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.
Miami Worldcenter Welcomes Sports & Social-New Bar by Live! Hospitality and Entertainment
Miami Worldcenter and Live! Hospitality & Entertainment has a deal to bring its widely regarded Sports & Social concept to the $4 billion, 27-acre mixed-use development that is reshaping Downtown Miami.
Live! Entertainment’s premier dining, entertainment, sports viewing, and social concept is called Sports & Social. One of the biggest restaurant and entertainment concept creators and operators in the US is Hospitality & Entertainment. The company’s main goal is to build iconic venues near prestigious sports arenas, world-class resort casinos, and popular entertainment and lifestyle areas around the nation.
The Sports & Social Miami Worldcenter location will occupy about 20,000 square feet in the development’s glass-encased “Jewel Box” retail building and will feature an open-air third level and a rooftop restaurant overlooking the World Square public park and plaza. It will be situated just steps from Miami’s FTX Arena.
The establishment will provide sophisticated food and drink options, including made-from-scratch gameday favorites, handmade cocktails, and specialty drinks, like its iconic Crush selection, and a variety of beers from popular local and national beers. A number of special food-related events will be held at Sports & Social, including a brunch experience you won’t want to miss on Saturdays and Sundays that will feature its renowned #brunchtails table drinks and menu favorites like avocado toast, savory breakfast skillets, and its signature Chicken & Bliss.
Sports & Social in addition to offering some of the top sporting events in the area, Miami will host a range of live music performances and unique events throughout the week. With cutting-edge technology throughout, the venue will include a striking 53-foot LED display as its focal point, which will simultaneously stream different athletic events and games.
Additionally, visitors can take part in a variety of games like shuffleboard, Beirut, skeeball, foosball, pop-a-shot, and arcade games. Each location of Sports & Social is uniquely designed with careful attention to every detail by some of the highest profile firms in the world including ICRAVE, Jeffrey Beers International, and Knauer Incorporated. ICRAVE, a highly regarded and award-winning strategy, design, and development company, is creating Sports & Social at Miami Worldcenter. ICRAVE, a Miami- and New York-based company, has been in charge of designing Sports & Social’s nationwide expansion.
Three residential towers, Paramount Miami Worldcenter, Caoba, and Bezel Miami, as well as about 175,000 square feet of retail space, were among the phases of the project that were already finished. A 351-room citizenM hotel and an additional 125,000 square feet of retail space are slated to debut at Miami Worldcenter before the end of the year.
The Legacy Hotel & Residences, a 50-story mixed-use tower with 310 branded residences atop a hotel and 50,000 square feet of medical office space, as well as the second phase of Caoba, which will encompass an adjacent 40-story tower with 420 apartments, are also under construction. The 52-story Miami World Towers, which will have 550 apartment units, is also under construction.
The Witkoff Group’s three-tower mixed-use project, which will include up to 2,000 residential units as well as 550,000 square feet of office space and an additional 50,000 square feet of retail, is one of the planned developments. The Crosby, a 450-unit turn-key condominium by Related Group and Merrimac Ventures, two “supertall” residential towers by New York-based Naftali Group, and The Crosby are a few other projects that are in the works
‘Sports & Social’ will add to Miami Worldcenter’s alluring list of recently revealed tenants, which also includes Sephora, Bowlero, and Lucid Motors as well as two food and beverage concepts, Brasserie Laurel and El Vecino, that will soon open under the direction of Michelin-starred Chef Michael Beltran. Around 110,000 square feet of leased retail space are shared by these seven businesses and the newest tenant of the property in Downtown Miami.
A New Speakeasy Bar to Open in Downtown Miami-Freddys
Freddys, a speakeasy-themed bar, will debut on August 25 in the heart of downtown Miami and is located right within the InterContinental Miami hotel.
Take the escalator up to the lobby, then search for a plain white door leading to the Chopin ballroom towards the rear of the building. You will be given instructions on how many times to tap (think morse code) and how to accomplish it after receiving your desired reservation.
According to the website, “Our host will permit entrance to those with the correct knock.”
You’ll discover a romantically lit treasure box with soft chairs, elaborate Oriental rugs, and a candlelit bar behind the embellished curtains. Here, you may order drinks that evoke the Prohibition era and are created with herbs, house-made bitters, and freshly squeezed juices.
Due to Freddy’s limited seating capacity of 12 people, reservations are required only for seatings at 5 p.m., 7:30 p.m., and 10 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
This quiet, inconspicuous lounge is perfect for the gram. There’s also a coat rack brimming with flapper-inspired accessories located at the entryway to dress like you’re in the actual era.
Freddy’s is located at 100 Chopin Plaza at the InterContinental Miami. For more information, click here.
Bad Bunny and David Grutman Unveil Gekkō at Grand Opening in Brickell
Thanks to Bad Bunny, David Grutman, and Groot Hospitality, the bustling Brickell district of Miami has new eating alternatives. The world’s most streamed music artist and the restauranteur have officially debuted Gekkō, their new joint venture.
Although the official opening is tonight for the most talked about restaurant in Miami, the exclusive unveiling was last night which included many notables and so much delectable food!
Attendance included David Grutman and Bad Bunny themselves, with special guest Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner, David Beckham, Victoria Beckham, Timbaland, Lil Wayne, Future, Lele Pons, Jake Paul, and Candice Swanepoel. The turntables were taken over by Zack Bia, who played music for the partygoers to dance to.
The Japanese-inspired steakhouse offers the best Wagyu beef in the world along with creative and enhanced sushi options, opulent takes on classic chophouse dishes, brand-new handcrafted drinks, and much more.
In addition to being the name of a dedicated lounge, Gekkō—which translates from Japanese to English as “moonlight”—brings a creative, small nightlife venue to the center of the city’s social scene.
According to Bad Bunny, “Sitting down with friends to enjoy a good meal is one of the moments I value the most. I am thrilled that now I will have a hand in creating this experience for others.”
Gekkō’s menu combines the convivial and well-liked food of a steakhouse with the accuracy and modernism of Japanese cooking. Before moving on to starters, seafood, and steak, this starts with shared dishes, featuring traditional Japanese milk bread and a Kumamoto oyster with “Lava and Ice.”
Lobster dumplings and a creatively updated version of a wedge salad with yuzu buttermilk ranch dressing are two appetizer standouts. Highlights for raw dishes, sushi, and sashimi include Hokkaido Scallops and the novel 24k Otoro, a creation exclusive to Groot Hospitality.
The menu is anchored by a number of exquisite steaks, such as a Tomahawk cut, an olive-fed filet mignon from Kagawa, Japan, and a snow beef strip from Hokkaido, Japan. There are specialty dishes like Wagyu Skirt Steak and a Bone-In Ribeye. A variety of main meals are available, including Daring plant-based chicken, Creamy and Spicy Lobster, and more in typical Groot Hospitality fashion.
Up to 185 diners can be accommodated at Gekkō throughout a lavishly designed, flawlessly integrated indoor-outdoor flow. Rockwell Group, an architecture and design firm with offices in New York City, created the interior.
Gekkō’s charisma and nocturnal ambiance are enhanced by stylistic elements, such as a unique gold and red dip-dyed rope installation, graphic wall coverings, and velvet drapes. At the same time, the air is charged by lighted cuts and bars. Gekkō is located in Miami, Florida, 33131 at 8 SE 8th Street.
Famous NYC Restaurant Rao’s Opening Soon in Miami Beach
The iconic New York City eatery Rao’s, noted for both its exclusivity and its red-sauce cuisine, is establishing a presence in Miami Beach and we can’t be more excited to try it!
The Pellegrino family’s Italian restaurant is slated to launch at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel at 1601 Collins Avenue in the first few months of 2023. Rao’s will be replacing the ground-floor restaurant Lure Fishbar.
The original Rao’s is located in Harlem, New York, and is known for turning away notables due to the difficulty of reserving tables. Rao’s also has a location in Los Angeles and their location in Las Vegas was closed last year. Rao’s is run by Frank Pellegrino Jr. and Ron Straci
Frank Jr. is the 4th generation owner of Rao’s and since his undertaking of the restaurant, he has created a family brand of sauces, pasta noodles, and soups that can be found in your local groceries.
The restaurant recently ran a pop-up at David Edelstein’s W South Beach hotel while shopping for a location to set up shop.
The 790-key hotel is owned by the Tisch family, which is headed by Loews chairman Jonathan Tisch and had housed renowned chef Emeril Lagasse’s eatery.
The most recent New York restaurant chain to open a location in Miami is Major Food Group’s Carbone in South Beach. Since then, the company has had fast growth throughout Miami and in Boca Raton. Additionally, Pastis is anticipated to debut at an Edelstein property in Wynwood.
Locally, other restaurants and hospitality chains like Casa Tua and Cipriani are also growing. The NoMad Residences in Wynwood, developed by Edelstein, Related Group, and Alex Karakhanian, will soon welcome Casa Tua.
Award Winning and “America’s Favorite Chef” Thomas Keller is Opening a New Bistro in Coral Gables.
Bouchon Bistro, the acclaimed French restaurant owned by Chef Thomas Keller, will debut in Coral Gables in the early months of 2023, according to the chef and his staff. Along with his upscale American eatery the Surf Club Restaurant in Surfside, it will be his second restaurant in Miami.
The French Laundry, Per Se, and the freshly starred Surf Club Restaurant are all three-star Michelin restaurants owned by the renowned chef. Chef de cuisine Thomas Castellon, a former employee of Keller’s the Surf Club Restaurant and TAK Room, will take over the kitchen at Buchon’s Miami branch.
Similar to the menus at the Bouchon restaurants in Yountville and Las Vegas, the menu in Miami will feature seasonal French cuisine in addition to traditional selections like steak frites, roast chicken, mussels, and escargot.
Around 160 people will be able to dine at Bouchon Coral Gables, which also has 30 outside seats and a separate private dining area. Longtime Bouchon colleague Adam D. Tihany of Tihany Design in New York City, who created both Bouchon locations, will design the area.
The restaurant will open in the La Palma building, a historic Mediterranean-style structure constructed in 1924 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, at 2101 Galiano Street in Coral Gables. The building was originally designed by architect H. George Fink.
According to Keller, “Since opening the Surf Club Restaurant four years ago, it has been a great privilege to re-establish relationships in South Florida. We were enamored with the rich history of the La Palma building and Coral Gables neighborhood and we look forward to introducing our classic French bistro to the community.”
A Second Soho House Revealed in Miami
A second Soho House, called Miami Pool House, will be launched in Miami in the fall/winter of 2022 by the Membership Collective Group Inc.
The Membership Collective Group (MCG) is a vibrant, and international membership platform that links members through physical and digital places.
The Miami Pool House will be located at 105-107 NE 25th St. at an old printing press called Windward Publishing, which was most recently a private residence. It will house the new Miami facility near the border between Wynwood and Edgewater.
There will be a pool, lounge areas, a restaurant on the terrace, a club area, and a cottage bar in the House. As a result, there will be a laid-back, laptop-friendly workspace where people can hang out during the day and enjoy some entertainment in the evening.
Miami Pool House will emphasize the local Miami artist community through committed relationships, programming, and its art collection.
According to the Area General Manager, Philip Spee, “Soho Beach House has been a part of Miami for nearly 12 years since we opened in 2010, and we’ve loved to help connect a diverse, vibrant, and creative set of members and guests over that time. The team and I are delighted to bring another location to our local and visiting members that will provide a platform for them to come together and connect socially and professionally.”
Exclusively for members and their guests, Miami Pool House will be accessible. Miami Pool House is open to Local House members. Those who belong to a House, however, have access to every Soho House in the world.
Nick Jones established Soho House in 1995. It serves as a space for our varied members to interact, develop, enjoy themselves, and create an effect.
Today, there are members and houses all over the world, along with eateries, spas, offices, and movie theaters. A location where people can exchange ideas and build connections in both physical and virtual environments, Soho House is a platform that supports all forms of creativity.
There are currently 30 Soho Houses, 9 Soho Works, The Ned in London, Scorpios Beach Club in Mykonos, Soho Home, interiors and lifestyle retail brands, and digital outlets are all ways that members from all over the world interact with MCG. The larger portfolio of MCG also includes the LINE and Saguaro hotels in North America.
