March 20, 2012
Celebrity Chefs Make Miami Beach a Foodie Heaven
Robert Doyle READ TIME: 2 MIN.
MIAMI BEACH, FL - When superstar "Iron Chef" Geoffrey Zakarian recently opened his Tudor House restaurant at the Dream Hotel, his timing couldn't have been more spot on. That's because he's landed in the middle of a culinary cauldron, a tornado of executive chefs who are considered to be at the top of their field and who have chosen to "steak" their place in Miami Beach.
It's part of the trend and growth of "serious" restaurants on the Beach run by world renown chefs and is indicative of how quickly Miami Beach has propelled itself to the top of great Foodie cities.
"The culinary landscape of Miami Beach has drastically evolved just in the last five years," says Jeff Lehman, Chair, Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (MBVCA). "The sophistication of our newest restaurants, the A-list group of chefs that want to expand their franchises here and the expectation of excellence that's now a part of the eating experience on Miami Beach says everything about the evolution of the city into a first class, luxury destination of choice for travelers."
The Food Network is filming "Next Food Network Star" here; and in addition to Zakarian's Tudor House, Laurent Tourondel holds court at BLT Steak at the Betsy Hotel; Scott Conant oversees Scarpetta at the Fontainebleau; Andrew Carmellni runs the second outlet of his award-winning restaurant The Dutch at the W; Jeff McInnis just opened Yardbird restaurant; and Paula DeSilva is breaking new ground at 1500 Degrees at the Eden Roc; among other prominent celebrity chefs.
And from Shake Shack to Serendipity 3, significant New York restaurants are opening outlets here because they know Miami Beach has become the destination on the culinary food map and is growing year on year.
"I love Miami Beach," says Laurent Tourondel, Executive Chef, BLT Steak. "It was important for us to open BLT at the Betsy Hotel to take advantage of the city's trendy clientele and laid back style. There's something a little different about Miami Beach. We're a little surprised but very happy at how extremely successful BLT has been here."
The newest and most exciting place for a brilliant gastronomic holiday? Miami Beach, Florida.
Long-term New Yorkers, Mark and Robert have also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center, Mark is a PhD in American history and literature, as well as the author of the novels Wolfchild and My Hawaiian Penthouse. Robert is the producer of the documentary We Are All Children of God. Their work has appeared in numerous publications, as well as at : www.mrny.com.
