Quickly catching up to Coral Gables' dining status, if it has not yet surpassed it, Miami Beach and its trendy South Beach (SoBe) outpost is a nightlife magnet. But the evolution and transformation of this hotspot who some call the American Rivera, has less to do with leisure and trends and more to do with history.

It began with a visionary Cleveland widow who convinced Standard Oil co-founder Henry Flagler to extend his railroad to Miami and build a new town. The railroad arrived in 1896, and the City of Miami was incorporated. With the railroad came immigration and then population. The woman behind the birth of this great city was Julia Tuttle, and today, she is known as the "Mother of Miami," and has a causeway extending to Miami Beach in her name.

But it was not until 1913 that Miami Beach was born. A self-made millionaire, Carl Fisher, who has an island off of Miami Beach (Fisher Island) named after him, embarked on a business venture and refinanced a project in progress - the Collins bridge, the channel that connected Miami Beach to the mainland and allowed the population into this new area. In exchange for the funding of the bridge, Fisher retained real estate and built grand hotels, marinas, and sports grounds to attract the social class to this part of the United States.

Seventeen years later during the Depression, Miami Beach began to flourish. Jewish migrants moved to Miami Beach and built a large number of small hotels with stark modern lines along lower Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive. The building boom helped revive the area from the Depression and would become what is today known as the world-famous Art Deco District. There were other factors that contributed to the economic growth and development of the Beach. In 1942, 100,000 people were sent to a military training ground in Miami Beach during World War II. The 60s and 80s brought change as more than half-a-million Cuban exiles fled to Miami to start a new life when Fidel Castro took over Cuba in 1959. In the 70s and 80s, efforts were made to preserve and restore the Art Deco District. The early 90s was a time for investing, which paid for a beautiful new Miami downtown skyline, a reborn Miami Beach, and a modernized transportation infrastructure that paved the way for arts, culture and entertainment.

Today, the Beach is a thriving community with rich history and culture, thanks to the surge of immigrants from all over the world who moved to this city and built it from the ground up. The development of this city has afforded small businesses to emerge and season this tropical oasis with new and different flavors, forming a tossed salad with international elements that have brought their customs, cuisine and culture to this island paradise. To view restaurants in Miami Beach/South Beach, please click on the restaurant on the right for a profile of the establishment. To discuss these dining options with one of our representatives, please call 305-856-1422 or 800-260-9347.

"History proves that the spirit of Miami's dynamic, vibrant people remains strong and its tropical allure remains constant. It still is-and will always be-a city that draws forward-looking people to it with its own special magic." Arva Moore Parks, author, Miami, The Magic City, 1991