When I received the phone call letting me know that I had been offered a summer associate position at Bilzin Sumberg, I was so excited that I truthfully don’t recall many details of the conversation after I heard, “We’d like to offer you a position this summer.” I do, however, remember hearing that, as a summer associate, I’d probably be going out to lunch with other members of the firm almost, if not every day, that work was in person, mostly because I figured that was a bit of hyperbole. Attorneys are busy professionals, after all.
However, I couldn’t have been more wrong. So far into the summer, all of the summer associates have been taken out to some excellent lunch places close to the office by even more excellent people. So, for any future summer associates reading, and for anyone who wants an idea for where to go to lunch or who just happen to be hungry right now, I’ve created an unofficial guide to the most popular restaurants close to the office.
1. Obba Sushi
You’ve heard it here first: 5/10 summer associates rank Obba Sushi as their favorite lunch place so far. That’s because Obba is just a short walk from the office, is right on the water, and has a gigantic menu, so there’s an option for anyone, including vegetarians and vegans.
All the summers went to Obba in a group, accompanied by Jessica Buchsbaum, on our second day of work, and I was fortunate to go today again, along with Jennifer Wioncek and Lazaro Gonzalez, another summer associate. Jennifer shared some career wisdom with Lazaro and I, and it was fascinating to hear her describe how the pandemic affected the legal market for tax and estates.
If you go to Obba, I definitely recommend getting one of the lunch specials. The sushi rolls there are too good to choose just one!
2. Edge Steak and Bar
Edge is a farm-to-table steakhouse across the street from the office. The food is really tasty and very high-quality, and there are a few options for vegetarians, too. If the weather is nice (which it normally is here in sunny South Florida), I definitely recommend sitting outside on the patio. I’ve gone to Edge twice now, once with Alex Barshel, my mentor, and another time with Claudia Capdesuñer. Since I’m interested in environmental law, Alex and I were able to talk about what her practice group has been working on recently and some projects I can get work on with them. Both Alex and Claudia were able to share some general advice about the transition from law school to working at a law firm, too, which was really helpful to hear my first week working.
3. Joe and the Juice
Joe and the Juice is a quick sandwich, smoothie, and coffee shop. Their packaging and marketing is on point with cute pink boxes and logos, and their iced lattes are great for an afternoon pick-me-up. The cakes and cookies also seem enticing, but I don’t know if they hold a candle to the delicious desserts Jessica Buchsbaum and Paul Van Der Meer made for this year’s bake-off.
4. PM Fish and Steak House
PM Fish and Steak House gets the highest walkability score out of all of the places. It’s the closest restaurant to the office, and it has the coolest décor and landscaping out of all the restaurants I’ve been to so far. The portions are really big, so make sure you go hungry if you make lunch plans there! PM Fish has the least meat-free options out of the different restaurants, but the appetizers are delicious, which I found out after John Chibbaro scheduled an impromptu happy hour for all of the summers to go to and ordered a feast of fries, cheese dip, and empanadas. I definitely recommend the spinach empanadas. PM Fish is the runner-up for summers’ favorite place so far.
Other honorable mentions: Dimitrio’s Cuisine for food that feels both healthy and hearty, and Paperfish Sushi for the best ambience!