Luna Changes Names, Kobe Comes Back, Fleming Gets Gordon, and so forth

Luna Cafe, at 4770 Biscayne Boulevard, is now called L'artista Restaurant. Ownership is the same, meaning Tom Billante is still  involved. Besides the name change, the menu has been tweaked upwardly towards a more fine dining experience than the casual Luna Cafe. Seems a curious move at this time, but Billante has in the past shown himself to be a savvy restaurateur.

What if La Boite a Pizza in South Beach goes out of business and nobody sees it fall? Is it still out of business?

Speaking of which -- it's great that we've got all of these new pizza joints producing excellent pies, but isn't it about time to move on to something else?

Then again, no pizza place opened this past week. Nor a steak house or sushi restaurant. This confirms that we are officially in the midst of the "summer doldrums".

Instead of pizza: Why not an arepas joint that offers variations on that sweet grilled cheese treat? A bacon-scallion add-in sounds pretty good to me.

Whatever happened to...Maria Frumkin, of DUO Restaurant downtown? Last time we saw her was on Top Chef, last we heard of her was when DUO closed.

To all of you cynics and nay sayers who said Kobe Club would never come back: August 1st will be the reopening date, just in time for Miami Spice, just as China Grill Management said it would. Kobe doesn't skimp with its' Spice menu either. You can choose from six appetizers, including Kobe beef tartare with fresh wasabi root, quail egg and crostinis, or iced hamachi with jalapeño, pineapple and scallion. Entree choices include pan-seared wild salmon with lobster dumplings, and Kurobuta pork chop with Japanese chili-pepper apple sauce. Side dish picks such as sake-white truffle creamed corn are also on tap, followed by a selection of desserts. Price is $35 (plus tax and tip), valet parking with validation is $6. Kobe Club is right next door to China Grill at 404 Washington Ave. in South Beach. For reservations: 305-534-2211.

Gordon Ramsay is in town with the challenging task of improving the decades-old Fleming A Taste of Denmark. Think we can start with a better name? In fact, even a worse name would be better. Herring-Do?