I can’t believe it. One by one, many of the famous New York restaurants are following their clientele to Miami. And I was delighted to hear that Tambourine Room By Tristan Brandt has been added to the list of Michelin starred restaurants in Miami. I am so excited. This Sunday, Eliot and I are going to tour many of the historic homes in Morningside, Miami. If you want to learn the mysteries of the Everglades, Miami Dade College is offering an unusual lecture with historian Cesar Becerra that could teach us a lot about the Everglades.

Pastis Opens New Location

Someone needs to tell Carrie Bradshaw that French Bistro, Pastis opened a new location in Wynwood. I can’t believe it. One by one, many of the famous New York restaurants are following their clientele to Miami. I almost feel like they are being forced to. I can hear their advisors telling them “follow the money.” As you probably know, many companies in the tech and finance world are moving their headquarters to Miami. Our lives during Covid showed the world that there is no reason not to live.

I hope all of these restaurants understand that Miami is a seasonal town. The cosmopolitan crowds they see in the winter months do not exist in the summer months. Miami gets populated with tourists from Europe and South America. However, if these new influx of folks are not familiar with all of the new restaurants they will stay empty.

Eliot and I make a habit of peeking into restaurants to see how they are doing. We worry when we don’t see them populated because new restaurants don’t know how to sustain themselves twelve months a year when their business slows down during the summer season.

We are hoping that the well-groomed restauranteurs, Stephen Starr and Keith McNally, understand the business dynamics of Miami. For those of you who are confused about what Pastis is let me remind you that the restaurant, in the Meatpacking District of New York City, starred in an episode of Sex and the City. where Aleksandr Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov) and Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) dined romantically while eating oysters.

Wouldn’t it be great if Carrie and Aleksandr could hang out in the new Miami Pastis this summer in order to attract business? There has got to be a way to keep restaurants busy twelve months a year.

Pastis Miami (305) 686-3050

Big News From Michelin Guide

Tambourine Room by Tristan Brandt, an 18-seat tasting menu only restaurant inside the Carillon Hotel, made the list. Rest assured The Three Tomatoes will keep you up to date on the best dining experiences in Miami. The Michelin Guide announced the second edition of its Florida guide, with L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon maintaining its two-star status and the same ten restaurants — Ariete, Boia De, Cote, The Den at Sushi Azabu, Elcielo Miami, Hiden, Le Jardinier, Los Felix, Stubborn Seed, and the Surf Club Restaurant — retained their one-star status.

The big and happy surprise that The Michelin Guide announced was that the Tambourine Room By Tristan Brandt, an 18-seat Tasting Menu-only inside The Carillon Hotel, Miami Beach, made the list. The fine dining restaurant offers a six-course menu with modern takes on classic French cuisines with Asian influences.

Morningside Historic Home Tour

I am so excited. This Sunday, Eliot and I are going to tour many of the historic homes in Morningside, Miami. This section of Miami features homes that gave historic beauty and charm of the architecture. This is very rare for Miami. Most of the architecture is very contemporary.  When you drive into Morningside you are immediately drawn to its beauty.

We have many friends who live in the area, so we are thrilled to be involved this year in what is usually a biannual, spring event. Morningside expects more than 1000 guests for the 29th Morningside Tour of Historic Homes & Gardens, and 100th Anniversary of the establishment of the Morningside neighborhood. The success of the event is mostly dependent on the generous support of the homeowners willing to showcase the historic beauty and charm of the architecture.

A wealth of Mediterranean Revival, Art Deco, and vernacular style houses line Morningside’s wide, tree-lined boulevards. These houses reflect the diversity and direction of architectural design during the 1920s and 1930s. The district encompasses buildings designed by more than 40 local architects and is equally significant for the quality of its landscape design, which features many mature tropical trees and plants.

Morningside is arguably one of Miami’s best-planned subdivisions, featuring wide tree-lined boulevards that contribute to the character of the area. Houses constructed in the Morningside Historic District reflect the eclecticism popular in the early twentieth century. The earlier buildings in the district are predominantly Mediterranean Revival in style, while structures built in the 1930’s and early 1940’s are frequently Art Deco.

HISTORIC DESIGNATION

The northern area of Morningside located between Biscayne Boulevard & Biscayne Bay, from NE 55th Street to NE 60th Street received historic designation from the City of Miami on December 20th 1984. This designation permanently extends the most important original Bay Shore restrictions. Major changes to homes in the District require HEP (Historic and Environmental Preservation Board) approval. The Morningside Historic District was then listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1992

Book a tour.

The Mysteries Behind The Everglades   

I have always promised myself that I was going to go to more activities at Miami Dade College. It’s one of the best community colleges in the country. The following is an unusual lecture with historian Cesar Becerra that could teach us a lot about the Everglades and get us enjoying the Miami Dade College facility. We should know about the Everglades considering the importance of these tropical wetlands.

There are many stories, some are included in the standard histories. Others, often embellished, become part of our folklore. Still others become lost in the millions of acres of sawgrass. Historian Cesar Becerra strives to tell them all. So passionate that the Miami Herald named him an Everglades Evangelist, Becerra has paddled, hiked, swamp tromped, buggied, airboated, and flown over most of these acres. But his deepest dive has been collecting, researching, and contributing to the mountain of academia that, ironically, exists for a place that looks at times like a simple field of grass.

Join Kislak curator Dr. Carol Damian and special guest Cesar Becerra in person on Monday, June 12, from 6:30 – 7:30 PM, when the Kislak Center presents Connecting Florida: Sawgrass Reflections with Cesar Becerra at Miami Dade College’s Koubek Memorial Center for a fascinating glimpse at the Everglades.  Get the details for attending.