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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

  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 […]

  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 […]

  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 […]

  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 […]

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 […]

  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 […]