Courtesy of Lolita

Ceviche at the new Lolita Cocina

​​​​If January is any indication of things to come, 2012 will be a banner year for Miami dining. This past month saw the debuts of popular local haunts such as Blue Collar and Federal Food Drink & Provisions, as well as a new caviar lounge (The Dome Bar), Bianca at the Delano, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten's first entry into Florida via J & G Grill at the new St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort. Not too shabby.

Here then, a list of openings, a couple of closings, and a long lineup of projects yet to come.
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Laine Doss

See that to the left? That's an elevator...

​Psst. Did you hear about Wine Vault, the new wine and tapas lounge that just opened in The Shops at Midtown? Well, neither did I until I eavesdropped on a conversation yesterday afternoon.

Turns out owner Michael Shapira wants it just that way. He opened Wine Vault, a 1,300-square-foot lounge featuring wines by the glass and bottle, tapas, and beer yesterday to little fanfare. "It gives me a chance to open organically", he said as he took me on a tour of the two level bar that features slate bricks, a revolving art gallery on the walls (with the bar's commission of art sales donated to the artist's favorite charity), and a tubular elevator that looks...familiar.

"That looks a lot like the tubes that feed money to drive-through bank tellers," I said.

It's the same concept," he replied, "only bigger."
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Photo by Alex Rodriguez

​We recently passed by Miami Shores' Village Cafe, which seems as if it had been open for an eternity. It was closed. Peeking in to see what was going on behind the blacked out windows we found chairs on top of tables and a ghost-like restaurant space. Then we noticed the signs "Pizza Fiore Coming Soon!" That clears things up.

He launched the idea of his first pizzeria in 1996 with his wife saying, "You're crazy."

"Then, I opened one," owner Arcoub Abderrahin told us. There was the place on Washington Avenue in South Beach -- he sold it, then opened another in Midtown, and sold that one too. Now he's working to open a Miami Shores location, which he plans to keep for himself.
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There aren't any caviar bars in Coral Gables, but Rachel Dominguez is changing that when on January 28 she opens The Dome Bar and Lounge on Miracle Mile in the heart of The City Beautiful. 

Other than The Restaurant in Setai Hotel in Miami Beach, The Dome will be the only caviar bar in Miami-Dade that we know of. 
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Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar

A trio of traditional ceviches.

​Lower Beach-dom welcomes the addition of Mexican food today with the opening of Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar, in the space previously occupied by Nemo. It's a branch of the existing Lolitas in Boston and Greenwich, Connecticut, two fairly conservative areas we would not necessarily peg as fans of a "burlesque-inspired Mexican dining experience" (according to the press release). Now, Miami seems like the perfect city for an acid-trippy, red-damask-covered lair of Mexican food, complete with gilded mirrors and black chandeliers. Greenwich, really?

We say the highlight is what they are calling a "tequila cage" (tequila really should be harder to get at) a wooden and wire case with a curated selection of shots to remember (here's hoping) grouped into flavor profiles such as "pale honey and butter" and "chocolate and spice." Pricing for more basic tequilas start at $9 for Sauza's 100 Years and Campo Azul, for example, and go to the extraordinary, such as the $85 Partida Elegante, or Herradura's Selección Suprema, which will set you back $100. There are 120 types on hand, so even the best-versed connoisseur will be challenged to find fault with the offerings.

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Moloko is giving away free coffee to celebrate its grand opening.

​Midtown mornings are about to get a little easier to take when Moloko, opens tomorrow, January 13th at the Shops at Midtown Miami.

The fast-casual restaurant will feature sweet and savory crepes, as well as international and local coffee drinks. Coffee choices include espresso, cappuccino, cafe mocha, cafe cubano, and Thai coffee.
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via Thrillist

​Who wants $40 tiny dishes and formalities in fancy upscale eateries? Not chef Daniel Serfer, who will open Blue Collar this Friday in the space formerly occupied by short-lived American Noodle Bar.

A true working man's joint,it will focus a menu on contemporary American dishes from Serfer's experience in New York City, although he originally hails from Miami. There will be appetizers like shrimp and grits, pork and beans and clams "Casino", all ranging in price from $6 to $14.

Entrees like chicken cordon bleu with mashed potatoes and green beans and New York strip steak with house fries and aioli range from $11 to $30. Burgers, salads and pastas are included from $6 to 18.
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Bar Tanaka, Shelborne South Beach

​The classic Shelborne Resort in Miami Beach has a modern vibe now. It's a whole new show. In addition to glam brasserie Vesper and Lucy's taco shack out back, Bar Tanaka brings sushi to the lineup. Modern American, Mexican, and Japanese -- all restaurant bases are covered.

The menu comes courtesy of a Philadelphia import. Chef Hiroyuki "Zama" Tanaka has a popular restaurant called Zama, where he offers the usual (tempura, California, and tuna rolls) as well as the unusual (smoked salmon and dried fig roll, $7). Both carryovers from Zama's offerings and new rolls specific to Miami appear on Bar Tanaka's menu. Kitsch reigns with the Miami Vice roll (lobster tempura, $24) and the Hurricane (eel and shrimp tempura roll, $16). What we really like is the pricing, which covers a wide range of both basic sushi bar staples and more outlandish rolls. Decide to spend less or more; the overall cost of dinner is in your hands.
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The Bar Lab via Twitter

The Broken Shaker is Bar Lab's new project

​Bar Lab is at it again, this time planning to open Miami Beach's first cocktail pop-up bar.

The Broken Shaker is set to open in about three weeks at the Indian Creek Hotel on Collins Avenue at 28th Street -- for only six months. We spoke with Bar Lab's Gabriel Orta, who didn't want to let the entire cat out of the bag about the Broken Shaker just yet.

What he did say, though, was quite intriguing -- especially because he and partner Elad Zvi are notorious for making innovative and delicious cocktails.
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Lesley Elliott

George's comes to Midtown in June.

​Francophiles delight! George-Eric Farge is bringing his bistro concept to Midtown (3404 N. Miami Avenue), and although opening day is a bit far off (June), we're already looking forward to drinking copious amount of red wine upstairs. You see, this restaurant is going to be two stories, the upstairs "Loft" encompassing a lounge aesthetic with a bar and music, while downstairs, a more refined vibe will define the actual dining room.

This third installment of George's adds to existing locations in South Miami and the Grove, which are both casual interpretations of the classic brasserie. The menu is still in the works, but if it's going upscale, we have to presume that the theme will be more true to form, unlike the current offerings at George's on Sunset, which tries to be everything to everyone (the "short rib barbecue pizza" comes to mind, not so Frenchified). Obviously Midtown is exploding with oodles of 'scene,' but is the neighborhood truly ready for high-end French?
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