Miami Design District: Best Restaurants
The Miami Design District has evolved from a sleepy neighborhood of showrooms restricted “to the trade,” into a creative night time destination that is rapidly becoming the new option for trend-driven diners who’ve grown somewhat weary of South Beach. While the area is still a work-in-progress, the buzz on the street is attracting celebrities, star chefs and more than a few prominent socialites to the area.
An active street scene in Wynwood might still be a year away, but the Design District is definitely ready for prime-time. Wth swank eateries like Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink to the cozy Mediterranean dining room Brosia, a meal in the District may soon require an advanced reservation.
Venturing north past the 1-95 highway overpass that defines the border between Wynwood and the far less rustic Design District, visitors will note the preponderance of pricey showrooms and expensive cars. While the District is a hive of activity during business hours, the late night scene is still hit-or-miss. Because there is strength in numbers, both Wynwood and the District host “Art Walks” to promote larger group gatherings that make night visits less intimidating. The effect is striking. On a random Tuesday at dusk, it might just be you and a man pushing a rusted shopping cart. On Gallery Nights, you’re more likely to push past the designer-clad Mercedes crowd.
At the top of the food chain, Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink is the red-hot center of the new culinary scene. Serving lunch and dinner to a well-heeled clientele at 130 NE 40th Street, the restaurant divides in two worlds, the outdoor patio and the cozy dining room. Guests inside the arty space enjoy watching the presentation of dishes in small, medium, large and extra large portions breezing through the open-hearth kitchen. Devoted foodies vie for a seat at the kitchen counter bar so they can chat with Chef Michael Schwartz while he works his magic. The patio and 14-seat lounge area are home to a far more social scene. Guests enjoy gourmet-inspired snacks, small plates and heartier entrees from the wood-roasting oven including whole chickens served family-style and a pork shoulder and cheese grits entree that is Michael’s signature dish. Pop by during Happy Hour when the entire bar (not just off brands) is half-price.
Just across 40th Street in the courtyard to the legendary Moore Building, check out Enea Garden Lounge, a bamboo oasis that’s both a functioning business and a spectacular presentation of the work of Landscape Designer Enzo Enea. This chic hideaway is the perfect destination for a quiet cocktail, a romantic rendezvous or even a private event. When so much of the Design District vies for your attention (and your checkbook), it’s a welcome relief to step into this beautifully realized modern Zen garden. Monday through Friday 9am-6pm, plus evening events.
For a light meal or a variety of Japanese tapas, Domo Japones is the first Japanese Bistro in Miami. The clever team behind South Beach’s most successful Asian dining spots (Miss Yip’s and Bond Street) has created a visually striking eatery at 4000 NE 2nd Avenue offering sushi, sashimi and modern riffs on Japanese fare. Like many landmarks in Downtown Miami, Domo Japones transforms a former Post Office into a temple of seasonal innovative cuisine. Sushi Chef Naohiro “Nao” Higuchi brings a wealth of experience at Nobu Atlantis to inform his spectacular seafood creations. Chef de Cuisine Timon Balloo’s small plates update traditional Japanese cuisine using fresh local ingredients. The combination of beautifully prepared raw and cooked selections is best enjoyed at lunch or as a cocktail hour nibble.
Keeping in step with the Design District’s culinary boom, Domo Japones opened nearly in tandem with Brosia on NE 39th Street. This striking 4,000 square-foot courtyard space is the center of the District’s happy hour scene. Local toque Arthur Artiles interprets the small plate trend with a Mediterranean mezze selection including chilled mussels, spiced lamb, and piri-piri shrimp served on tiny skewers that are fun to mix and match. The lunchtime menu features an impressive burger of the day and a delicious steak sandwich that will surely tempt the rail-thin design crowd to break their vegan diets. Intricately detailed mosaics and visually stunning mirrors make this dining room a must-see (and be scene) destination.
Elements Tierra Restaurant is Chef Lorena Garcia’s personal labor of love. Offering a quiet refuge at 39th Street and NE 2nd Avenue, the salads, pastas and seafood dishes are both lightly sauced and reasonably priced in an area where dinner checks often cause sticker shock. With few entrees topping $15, Elements hosts a busy lunchtime crowd who all seem to know one another. Housed in an airy atrium and also offering patio dining, the spare furnishings feel a bit like a hotel lounge. For a quick lunch that won’t take a big bite out of your budget, grab a table at Elements.
Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant attracts a diverse and somewhat bohemian crowd who enjoy African musical performances and communal dining using fingers – not forks. Ethiopian dishes with a stew-like consistency are served with a whole-wheat crepe that is used to scoop up the entree entirely by hand (forks are available for those too uptight to grab their grub). A great way to break the ice on a date or with a larger group, Sheba offers an escape from the ordinary restaurant experience at 4029 North Miami Avenue.
The Design District is all about restoration, renovation and – some might say – resurrection. Fans of the 40th Street tropical hideaway Grass were surely glad the briefly-closed restaurant and lounge was given a second chance last year when Chef Michael Jacobs fired up the stoves and revved up the business. Local critics did not exactly rave about the first growth of Grass in 2003 but were far kinder to its second bloom last summer. With mid-priced entrees and a gorgeous tiki-lounge area, the stage was set for a remarkable comeback. Sadly, Jacobs spent his Christmas vacation packing up his knives and leaving for greener pastures. What happens next at this lovely Design District hot house remains a mystery.
As businesses and galleries continue to open in the Midtown area, restaurateurs eagerly await hungry new customers. Some of our favorite haunts for lunch include the Secret Sandwich Company at 29th Street and North Miami Avenue, a spy-themed take out spot serving all-natural soups, sandwiches and salads. Pasha’s Mediterranean Restaurant at 38th Street and North Miami Avenue has all things pita-pockety and delicious. The kitschy Orange Cafe + Art on 40th Street offers local artists a sunny venue and hungry visitors an array of artist-themed sandwiches including the Renoir (mozzarella), the Picasso (prosciutto) and the spicy Diego Rivera (with pico de gallo of course). Long-standing veterans in the area, The Charcuterie Restaurant at 36th Street and 2nd Avenue still posts daily specials on the chalkboard and maintains the air of a real French bistro. The W Wine Bistro next door is one of the most popular watering holes for the fashionably dressed showroom set who enjoy the casual vibe at lunch and the tapas selection after hours.
New and promising future prospects in the District include the opening of Fratelli Lyon by the surviving brother of South Beach’s once-treasured Lyon Freres. Keep an eye on the Driade Furniture showroom at 2nd Avenue and 41st Street for this much-anticipated new cafe. Rumors swirled from the NY Post to the local gossip columns this season when Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and his money-guy Stephen Starr were spotted dining at Domo Japones and Brosia. While some might claim they were simply sampling the best plates in town, the drums are beating for a fabulous new venture like the Karim Rashid-designed Morimoto Restaurant in Philadelphia.
When long-standing Lincoln Road restaurant Pacific Time suddenly shut it’s doors, rumors swirled about rent hikes and the culinary malaise that cost Chef Jonathan Eismann his once-loyal customer base. Local papers soon reported that the chef was negotiating for a Design District space to open a new dining room later this year. Displaced Pacific Time diners are eagerly awaiting Eismann’s next move…
If you want to plan a nighttime visit to the Design District, attend Art + Design Nights on the 2nd Saturday of each month in 2008. For more information, call 305.573.8116
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