set in a cozy space with sidewalk dining under an awning.

Spice Galore is new boutique spice shop that carries everything from black truffle sea salt to wasabi powder in a homey space with a counter built from recycled wood. Whole and ground spices, house blends, sea salts, infused sugars and teas are sold by the ounce in glass jars organized on wood shelves. Each big jar has a small one next to it for tasting or sniffing.

Indonesian and Thai cuisines are served at Pembroke Pines’ Indo Quest. They use many of the same ingredients, but Indonesian is less hot with sweet, spicy and salty flavors infused with coconut. The restaurant’s rice table is a great way to sample broadly on the Indonesian side of the menu.

Wynwood Kitchen & Bar, 2550 NW Second Ave., Miami, hosts the first in a series of chef-artist dinners Wednesday with a menu created by WKB executive chef Miguel Aguilar and Miami artist Santiago Rubino, whose graffiti-inspired work is featured on Wynwood Walls.

South Beach has a new go-to spot for locals who want fresh food at prices not meant for tourists. Charles St. is so laid back and easy that you nearly forget that it is on one of Collins Avenue’s most upscale blocks. And although it’s situated in a hotel, its storefront entrance doesn’t plunk you down in the middle of a lobby.

It still looks like a majestic Mediterranean mansion at the corner of Ponce and Andalusia, but it’s a whole new juego de pelota inside the former Por Fin. The white tablecloths have been stripped, the chandeliers traded for filament bulbs and the main bar moved downstairs to the center of the action.

Latin American cafeteria grub gets globalized at Albert Cabrera’s new Bread + Butter in Coral Gables. Some in the rice-and-beans crowd may find it too precious, but if you’re open to trendy homages to classic Miami dishes, you’ll be tickled by what this native son conjures up.

Soon after opening Stout Irish Bar & Grill 13 months ago, the owners changed its name Stout Sports Bar & Grill. Owner Ed D'Ottavio and his three partners — all of them Irish — realized that customers were looking for much more than shepherd's pie and corned beef and cabbage.

It took nine years, but Jeremy "Jay" Armstead has found the perfect spot for his Texas Hold ’Em BBQ. He opened the doors last month of the quirky A-framed cottage on Federal Highway just south of Oakland Park Boulevard that has housed everything from Green Fish to Shuck’s on the Water. It backs up on the Middle River, and dockside seating is in the works.

I get why some folks love Smashburger. The restaurant chain uses never-frozen Certified Angus Beef, which is literally “smashed” into the shape of a burger on a 400-degree flat grill to “sear in the juicy flavor.” The beef is tasty. But after two visits, I’m just not impressed.

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