17 November 16-22, 2023 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 | Listen Closely The Listening Bar at Kaori may be Miami’s best audiophile bar yet. BY DOUGLAS MARKOWITZ I t’s nearing 9 p.m. in Brickell, and the Listening Bar at Kaori is buzzing with activity. Guests are sipping plum liquor cocktails and nibbling on king crab spring rolls, sashimi, and other pan- Asian small plates. A DJ plays ‘80s dance and boogie tracks over a peerless speaker system. The decor is minimal yet tasteful, from the oblong, Noguchi-esque wooden tables to the sculptural chandelier resembling a group of origami cranes. It’s perhaps the ultimate audiophile bar Miami has been waiting for. Its biggest hurdle might be its location in the über-wealthy Brickell area, which may lead some to believe it makes for an expensive night out. “It’s a challenge to overcome that barrier that we’re in Brickell,” says Diego Pagola, a managing partner at Kaori. “That’s a chal- lenge, where it’s like, how do we get people to go to Brickell and know that they’re going to have an incredible experience and not feel that they got ripped off?” Kaori, the two-year-old restaurant that po- sitions itself as part of the “new Miami” culi- nary wave that includes Boia De and Jaguar Sun, opened the Listening Bar last month as a revamp of the two-year-old restaurant’s downstairs bar. It’s the latest space to join the city’s burgeoning audiophile bar scene. When Dante’s HiFi imported the concept from Ja- pan in 2021, the small speakeasy in Wynwood instantly became the hottest spot in town. Though the sound quality is there, Dante’s has done away with its initial ethos of a place to sit down and enjoy music and become something more akin to the lounge experience typically found around the city. It’s become a Miami- fied version of something that, in its original form, was never meant to be gatekept. Other spots have offered their take on the Japanese record bar, from the intimate Miami Sound Bar to the clubby Jolene, both in downtown. But the Listening Bar at Kaori feels different — more thoughtful, more com- fortable, and more communal. Pagola, whose background is in design, drew inspiration from bars in Japan and elsewhere in Asia in search of a more faithful rendition of the con- cept. It’s more akin to London’s Brilliant Cor- ners, one of the first audiophile bars to open outside of Japan. It’s sophisticated without feeling ostentatious or gaudy, swanky, but not in-your-face or elitist. You could stop by for a special evening or a casual after-work cock- tail — or just marvel at the killer sound sys- tem. It feels like a place for all seasons and all occasions, with a congenial at- mosphere that’s rare in Miami. “It’s more sit- down. Of course, it does get loud, but it’s more like it’s you, your friends, and what’s happening in the auditory scape,” Pagola says. “For me, that was a big intention. We really want to set our foot forward and stay true to that concept, that everybody that comes into the place has a table, has a place to sit.” In designing the new space, the Kaori team attempted to combine Japanese design principles — minimalism, wabi-sabi — with a sense of warmth, both in terms of looks and guest experience. Divisions between tables are minimized. Pagola notes that listening bars have thrived in cities with density and public transit — New York, Paris, and Tokyo — where people are more comfortable being in close contact with other people, and the Kaori team wanted to try something similar. “The idea to create openness but still feel intimate was also the thought behind it,” Pagola says. “People in those cities are so ac- customed to having somebody sit next to them and not be bothered by their conversa- tion, and Miami has hardly seen that.” Audiophiles, especially DJs, will find plenty to like about the place. There’s the extraordi- nary high-dynamic-range speaker system de- signed by Danley Sound Labs, a hi-fi manufacturer based in Georgia. Digital-first DJs will be able to use the bar’s CDJs. Vinyl fiends, meanwhile, can regale themselves with the bar’s massive collection, drawn from a cache of roughly 130,000 records that Pagola acquired from a retired DJ. He says the Listen- ing Bar was started partly as a way to utilize the collection of mostly funk, soul, disco, and Miami bass records rather than selling it, and he plans to incorporate it into future projects. Guests are encouraged to get in on the vi- nyl action, too. On certain nights, staff will hand out pins to guests, granting them access to the record collection. They can then choose a record, hand it to a staff member along with the pin, and the record will be played on the sound system. “Think of it as an analog jukebox,” Pagola says. Perhaps the only caveat of the space is that food and beverages, while excellent, are somewhat high-priced in keeping with the restaurant’s upscale menu. Plates range from $9 paletas to $32 wagyu and foie gras gyozas. Cocktails are uniformly $18, and the cheapest beers, either Sapporo or Kirin, cost $10. Still, the feat that Kaori has managed to pull off is impressive. It’s not only a great bar with the potential to become a hub for Miami’s audio- phile community — it might be the best rea- son anyone’s ever had to go to Brickell. The Listening Bar at Kaori. 871 S. Miami Ave., Miami; 786-878-4493; kaorimiami.com. Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday 5 to 11 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Reservations are strongly encouraged.
[email protected] The Listening Bar at Kaori recently opened in the downstairs space at the Brickell restaurant. Kaori Miami photo THE LISTENING BAR FEELS DIFFERENT — MORE THOUGHTFUL, MORE COMFORTABLE, AND MORE COMMUNAL. | CROSSFADE | t Music MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | THIS WEEK THURSDAY, NOV. 16 Alejandro Meola: 7 p.m., $10. Luna Star Cafe, 775 NE 125th St., North Miami, 305-799-7123, lunastarcafe.com. Astrofünk: With Mark Reyes, Zayden, Mikey Stix, G. Segurola, and others., 11 p.m., Free-$20. Centro Wynwood, 299 NW 23rd St., Miami, 786-584-2866, centrowynwood.com. CID and Monoky: 10 p.m., $21-$27. Floyd Miami, 34 NE 11th St., Miami, 786-618-9447, floydmiami.com. Diskonect, Kzeus, Uncle Sam, Taj, and Willis: 8 p.m., Free. Eagle Room, 2727 Indian Creek Dr., Miami Beach, eagleroom.club. DJ Mad: 11 p.m., $50. LIV, 4441 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305- 674-4680, livnightclub.com. Dwight Yoakam: 8 p.m., $60-$140. Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, 5550 NW 40th St., Coconut Creek, 954-977-6700, seminolecoconutcreekcasino.com. G Jones: 8 p.m., $45. Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale, 954-449-1025, jointherevolution.net. Lezlee: 8 p.m., $20-$30. E11even Miami, 29 NE 11th St., Miami, 305-829-2911, 11miami.com. Philip Goyette and Nii Tei: 10 p.m., $30.31. Do Not Sit on the Furniture, 423 16th St., Miami Beach, 510-550-5067, donotsi- tonthefurniture.com. Romeo Santos: 8 p.m., $95-$235. Hard Rock Live, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood, 954-797-5531, myhrl.com. Sound Sessions: With Ngga Graveyard, Petrichor, and Medicine Room., 8 p.m., $12. SkateBird Miami, 533 NE 83rd St., El Portal, 305-603-8015, skatebirdmiami.com. FRIDAY, NOV. 17 Azulum: With Iuri Melo, Kike Moreno, and Caio Vieira., 10 p.m., Free. Savage Labs, 2451 NW Fifth Ave., Miami, 786-597-3320, savagelabswynwood.com. Black Coffee: 11 p.m., $60-$80. LIV, 4441 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305-674-4680, livnightclub.com. Cortadito: 7 p.m., Free-$10. ZeyZey, 353 NE 61st St., Miami, zeyzeymiami.com. Davi and Share: 10 p.m., $36.37. Do Not Sit on the Furniture, 423 16th St., Miami Beach, 510-550-5067, donotsitonthe- furniture.com. Footprnt: With Duality, Diego Unchained, DJ Homepage, and Terras., 11 p.m., Free. Over Under, 151 E. Flagler St., Miami, 786-247-9851, overundermiami.com. Freestyle Free For All: 8 p.m., $65-$155. Hard Rock Live, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood, 954-797-5531, myhrl.com. Golfos: 11 p.m., $39.67-$95.89. Club Space, 34 NE 11th St., Miami, 305-375-0001, clubspace.com. IlluminArts Tenth Anniversary Celebration: With Amanda Crider, Keith Phares, and Anna Fateeva., 7-9 p.m., $20-$60. LnS Gallery, 2610 SW 28th Lane, Miami, 305-987-5642, lnsgallery.com. Jupiter Troupe: With Josh Gluck and the Family Tree and Frank Busta., 8 p.m., $15. Gramps, 176 NW 24th St., Miami, 855-732- 8992, gramps.com. Le Youth: 9 p.m., $31.14. Freehold, 2219 NW Second Ave., Miami, 305-280-0330, freeholdmiami.com. Lost Frequency: 8 p.m., Free. Eagle Room, 2727 Indian Creek Dr., Miami Beach, eagleroom.club. Marc Anthony: 8 p.m., $71-$207. Kaseya Center, 601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, 786-777-1000, kaseyacenter.com. Musclecars and Jovi Gibs: 10 p.m., $15. Jolene Sound Room, 200 E. Flagler St., Miami, jolenesoundroom.com. Nelly: 8 p.m., $40-$60. E11even Miami, 29 NE 11th St., Miami, 305-829-2911, 11miami.com. Night Flight: With Fela, Difeo, Tyreguii, Francesq, J Moreno, and Carla Brown., 7 p.m., Free. Copal, 50 NW 24th St., Miami, 305-748-4540, pezlocomiami.com/copal. Paula Temple: 11 p.m., $25-$40. Domicile, 6391 NW Second Ave., Miami, instagram.com/domicile.miami. Steller & Friends: 9 p.m., Free-$39.66. Kemistry, 307 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale, kemistrynightclub.com. Thomas Gold: 10 p.m., $23.08. Green Room, 835 NE Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale, 954-257-0026, greenroomftl.com. Travis Greene, J.J. Hairston, and Ms. Anita Wilson: 7 p.m., $58.50-$133.50. James L. Knight Center, 400 SE Second Ave., Miami, 305-372-4634, jlkc.com. | CONCERTS & CLUBS | ▼ Music Club and concert listings are free and rotate in print. Find more at miaminewtimes.com/music and browardpalmbeach.com/music. To list your act, email
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