14 May 16-22, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ WYNWOOD WOOD, NOT: WOOD TAVERN HAS CLOSED DOWN FOR GOOD One of Wynwood’s most unstable relation- ships — like an on-again, off-again boyfriend — has been the one with beloved watering hole Wood Tavern. Is it back? Oh, it closed. Wait, now it’s back again. Never mind. Closed. After many trials and tribulations, Wood Tavern, the watering hole beloved by those hanging out in Wynwood since 2011, has closed down permanently. Late Sunday evening, on May 5, Wood Tav- ern’s owner, Cesar Morales, shared the news of the bar’s permanent closure via an Insta- gram post on the bar’s Instagram account. “What started as a simple issue with the name of the licenses turned into a more complicated situation,” reads the post, in part. “Obtaining a new license requires new paperwork, and from there, things snowball. It’s a process that could easily take 1-2 months. We are not in a position to sus- tain that.” The post con- cludes, “Wood officially closes its doors and will not reopen ever again, not in Wynwood or anywhere else.” New Times called and texted Morales for comment but didn’t receive a response. On April 27, just a few days earlier, the bar announced via an Instagram post that it was forced to shut down on April 26 “by the city over the name on the licenses/permits.” The post detailed how the bar could not open until the city of Miami “gave them the green light.” The news of the bar’s permanent closure comes less than six months after New Times first reported the reopening of Wood Tavern. The bar, which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, had then planned to reopen as a pop-up in Wynwood before making a move to a smaller location in Allapattah. In December of 2023, Morales told New Times, “Allapattah will be our permanent home. It worked out for everybody.” However, on January 31, Morales con- firmed through an Instagram post that the Allapattah plan had come to an end, and the bar would continue in its Wynwood location at the former Shots bar. Unfortunately for fans of the classic bar, both locations will cease to exist. Miamians who came of legal drinking age in the 2010s are likely familiar — if hazily so — with Wood Tavern, whose sprawling com- plex at the bustling intersection of NW Second Avenue and 26th Street was a verita- ble bohemian oasis during the arts district’s formative years. Wood Tavern was where countless hipsters (and New Times staffers) gathered for reasonably priced drinks in a no- judgment space. NICOLE LOPEZ-ALVAR ▼ SOUTH BEACH POPULAR SEAFOOD RESTAURANT CATCH OPENS SOUTH OF FIFTH One of Miami’s most highly anticipated res- taurant openings of the year has finally ar- rived — and in true Miami fashion, guests can expect glamour, celebrity sightings, and some delicious Asian-fusion dishes. Catch, a glob- ally inspired seafood restaurant known for its extravagant atmosphere, opened in Miami Beach on Friday, May 10. The restaurant is located at 200 S. Pointe Dr. in the affluent South of Fifth neighbor- hood of South Beach. It’ll make its new home alongside some of Miami’s most iconic luxury restaurants, including Joe’s Stone Crab, Mi- los, Prime One Twelve, and Carbone. The opening of Catch in Miami Beach marks the seventh outpost of the Catch Hos- pitality Group brand, which has locations in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Aspen, with soon-to-come developments in Dallas and Scottsdale. The original flagship restau- rant is in the heart of the Meatpacking District of New York City, which opened in 2011. “Miami offers the perfect backdrop for our brand,” says Mark Birnbaum, Catch Hospi- tality Group partner. “Securing this incredible location has enabled us to deliver the quintes- sential high-energy dining experience we’re renowned for, and we’re eager to bring our unique blend of service, style, and cuisine to this vibrant community.” Much like its New York, Los Angeles, and Aspen counterparts, the 23,000-square-foot restaurant has indoor and outdoor dining ar- eas, as well as an open-air rooftop terrace, all designed by Rockwell Group. The interior dining area is grandiose and spacious, with shades of emerald green, dark wood accents, and gold chandeliers, which hang throughout the restaurant. For those familiar with Catch, the Miami Beach outpost will take the energy and vibes of its Los Angeles location but turn it into a tropical, Miami-esque paradise. Therefore, expect lots of greenery, Floridian “Mediterra- nean Deco” architecture, bronze, antique mirrors, marble, lacquer paint, Venetian plas- ter, and rich, contrasting woods. “I couldn’t be more excited to expand our footprint within Miami’s thriving hospitality scene and bring the signature Catch experi- ence to the esteemed South of Fifth neighbor- hood,” says Tilman Fertitta, Catch Hospitality Group partner. “This city’s ever-evolving culi- nary landscape is truly something special, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.” Offering a Japanese sushi and Wagyu pro- gram, Catch Miami Beach will offer its signa- ture nigiri and sashimi platters and cold dishes of crudo and ceviche, all featuring fish flown in directly from Japan’s Toyosu Mar- ket. One of the few restaurants fully licensed and certified to sell authentic A5 Kobe, Catch Miami Beach will offer its signature “Wagyu Hot Rock” dish, which is a tableside prepara- tion of A5 Kobe beef from the Hyogo Prefec- ture as part of its Wagyu program. Alongside Miami-inspired dishes, like a hamachi crudo, the menu at Catch Miami Beach will also offer many of the beloved Catch classics the brand has become known for, including the “Catch Roll” made with truffle sashimi, mushroom spaghetti, and Cantonese lobster. Other quintessential Catch dishes are the baked king crab hand rolls, crisp shrimp, crisp chicken bao buns, Wagyu gyoza, filet skewers, lobster macaroni, and crisp cauliflower. In addition to à la carte service, the restaurant is available for private and semi- private events. Back in 2013, Catch Miami opened at the former James Royal Palm Hotel under EMM Group with Hardy Hill as manager and Hung Huynh as executive chef. The restaurant was then the second outpost of the restaurant chain (the original being in the Meatpacking District of New York City). It closed in 2014. Catch Miami Beach. 200 S. Pointe Dr., Miami Beach; catchrestaurants.com. Monday through Sunday 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. NICOLE LOPEZ- ALVAR ▼ SOUTH BEACH MILA NAMED NINTH- MOST-BEAUTIFUL RESTAURANT IN U.S. Mediterranean-Asian hot spot in South Beach, Mila, has just been named one of the most beautiful restaurants in the U.S. In honor of the 50th anniversary of People and the magazine’s annual 2024 Beautiful Is- sue, the publication teamed up with editors at OpenTable to crown 50 restaurants as the na- tion’s most beautiful. Coming in ninth in the top ten most beautiful is none other than Mila in South Beach. The Mediterranean-Asian restaurant won over the editors of OpenTable thanks to its “warm reclaimed woods, striking sculptures, and greenery galore [that] make this indoor- outdoor stunner a Miami destination.” The restaurant, which opened in 2020 atop the historic 800 Lincoln Road building, measures 13,000 square feet and includes a 150-seat, earth-toned dining room with an open kitchen and a bar decorated with artistic wood pieces, teardrop lighting, and a sculptured mural by artist Etienne Moyat. The breezy terrace offers room for 100 guests to lounge around a 3,000-square-foot water feature. In 2022, the restaurant expanded with a private members-only club, lounge, and omakase spaces. The members-only club, MM Club, features an upscale spin on the tra- ditional speakeasy, complete with a rust-col- ored marble bar, tile-draped columns, and a wood-beam accented ceiling. Just in time to secure your Mila reserva- tion, starting Monday, May 6, the restaurant is launching a new happy hour called “Golden Hour,” offered Sunday through Thursday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The menu fea- tures cocktails like the “Golden Hour” made with Sip- smith gin, sherry blend, lemon, orgeat, and a dash of Angostura bit- ters, and the “Minted Blossom” made with Haku vodka, fernet, lime, ginger, soda, and mint. Golden Hour includes a “Hoeski Tasting Experience” for $20, which features a cu- rated selection of five bites, including hama- chi crudo, tuna nigiri, Wagyu gyoza, salmon crisp rice, and tomato avocado salad. Mila is owned and operated by Rivera Din- ing Group and French-born founders Greg- ory Galy and Marine-Giron Galy. Mila. 1636 Meridian Ave., Miami Beach; 786- 706-0744; mila-miami.com. NICOLE LOPEZ-ALVAR | TASTE TEST | ▼ Café CatchRestaurants.com photo The menu at Catch Miami Beach will offer many of the beloved Catch classics the brand has become known for, including the “Catch Roll” made with truffle sashimi, mushroom spaghetti, and Cantonese lobster. UNFORTUNATELY FOR FANS OF THE CLASSIC BAR, BOTH LOCATIONS WILL CEASE TO EXIST. Mila photo The breezy terrace of Mila offers room for 100 guests to lounge around a 3,000-square-foot water fountain and garden. -
