A table at Juvia, the packed new penthouse restaurant on South Beach, is a perfect spot to see the future of Florida restaurants.

Whether you are in the terrace looking out across 10 blocks of hotels to the Atlantic or in the vast glass dining room with a wraparound view north and back to Biscayne Bay, you are a cut above — actually, nine stories above the maddening crowds on Lincoln Road Mall.

You can taste the future as well in a menu that fuses Peruvian, Japanese and classic French: Cold-smoked scallops with bonito flakes, a crusty Peruano potato in a neon yellow amarillo pepper cream or duck breast with frites. This may be the only place where a beautiful bento box of Korean BBQ includes a cupcake topped with a swirl of lavender icing.

Below and two blocks away is last year’s “it’’ restaurant, Yardbird, still drawing lines for putting the sweet-tea south into South Beach. Top chefs serve divine fried chicken, butter bean risotto with artisan bourbon and more in a big stylish space fashioned from old brick, reclaimed barnwood and industrial seating with large jars of pickles as the chief artwork. [Go to Full Story...]