Via Emilia 9

While you might normally assume that South Beach's best restaurants were all located inside the oceanfront hotels or around Lincoln Road, you'd be doing yourself a disservice because then you might never try Via Emilia 9. This charming and wholly authentic regional Italian restaurant is off-the-beaten-path, on a quiet stretch of 15th street, not far from Alton Road. Newly renovated, Via Emilia 9 lacks the snootiness of some other high-end restaurants, and presents itself instead as a place that's less interested in exclusivity and more concerned with dishing out really great food. The pasta here is made fresh daily, and the meats and cheeses all imported from Italy. Open for lunch and dinner, you should do yourself a favor and visit during both and order any and all of the following items: four-cheese gnocci, eggplant parmesean, pumpkin ravioli, meatballs in bolognese, and chef's filet mignon.