Icebox Cafe

Icebox Cafe's cakes are heading to the west side of SoBe.

Icebox Cafe is moving from its home on Michigan Avenue right off Lincoln Road to the west side of South Beach.

After 15 years around the corner from one of the most famous pedestrian malls in the country, Icebox Cafe will move to what planners hope will be the "new" locals version of Lincoln Road -- Sunset Harbour Shops.

The new location will have a larger seating area, an open kitchen, and a full liquor license (which makes us hungry for some dessert and cocktail pairings).

Icebox Cafe catapulted to fame when Oprah's pal, Gayle King visited the shop in 2006 and declared its cakes the best in America.

Read also:
- Favorite Dishes: Devil Dog Cake at Icebox Cafe
More »

Laine Doss

PB Steak, the fifth Pubbelly restaurant, opened in January.

Happy New Year!  2013 looks like it's going to be a great year for Miami food lovers. It seems that since the first of the year, either a new restaurant has opened -- or announces plans to join the scene.

Some trends we've been noticing -- New York restaurateurs continue to open southernmost outposts. And why not? Having a restaurant in Miami is a darn good excuse to hop a jet for the weekend when the weather turns brisk in Manhattan.  Restaurants expanding from the Big Apple to the Big Orange include Catch, Cipriani, Lure Fishbar, Dylan's Candy Bar, and Milk Burger.

We're also liking the surge in seafood, which makes absolute sense when the ocean is at your doorstep. We welcome Fish Fish Restaurant Bar and Market and the above mentioned Catch, and look forward to Lure Fishbar and Poor Man's Lobster.

January saw two casualties -- but maybe not forever. Hoops Sports Bar closed, but it is set to reopen in Coconut Grove soon, while Bernie Matz's The Meatball Joint shut down on South Beach...although Matz told Short Order he'd be open to trying the concept again on the mainland.

Read also:
- December 2012 Restaurant Openings and Closings
More »

The Meatball Joint

The Meatball Joint closes.

The Meatball Joint, Bernie Matz's third South Beach restaurant, closed yesterday evening with a meatball and craft beer party, thrown by chef/owner Bernie Matz.

The restaurant, which opened spring of 2012, was located on Alton Road, adjacent to chef Matz's Bernie's L.A. Cafe.

Matz, who also runs the popular Cafe at Books & Books on Lincoln Road, told Short Order that while his meatball restaurant was popular, financially the restaurant wasn't making a profit. "The Meatball Joint was a labor of love, but the numbers weren't there in the summer, which went into a tough fall."

Read Also: Miami's Ten Best Meatballs
The Meatball Joint Rolls Up Short
More »

Laine Doss

Khong River House opened in December.

The last month of the new year saw a lot of anticipated 2012 restaurants opening under the wire.

Ralph Pagano's Alba at Sole On The Ocean provides classic Italian cuisine and fresh seafood with a panoramic ocean view to the northernmost parts of Miami and Miami Beach. Although the official opening isn't until 2013, the restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner now, qualifying it for December's list.

Read also:
- Catch at James Royal Palm to Open Next Week
- Khong River House: Northern Thai Food and True Confessions
- Salsa Fiesta to Open New Location in Aventura
- Pubbelly Team to Open PB Steak The Second Week of January
- Lure Fishbar To Open at Loews Miami Beach Hotel
- New York's Milk Burger Coming to Miami, Maybe
- Serafina Opens in Miami Beach
- Umami Burger to Open on South Beach
- Kim Kardashian's BFF to Jonathan Cheban Opens Sushi MiKasa
More »

All photos by Laine Doss

Cooper Avenue has closed temporarily.

Cooper Avenue, the Amir Ben-Zion eatery/market that opened in September has closed temporarily.

Yesterday evening, as tourists and locals jammed Lincoln Road to shop and dine in the days before Christmas, the "open" sign was lit outside the restaurant, but the lights inside were dim and chairs were stacked up inside the dining room.

Read also:
- Cooper Avenue Opens Today in South Beach
- In South Street And Cooper Avenue, Miami's Hottest Restaurateur Embarks on his Most Ambitious Ventures

More »

NikonMiami.com via Facebook

Pride and Joy brings barbeque, beer, and bourbon to Wynwood.

November in Miami saw many anticipated restaurants opening, and a few closings that had most people surprised, indeed.  Some welcome additions to our local food scene include Dena Marino's MC Kitchen, Myron Mixon's Pride and Joy, and David Bracha's Oak Tavern.

Read also:
- Florida Cookery: Every Dish Tells a Story
- MC Kitchen in Design District Opens
- Oak Tavern: A Warm New Dining Spot in the Design District Opens
- Over The Counter: Brickell's Grab and Go Gastropub
Pride and Joy Opens Today in Wynwood
More »

MB Brewhouse via Facebook

MB Brewhouse has closed.

MB Brewhouse has closed after being open only about a month and never having an "official" grand opening, Eater Miami has reported.

The lounge and game room was reworked into a fun "date night" concept by co-owner and chef Josh Marcus from his Chow Down Grill after Marcus found too much competition in the casual Asian market.

Read also:
- Chow Down Grill to Close, Brewhouse Will Take Its Place
- Hurricane Sandy: South Beach Restaurants, Shops Feel Effects

Back in September, Marcus told Short Order, "We feel in the past year or so, many wonderful Asian-inspired restaurants have opened, and the market has gotten a little stacked against us."

More »

Kris Wessel focusing on Florida Cookery

Red Light Little River is closed.

Read also:
- Kris Wessel: Florida Cookery at the James Royal Palm is Personal

The restaurant always seemed like dining at the small house party of a friend who cared more about making beautiful food than location, location, location.

Miami's Restaurant Power Rankings broke the story yesterday and Wessel followed up with a statement in which he noted "the restaurant that I built from an abandoned crack-prostitute dwelling on an undeveloped riverfront to a reputable 100-seat restaurant and bar, is not shuttering completely by choice."
More »

American Burger Bar via Facebook

Is American Burger Bar closed for good?

About a month back, Short Order reported on a name and location switcheroo being played out in South Beach.

Read also:
- American Burger Replaces 8 oz. Burger Bar on Alton; 8 oz. To Open New Lincoln Road Location

8 oz. Burger Bar on Alton Road had mysteriously turned into American Burger and the Alton Road location of 8 oz. was wiped off the restaurant's website.

We found out that celebrity chef Govind Armstrong and former 8 oz. Burger Bar partner Eric Fried had split ways.

Armstrong took his branding and concept with him to a new location a few blocks north, with plans to re-open 8 oz. Burger Bar on Lincoln Road sometime in the winter. Armstrong currently owns 8 oz. Burger Bar in Aventura. Fried turned the Alton Road location into American Burger.
More »

Laine Doss

Toro Toro opens in downtown Miami.

Open your windows, turn off your air conditioner and enjoy this glorious weather! It's fall in Miami and as the temperature cools off, the restaurant scene heats up!

Already we're seeing restaurants come onto the scene in anticipation of the arrival of snowbirds flying south for the winter, tourists coming for a winter tan, and a slew of major events like Art Basel and the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.

Read also:
- In South Street and Cooper Avenue, Miami's Hottest Restaurateur Embarks on His Most Ambitious Ventures
- Toro Toro: Rodizio Grill and Crafted Cocktails in Downtown Miami
- Three New British-Inspired Spots to Open in Brickell
More »