February was a huge month for the Miami food scene. The South Beach Wine & Food Festival brought a slew of celebrity chefs -- all wanting to be enchanted by our city's restaurants and bars. And if the likes of Geoffrey Zakarian, Martha Stewart, and Rachael Ray were feeling peckish, they had a host of new restaurants to try. More than a dozen establishments opened their doors in this short month, bringing everything from luxury macarons to seafood to our fair city. The most intriguing openings: 1826 Restaurant & Lounge, which is generating buzz for Danny Grant's lobster dumplings and lamb tartare, and Prime Fish, where Michael Sabin concentrates on the fruits of the sea.
Restaurant closings include the much-loved Chef Ho, Jean Paul's House, and the insanely expensive Tosca. Coconut Grove was hit hard with the closing of Acropolis and Johnny Rockets.
Openings
5 Napkin Express (a grab-and-go behind 5 Napkin Grill)
The Bent Fork (A Monday evening pop-up by Simon Stojanovic at The Federal)
MO Bar and Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Naked Taco at the Dream South Beach
Pinkberry (Alton Road)
Traymore Restaurant at the Metropolitan by COMO Hotel
Yard House (South Beach)
Closings
Acropolis
Chef Ho
Jean Paul's House
Johnny Rockets
Tosca
Coming Attractions
- Tom Colicchio's farm-to-table at the 1Hotel & Residences.
- The Alchemist - Multiple-course dining experiences coming to Midtown.
- Aoki Teppanyaki - Coming to Dadeland.
- Balan's - Opening another location in Dadeland.
- Biscayne Brewing Co. - Fresh beer coming soon.
- Brother Jimmy's BBQ - South Miami and Dolphin Mall locations coming soon.
- China Grill - Moving to Brickell.
- Cibo Wine Bar - The second location, coming soon.
- Earl's Kitchen & Bar - Coming to Dadeland.
- Gravity Brewlab - Opening in Wynwood.
- Ikea - Coming 2014
- JugoFresh - Expanding their reach with locations in Miami Beach and Coral Gables announced.
- Kush - LoKal's beercentric joint opening in Wynwood.
- L'Echon Brasserie - Another Pubbelly endeavor.
- La Cantina 20 - Another Icon tenant getting set to move in.
- La Mar by Gaston Acurio - Celebrity chef coming to Mandarin Oriental Miami in March.
- Lokum Mediterranean Grill - Opening on Alton Road.
- Mmmm - Opening in Wynwood
- My Pi - Custom pizza coming to CocoWalk.
- Morimoto Restaurant - Opening in Shelborne South Beach
- MIA Brewing Co. - Opening soon in Doral.
- Milk Burger - New York burger joint teasing us with hints of a Miami location.
- Ms. Cheezious - The food truck is opening a shop.
- My Ceviche - Coming to South Miami.
- N Lounge - Kevin Cory to open a lounge next door to NAOE.
- NaiYaRa - Chef Bee to open Thai Asian street food bistro in SoBe.
- Natsusteak - Michael Mina rumored to be opening another restaurant at the Fontainebleau.
- Panther Coffee is opening a location in MiMo.
- Poor Man's Lobster - From the folks at Mandolin.
- STK - Reopening.
- Shikany - Opening in Wynwood.
- Sienna Tavern - Fabio Viviani opening Italian restaurant in SoBe.
- Wood Tavern - Opening a pizzeria next door, and an upstairs lounge.
- Ten Fruits - Opening in Coral Gables with Panther Coffee and juicing.
- Touche Rooftop Restaurant and Lounge - Carla Pellegrino to open a restaurant at the E11even.
- J. Wakefield Brewing Company - Coming to Wynwood.
- White Lotus - James Beard-winner Matthew Kenney brings the raw food movement to Wynwood.
Projects in the Works
- An upscale restaurant and brewery is planned for the old Cooper Avenue space in South Beach.
- Steve Martorano is closer than ever to opening a Miami Beach location.
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