I know what you're all thinking: another steakhouse popping up in Miami to capitalize on the strange recession trend toward the old-school meat haven. But Baires Grill, though it does offer choice cuts of beef, is different. Why you ask? Because the restaurant does not have its roots in the dark, oaken interiors of Victorian England, but rather; in the airy, tropical, hot region that is - no not Florida – Argentina.

Though the restaurant first established itself in the city ten years ago, a lot has changed in Miami since Baires opened its doors. Miami Beach turned from a place you wouldn't visit unless you were sporting a bullet proof vest into a spot you wouldn't visit unless you were sporting a new designer dress (and a pair of breasts to match). In other words, Miami Beach has changed from the crim crowd to the prim crowd and Baires Grill has followed suit by opening up a Lincoln Road location.

With marble flooring, pillars of exposed brick, and romantically soft, bulbous lighting, the Miami restaurant feels more like a wine bar than a steakhouse. But then again, the wine list, that includes upwards of 50 choices, ranging in price from $21 a bottle to $200 a bottle, seems more like a wine list for a wine bar than it does for a steakhouse too.

Speaking of steak; the menu, of course, does consist of a variety of sanguine-blooded dishes from the grill including skirt steak, flap steak, filet mignon, and even a platter for two called the Parrillada that features skirt steak, flap meat, short ribs, sweetbread, sausage and blood sausage. But if you are not a meat lover, you are not conscribed to feast on Baires's variety of sauces. Though a spoonful of Malbec and honey or blue cheese sauce might be delicious, I'm not sure you would want to make a meal of these accompaniments. Getting to the point, this Argentine grillhouse has many vegetarian options; among them, gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce and caramelized malbec pears, Penne Rigatti with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil chiffonade, or spinach ravioli with pesto cream sauce and tomato confit.

Okay, so anyway you slice it, I suggest with the grain,Baires Grill's focus is on meat. But the contemporary elegance of the spot outweighs any red-meat slinging, American chain under the Florida sun. - E.H