Florida @ its best
by Chris Sherman

Restaurant Editor Chris Sherman, who has been covering Florida restaurants for 20 years, takes over the Golden Spoons from Robert W. Tolf this year.

Dishes rattled and pots clanged in kitchens across Florida all year; cash registers rang too but not so much. Yet as the economic crises shook some of the best-known restaurants and closed others, hope opened up on other corners. Restauranting was true to its traditions: A very tough business and one that always attracts new talent to take the risks. [more]

Golden Spoon Winners

Golden Spoon Awards Golden Spoon Hall of Fame   •  20 Best New Restaurants   •  Best Restaurants by Category   •  Florida's Top 500 Restaurants

Boca Raton

• Arturo's Ristorante - Italian

Clearwater/ Clearwater Beach

• Cafe Ponte - New American

Coconut Grove

• Ritz-Carlton / Coconut Grove - Contemporary

Coral Gables

• Cacao Restaurant - Latin Contemporary

• Ortanique on the Mile - Contemporary Florida

• Pascal's On Ponce - Contemporary French

Destin

• Zampieri's Harbor Grille - American

Fort Lauderdale

• Johnny V - Caribbean Fusion

• Sunfish Grill - Seafood

Jacksonville

• Matthew's at San Marco - New American

Key Biscayne

• The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne - Continental

Longboat Key

• Colony Dining Room - Contemporary Continental

• Maison Blanche - Modern French 

Miami

• Michy's - Contemporary

• North One 10 - New American

Miami Beach

• OLA - Latin Contemporary

Orlando

• California Grill - New American

• Christini's Ristorante Italiano - Northern Italian

• Hue - American/Asian Bistro

• Le Coq Au Vin - French

Palm Beach

• Cafe Boulud - Contemporary French-American

Pensacola/Pensacola Beach

• Jackson's - Southern-influenced American

Sarasota

• Derek's - Casual New American

• Mattison's 41 - Steakhouse

• Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota - Contemporary American

• Selva Grill - Latin Contemporary

Seaside

• Bud & Alley's - Mediterranean

St. Augustine

• 95 Cordova at Casa Monica - World

• Opus 39/ The Tasting Room - New American/Contemporary Spanish

St. Petersburg/ St. Pete Beach

• The Maritana Grille - Don CeSar Beach Resort - New American

Sunny Isles Beach

• Timo - Italian-Mediterranean

Tallahassee

• Cypress Restaurant - Southern

Tampa

• Pelagia Trattoria - Contemporary Mediterranean

• Restaurant BT - French-Vietnamese

• SideBern's - New American

Vero Beach

• Ocean Grill - American 

Winter Park

• Luma On Park - New American

Legal Elite 2009 Just the name “Legal Elite” says a lot about the attorneys whose names appear on Florida Trend’s annual list. You could say... [ more ] Report: Net Worth of Your Politicians For the most part, Florida's elected officials suffered through the economic downturn like the rest of us. But some fared... [ more ] Laid-Off Attorneys Go It Alone Miami, Eleni Zarbalas Pantaridis was happy practicing law at Kluger Peretz Kaplan & Berlin. But in February, after nearly two years on the job, she... [ more ]