Classy dining room belies the gutsy pan-Mediterranean food coming out of the kitchen.

The Scene
This stylish eatery just north of South Beach has yet to be discovered by Miami's foodie hordes. Too bad, because they'd find a classy, intimate deco-esque restaurant with soft cream-leather chairs, terrazzo floor, plush banquettes and not nearly enough customers. Given the gorgeous room, crisp and professional service and lusty, moderately priced food, the restaurant shouldn't go undiscovered for long.

The Food
Many restaurants merely dip their toes in the ocean of Mediterranean cuisine, but the Abbey dives in headfirst. Not every dish is successful; witness tough monkfish in a misbegotten fig sauce and desiccated potato-anchovy pancake. But other dishes delight the taste buds with bold and brassy flavors. There's a lovely salad of remarkably tender grilled octopus, creamy-dreamy mussel soup, spicy merguez (lamb sausage) with dried-fruit couscous and gloriously simple, roasted whole Spanish bass. The tarte Tatin is a well-done rendition of a French classic