HotelChatter

To start with, the setting of the DiLido Beach Club is hard to beat—down by the beach path, under shady umbrellas, you get to people watch in comfort, and enjoy the many glasses of iced water DiLido staff bring to the table.

Then there's the menu. Like most chefs, McInnis is a fan of fresh, local and organic ingredients, but his particular spin—Mediterranean meets Northern African-inspired dishes—is custom made for beachside eating.

You can't stroll a block in South Beach without hitting a steakhouse or Italian restaurant, but when it's 90 degrees in the shade, you don't necessarily want a bowl of pasta or a hunk of meat on a plate.

What you do want is Key West shrimp cocktail with horseradish harissa, fresh gazpacho or ceviche, dates wrapped in prosciutto, and flatbreads topped with crispy lemon chicken and artichokes. Seriously, our meal here was one of the best—and most climate-appropriate—lunches we've ever had in South Beach.

Whatever you do, make sure you same room for dessert: McInnis uses liquid nitrogen and fresh summer fruits to make his own sugar-free sorbet. And it is ... To. Die. For.

DiLido Beach Club is open for lunch, dinner and cocktails 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday through Wednesday and until 9 p.m., Thursday through Saturday.

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