Linda’s Tips and Travel Notes

YOLO RESTAURANT & O LOUNGE OPEN IN SEPTEMBER

 

333 East Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, (954) 523-1000

 

NEW FORT LAUDERDALE HOTSPOT TO OPEN ON LAS OLAS BOULEVARD

 

 

No surprise then that YOLO – You Only Live Once – is owned and operated by The Restaurant People, the innovative restaurateurs behind the successful Tarpon Bend family of restaurants and Fort Lauderdale’s beautiful River House.  “We definitely saw an opening in the market for a chic restaurant with delicious, unpretentious food and a cool lounge setting,” says co-owner Tim Petrillo, who has been developing YOLO & O Lounge with partner/chef Peter Boulukos since 2005.  To fill that gap, Petrillo and Boulukos have created an elegant, yet comfortable spot offering an unbeatable mix – great dining, refreshing libations and good vibrations – in a 6,300 square feet restaurant with two bars, a garden patio and sophisticated lounge.  “YOLO should appeal to all walks of life,” says Boulukos.  “Guests looking for a great bite before a show will feel at home in the dining room, with night owls gravitating to the lounge.”

 

 

B.E.D. WEEKLY ENTERTAINMENT

 

For reservations or information please call 305.532.9070 or visit www.bedmiami.com

 

 

B.E.D. is pleased to announce a new addition to their weekly entertainment: Blake Carrington’s Supper Club. Every Thursday night, guests will be treated to an avant-garde dinner theater sure to please the senses. Delectable dishes like Pansiard Chilean Sea Bass and Lomo Saltado prepared by Executive Chef, Freddy Vega, will be served, as performance artists take center stage…or bed, to wow guests with a seductive, unconventional and sometimes shocking show. Ears will perk up with excitement, hearing anything from the charming sounds of a violin to the deep growls and grunts of didgeridoos. While expressive dance numbers and masked mime artists, are set to keep everyone mesmerized. Blake Carrington’s Supper Club at B.E.D. is a festival of dance, music and conceptual art that will definitely draw you in every time. Make sure to catch the action every Thursday at 9:15 and 10:15 p.m.

 

 

 

THE NEW CHEF ALLEN’S: A SEAFOOD BISTRO

 

Chef Allen’s, located at 19088 NE 29th Avenue, in Aventura, 305-935-2900.

 

 

A culinary legend, Chef Allen Susser, one of the original “Mango Kings,” helped put South Florida on the international culinary map when he opened his groundbreaking Aventura restaurant Chef Allen’s in 1986, to widespread critical acclaim. Now, in harmony with the times, he has revitalized his restaurant’s interiors and created an exciting new modern seafood bistro menu. Infusing new life and passion into the 100-seat, landmark restaurant, Chef Allen’s sleek, modern interiors were created with the assistance of Amanda Rice, of Rice Design. Shimmering with a fresh coat of spicy tropical colors balanced with chocolate mahogany and pale sugar maple accents, the newly configured space includes a larger, airy, more contemporary bar area, which offers 360 degree views into the dining room and adjacent wine room, and two intimate private party rooms.

 

 

BISTRO BISOU FRENCH RESTAURANT REOPENS IN PINECREST

 

Bistro Bisou, 9519 South Dixie Highway, Dadeland Plaza Mall, Pinecrest. 786-268-0178.

 

 

Bistro Bisou, a French neighborhood restaurant which had languished and then closed in the Dadeland Plaza strip mall across Dadeland, has been refurbished and has re-opened with a bang. Restaurateur and chef Victor Passalacqua – formerly manager at la Dorada, Don Quijote, Rusty Pelican and a short stint at The Biltmore’s Fontana – is at the helm, this time in the kitchen: he was taught at Hospitality School in Lausanne, Switzerland and did a brief internship at one of Paul Bocuse’s restaurants in Lyon. With 80 seats indoor-outdoor, including 10 seats at the bar which serves wines by the glass and small plates, the cleverly-lit restaurant looks like an upscale bistro with well-spaced paper-covered tables topped with appetizing baskets of baguette and crocks of butter.

The menu is typical French bistro fare: cheese soufflés ($10), onion soup gratinée ($6), charcuteries or assorted cold-cuts ($13); Prince Edward Island mussels ($ 8.50 for lunch and as appetizer and $16 as entrée for dinner); salads ($7 to $13) including endives, niçoise, Caesar, etc.; sandwiches ($9.99 to $12) such as warm goat cheese and Portobello; club with grilled chicken.

 

 

 

RA SUSHI BAR RESTAURANT OPENS IN SOUTH MIAMI

 

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant, 5829 SW 73rd St., South Miami, across from The Shops at Sunset Place. (305) 341-0092 www.RAsushi.com.

 

 

The new RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in South Miami is the 21st location nationwide and the third in Florida – Palm Beach, Pembroke Pines and now South Miami - of the chain of restaurants owned by Rich Howland and Scott Kilpatrick in partnership with Benihana. The 5,800 square-foot indoor/outdoor, high-energy restaurant features a traditional sushi bar adjacent to the table dining area, as well as a separate, full cocktail bar and lounge with Asian inspired spirits. The patio has an indoor/outdoor bar and the Flying Fish Lounge area. The chef is Hui Li, a.k.a. Kenny Li, a native of Hong Kong. The menu is a combination of starters ($3.25 to ($9.25) such as fresh sushi, tempuras, gyozas and teriyakis; soups and salads ($3.25 to $12.95); noodle dishes; and cold and hot Japanese-fusion specialties from the sea and from the land ($15 to $22) with a modern twist. RA Sushi Miami is open daily for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and for dinner from 3 to 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 3 p.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday. Happy Hour food and beverage specials are offered Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m., and the bar remains open until 1 a.m. Sunday nights from 8 p.m. to midnight The Flying Fish Lounge offers Happy Hour prices on sushi and drinks.

 

 

CLOSED: OUZO’S, VITA, TOUCH, MAISON D’AZUR AND SOCIAL IN MIAMI BEACH

 

“It’s been a sad month here on the Beach…” said in a recent e-mail Dee, the Concierge Liaison at Santo: Ouzo’s, Vita, Touch, Maison d’Azur & Social have closed

 

 

MEAT MARKET SLATED TO OPEN IN SOUTH BEACH LATE-SUMMER 2008

 

860 N.E. 79th Street in Miami

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The glamorous Touch has closed, but partners David Tornek and chef Sean Brasel are working on a new project: Meat Market, at 915 Lincoln Road, where Pacific Time left off. “Meat Market will have a glamorous, sexy vibe that’ll set it apart from other restaurants and make it something truly unique in South Florida,” said restaurateur David Tornek who is adding to the concept the 180-seat Crudo Bar, an indoor/outdoor lounge with a raw bar serving stone crabs, fresh oysters and seafood, as well as a variety of ceviches and tiraditos.

 

 

SEGAFREDO BRICKELL EXPANDS ON BRICKELL AVE., DOWNTOWN MIAMI

 

1421 South Miami Avenue, Downtown Miami

 

 

Segafredo Brickell’s co-owner Alejandro Ferllen has announced the expansion of the location to a 2,500 sq. feet dining area offering additional indoor seating, a coffee bar, a lounge, eight additional bathrooms and new Segafredo products for purchase. Segafredo Brickell is the newest of the five restaurants that VE Restaurant Group owns and operates.