Bye-Bye, Barbu and Siam Lotus Room

New Barbu and decades-old Siam Lotus Room have each met the same fate. The latter, South Miami's answer to Boston's Green Monster, lured drivers on South Dixie Highway with its lima-bean paint job and owner Atchana Capellini's famous coconut shrimp -- along with other Thai dishes derived from her family...

By Lee Klein

August 30, 2010

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New Barbu and decades-old Siam Lotus Room have each met the same fate. The latter, South Miami's answer to Boston's Green Monster, lured drivers on South Dixie Highway with its lima-bean paint job and owner Atchana Capellini's famous coconut shrimp -- along with other Thai dishes derived from her family recipes. The doors were closed for good after Saturday night's service, but it's not too late to sample Capellini's fare: Atchana's East/West Kitchen is still cooking it up at the Mutiny Hotel in Coconut Grove.

Barbu was the winner of Miami New Times' Best Place for Organic Tapas in 2009. Owners Marc and Blue Solomon -- whom many recall from their organic restaurant in Buena Vista, A -- made a valiant go of it at this more recent venue, which was located on the corner of West Avenue and 20th Street in Miami Beach. We'll miss the roasted pear with honey and Roquefort, as well as the notion of having a comfy neighborhood joint serving healthful food on South Beach.

Miami New Times' restaurant reviewer for the past decade, and the world's indisputable master of disguise.

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