Weekend Restaurant Weather Report: As Nobu, Blade Sushi Sink... BLT, Sosta Swim

When things got a little more wet and wild than usual on South Beach this weekend, some restaurants rose to the occasion thanks to lucky locations, while others were bogged down in high waters. And the Miami Twittersphere tweeted both real and rumor.The Shore Club's Nobu was said to have...

By Jackie Sayet

June 8, 2009

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When things got a little more wet and wild than usual on South Beach this weekend, some restaurants rose to the occasion thanks to lucky locations, while others were bogged down in high waters. And the Miami Twittersphere tweeted both real and rumor.

The Shore Club's Nobu was said to have taken on two feet of water, and the roof incident at the Fontainebleau rendered Blade Sushi soggy, even "destroyed" according to some tweet accounts.

But a little torrential rain didn't keep the fine dining set from taking a dip in haute cuisine. All dressed up with nowhere to go, some headed to high and dry BLT Steak at The Betsy Hotel.

"We actually were very pleased, since a lot of people ended up coming over to us when their reservations were cancelled at other restaurants," said manager Vanessa Vannaier on Saturday. "We had about 20 come over from other places, a decent amount considering the circumstances."

As of Saturday, the Fontainebleau spa as well as some clubs, bars, and restaurants were fully operational at normal business hours, including Blade. Lovely, another quick fix construction job. And just in time for hurricane season!

A phone call to Sosta on Lincoln Road revealed perseverance and optimism through trying circumstances.

"We were 80 percent down, but blessed to be farther up on the road so we didn't take in any water damage," said GM Selchuk Once. "People started to show up after 10:30 p.m. I'll take the 20 percent, considering the circumstances. My servers couldn't make it in, so the managers and captains ran the restaurant. One even took three hours to get here from Collins in the 100's, but he got here. It's extremely tough to be open, but the restaurant depends on us so we did the best we could."

"I'm new to Miami weather," he added. "People are telling me this is only a sneak preview. I can't imagine what's to come."

Yeah, you and the rest of us, Selchuk. Pray the city gets its act together before the feature presentation.

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