We’re off to South Florida, where we will enjoy 6 days of warm sun, breezes and FOOD! When it comes to vacationing, my wife Kate and I love to plan our adventure around the restaurants that we would like to visit. It is so much fun leading up to vacation to research the area, the culture and the best places to grab a bite. The restaurants don’t have to be upscale or expensive. They simply need to serve great food. Of course we don’t know if the food is any good until we try them. We hope to pick all winners, but we do drop in on a dud every once in awhile. In some ways it’s part of the fun. Now we are not opposed to upscale restaurants, but our son is only 19 months, so we need to take that into consideration.

Since we are going to be in the Miami area, my first thought was, we’ve got to get a Cuban sandwich. I was told by @MDTSOBE via twitter that David’s Cafe is the place to pick up a great Cuban. Sonny’s Famous Steak Hoagies was featured on Diners Drive-ins and Dives. They’re local, we both love steak sandwich’s, so they made the list. We will see if Guy Fieri got this one right. My family has been eating at the Greek Islands for years, it’s always great, so we’ve got to go back. They have the best baked shrimp. Mmmmmm… Can’t wait!

So here is our list… so far (Not all have websites, isn’t it 2011?!?!) –

• David’s Cafe
• Sonny’s Famous Steak Hoagies
• Greek Islands Taverna
• Blue Marlin
• Pop Rock Sushi
• Your suggestions???

I’m sure additions or even subtractions will be made as the week unravels. We are on vacation, there are no rules, anything goes!. If we are missing a “must eat at restaurant” in the Fort Lauderdale, Miami area please let me know. Would love to hear your suggestions, which you can leave in the comments section or send me a tweet @erik_eats.