Coconut Grove Over South Beach? 50 Reasons That's Just Dumb

• I call it "Crapaluso". I cringe whenever somebody wants to go. How can people like an Italian restauran where they show you boxed pasta before you eat? If I can just go to Publix and buy De Cecco, why am I going to pay through the nose for the same thing at what's supposed to be a low fare "red sauce" restaurant? Go to Escopazzo or Quattro. The famous meatballs are ok, but Randazzo's are better. Plus I don't wait at places that don't take reservations. And I can't stand Sinatra.

• Any of the burgers at any of the places listed by Lee kicks Lokal's overhyped burgers to the curb. Jaguar is good, easily the best restaurant in the Grove. Used to be very good. But nobody with a discerning palate will rather go to Jaguar than to Escopazzo or the restaurant at the Setai. 

• Here is at least one blogger group's opinion. If this poll boils down to where you find more options for good food, I'm sorry but Lee is correct. The South Beach list easily trumps the Grove. That being said, I love the Grove and would much rather spend the day there, but in terms of gastronomic adventure we very rarely have a new Grove restaurant on our "Must Try" list. Yes, we know the Grove has classics and a few recent gems but the fact is that many chefs want the foot traffic of South Beach and they don’t care if it’s locals or tourists scarfing down that $20 plate of bacon wrapped anything. We have one member who lives in Midtown, one member in the Buena Vista area, one in South Beach and another that recently moved to Austin. For us there is no loyalty to any one area, we go from Tropical Chinese to Garbo's Grill to Knauss Berry Farm so if you can change our minds we’d be happy to defect, but as it stands South Beach has the numbers. PLEASE change our minds, we’d love to ditch the tourists. It’s a difficult poll because there are great restaurants scattered throughout all these areas. On a side note, Icebox and (as much as I’m not overly impressed with it) Yardbird belong on that 50 list. Quattro, Osteria, Grimpa, overrated Joe’s, Bond Street and Meat Market all need to vacate the top 50 (maybe even the 75) in our humble opinion. Also not that anyone cares, but if you love great food you have to try “The Federal” the service was a bit shaky at times, but damn that food was delicious. Those f%#$n cheesy biscuits! Sorry we get excited at the though of them.

• Casa Tua is COMPLETELY overpriced, significantly more overrated than LoKal, and it has horrendous customer service. I hope flashing your Amex Black card is what makes you like the place. It's pretty. That's it. 

• Lee and every major restaurant critic...Maybe this question should be put out to even the Miami food bloggers instead of just the clowns who want to vote for their neighborhood without being bias. Quit making Miami look even more dumb.

• Lokal is an overrated burger joint. They even got our order massively wrong and ran out of fries the last time I was there. As a side note, their bar top is from the old Press Room on south beach. Sanchez, what is wrong with Macalusos? Oh and NOTHING in the Grove even approaches Casa Tua.

• Lokal and Jaguar.   That would be two, so now I can I say that Lee is an idiot?

• As rich of a target as he is, why instead of attacking Lee don't some of you try to mention ONE Grove restaurant that's better than any of the 47 above? (I'm kicking out Macaluso, Bond St. and Grimpa. Seriously, Lee, come on.)

• Sorry Lee, you're the one with the South Beach fetish, not your readers. To us, it's a neighborhood with an ego complex, and a warehouse for our more gullible tourists.

• Look at Lee writing as "commonSensePeople", lol! 

• Thank you Lee for bringing some sanity to that idiotic/meaningless poll.

• yeah, what's the point of doing a poll if you're going to bitch about the results even before it's over? get over yourself

• 453 people voted Coconut Grove over South Beach, so I would say we have right there 453 reasons making you the dumb one.

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