It was the worst of times in many kitchens, chefs say.

But don’t count Miami’s Allen Susser, a pioneer in the Mango Gang of the 1980s, among those. After 23 years and countless Florida Trend Golden Spoons, his smile remains as big as his ambitions despite the gloomy economy.

The 2010 Florida Trend Restaurant Guide includes Florida's Top 500 and
	Golden Spoon Awards
	Golden Spoon Hall of Fame
	Best Newcomers
	NEW: Golden Brands

If 2009 was not the best of times, still "it’s a wonderful time to be a chef," Susser says.

How so? Higher prices and fewer dining dollars have shut many restaurants and forced others to change styles, format and prices, but there is a bright side. Floridians are more interested in good food and great cooking than ever; culinary schools are booming; food saturates TV, movies and bookstores.

That means more folks to share Susser’s passion. That’s why he became a cook (and teacher and author): "To bring a smile and to create that ‘aha!’ moment. The more we know about food, the better.’’

He is keen to use local seafood, fresh and sustainable, "like wahoo, pompano and cobia, and I love yellowtail snapper," Susser says. Grouper, however, is no longer on the menu.

Chef Allen Susser decided to scale back after decades of high-priced boom times. His Chef Allen’s in Aventura features lower prices, with entrees from $15 to $32. "People can come out on a Tuesday to go to a movie and come here for two appetizers or salad and a piece of fish."? [Photo: Jeffery Salter]

Chef Allen’s is still in Aventura, a top gourmet spot north of Miami’s hottest dining zones and a popular meeting point between south Miami-Dade and Broward for cross-metro friends. Yet much has changed.

An inveterate optimist and constant tinkerer, he chose to scale back a year ago after heady decades. "To come to Chef Allen’s," Susser says, customers "had to have a big meal, a big wine, a big event. And big checks, $80 a person or more’’ in years past.

Out came the marble, and down came the prices. Not all the way to shabby — the cooking is smart, and entrees are $15 to $32. That brings a full meal closer to $50.

More tantalizing are starters and sides, like chowder and hand-cut fries, ranging from $4 saffron rice balls to $10 shrimp-and-grits brulee. "People can come out on a Tuesday to go to a movie and come here for two appetizers or salad and a piece of fish."

Such rethinking is widespread. Chef Michelle Bernstein Martinez followed up sleek-chic Michy’s with Sra. Martinez, hip enough for the Design District, yet a rustic tavern with olives, crispy eggplant, roasted bone marrow and jamon Serrano for $14 or less and one $36 T-bone for big-plate eaters.

Chef Michelle Bernstein Martinez’s newest creation, Sra. Martinez in Miami, merges hip design with rustic tavern fare.? [Photo: Gio Alma]

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Bites, a remake of the Lobby Bar at the Ritz-Carlton Naples, offers sautéed chicken livers with apples, onions and bacon for $6.? [Photo: Vanessa Rogers]

Even the grand Ritz-Carlton in Naples now dishes out small portions of great cooking in Bites, a friendlier, unfussy remake of the Lobby Bar. Ritzy dining for $3 to $10 from Derin Moore includes short rib sliders, foie gras bruschetta, shrimp pot stickers and fried green tomatoes.

Chris Ponte, who made Cafe Ponte a gourmet star in Clearwater, still has a fine flagship, but he has taken his spare talents to improve everyday eating another way. He’s helping the Melting Pot group in Tampa to spice up its GrillSmith concept and launch more affordable ones serving crusty pizza and saucy burgers Ponte style.

If thrift and imagination are kitchen must-haves, Florida has another ingredient Susser uses with delight: Mangoes.

"I still love them, and this year was a bumper crop on the trees," the chef says.

Clearwater chef Chris Ponte has partnered with the Melting Pot on two ventures: Peel will feature thin-crust pizzas with light salads and sandwiches. The second, still unnamed, will feature hamburgers.? [Photo: Joe Patronite]

The 2010 Florida Trend Restaurant Guide includes Florida's Top 500 and these award-winners:
	Golden Spoon Awards		Golden Spoon Hall of Fame
	Best Newcomers		NEW: Golden Brands