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Best Dim Sum

Bamboo Garden III

There are two ways to serve dim sum: Wheel it around in steam carts, allowing diners to select the small portions of Chinese dumplings, noodles, balls, buns, tarts, and cakes by sight; or make it to order, ensuring that customers receive fresh food and nothing is wasted. Bamboo Garden, which has two other locations in Miami-Dade County, goes both ways. On weekdays diners check off the amount of pan-fried turnip puddings or scallion pancakes they would like from a list of 59 items. On weekends the staff pushes around carts, serving specials of the day in addition to items from the regular menu. Whenever you go, though, and however you order your dim sum, chances are you'll be impressed, as we are, by the artistry invested in the creation of these delicious little tidbits.

Best Bakery

The Bread Basket

Blink as you're about to cross the railroad tracks on eastbound 45th Street and you'll miss this hole-in-the-wall treasure, although your nose will probably steer you back. Almost all available surfaces in the tiny front room are covered with freshly baked, beautifully shaped loaves of bread, rolls, and pastries, displayed not in plastic bags but in baskets lined with colorful napkins. Hand-lettered signs identify the goods, which vary daily: French, Italian, pumpernickel, sourdough, marbled rye, herb, Parmesan, and other breads, along with giant cookies and other sweets. The breads are fat-free and contain no preservatives, and they freeze well. The steep prices aren't posted, presumably on the assumption that if you have to ask, you can't afford it. Don't worry -- it's all well worth it.

Best Fresh Produce

West McNab U-Pick

The three-year-old boy has hardly ever been in a garden before, much less a vegetable farm. But his task is simple: Find the red ones. As he walks slowly and purposefully down the row of tomatoes, his eyes scan the plants, and, sure enough, he finds them. He loves West McNab U-Pick, and why not? Where else in Broward County can you have an interactive experience with a genuine farm? Just about nowhere. At West McNab U-Pick, there are about 60 acres of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, strawberries, and more. Get there early -- the farm opens at 8 a.m. -- and you're likely to get the cream of the crop. We got there late and had to choose from sparse pickings. There was a lot of walking and not a whole hell of a lot to show for it, which brings us to the true beauty of the farm: If you come up empty, there's a huge stand on the premises, full of the biggest and boldest peppers you'll find, the reddest strawberries you'd hope to eat, and the kind of juicy tomatoes that are best eaten whole. The tremendous selection also includes plenty of citrus and a roomful of fresh potted herbs.

Best Smoothie

Smoothie King

You have ten minutes for lunch, you need energy and nutrition, and one hand is occupied steering the car… what a conundrum. Not if you're close to a Smoothie King. The first store opened in New Orleans in 1973 and has now franchised into more than 180 locations nationwide, including several in the Broward/Palm Beach area. The delicious frozen drinks offer something for every "body." Looking to bulk up? How about a "Hulk"? The 953 calories and extra protein help pack on the muscle. Feel a cold coming on? Smoothie King's "Immune Builder" includes vitamins C and E, echinacea, an herbal blend of nutrients, and antioxidants. Their number-one workout smoothie, "Power Punch Plus," is good before or after a workout, and the two grams of fat won't weigh on your mind. Available in more than 40 flavors, the original recipes, using fresh fruits such as bananas, papaya, blackberries, and crushed pineapple, taste good and are good for ya.

Best Greek Restaurant

Culinaros

One of the pleasures associated with Greek dining is the way customers get to view their food before ordering it. At some restaurants that entails a journey into the kitchen to investigate bubbling pots and check the eyes of the fish -- if they're clear, the critters are fresh. At Culinaros the trip is somewhat abbreviated, as fish are displayed in a deli case near the entrance. And the eyes are bright, no question, making the snapper and swordfish dishes some of the kitchen's best. That's not to say, however, that just because meaty lamb chops are on the menu, baby sheep are also for show. In fact the only dish that truly ruins your appetite for a main course is the appetizer platter for two, comprising tzatziki, hummus, roasted eggplant dip, and spinach pie; it's big and tasty enough to suffice for dinner.

Best Polo Tailgating Picnic

Boulevard Gourmet Catering

You've polished your riding boots to a soft sheen, reserved a space alongside Palm Beach Polo's main playing field in Wellington, and invited a few acquaintances from the social club to join you on Sunday for a Gold Cup qualifying match. But if you want to upstage your finger sandwich-serving neighbors, you'll need a serious spread, preferably one you won't have to chip your nail polish putting together. Boulevard Gourmet Catering can make your picnic posh with baskets priced at $400, $600, or $800, packed with an assortment of four to seven dishes such as poached salmon, roasted tenderloin baguettes, smoked pheasant, grilled lamb chops, caviar, and lobster tails with lemon mayonnaise. You choose three to five desserts from a list that includes chocolate-dipped strawberries, Bahamian coconut tarts, guava cheesecakes, and Medjool dates stuffed with toasted almond cream. French-Canadian caterer Dany Thibault hand-delivers your tailored menu to the Polo Club in an extra-large wicker picnic basket with linens, china, silverware, glasses, and a flourish of palm fronds and fresh flowers.

Best Fusion Restaurant

Darrel & Oliver's East City Grill

Every chef has his or her own definition of fusion cuisine, it seems, but we think the Grill's executive chef Gianni Respinto describes it best: Global-American. In other words anything goes, as long as it tastes good. And, boy, his honey-pecan-crusted catfish, served with Peruvian potato mash, wilted spinach, and bourbon-barbecued beurre blanc sure fits the bill. As with most fusion chefs, Respinto can be tempted to excess -- a little bit of this, a lot of that. Fortunately he has consulting chef-partner Oliver Saucy, mastermind of the long-running New World restaurant Cafe Maxx in Pompano Beach, and partner Darrel Broek, to keep his Global-American mind on track. Or, more precisely, on tangent.

Best French Fries

Flanigan's Seafood Bar & Grill

The main draw at Flanigan's is the food, and how do we like it? Fried. Flanigan's best-kept secret may be their French fries. Big Daddy Joe serves up those spectacular spuds curly style, and they're never greasy or soggy but always crispy and seasoned just right. No need for salt- and peppershakers either; these fries get their great taste from seasoning salt alone. But if you're the type that simply cannot eat French fries without globs of ketchup, fine. We found that the honey mustard and barbecue sauce are great additions as well. With or without condiments, those golden corkscrews are always satisfying. (If you want, you can even order a Flanigan burger or grilled fish entrée to accompany them.) Not only are the fries delicious, they're fun to eat too. We're not telling you to play with your food, but at Flanigan's it's OK.

Best Carry-Out Chinese

East Emerald

Ask not what you can do for your neighborhood Chinese restaurant but what it can do for you: deliver. If you live out of range, however, it behooves the salmon lover to hoof it on over to East Emerald and pick up an order of Emerald salmon with black bean sauce to go. By the time you get home, the bean sauce has soaked into the fish, rendering it a bit moister than you might actually get in the restaurant. Chef Kevin Ong also excels in undercooking vegetables just slightly, so food packed in cartons is perfectly done, steamed to ideal consistency. The restaurant will even pack up a Peking duck, which in our opinion goes above and beyond standard takeout fare. But then, East Emerald isn't named after a precious stone for nothing.

Best Mexican Restaurant

Eduardo de San Angel

It's tough to figure out how burritos and fajitas came to represent Mexican food in the United States when restaurants like this one are around. Run by the Pria family, this elegant hacienda serves regional Mexican cuisine that raises the level of dining in Fort Lauderdale. Can't bother with burritos? Try the appetizer crepes stuffed with cuitlacoche -- a corn fungus that tastes like mushrooms -- and napped with squash-blossom sauce. Don't care for chicken fajitas? Order the main course of rock Cornish hen glazed with mole. Follow up your food with mango crème brûlée, and any preconceived notion you had about Mexican food will melt faster than fried ice cream.

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