It wasn't long ago we gushed about how Wynwood was surpassing its nightlife neighbor South Beach thanks to some recent openings. But don't expect the longtime nightlife kingpin to go down without a fight.
First up is Twelve Lounge (1200 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach), which opened up in the space formerly occupied by doom-from-the-start Hed Kandi Lounge. The gastro-lounge was involved in lawsuits from very beginning in large part due to the name and whether it not it has secured the rights by the Hed Kandi label to use it. Later it changed its name to the cringe-worthy Fierce Angel.
But its latest incarnation keeps the name simple as well as the decor. No gimmicks here. Instead the understated space gives ample lounge space fit for the customary bottle service. We still haven't visited the place for ourselves, but with Overthrow promoting its Tuesday night party Black Betty and Poplife throwing the Thursday night shindig Recess, we might just have to add this to our nightlife itinerary.
Further north, in the Collins Park area STK Miami has been bringing beautiful people and cooked meats together for about three weeks now. But there is more! Like the Los Angeles outpost, Coco De Ville (2377 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach), a 2,000-square-foot adjacent lounge opens this week. The West Coast incarnation is known to attract celebrities up the ying-yang, but as for Miami, we expect to see plenty of C- and D-listers and washed ups -- not that it will be of Coco De Ville's fault, that's just sort of the class of celebrities our fair city attracts. Still, with Rokbar's former marketing manager, Sebastian Puga, bringing his nightlife expertise to the lounge, we may be proven wrong.
Finally, buzz is building around the Opium Group's re-vamping of Mokai (235 23rd Street, Miami Beach). Our sources say the place will be open in about two weeks -- the official site gives a vague opening date of February 2010. We're excited to see what has been done to the place. Our complaint was always there was too much seating and not enough dancefloor, and we don't expect that to be any different. Still with successes like Louis and the continued dominance of Mansion, our expectations are high.
