Chug’s Express at Miami Worldcenter Opening Monday, January 16, 2023
Chug’s Express will officially open on Monday, January 16th at Miami Worldcenter! For your morning coffee and some items to-go, stop by Chug’s Express, which is open from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Caoba building at 698 NE 1st Ave in Miami, Florida 33132. Favorites from Chug’s Diner including croquetas, pastelitos, and coffee will be available at the Chug’s Express “ventanita.”
Breakfast Sandwiches
Sausage, egg & cheese house-made pork sausage, American cheese, scrambled egg, mayo
Chug’s Express is owned and operated by the Ariete Hospitality Group. Ariete Hospitality Group extends beyond excellence in cuisine, drink, and hospitality. They are dedicated to elevating the bar for dining in Miami and demonstrating to the world that the city is capable of providing top-notch dining experiences with every concept.
The staff is led by Executive Chef and Owner Michael Beltrán, a native of Little Havana who later trained with Miami’s greatest chefs before launching AHG’s flagship restaurant, Ariete. AHG’s Ariete has been recognized with a 2022 MICHELIN guide star for Chef Beltran’s, who has twice been nominated as a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South and a 2021 StarChefs Rising Star.
Chef Beltran’s interpretation of a Cuban-American diner, Chug’s Diner, has also been recognized with a 2022 MICHELIN guide Bib Gourmand. This enterprise is personal for Chef Beltran and the staff who have embraced the vision for Miami.
Miami’s First Distillery Opens February 2023
Tropical Distillers, a liqueur manufacturer, has opened Miami’s first distillery. A fully automated distillery with an on-site cannery, a 30-seat bar, and tasting room, and a gift shop with items only available at the distillery are all included in the area.
The facility creates JF Haden’s Craft Liqueurs line, which includes flavors including mango, lemon, and coffee. Also being developed are several additional goods.
Buzzy Sklar, the CEO and founding brand partner of Tropical Distillers, together with Mike and Maurkice Pouncey, two former NFL players, and real estate agent Kim Rodstein are partners in the distillery.
According to Sklar, “doesn’t fit any mold; we are one-of-a-kind in Miami, offering locals and visitors alike a unique beverage destination that is not only entertaining and aesthetically pleasing, but also informative.”
Visitors will be able to sample cocktails including the Cafecito Martini, Floridian Martini, and a variety of frozen drinks on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 pm until midnight.
A 1,500-square-foot outside deck at Tropical Distillers offers more seats and access to nearby food trucks. The neighborhood of Allapattah’s 8,000-square-foot location was scheduled to debut in December 2021 but was held back.
From Thursday through Sunday, at 1 pm, 3 pm, and 5 pm, there are guided tours available for $25. The event includes pick-ups from places in Miami and tastings of five different concoctions.
Coco Miami Plan to Open its First Florida Location
On January 11, Coco Miami will open its first location in South Florida in the city’s Design District. The 156 seats in Coco’s 2,800 square-foot dining room, which is located at 8 N.E. 41st St., will be staffed by 60 people.
General Manager Richard Contell and Executive Chef Jose Diaz, who received training from Michelin-starred chefs and has a passion for both European and American cuisine, will be in charge.
Because “quality dining and vibe dining” have been increasingly popular over the past few years, the restaurant, which combines fine dining with nightly entertainment, chose Miami for its first South Florida location.
Every night, there will be entertainment at Coco Miami, including dancers, DJs, singers, and live bands. Individual controls located in specified seating locations will allow customers to enjoy the restaurant’s sound system at their preferred volume level while they are eating.
With the help of fresh, regionally produced products, its menu will highlight European traditions. Crudos, pastas, meats, and shareables including seasonal oysters and accessories with chipotle mignonette, ginger-lime relish, and cocktail sauce; Pomme de Terre Millefeuille, thin layers of sliced potatoes with dill crème fraîche and caviar; and a selection of Oscietra caviar are also on the main menu.
Mademoiselle Coco, a cocktail made by hand with Yuzuri Yuzu Liqueur, Shiso-infused Gin, Dragon Fruit, Pineapple Syrup, Lemon, and Sparkling Wine; Alter Ego Margarita, a concoction of Don Julio Reposado, Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur, Thai Chili, Tangerine Syrup, and Lime; and Coco Martini, a concoction of Ketel One, sweet vermouth, and cream of coconut.
Every Wednesday through Saturday from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., Coco Miami will be open.
Exclusive Wine Experience Opens in Miami
Maison Mura, a refined wine and spirits engaging experience, has opened in Downtown Miami at 333 SE 3rd Avenue. The owners and long-time friends Matthieu Yamoum, the former Wine Director of New York’s Baccarat Hotel, and Philippe Vasilescu, the former Brand Ambassador for the prestigious LOUIS XIII Cognac de Remy Martin, will serve and sell an extensive selection of premium wine and spirits, as well as a refined food menu.
Both have extensive and complementary experience in the fine wine and spirits industry and have been working on this project for over 2 years to bring this bespoke experience to Miami.
According to Vasilescu, “At Maison MURA, we love what we do and are excited to offer our guests in Miami a comprehensive wine list and menu that is thoughtful and provides a tailored and memorable experience whatever the occasion is! We will always strive to offer a truly personalized service and consistently propose the finest expertise available to all of our clients.”
Although open to all, Maison MURA also has a membership limited to 150 clients who get priority access to exclusive events, tastings with the world’s top winemakers, and invitations to special events and experiences not only in Miami but all over the world.
Other benefits include early access to pre-sold and “en primeur” wines that are nearly impossible to obtain, priority reservations of the private room for hosting events, and priority storage of any wines and spirits purchased through the shop at their upcoming warehouse. Membership can only be obtained through Matthieu or Philippe. The concept is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Colliers International’s Ryan Brodsky and Jonathan Carter represented Maison MURA, while Koniver Stern’s Lyle Stern and Kerry Newman represented the landlord in the 2,500 SF lease at Met Square 333 SE 3rd Avenue.
Michelin Star and Miami Born Chef Officially Opens Brasserie Laurel at Miami Worldcenter
In the recently constructed Miami Worldcenter Caoba apartment tower in Downtown Miami, chef and restaurateur Michael Beltran has officially opened Brasserie Laurel, a French-focused eatery.
Escargot, frog legs, foie gras, deer tartare, beef Wellington, chicory salad, turbot in tomato beurre blanc, and Maine lobster with veal sweetbreads are just a few of the French classics on the menu at Laurel, which was devised by executive chef Ashley Moncada, a former chef de cuisine at Ariete.
Ashley Moncada, the new chef employed by Beltran at the establishment, trained at Ariete during the pandemic that has been going on for the past two years. Her first substantial project is this eatery.
“We see Laurel as Ariete’s younger sister. It’s a new approach to French brasserie food. Think Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, La Tour d’Argent in Paris,” states Chef Beltran.
Tom Lasher-Walker, the restaurant’s beverage director, provides modernized versions of classic cocktails such the Beneath the Sheets, which is created with aged rum and pineapple, and the Corpse Reviver Royal, a late 19th-century concoction made with gin, bubbles, and absinthe. Speaking of absinthe, there is a fountain behind the bar at Laurel where it is readily available. A sizable selection of champagnes and wines in the French and Old World styles completes the menu.
The restaurant’s interior, which is housed inside the flashy Miami Worldcenter, maintains the French concept throughout with its use of deep blue, gold, and dark wood. Two additional Ariete Hospitality eateries, Chug’s Express and El Vecino, will also make their Miami Worldcenter debuts in the upcoming months next to Laurel.
Favorites from Chug’s Diner including croquetas, pastelitos, and coffee will be available at the Chug’s Express “ventanita.” El Vecino, on the other hand, will be an upscale cigar bar that offers a full alcohol menu along with light meals including mussels, a variety of meat and cheese, a greek burger, foie torchon, and a variety of snacks.
The Scapegoat in Miami Beach, the Taurus in Coconut Grove, Ariete, Nave, Chug’s, and most recently, the Gibson Room on Coral Way make up the Ariete Hospitality Group’s fast-expanding restaurant portfolio.
Downtown Miami’s Brasserie Laural can be found at 698 NE 1st Avenue. They are open from 5 p.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday and from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday.
New Restaurant Set to Open on E11EVEN’s Rooftop January 2023-Giselle
The crew behind E11EVEN Miami, and the renowned restaurant management company, The Restaurant People, are collaborating to deliver Giselle, a brand-new, top-notch culinary experience, to Miami.
Giselle Miami will be a vibrant addition to the local culinary scene, fusing exquisite design, globally inspired taste, elevated cocktail programming, and supreme hospitality-driven service in a warm, sexy, and authentic environment. It will be located on the rooftop of E11EVEN Miami, in the center of Downtown’s Arts and Entertainment District. Giselle Miami, which is scheduled to open in early 2023, will take visitors on a voyage to see the world through Giselle’s eyes.
From her presentation to the sense of mystery she instills in each visitor that enters her doors, Giselle is chic yet eclectic, seductively alluring, edgy, and downright opulent on every level. Tristan du Plessis, a multi-award-winning interior architect based in South Africa, was commissioned by the team to fully redesign the area with high-style decor from countries such as Italy, the Netherlands, Paris, London, Greece, New York, South Africa, and Miami.
Chef Gustavo Zuluaga has created a cuisine that is full of surprise flavors and sophisticated international influences. He adds years of experience to the anticipated concept. Fresh, internationally-inspired food enhanced with Giselle’s distinctive added flair is what guests can expect. The names, flavor profiles, and presentations of an opulent selection of expertly made cocktails and a lengthy variety of high-end wines and spirits will entice guests with memories of exciting journeys and unforgettable evenings out.
The name E11EVEN is closely associated with cutting-edge entertainment concepts, forward-thinking hospitality, and living life to the fullest. In 2014, the award-winning ultraclub E11EVEN Miami opened its doors in downtown Miami, launching the E11EVEN brand.
E11EVEN Life, a subsidiary of hats and apparel that sells over $1 million worth of branded headwear annually, E11EVEN Vodka, a women-owned, ultra-premium spirit in which E11EVEN leased its intellectual property, and other entities make up the current E11EVEN ecosystem. E11EVEN Hotel & Residences and E11EVEN Residences Beyond are two sold-out twin 65-story high-rise skyscrapers in downtown Miami with 850 units. E11EVEN Sound by DAS Audio restores sound to the forefront of the nightclub sensory experience and can be found in venues in 13 countries.
The property, which is connected by a sky bridge, has a pool club, a Chopra Spa, and 5star dining. E11EVEN Crypto was launched to create various NFT collections on the Ethereum blockchain, starting with the sold-out 11 Captain’s Club. E11EVEN Music is a record label and artist/producer management company, and its first artist, 11APE, was born meta-primate #11 in the Bored Ape Yacht Club. The newest project is Giselle Miami
The address of Giselle is 15 NE 11 St., Miami, FL 33132.
Take a Look Inside the Design District’s Newest Italian Restaurant with a Pink Flair – Sofia
With the opening of Sofia in Miami’s Design District, the team behind Miami favorites Byblos and Amal has continued to grow throughout South Florida. The chic, predominantly pink restaurant is a Toronto import that offers fine Italian cuisine.
In close proximity to the recently Michelin-recognized Itamae, Sofia debuts a menu of both contemporary and classic Italian meals that are produced with a refined technique and seasonal ingredients to honor the true flavors of Italy. A variety of antipasti will be available, including Crudo, grilled octopus, citrus salads, and ricotta-stuffed zucchini.
For entrées, Sofia serves traditional handmade pasta dishes like rigatoni alla vodka and cacio e pepe al tartufo. Among the standouts from the carne mains are wagyu filets, breaded veal, and prime striploin, among others. The pesce area also includes branzino, aragosta (butter-poached crab), and gamberetti (wild king prawn).
Sofia’s Italy-inspired cocktails stress execution and graceful presentation, and its wine list includes a variety of vintages and difficult-to-find Italian wines, which are garnished with locally grown herbs. The restaurant’s flamingo-pink, Italian-glam indoor-outdoor settings was created by award-winning group Studio Munge, and they will be brought to life every night with DJs and live performances.
Sofia hopes to become Palm Court’s newest signature restaurant, according to INK founder and CEO Charles Khabouth, despite the fact that the Design District is already home to a number of upscale eateries, including well-known Italian restaurants like MC Kitchen and Palat and Pharrell’s ultra-trendy pastel wonderland Swan.
The Sofia restaurant will be open every day of the week starting at 5 p.m. breakfast and lunch service will start soon following the supper service, which will start now.
Lettuce Entertain You Launches Aba at Bal Harbour Shops
Photo Credit: Lettuce Entertain You
Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, a Chicago-based restaurant chain, has officially opened its first Bal Harbour Shops location with Aba, a well-known Mediterranean eatery.
Aba’s cuisine, which was developed by Top Chef alum CJ Jacobson, and Marc Jacobs, an executive partner, features tastes from all across the Mediterranean with inspirations from Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, and Greece.
The everything Jerusalem bagel with smoked salmon spread, hamachi, and charred avocado, as well as the shawarma spiced skirt steak, are some of the standout dishes on the menu. In addition to a full bar program, a “reserve” cocktail list with higher-end portions, and a large selection of zero-proof alternatives, the wine list and bar program offer options from all around the Mediterranean and Southern California.
Aba was initially launched by the group in Chicago in 2018 to great acclaim, winning restaurant of the year from Eater Chicago readers. The popular group will open two restaurants in South Florida; the RPM Italian concept is expected to open in Palm Beach in 2023. Since 1971, Lettuce Entertain You has opened more than 130 eateries, including Beatrix, Shaw’s Crab House, Mon Ami Gabi, and RPM Italian.
With climbing ivy, olive trees, and vintage lighting, including authentic Parisian street lamps and gilded Moroccan fixtures, the 250-seat restaurant maintains its Mediterranean theme. The room is divided into two halves by an arched passageway with textured walls and leather, wicker, and teak furnishings. Both floors of the two-story building have outside dining areas, while the second-floor mezzanine has a bar and additional seats.
The Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Avenue, Unit 101, is where you can find Aba. Every day from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., the restaurant is open for dinner; later this month, lunch and brunch will be added.
Photo Credit: Lettuce Entertain You
Chicago’s Mediterranean Restaurant Aba to Launch in the Bal Harbour Shops Miami
With its most recent expansion news—the launch this fall of Chicago’s Mediterranean restaurant Aba on its first floor—The Bal Harbour Shops in Bal Harbour shows that it is more than just a place to shop. It arrives in Miami courtesy of former Top Chef contestant CJ Jacobson, senior partner Marc Jacobs, and Chicago-based hospitality company Lettuce Entertain You, which is working with Aba for the first time on a South Florida project.
Aba, a sister establishment of Ēma in Chicago’s River North, features chef Jacobson’s more casual approach to Mediterranean cooking. The cuisine emphasizes vegetables and offers a variety of dips, such as avocado hummus with Dungeness crab and carrot sunflower with sunflower tahini.
Other notable meals are the shawarma Spiced Skirt Steak with Black Garlic Mushroom Jus, the grilled Mahi Mahi with Roasted Garlic Yogurt, and the torched toro toro with watermelon and crystalized Castelvetrano olives.
A wine list that focuses on wineries that use sustainable, organic, and/or biodynamic farming methods was chosen by mixologist Liz Pearce and has cocktails that combine elements of the Mediterranean and Southern California.
Hebrew named Aba which translates as “Father,” is a continuation of Chef CJ Jacobson’s earlier eatery, Ema, which means “Mother.” Chicago and Austin currently house the two Aba sites.
The first floor of the mall will include Aba, which will have an indoor dining room with more than 240 seats, a covered patio, a mezzanine bar, and a terrace. It goes without saying that it will be a spacious and much-needed contrast to the slew of other Mediterranean eateries that are opening this season, including the tapas-focused Mazeh, the stunning Lebanese Amal, and the modern Israeli restaurant Neya.
MILA Miami Beach Expands Restaurant Space Unveiling a Member’s Only Club, Omakese, and Luxury Lounge
The Mediterranean and Japanese infused restaurant MILA Miami, is expanding its space with a second level at 7,900 square feet. The 2nd floor expansion will include the MM Club, MILA Omakase, and the MILA Lounge with other experiences that will be unveiled soon.
In the heart of Miami Beach, MILA is a magnificent space that perfectly combines an upgraded eating experience with cuisines that aim to take guests on a culinary journey through the shores of the Mediterranean and Japan while creating a creative expression of flavorful MediterrAsian cuisine. It is inspired by Asian and Mediterranean eating practices, both healthy and tasty, and embraces the importance of enjoying life.
Living by the motto “EUDAIMONIA,” which translates to “the contented, cheerful feeling you feel when you travel,” MILA symbolizes a multi-sensory gastronomic experience with unique Balearic music blends, delectable food, and a fun atmosphere to party the night away.
According to the CEO and Founder of Riviera Dining Group, Greg Galy, “We are thrilled to be expanding MILA, adding multiple new venues to our immersive and innovative space. The additional concepts provide the opportunity to lead the luxury and lifestyle industry in South Florida.”
For the select few who participate in Riviera Dining Group’s program, the ultra-private, members-only club known as The MM Club will offer a personal experience. Members will be welcomed into a dimly lit area that adds a luxurious touch to the traditional speakeasy and gives privacy to guests who want absolute discretion. Expertly prepared cocktails will be served at a sophisticated bar that is covered in warm, rust-colored carved marble.
Visitors at MILA Omakase will go on an unexpected culinary adventure. When visitors enter the confined space with the stunning omakase countertop and 10 seats, time stands still. French pipe organ maker and Guinness Book Award winner Matthieu Garnier constructed the countertop from a 300-year-old Red Camphor tree. In order to enhance the sensory experience, Garnier also constructed a 500-year-old hinoki wood cutting board (Japanese Cypress) for the area.
MILA is a part of the the Riviera Dining Group which was founded in 2021 with the original MILA South Beach location. Their main goal is to bring customers a innovative dining and gathering experience. This year, they have also opened AVA MediterrAegean in Winter Park, Florida and Casa Neos which is anticipated to open in this fall in Brickell.
Evenings continue at the MILA Lounge, where visitors can indulge in a luxurious and private nightlife experience. Light appetizers, creative mixology, and bottle service will be available to those eager to make an impression as they mingle and dance to music from leading industry DJs.
Riviera Dining Group is seeking 50–70 additional front- and back-of-house employees as it gets ready to open the restaurant’s expansion.
