Oceanaire Sold to Landry's

Photo by Jacob Katel

Oceanaire's kitchen.

​Oceanaire Seafood Room, a premium restaurant in Mary Brickell Village that has drawn solid reviews, has been purchased by a large national chain, the Nation's Restaurant News reports.

Landry's, which owns Rainforest Cafe and Chart House among other restaurants, paid $6.6 million and assumed $17 million in debt.

Oceanaire filed for reorganization last July and shuttered four of its 16 locations. The company had hoped to remain private and boutique.

A message left with CEO Terry Ryan in Minnesota was not immediately returned, but a call to the local branch (which we named Best Expensive Chain Restaurant in 2009) found things remain the same. And the menu, which changes twice a day, didn't sound bad. "Crab cakes are amazing," said the lady who answered the phone. "Two five-ounce cakes go for $32.95... And we have halibut cheeks -- they come as part of the Miami Spice menu: $22 for lunch and $35 for dinner."