Oceanaire Sold to Landry's

Oceanaire Seafood Room, a premium restaurant in Mary Brickell Village that has drawn solid reviews, has been purchased by a large national chain, the Nation's Restaurant News reports. Landry's, which owns Rainforest Cafe and Chart House among other restaurants, paid $6.6 million and assumed $17 million in debt. Oceanaire filed for...

By Chuck Strouse

April 19, 2010

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Oceanaire Seafood Room, a premium restaurant in Mary Brickell Village that has drawn solid reviews, has been purchased by a large national chain, the Nation's Restaurant News reports.

Landry's, which owns Rainforest Cafe and Chart House among other restaurants, paid $6.6 million and assumed $17 million in debt.

Oceanaire filed for reorganization last July and shuttered four of its 16 locations. The company had hoped to remain private and boutique.

A message left with CEO Terry Ryan in Minnesota was not immediately returned, but a call to the local branch (which we named Best Expensive Chain Restaurant in 2009) found things remain the same. And the menu, which changes twice a day, didn't sound bad. "Crab cakes are amazing," said the lady who answered the phone. "Two five-ounce cakes go for $32.95... And we have halibut cheeks -- they come as part of the Miami Spice menu: $22 for lunch and $35 for dinner."

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Chuck Strouse is the former editor in chief of Miami New Times. He has shared two Pulitzer Prizes and won dozens of other awards. He is an honors graduate of Brown University and has worked at newspapers including the Miami Herald and Los Angeles Times.

Contact: Chuck Strouse

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