"I'm excited that Joey Aventura is opening its first Sunshine State location in South Florida: a two-level, Miami-designed restaurant in the Esplanade at Aventura occupying 8,300 square feet of interior space plus a 1,250-square-foot patio. The 241-seat dining room features a circular bar, floor-to-ceiling windows and art installations by Elsbeth Shaw and Anna Kincaide, and the main dining room includes an 82-seat outdoor patio equipped with fans and a retractable awning. The wide-ranging menu pays homage to global flavors — roasted corn guacamole; hummus paired with tzatziki, dill, olives and crispy pita; seared salmon sushi; sake-glazed Chilean sea bass; the popular steak served with crispy mashed potatoes; and Italian dishes like ravioli bianco, chicken parmesan and spaghetti pomodoro — all overseen by a chefs’ team that includes a three-time James Beard House guest chef, an Iron Chef from Japan, a Bocuse d’Or veteran competitor and Top Chef Canada winner Matthew Stowe as executive chef. The full bar offers cocktails such as the Spicy Passion Fruit Margarita with serrano pepper-infused tequila, a sweet Real Peach Bellini blending rum, peach molasses, sparkling wine and Sangria, and the Joey Supers lemon-and-lime slush twist on the classic highball. Joey Aventura is open daily from 11 a.m. until 'late.'" - Olee Fowler