Bar Rosso, Cantina 27, Racks and More New Restaurants

Those of you bemoaning the lack of restaurants in Miami can breathe a little easier this week, as announcements for newcomers keep pouring in. Here are just a few:

Bar Rosso Restaurant & Vinoteca opened its doors this past Monday in Aventura (where Ivy used to be). Executive chef, Joshua Medina, comes via Wish at The Hotel in South Beach. It promises to feature "upscale Italian fare with a modern twist", and more than 65 wines by the glass -- plus 3-ounce piccolo pours and 9-ounce quartinos. Menu items include salumeria and cheeses from the mozzarella bar, small plates such as crispy artichokes or arancini, and main courses culled from a wood burning grill in the exhibition kitchen. Al fresco dining is offered in "The Park", which is what Bar Rosso calls its' outdoor area. We're hoping it has swings.

Luca Laborante, owner of the cool little Cantina 27 at Collins Ave. and 27th St. in Miami Beach, is getting set to open a second location 44 blocks north on Collins (don't bother getting out your abacus -- it's 71st St.). When I asked Luca when we can expect the new branch, she said "We are waiting on the fire inspection, and if everything will run according to plan we are looking at three to four weeks."

Quattro Gastronomia Italiana has finally debuted its Sosta Pizzeria at 1025 LIncoln Road. Morello Forni is the star of the show -- that's not the name of the chef, but of the imported rotating oven, supposedly one of only two used in the States. More specifically, it is one of just two rotating pizza ovens, as every bagel oven in America rotates.

River Lounge is serving "cocktails and bar bits" at downtown Miami's Epic Hotel & Residences. Presumably River Lounge is by the river and loungier than the upstairs Area 31 -- although, honestly, that's just a guess.

Have we mentioned that Racks Italian Bistro and Market has been doing business at the Intracoastal Mall?  Oh, right, we have.

Yard House is the newest addition to the Village of Merrick Park. The American fusion cuisine contains over 100 items (uh-oh), including all the usual suspects -- salads, pastas, burgers, steaks, ribs, seafood, and, no doubt, some sort of chocolate dessert that oozes after being removed from a microwave. But we are neither cynical or skeptical when it comes to the "endless fleet of tap handles" that line the lengthy bar. Yard House is, in fact, self-proclaimed as purveyor of the "world's largest selection of draft beer".