(Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Rodale)
When you think of how many restaurants there are in the country, it is a major honor that one restaurant in Florida has been recognized as having one of the best dishes in America.
If someone were to ask you what your favorite restaurant is, it might be an easy answer, or it could be impossible. That would be a hard one for me because I could give you my top 5 in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Miami, Chicago, New York, Vegas..it would be way too hard to just pick one. THEN if someone asked you what your favorite dish is, to narrow it down even further, that would be even tougher! I am definitely a foodie and while I do have my go-to's, I'm always on a quest to try new restaurants and to try things I've never had before. We're lucky here in Florida, even just in SWFL, to have so many amazing dining spots.
One Of The Best Dishes In America Is Served At A Restaurant In Florida
The New York Times put together a list of 23 of the Best American Dishes of 2023 and one restaurant in Florida made the list. They sent people out to restaurants coast to coast in search of the best of the best. (How can I sign up to do that next year?!)
In Fort Lauderdale, the Thai red curry yellowtail at The Katherine made the list of one of the best dishes in America. The publication reports that the dish is a nod to owner Timon Balloo's wife's Thai-Columbian heritage. The restaurant has only been open for a year, so this is pretty amazing to land on a list like this in such a short time.
The Katherine is located at 723 East Broward Boulevard. To see the menu and make a reservation, click here.
Three Florida Restaurants Made The List Of Favorites By The New York Times
When it comes to good restaurants, we're lucky here in the Sunshine State to have plenty to choose from and three Florida restaurants just made the list of favorites by the New York Times.
We all have different reasons why a restaurant might be our favorite. Is it that every time you've gone there hasn't been a dish you haven't loved? Does it have a great ambiance? Do you get impeccable service? Do they make the drinks a little stronger than somewhere else? I love trying new restaurants, but there are also those I go back to again and again. I feel like just here in Southwest Florida I have a favorite in each city from Fort Myers to Cape Coral to Naples. And all for different reasons.
Each year the New York Times puts out their list of 50 favorites. To put together the list, the research is done by dozens of reporters, editors and critics who have the very tough job to visit hundreds of restaurants across the country. How do I get THAT gig? I may not be a critic, but I do love to eat. They're not all fine dining restaurants either, it's a very diverse list.
Three Florida restaurants made the New York Times list
Salt Shack on the Bay- Tampa
Salt Shack on the Bay is located right below the Gandy bridge at 5415 W Tyson Ave. The newspaper says of the restaurant that "“Jimmy Buffet would have liked this place, where there is no problem a platter of fresh Gulf shrimp and a drink with a pineapple slice couldn’t solve."
Maty's- Miami
Maty's is located in the heart of Midtown at 3255 NE 1st Ave. There you'll find Peruvian American food with dishes like oxtail saltado, duck salad and camarones.
Smoke & Dough- Miami
Smoke & Dough is located in the Sabina Shopping Center at 4013 SW 152nd Ave. There, you'll find dishes like ribs glossed with guava-ancho barbecue sauce, brisket with a Cuban coffee rub and housemade pastrami tequeños.
