South America comes north in a hot streak of excellent eateries. Argentine chef and restaurateur Francis Mallmann — who also runs restaurants in Argentina, Uruguay, and New York’s Hamptons — debuts Mendoza (305-377-4443) in Miami as an homage to the wine-growing region of his homeland. North of San Francisco in Novato, chef George Morrone plays up his Argentine heritage at Boca (415-883-0901), which specializes in the pampas tradition of grilled meats. And in New York, at Brasserio Caviar & Banana (212-353-0500), chef and partner Claude Troisgros (who also cooks in Rio and Miami) introduces the city to his coconut stews, skewered meats, and signature tapioca “caviar” with crispy plantain chips. An authentic Brazilian steak house with two Big Apple locations — Plataforma (212-245-0505) and Tribeca (212-925-6969) — Churrascaria offers more than 15 scrumptiously grilled cuts of meat that will melt in your mouth as fast as the professionally trained meat cutters can slice them, as well as a gourmet salad bar that consists of a variety of seafood selections, sushi, prepared salads, and more. — E.G.