Miami/Key West

I have 2 families heading down to Miami and Marathon Key for Thanksgiving week. Does anyone have any ideas as to what we MUST do or see while we are in the area? Any restaurants that we need to check out? There will be 3 teenagers with us, so nothing too formal. We will be in The Keys for most of the trip and plan on Miami only on Friday to watch UK/South Florida play basketball. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Robin Garr]

Bryan, we love the Keys (haven't been for a few years, though), but I can't honestly recall any gourmet-style destinations there. There is (or used to be) a little bistro in a neighborhood section of Key West called Seven Fish that would have fit in on Bardstown Road, and a great Cuban diner - again, outside the tourist areas - called El Sibouney. We hit it up every time we're there. Mostly, though, just lap up the atmosphere, the vibe, the music. Check out Duval Street, but get off of it too. And all the way up and down the Keys, just look for places where you can eat and drink outdoors in the subtropical heat. (The seafood will be mostly fried, for what it's worth, and probably not hauled out of local waters that morning. Wrong kind of ocean environment, shallow waters. You've got to try conch, just because it's the local icon, but it'll mostly be chopped into unidentifiable bits and fried in fritters.)

I know this sounds kind of mixed up, but I love Key West and the Keys. I just don't particularly view it as a foodie destination first.

I have 2 families heading down to Miami and Marathon Key for Thanksgiving week. Does anyone have any ideas as to what we MUST do or see while we are in the area? Any restaurants that we need to check out? There will be 3 teenagers with us, so nothing too formal. We will be in The Keys for most of the trip and plan on Miami only on Friday to watch UK/South Florida play basketball. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Have eaten at this great restaurant 4 times and never been disappointed. They have good options for vegetarians and it's located on a beautiful beach on the road to Key West. It's in Islamorada at Marker 88. Enjoy your trip!

http://www.marker88.info/

[Robin Garr]

Have eaten at this great restaurant 4 times and never been disappointed. They have good options for vegetarians and it's located on a beautiful beach on the road to Key West. It's in Islamorada at Marker 88. Enjoy your trip!

http://www.marker88.info/

Since 1967!? How could we have missed this!?

In Miami, my favorite place to eat is Versailles. Great Cuban food, reasonable prices, neat part of town. It's a little far from the hotels though, so you would need a car.

http://www.versaillesrestaurant.com/menu

If you make it to Key West, Louie's Backyard, is a must do........