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Review | Bimini Boatyard gets a facelift, new chef

When it opened in 1989, Bimini Boatyard became the hot place to go on Fort Lauderdale's 17th Street Causeway. Fancy cars filled the parking lots, mega yachts docked out back and people-watching was over the top.

As it began showing its age, Bimini dropped off the radar screen, but new owner Steve Hudson aims to put the waterfront restaurant back in the spotlight. He bought Bimini 18 months ago, hired chef Michael Bennett (Left Bank, Epicure), and this summer closed for a few weeks for a major nip-tuck.

Hudson reopened with a big bash in September to celebrate Bimini's rejuvenation. And it does look fresher and younger. Royal blue couches in the lounge and roomy booths in the 369-seat dining room add coziness to a big, airy space.

Mangoe's Caribbean Bistro brings islands' flavors to South Miami-Dade

Next time you drive along Eureka near Florida's Turnpike, pay close attention to the Silver Slipper Plaza. No, not the side with the Subway and check cashing store. The other side, the one that looks empty.

Take a close look and you'll find a restaurant that you don't want to miss.

Flanked by abandoned storefronts and ``For Lease'' signs, Mangoe's Caribbean Bistro has outlasted its retail neighbors.

Miami Gardens street offers Caribbean culinary delights

You don't need a passport to get a taste of Caribbean cuisine. A ride or stroll along Northwest Second Avenue in Miami Gardens will yield fritay , traditional fried treats from Haiti, roti , a burrito-like curry meal popular in Trinidad and succulent meat marinated in Jamaica's famous jerk seasoning.

With regular customers from nearby Miramar and Northeast Dade, this busy strip lined with mom and pop small businesses and big box stores draws faithful devotees to newbies who want to indulge in island culinary adventures for $25 or less.

At Chef Creole, authentic Haitian food with a Bahamian flair is dished up in standard white to-go foam containers even if you're eating in.

Jamaican Business Expo in Miramar unites local businesses with the island

``Do you believe in Jamaica?'' Marlon Hill bellowed into the microphone.

Some nods of the head and scattered applause from the dozens of Jamaican business owners gathered around him were not enough for Hill, a Miami-based attorney who serves on the U.S. Jamaican Diaspora Advisory Board.

So Hill repeated his question even louder to the crowd gathered at Miramar's Sunset Lakes Community Center: ``Do you believe in Jamaica? You have to believe, you have to have faith . . . it's up to you to take care of your neighbor.''

Mellow with Marley at Jamaica all-inclusive

In retrospect, it was pretty unnecessary to go searching for Bob Marley in Jamaica.

At Club Ambiance, the all-inclusive resort at Runaway Bay on Jamaica's north shore where my friend Jay and I stayed for a long weekend, the gazebo bar at the end of the pier started playing the reggae star's songs at breakfast and didn't quit till sunset, and a three-foot-tall statue of the singer perched on the railing, his back to the Caribbean Sea.

By the end of the trip we'd cringe a little every time we heard Jammin ', but our first morning there, we were eager to visit Nine Mile, Marley's birthplace and mausoleum, one of the excursions offered by the resort.