The Local House

Having been to Miami many times, I pretty much figured that all of my good meals would be coming from some tiny Cuban hole in the wall where nobody spoke English OR I would have to pay an arm and a leg to get some type of service.

The Local House surpasses ALL of my expectations. Actually let me rephrase that I had no expectations when going to the Local House because my gaggle of bridesmaids took me to the restaurant without telling me anything. As a girl who works for Yelp for a living this both frightened and excited me.

I am happy to report that my girls DONE RIGHT. Everything from the ambiance, food and service was absolutely dead on amazing...and I'm a picky girl!

Here is the low down of what I tried:
Complimentary champagne - Before I even had a chance to take a look at the menu, the waiters were already popping bottles of champagne for our entire group. It could have been Andre for all I cared (it wasn't!) but what a wonderful touch.
Complimentary bread and eggplant tapanade - Thick, crusty, buttery bread with the best eggplant dip I've ever had in my life. I would have ordered this as my meal if I could have!
Smoke gouda mac and cheese - Shells FTW! This is my favorite type of pasta because the cheese gets stuck in the inside crevices and lordy, lordy was this good.
Black seafood risotto - (Read this next line in the Kool Aid Man voice) OHHHH YEAHHHHH! The combination of squid ink, citrus burst, cheese, and whatever type of black magic they put in their was Flavor-i-cious. Did I just invent a new word? Why yes I did but it was THAT GOOD.
Pan seared Branzino - Wow, what a hefty piece of fish! Flaky and delicious and note a bone on it at all. I'm definitely adding branzino to my favorite fish list.
Complimentary chocolate cake - As if they couldn't made me feel more like a princess they topped it off with a wonderful chocolatey, velvety smooth cake. So rich and indulgent.

The upscale beach house ambiance peppered with images of vintage Barbies is perfect for taking group images with your girlfriends (because really, isnt' that all we want at the end of the day?).

Awesome cocktails. Great photos. Great food. Great service. I quite honestly don't think I've ever liked a restaurant as much as I like this one. I would give this place six stars if I could.

After spending hours (HOURS!) looking for a fab restaurant for our Yelp-loving bride, we stumbled upon this gem.  As is evidenced below, the bride was in love.  But we ALL were.  12 girls with different style and tastes instantly fell in love with this charming, elegant, pretty restaurant.  
The staff were so kind and brought complimentary champagne.  I loved their bow ties!  I also ordered a blood orange margarita, which was citrusy deliciousness.
The risotto was so flavorful and lush, coming from a girl who spent Sundays during childhood eating up plates of squid risotto-this was awesome.
The prices are unbeatable, and ladies-this is the perfect classy yet relaxed spot for a bachelorette, wedding shower, birthday meal or GNO.

With an oceanside feel to this casual brunch spot, it provides for an A-OK kind of establishment.  All the folks that work here except the manager clearly exhibit years of service.  Overall a great place to hang out and be the ones to soak in the locals.

This spot paints the perfect seashell white and turquoise/aquamarine color combination for an ultimate getaway or vacation.