South Florida’s foodies arrived in droves as the Miami New Time’s Iron Fork returned to kick off the highly anticipated Miami Spice dining season. The Iron Fork was held at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Miami where two of the city’s most beloved chefs, Todd Erickson of Haven Lounge prevailed over Chef Aaron Brooks of Edge Steak & Bar in an Iron Chef like battle. 

There was music, dancing, cigars, a silent auction and an amazing beer demonstration from Marc Stroobandt, the Master Beer Sommelier at Stella Artois. He had us taste cheese and chocolate (separately) before we sampled the beers and it completely changed the way the beer tasted. It was an enlightening and scrumptious beer tasting.

With over 60 restaurants slinging their tasty cuisine, it was virtually impossible to sample them all. We will highlight some of the best that we actually had a chance to eat:

Our favorite dish of the night went to Siena Tavern for its glorious Gnocchi with Crispy Pancetta. This table had the longest line but was well worth the wait.

The Oceanaire’s Togarashi (Japanese Chili) Dusted Yellowfin Tuna was the best seafood dish of the night.

Preston’s at the Loews Hotel Adult Mac n Cheese with braised Short Ribs was incredible.

Baires Grill offered some addictive Grilled Provolone Cheese with Cherry Tomatoes.

Rusty Pelican brought the fancy with its Deconstructed Shrimp Cocktail. Kudos to them for having it available on a huge display so there was no line!

Metro Zoo’s restaurant Taste of the Wild had some great Duck Confit Tacos.