t's not as though Miami ever had a meat shortage, but bovine proliferation has never run as rampant as it does now. With Meat Market and a new Fogo de Chao carnivores are enjoying unprecedented levels of satiation. And now Rare enters the Miami restaurant scene.

Note: vegetarians and vegans might want to skip the subsequent paragraph.

Living on the cheap in a Bayswater hostel, I was subsisting on complimentary bread coupled with Costcutters-bought cheese or sandwich meat (depending on that day's budget). Thus, when invited to an Aussie barbecue I was excited. I pictured cow/kangaroo flesh lightly cooked, dripping with taste juices and ready for consumption. I'm not a savage, I don't need blood to drip from my mouth, but I don't mind seeing a hint of blood. However, when I arrived at the backyard party I found heavily darkened, tire-rubber steaks. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated the gratis grub, though my jaw was left aching after a long battle. On a vaguely related note: the notion of a steakhouse dubbed "Rare" is beyond enticing.

Miami Beach's Rare is a new-ish entry into the beef restaurant scene. The menu dips into the sea (Chilean Sea Bass, Seared Tuna, etc.), hits the coop (Wood Roasted Chicken), and grabs Donald (Roasted Duck). However, the focus is on steak. Look for a number of cuts, from Ribeye to Skirt. The marquee grabber is Aged Bone in Delmonico 24oz ribeye, so bring an appetite. The space is refined but not showy and the wine list is well chosen an appropriate.