I’m a huge fan of Open Table. This online reservation system is ideal for finding new restaurants, making reservations, and even better at this time of the year, it’s perfect to find out what restaurants are open for those days when you feel the city has shut down  — including Christmas Day. If you are one of those people who would rather go out than spend the day in the kitchen or if you are on the road for work or another reason, Open Table is the place to go to. They have nearly 60 restaurants for you to choose from in South Florida.

Here are my favorites:

Miami area

• Baleen at the Grove Isle
• La Marea at the Tides
• Meat Market
• Vix

Broward County

• da Campo Osteria
• Himmarshee Bar & Grille
• Trina Restaurant

Palm Beach County

• Bice
• Cafe Boulud
• Opus 5

Photo Credit: p u n t o @ flickr

Post from: The South Florida Traveler

• Football, football and did I say football? There’s never a bad day for football, especially on Thanksgiving Day. Tennessee takes on Detroit at 12:30 (will they win that first game of the year against the league’s only undefeated team this year?), Seattle goes to Dallas at 4:15 and Arizona takes on the Eagles at 8:15 pm.
• Movie Marathon anyone? There’s 4 movies being released the day before Thanksgiving and you could be one of the first to check them out. “Four Christmases” starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn is released on the 26th. This happily unmarried couple have planned an extravagant getaway for the holidays, but due to weather they find their vacation plans ruined and end up going to four family functions that day instead. Their feelings are spread in all directions as one can’t wait until they escape, while the other is starting to think about “other” things. Also, scheduled to be released are Australia starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, Milk starring Sean Penn and Emily Hirsch highlighting the life of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office, and Transporter 3 starring Jason Stathaym.

• Are you looking to find a tasty Thanksgiving turkey dinner, without having to do all of the leg work? Make your reservation today. Opentable.com has a pretty extensive line-up of restaurants throughout South Florida ranging from traditional menus to innovative inspirations. Whether you want a prix fixed menu or are more of that a la carte type of meal, you will find what you are looking for in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
• Has it been awhile since you’ve used that grill? Invite some friends over, put a turkey on the grill and have everyone bring a side dish. For wine, epicurious put out an interesting article on the top 5 turkey friendly wines, along with some delicious recipes. Don’t forget to take some pictures to send up to your northern friends as they are fighting the cold.
• Make a shopping list for Black Friday, go to bed early, and get ready to fight the crowds at 5 am.
• Make a list of everything you are thankful for. Take part in the true reason behind this holiday.

Photo Credit: xybermatthew @ flickr

Post from: The South Florida Traveler

As the editor of Dine Magazine, people often ask me where they should go for dinner, what my favorite restaurant is or where they can go for a unique dining experience. I am a walking advertisement, or could be. Out of thousands of restaurants in the South Florida area, I can’t say there’s one that I always lean to, but I do always point people towards a website called Open Table. Open Table is an online reservation system. Whether you are in Miami, Milwaukee or Ontario, Canada, you can go to this site to search for a restaurant for that special night out. Just type in your city, date and time and you will learn what is available. They also give you top ten lists. So if you are looking for the most popular restaurant in the city, where you schedule a lunch for your grandmother’s 80th birthday or for a place to have Sunday Brunch, you will be guided in the right direction.

Search further and you will find more information about the restaurant: hours of operation, a phone number, a description of the restaurant, dress code and the executive chef. No surprises here. Better yet, every time you book a reservation through Open Table, you will collect points – 100 points is the usual reward, but sometimes you can earn up to 1000 points for your reservation. Dine out enough and you will a Dining Cheque to dine out at your favorite restaurant.

Open Table is available internationally, so wherever you may travel, you will be set. Happy Dining.

Post from: The South Florida Traveler