18 February 6-12, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ SOUTH FLORIDA FLANIGAN’S LAUNCHES COLLAB WITH NIGHT OWL COOKIES For the first time in its more-than-65-year history, legendary regional restaurant chain Flanigan’s has hard-launched its first collabo- ration, creating a mile-high cookie tower sun- dae with homegrown Miami cookie shop Night Owl Cookies. After seven months of brainstorming, James “Jimmy” Flanigan, the son of the founder of the legendary South Florida sports bar and restau- rant, will roll out the epic dessert in collabora- tion with Night Owl Cookies this Saturday, February 1, at all 26 Flanigan’s locations. The decadent sundae, “Jimmy’s Sweet Stack,” fea- tures two oversized warm chocolate chip cook- ies by Night Owl Cookies covered by two giant scoops of Edy’s vanilla ice cream, topped with whipped cream, salted caramel drizzles, choc- olate syrup, and vibrant green sprinkles in honor of Flanigan’s iconic green logo. Available throughout the entire month of February, Night Owl founder Andrew Gonza- lez calls the partnership “a dream come true.” “This brings me full circle,” he tells New Times. “To work with a place I grew up visit- ing is surreal. My par- ents would always take me to the Flani- gan’s in Coconut Grove, long before it was redeveloped into the CocoWalk we know today. To now partner with them? It’s huge.” Flanigan, the grandson of the com- pany’s founder, has historically been cautious when it comes to collaborations. However, af- ter hearing Gonzalez’s vision and reflecting on his own memories of growing up in Mi- ami, he began to see the potential. “Jimmy started by telling me how he grew up and what he enjoyed, and it just snow- balled from there,” Gonzalez says. The result? The limited-time dessert starts with two of Night Owl’s famous chocolate chip cookies, topped with a generous scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream, and then drizzled with gooey caramel, rich chocolate fudge, and whipped cream. It’s finished with green sprinkles, a nod to Flanigan’s iconic branding. The dessert is large enough to share be- tween two people, but also satisfying for one person with a big appetite. As Night Owl ramps up cookie production for its Flanigan’s partnership, Gonzalez is also gearing up for two new cookie outposts in 2025. The cookie shop is set to open a storefront in Country Walk near Kendall and another in an undisclosed location in Bro- ward County. In the meantime, the collaboration will be available at all 26 Flanigan’s locations across Miami, Broward, Palm Beach, and Martin counties. “To get ribs, a burger, rib rolls, and then finish the night with a Night Owl cookie? It’s a dream,” the Night Owl owner says. “This is a Miami moment.” Flanigan’s Seafood Bar and Grill. “Jimmy’s Sweet Stack” ice cream sundae is available at all Flanigan’s locations from Saturday, Febru- ary 1 through February 28. flanigans.net. CLAR- ISSA BUCH ZILBERMAN ▼ FORT LAUDERDALE FORT LAUDERDALE STAPLE CHRISTINA WAN’S TO REOPEN Just two months after New Times broke the news that Fort Lauderdale staple Chris- tina Wan’s had closed in Victoria Park, long- time customers have something to celebrate this year — it’s coming back. Fans began celebrating on Monday, Janu- ary 27, after a Facebook post posted by Frank Polo in the popular South Florida foodie Facebook group, Let Eat, South Florida, read, “Saw this sign on the door of the closed Christina Wan’s in Fort Lauderdale today with a handwritten sign that says: ‘Reopening in Spring under the fourth generation of Wans.’ Happy to share the great news!’” And fans had ev- ery reason to cele- brate. Not only is the restaurant reopening in the same location it has called home for nearly 30 years, (in an assuming Vic- toria Park shopping plaza next to a Winn-Dixie grocery store), but the restaurant will also remain within the Wan family of ownership. New Times reached out directly to the nephew of Christina Wan’s founder, chef and restaurateur Alex Kuk, to confirm the news. “Yes, we will reopen as Wan’s sometime in the spring,” he responds, confirming the news. Wan’s will open at 664 N. Federal Hwy. at the former Christina Wan’s. The new res- taurant will be run by Kuk, who is the nephew of Christina Wan, and will feature the same traditional Chinese menu longtime fans loved at Christina Wan’s. Kuk is a tal- ented chef himself, as he is the co-founder of Temple Street Eatery just a couple of blocks down the street. The Wan family previously offered its fare to guests in Fort Lauderdale at 1201 N. Fed- eral Hwy. from 1986 to 1993. In 1996, the res- taurant moved down the highway to 664 N. Federal Hwy. However, Wan’s legacy goes beyond that — spanning 40 years, and its numerous locations have been a South Florida tradition and favor- ite since 1966. Originally located on SW Eighth St. in Miami in the late 1960s as Wan’s Mandarin House, the family has continuously | TASTE TEST | ▼ Café Photo by Andrew Gonzalez Photo by Frank Polo The decadent creation features Night Owl’s signature warm chocolate chip cookies and a tower of vanilla ice cream and toppings. A reopening soon sign is currently taped outside of the former Christina Wan’s in Fort Lauderdale “TO GET RIBS, A BURGER, RIB ROLLS, AND THEN FINISH THE NIGHT WITH A NIGHT OWL COOKIE? IT’S A DREAM.”
