13 July 16-22, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | For Kassidy, the project also carries a personal connection. “I live in Midtown, so this project is especially meaningful to me,” she said. “This location allows us to introduce a whole new audience to the hos- pitality, quality, and guest experience we’ve built at Daniel’s. It also makes it much more accessible for residents of Midtown, Miami Beach, and North Miami.” The restaurant’s design is just as ambitious as its location. Gioia Hospitality Group has enlisted the inter- nationally renowned Rockwell Group, founded by architect David Rockwell, to create the space. The firm is responsible for some of the world’s most recognizable restaurants, hotels, theaters, and entertainment venues. Aimco CEO Wes Powell said the group’s repu- tation made it a natural fit for the waterfront de- velopment. “Thomas, Kassidy, and their team have built a strong reputation for delivering exceptional din- ing experiences in South Florida, and their vision for this waterfront concept aligns perfectly with the standard of luxury, design, and lifestyle we are creating,” Powell said. The Edgewater restaurant is only one piece of Gioia Hospitality Group’s growing portfolio. The company also operates D’s Sports Bar in Fort Lauderdale and is preparing to open La Sponda, a refined coastal Italian restaurant at Vita at Grove Isle, later this year. That concept will showcase Southern Italian cooking inspired by the Angelo family’s roots in Puglia, with house- made pastas, seafood, and olive oil imported di- rectly from Italy. As for the new Edgewater restaurant, diners will have to be patient. Construction is expected to wrap up in late 2027 or early 2028. The group says additional details, including the restaurant’s name and culinary direction, will be announced at a later date. If Gioia Hospitality Group’s recent streak with Daniel’s is any indication, Miami’s waterfront din- ing scene is about to get another major player. Gioia Hospitality Group’s Edgewater Project. 560 NE 34th St., Unit 101, Miami; gioiahp. com. Opening in late 2027 or early 2028. NICOLE LOPEZ-ALVAR ▼ SOUTH FLORIDA HOLY GLOCK-A-MOLE! Avocados haven’t gone this viral since Millennials discovered avocado toast in 2011. A Florida cou- ple has just found a bullet casing in a Publix avo- cado. Yes, the story is avo-control. On Sunday, July 5, podcaster Syd Meyer and her boyfriend Chris Gleadall shared a video on In- stagram depicting them finding a bullet shell cas- ing in an avocado they purchased at Publix. The video already has over 22,000 likes and 472,000 views. (And that’s not even including over a mil- lion views with a second collaboration post they did overnight with Only in Dade.) The caption reads, “Publix, free avocados for life?? What do you do when this happens?” Hours later, around 9 a.m., Publix responded with a di- rect message that reads, “Hi there. I’m sorry to see this. Which store location did you purchase from?” A Publix spokesperson, who didn’t re- spond to questions from New Times, commented on the post on Monday, July 6,, alerting the poster to their message. It is unclear which South Florida Publix location this avocado was purchased from, but it appears to be a Hass avocado, which Publix is known to sell. The video (bearing a Florida Keys location tag) opens up with the couple explaining they found a shell casing in their avocado. They then proceeded to dissect the bright gold metal from their little green patient. What’s so funny is that the casing is shoved (or shot) in a way that mim- ics an actual avocado stem. “What the fuck? No way!” Meyer is heard say- ing as the man carves the casing free. She didn’t respond to New Times’ request for comment. The comments were ripe with warnings about eating contaminated food, explanations as to how it got there, and, the real reason anyone goes to any comment section, jokes. “This is how you find out Publix buys cartel av- ocados,” one joked. “Did we not know that there are literally avo- cado mafias?? Lol,” another wrote. “People do realize that this is an empty casing, right? It doesn’t get fired out of the barrel; it gets ejected from the breach. Someone would have had to pick this spent casing up and shove it into a growing avocado; it’s not that serious. Probably a kid or a bored farmhand, definitely not the re- sult of some cartel shootout,” one user explained. Believe it or not, there is some precedent for finding bullets in grocery store avocados. The Prospect Journal offers a logical explanation. The $3.1 billion Mexican avocado industry is controlled by local cartels, which force many avocado busi- nesses to pay protection fees. While Publix didn’t respond to New Times’ re- quest for comment nor to questions like where they get their avocados, reporting in 2025 by pro- duce trade publication The Packer indicates Publix sources them not just from Mexico, but from Cali- fornia and South Florida, as well. B. SCOTT MCLENDON ▼ MIAMI GARDENS UPCHARGE Miami often earns top marks for many a presti- gious title: rudest drivers, the most BBLs per cap- ita, most fuckboys in a single dating pool. Well, Miami, you’ve done it again! According to Casino.org, among stadiums hosting 2026 FIFA World Cup matches across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Miami Stadium (AKA Hard Rock Stadium) commands the highest concession prices. For anyone who has had to fork over $20 for a middling cocktail at Miami’s countless bars, the news is not exactly surprising. The metrics Casino.org used to come to its conclusion are pretty solid. It calculated the cost of five common stadium concession items: a clas- sic game-day meal like a burger or hot dog, a sig- nature World Cup stadium dish, a domestic beer, a snack, and a bottle of water. That came to a to- tal of $110 for fútbol fans enjoying a match at Mi- ami Stadium, which was 80 percent higher than the average. That said, one dish in particular drove Miami to the top of the rankings: the caviar-topped tater tots. The price of the dish? $75. There are also re- ports that Miami Stadium sells a five-pound empanada (meant for sharing) for $40. On social media, cocktail prices have reportedly started at $19 for a single and $27 for a double, while a beer is $16.50. (Casino. org, on the other hand, says a domes- tic beer is $14.50.) Meanwhile, a Tik- Toker claimed to have spent $50 on a pan con lechon, which she admitted could feed a family. Another TikToker who attended the Uruguay vs. Cabo Verde match on June 21 shows the prices at a sta- dium taco vendor, with chicken tacos for $19 and carne asada tacos for $19.50. To be honest, the prices seemed pretty much in line with what any sporting event, festival, or other major event would charge for food in Miami. Whether the prices overall are fair is up to you. Prices for other common items include $6 for a bottle of water and an average of $8.50 for a typical game-day meal like a hot dog. For a snack like chips or nuts, expect to pay $6. After Miami, Boston, Kansas City, Dallas, and San Francisco rounded out the top five most ex- pensive concessions. The cheapest? Well, that honor went to Atlanta Stadium, where the same concessions cost just $31.50. Though many venues have already hosted their final World Cup matches, Miami has not. It will host the Bronze Final on July 18, a day before the World Cup Final at New York New Jersey Sta- dium. JOSE D. DURAN Photo by JuliaDorian / Adobe Stock Award-winning Coral Gables steakhouse Daniel’s Miami will open a waterfront location in Edgewater, featuring steak, seafood, and a swanky bar. ONE DISH IN PARTICULAR DROVE MIAMI TO THE TOP OF THE RANKINGS: THE CAVIAR-TOPPED TATER TOTS. THE PRICE OF THE DISH? $75.
