Great places to eat or hang out around town
According to economist Elliot Eisenberg, PhD, “Of the 9.9 million economy wide jobs lost, 2.1 million or 21.2% are in restaurants.”
I am hoping that the jump in air travel to Florida reported on Squawk Box today helps our local restaurants during this holiday season. The temporary zoning changes allowing more outdoor dining options should be a big help.
Built as a result of Henry Flagler’s Railroad, Cauley Square is a charming collection of small businesses. Connected by meandering walkways under a lush tree canopy, it is far from the rowdy place it was in the early 1900’s.
Saved from demolition at two different times by women investors, Mary Anne Ballard in the 1970’s and Frances Varela in 2001, the historic cottages, 10-acre grounds, and fountains, have been beautifully restored. Come spend the day visiting restaurants such as the Tea Room, pictured above, and charming shops that are located throughout the property. It offers such a nice change of pace to the hustle and bustle of everyday life in Miami.
It may sound strange, but there are several things that resulted from the pandemic that I am grateful for. One of the ones that I hope will stick around is the increase in street narrowing or closing to allow for more outdoor dining. It always struck me as strange that South Florida doesn’t have a lot of outdoor dining. I know summers get hot and sticky and we can get severe thunderstorms, but we also have a lot of beautiful days and evenings that are perfect for outdoor dining.
As predicted by Baum+Whiteman, experts at creating destination-dining attractions, 2018 has been the year for plant-based dining and Miami is no exception. Ranked number nine on PETA’s 2018 Top Ten Vegan Cities, Miami has a diversity of vegan restaurants.
In addition to the more informal dining options such as Choices, Eden and Eden, and Glam Vegan, there are some pretty upscale options as well. Plant at Sacred Space is one of my favorites and you can’t beat the beautiful location.
Since Food and Beverage continue to be the retail darling in many centers, if you are a landlord looking to bring traffic to your space, or if you have a unique setting, consider a restaurant such as one of these top vegan restaurants in Miami as a tenant.
I love the Sunset Harbor area of Miami Beach. It is a non-touristy part of Miami Beach, right before you get on the Venetian Causeway. I have been going there for years, when it was just a bunch of auto repair warehouses with a great Italian restaurant, Sardinia. Then came Scott Robins with his vision for the neighborhood. Soon Barceloneta and Pubbelly Sushi moved in and the locals started coming. Needless to say, it is no longer full of auto repair warehouses, though there are a few. Now, new, fun, tasty restaurants, boutique clothing shops, yoga & pilates studios line the streets. Popular workout and hangout spots like Flywheel and Panther Coffee, as well as both Publix and Fresh Market are here.
For your working convenience, and a really short commute if you live here, there is buro, the community building co-working space. Or you can work at any of the shops, restaurants, warehouses, or offices nearby. Finally, and probably most importantly, if you live and work in Sunset Harbour, you don’t have to go too far to play.
In addition to all of the shops, restaurants and workout places, Sunset Harbour is surrounded by water, spas, parks, running and walking paths. Paddle board or kite surf in the harbor and if boating is your pleasure, there is the Sunset Harbour Yacht Club. So, whether you are looking for a new place to live, work or play, or want a charming place where you can do all three, check out the Sunset Harbour District. You won’t be disappointed!
In a recent post about restaurants driving retail traffic, I listed restaurants that have been added to malls and downtowns. Today’s blog is about one of my favorite local South Miami restaurants, Whisk Gourmet Food + Catering. A recent blog in OpenTable, Millennial Dining: How the Share Generation Is Shaping the Restaurant Experience, discusses several features that restaurants find help attract millennials. High tables, open kitchens, Instagrammable design (and of course, food!), at least one burger and bar seating are all important in creating a dining experience that millennials are drawn to and Whisk has them all.
The home-style Southern cooking is simple yet high quality, using seasonal, local and organic ingredients and the atmosphere is casual and friendly. Whether you are a millennial or not, you will appreciate both the food and Southern hospitality at this local favorite.
Food has always been important in retail centers; all you need to do is check out the food court at any major mall to see how much space is devoted to food. Increasingly, more formal sit-down restaurants are what is needed to drive traffic to malls, strip centers, or downtowns. Dadeland Mall added many dining options when they renovated several years ago, Downtown Dadeland is starting to bustle with the addition of The Brick and Barley to their tenant list, and Brickell City Center has a variety of restaurants, including Quinto La Huella, Pubbelly Sushi, and American Harvest to name a few.
Ten-X’s U.S. Retail Market Outlook listed the top five markets for investors to consider buying retail real estate. Three out of those five were Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. Robust employment and increasing population in all three cities are pushing the demand for retail space in all of their respective counties.
Looking for a new happy hour? Last Thursday, thanks to an overcrowded bar at Tarpon Bend, some friends and I discovered the charming Uvaggio restaurant and wine bar. Although they don’t have a full bar, they have a wonderful selection of wine and beer at very reasonable prices. We had a cheese plate, which featured some great American artisanal cheese, my favorite was Humboldt Fog, and stone crab with our bottle of wine. The place is tiny, but the bar is comfortable and friendly. I am looking forward to going back and having dinner.
I love Anacapri and go there for dinner and their Wednesday wine tastings, but have never been there for happy hour. Last night I went out with friends and suggested we go there and try it out. I am so glad we did and I will definitely be back. They have a wide selection of wine and appetizers to choose from. We had meatballs, eggplant rolatini, and a bottle of Carnivore, all three of which where delicious!