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The Long Weekend: Miami

A Long Weekend in Miami

This itinerary for a winter's retreat in Miami plots a Thursday night through Sunday afternoon spent navigating some of Miami's buzziest new bars and restaurants, with, of course, beach time in between.

La Palma

La Palma

Thursday evening, take a detour from the airport for a proper Miami welcome. At the window of the no-frills La Palma Cuban restaurant (open 24 hours), pick up juicy ropa vieja with candy-sweet caramelized plantains. A must: made-to-order churros encrusted in sugar, along with thick dipping chocolate and a bracing cortadito or Cuban espresso. Portions are heaping, so consider sharing a main course. Continue on to your lodging, well-provisioned. La Palma, 6091 SW Eighth St., 305-261-1113

Blacksmith Saloon

Broken Shaker and Blacksmith Saloon

Ease into Friday evening, cocktail in hand, amidst the tropical vegetation at the now-permanent Broken Shaker bar at the Freehand. The hostel's garden supplies ingredients for the garnishes and syrups in seasonal beverages like the Atlantico-rum-spiked Cider Smash. Continue the party at the Friday night pop-up, Blacksmith Saloon at The Well, housed in a wood-paneled space offering romantic nooks, live music, dancing and smart cocktails. Broken Shaker at Freehand Miami, 2727 Indian Creek Dr., Miami Beach, 305-531-2727 or facebook.com/TheBrokenShaker; Blacksmith Saloon at The Well, 444 W. 41st St., Miami Beach; 305-532-1312 or facebook.com/blacksmithmiami

My Ceviche

My Ceviche and Lee & Marie's Cakery Company

Saturday afternoon, pick up buttery pre-cracked stone crab claws and piquant ají amarillo ceviche with fresh-caught fish at My Ceviche's take-out counter. Make a second stop at the new Lee & Marie's Cakery Company for desserts like chewy dark chocolate-and-cherry Mississippi mud cookies and oddly enticing tapioca pudding laced with tropical fruits and whipped cream. Then settle in on a grassy spot or directly on the sand at South Pointe Park for a picnic on the water. My Ceviche, 235 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, 305-397-8710 or myceviche.com; Lee & Marie's Cakery Company, 40 South Pointe Dr., Miami Beach, 305-672-5167 or leeandmaries.com

The Bazaar by José Andrés

The Bazaar by José Andrés

Make a reservation for dinner Saturday night at the new outpost of The Bazaar, even if you've eaten at the Los Angeles location. Dine on imaginative, compelling interpretations of Miami's Latin-influenced cuisine, like aromatic coconut rice and cuttlefish served in a coconut shell or honey-glazed codfish-cream wontons. After dinner, try one of the stellar cocktails, like the caipirinha made with cachaça and liquid nitrogen. The Bazaar by José Andrés at SLS Hotel South Beach, 1701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-455-2999 or thebazaar.com

Florida Cookery

Florida Cookery

Close out the weekend at the new Florida Cookery, presided over by chef Kris Wessel, formerly of the now-closed Red Light, Little River. The restaurant's name and menu are inspired by Southern and classic Florida cooking, interpreted through a riotous tropical lens. For Sunday brunch, try pulled duck confit with guava sauce, broiled with Tomme cheese and a duck egg. Soursop-glazed ribs with green papaya slaw and oyster or alligator empanadas are a fitting last-day lunch. Florida Cookery at The James Royal Palm Hotel, 1545 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 786-276-0333 or florida-cookery.com