Barclay Graebner to Open Morgans in Former Zak the Baker Deli Space and Blvd Bae's in MiMo

Barclay Graebner, one of Miami's most active restaurateurs, knows how to stay busy. She's responsible for the wildly successful Morgans on the border of Wynwood and Midtown, Sherwood's in Little River, and two small eateries in North Bay Village, Black Sheep and Tacos vs. Burritos.

Now she's planning to open two more: a second Morgans inside Zak Stern's former deli space at 405 NW 26th St., and Blvd Bae's, located on the corner of 73rd Street and Biscayne Boulevard in Miami's MiMo District.

"I honestly thought the original Morgans would be closed by now," Graebner says with a chuckle. "And, well, it's not. I keep preparing for the day when Morgans will close, which is one of the reasons why I've opened up all these other restaurants. I'm basically preparing myself."

Morgans, which Graebner opened in 2010, serves comfort food inside a renovated two-story 1930s house. For the last eight years, the restaurant has remained one of the most popular spots in the neighborhood, especially during breakfast and brunch.

"I took the Sherwood's space in 2014 because I thought I'd be gone from Morgans," she says. "So when the Zak space opened up, I couldn't pass it up either. Morgans is my bread and butter for my family, so naturally I'm scared for the day that the original location will close."

Graebner's second Morgans will serve an almost identical lineup of comfort food items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Otherwise, a major difference will be the restaurant's size, which fits about 75 seats compared to the 180 at the original.

"We'll probably do a different dinner menu," she says. "We got pinpointed so bad as the breakfast spot that the original Morgans isn't really known for dinner, so I definitely want to change that."

Blvd Bae's, which Graebner expects to open by mid-November, will serve many Morgans favorites too, including fried chicken and waffle sandwiches, and meatloaf. There will be an outdoor grill, where she'll feature different meats cooked over an open flame. The venue, which is limited to 10 seats with front and back patios, will be open early and close between 1 or 2 a.m.

"We'll be doing breakfast all day until 5 p.m.," she says. "Then we'll restart it at 11 p.m. for people ending their nights. I want it to be a supercasual neighborhood spot similar to Black Sheep in North Bay Village."

When Blvd Bae's and Morgans open, Graebner says she's ready to take a break from conceptualizing new restaurants.

"The only other thing I could see myself doing is opening up something in downtown on 14th Street and NE First Avenue to liven up that area," she says. "If that deal goes through, you'll see something similar to the original Morgans house."

Morgan's. 405 NW 26th St., Miami. themorgansrestaurant.com. Opening late 2018.

Blvd Bae's. 7242 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. Opening November 2018.