A bigtime chef's Miami outpost

Lots of New Yorkers end up in Miami, but only because they keep renewing your subscription, and who doesn't love an inscrutable cartoon?!? For fine eatin' from a serious NY chef who's finally made his way to the 305, check out db Bistro Moderne.

The newest baby of three-time James Beard Award-winner Daniel Boulud, db blends traditional French technique with seasonal American flavors in a space with 18ft ceilings, a slick front lounge with a sunken bar, an eight-top chef's table in the middle of a glass-walled wine room, and three dining rooms, each with different wall finishing: rose mirrored, persimmon French, and whitewashed oak, which Tom Sawyer's aunt still thinks he did...oh, Polly, will you never learn?!? First courses involve Tuna Crudo w/ harissa-sesame sauce & crispy rice; Maine Lobster Salad w/ avocado, watermelon & pesto dressing; a mixed plate of imported French cured ham, Ossau-Iraty cheese, tomato-braised bacalao & toasted almonds; and a tarte tatin with tomato confit, goat cheese frisee, basil pesto sauce, and puff pastry, also what Diddy's mother doesn't let him have after dinner when he's a Bad Boy. Larger plates include pompano w/ a delicate bread crust & fingerling fries; the Lamb Duo w/ roasted loin, merguez, couscous, sheep's milk yogurt & lamb jus; and a pasta with tomato marmalade, artichokes, and a Parm emulsion called Nine Herb Ravioli, aka the featured cafeteria dish honoring the loser table.

If you need something more firmly American, there's the famed $32 Original db Burger: a sirloin patty stuffed w/ braised short ribs & foie on a Parmesan bun. To keep things classy, there's a list of 150 French and American vinos, starting at just $25 -- also the price of a year of the New Yorker, prorated for how many of those articles you can actually trudge through.