The three most important considerations when opening a restaurant are

"location doesn't matter, location doesn't matter, location doesn't

matter". Or at least that seems to be the operating principle of the

folks behind Angelo & Maxie's Steakhouse,

who selected the Mayfair Hotel and Spa in Coconut Grove as the site for

their first South Florida venue. Some would call this a cursed location

-- numerous dining establishments have given it a go here and failed

(Ginger Grove being the most recent). I don't believe in cursed

locations, but I do recognize a bad one when I see it.

Angelo & Maxie's has been packing in the crowds at their original

Park Avenue, New York CIty locale since 1996 -- to the tune of some 700

covers per weekend night. It is doubtful this many people will even

pass by the Mayfair on a weekend night -- but more pertinently, they

will indeed pass by, as the restaurant is located on the second floor,

out of sight from the Grove's dwindling pedestrian traffic.

It is precisely these pedestrians (composed of Grove residents, and

tourists who wander a bit off course from CocoWalk) that Angelo &

Maxie's will have to depend upon for business -- carnivores in every

other area in Miami-Dade already have multiple steakhouse options

within walking distance of their homes. And of course just blocks away

from this new Mayfair meat emporium is The Knife Argentinian Steak

House, where you can consume an entire cow and pig for under $30.

I hope Angelo & Maxie's can succeed here, as it is one of the

better restaurants in Coconut Grove. It's just curious that such a

successful and established New York operation would choose so

challenging a spot for their expansion.

--Lee Klein

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