Our cup runneth over
Doya, celebration restaurants, $135M in Coconut Grove, Hamptons shopping, slow media, Copa tix, MORE
RESTAURANTS • FOUND Table
Greek breeze
The Skinny: Chef Erhan Kostepen, founder and former executive chef behind the much-loved Mandolin Aegean Bistro in the Design District, is no stranger to importing the flavors of Greece, his home country, to Miami. Since 2021, he’s been doing so at Doya, a serious standout in Wynwood.
The Vibe: With lots of warm, dim lighting, copious seating, a wood fire grill, and various ceramics scattered around the restaurant, Doya manages the neat trick of being both intimate and expansive. It’s the type of place that could easily host a birthday party of 20, and still be perfect for date night, or dining solo at the bar. The outdoor patio is densely populated by tropical plants, an Aegean escape within the city. If you look at the navy blue and white wall mural, spoon some tzatziki on a pita, take a bite, and then close your eyes, magic: You’re al fresco on the Athenian riviera.
The Food: Kostepen emphasizes simplicity and the quality of ingredients — these aren’t recipes that call for reinvention. I started with dips: the green goddess dip with garlic, cucumber, and yogurt; and the muhammara, roasted red pepper dip that prompted us to order extra bread. If you have a larger party and/or are in the mood to go for it, the moussaka is a must-try. Drizzled with olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a generous squeeze of lemon, Doya’s grilled octopus is among the best I’ve had in Miami. Similarly, make sure you order the Doya lamb kebab upon arrival. They have limited availability, and their regulars are onto it.
The Drinks: Drinks veer into the flashier waters, as depicted in a full-color picture-books style cocktail menu. Standouts include the Turkish Tonic (gin, tonic, Turkish coffee, and lemon oil) and the Bursa (ginger, turmeric, and mezcal).
The Verdict: Miami’s answer to the best Grecian seaside restaurants. –Katelin Stecz
→ Doya (Wynwood) • 347 NW 24th St • Sun-Thurs, 12-1030p, Fri & Sat 12p-12a • Reserve.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Restaurants, for a celebration
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of Miami’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundmiami.com. For the full archives, click here.
The Surf Club Resturant (Surfside), Thomas Keller does Miami
Klaw (Edgewater, above), Norwegian king crab + dry-aged steaks with views of Biscayne Bay
Cote (Design District), clubby-yet-upscale Korean barbecue steak omakase
Sexy Fish (Brickell), full Miami glitz with side of sushi and miso-glazed sea bass
Joe’s Stone Crab (South of Fifth), career servers, white tablecloths stone crabs, and cult favorite fried chicken
Shingo (Coral Gables), 14-seat omakase in sleek, simple space w/ingredients sourced locally and from Japan
Carbone (South of Fifth), spicy rigatoni vodka, tableside Caesar — and a scene
Jaya at the Setai (South Beach), fire dancers and live music paired with elevated pan-Asian plates
Boia De (Buena Vista), Michelin-starred strip mall gem serving eccentric, yet refined Italian
MIAMI RESTAURANT LINKS: Michelle and David Bernstein planning Sra. Martinez comeback in Coral Gables this fall • Broker Shaker now in the hands of team behind NYC’s Wildair • New cocktail lounge Selvatico opening in Wynwood this Saturday • Elastika debuts afternoon social hour • A Pimm’s Cup, hold the Pimm’s.
REAL ESTATE • Sold
Amongst the Banyan trees
The estate at 3585 Anchorage Way in Southwest Coconut Grove made waves just before the holiday, listing for $135 million. The property, dubbed Banyan Ridge, has 180’ of frontage, four acres, and 11,855 square feet of living space across two homes. Its asking price would set a record for the neighborhood, per The Real Deal.
A block inland and a couple of exponents south, there were a cluster of three closings in the neighborhood last month, one just above ask and two just below. All three were gone in a listing season. We’ll see if they’ll be welcoming new neighbors on Anchorage Way in such short order.
→ 3630 Palmetto Ave (Southwest Coconut Grove, above) • 5BR/5.1BA, 4064 SF • new build on lush lot with sky roof and outdoor kitchen • Listed 6/3/24 for $6.149M • Sold 6/5/24 for $6.1M • Agents: Brett Eaglstein & Eli Faitelson, Compass.
→ 3660 Avocado Ave (Southwest Coconut Grove, above) • 3BR/3BA, 2678 SF • beamed ceilings and recently remodeled patio • Listed 5/8/24 for $3.5M • Sold 6/17/24 for $3.525M • Agent: Sky Gillespie, 15 Properties.
→ 3550 Avocado Ave (Southwest Coconut Grove) • 3BR/3BA, 2498 SF house • minimalist, contemporary design with pool • Listed 2/26/24 for $2.95M • Sold 6/17/24 for $2.8M • Agent: Matthieu Tarac, Barnes International Realty.
MIAMI WORK AND PLAY LINKS: 77-story new development ORA by Casa Tua secures its site • Art Basel Miami Beach 2024 announces exhibitors • Italian megamarket Eataly coming soon to Aventura Mall • ‘Most bougie Publix’ in Florida coming to North Bay Village.
WORK • Thursday Routine
Play it loud
LARRY CARRINO • President • Brustman Carrino Public Relations
City & Neighborhood you live in: Cooper City
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Like many agencies, we’ve embraced a hybrid work model. Thursday is mostly a remote work day for the team. I go into the office every day; working from home is not for me. If I’m lucky, I’m working on a deep dive writing project, the type of work I still love, 30 years into my career. No surprise, because writing is what got me into PR in the first place. Classically, the only other person in-office with me is my office manager and blissfully she doesn’t give me nearly the #@% my coworkers give me about my music, which I tend to play just a bit louder when they’re not around. The perks of business ownership.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Right now, I’m working on aligning like-minded brand partnerships for my client, Sunshine Provisions, a grocery delivery service focusing on wholesale premium beef, from wagyu to ground beef patties. That means reaching out to chefs, restaurants, and influencers, and exploring potential collabs and pitching ideas.
Any bar or restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I’m entertaining a food editor at one of my clients — La Fuga at The Shorebreak Hotel in Fort Lauderdale — and hoping to hit a new spot in town Saturday night. I have a running list of restaurants to check-out; it’s just about finding the right time and picking the place. A handful that I’m dying to try: Vitolo in Fort Lauderdale, Gaboose Korean BBQ (Lauderhill), Tâm Tâm (downtown Miami, heard amazing things), and Edan Bistro in North Miami. I worked with chef Aitor Garate Berasaluze years ago and I know his work; the man can cook!
How about a little leisure or culture?
I’ve been playing chess with my sons for years, but we recently started taking part in a community chess tournament and we have been enjoying it as much as we can (while we’re getting our clocks cleaned). There are some serious players at this thing. We also love live music, so often it’s about which shows are a top priority. I’ve been meaning to take in one of those candlelight concerts, so perhaps we’ll add that to the list.
Any weekend getaways?
I love Naples and St. Augustine but I’ve had a serious Key West jones lately. Might be because we have a restaurant client with locations in the Upper Keys (Italian Food Company) so all that “Keys talk” is getting to me. Been too long. Driving anywhere in Florida stinks except that drive south — it’s glorious.
What store or service do you always recommend?
I love to order coffee from different roasters and brew it at home. Locally I love Per’la. From The Keys it’s Baby’s Roasters all the way. St. Augustine has Screaming Peacock. Those three stand out and I am a proud to say I was a big Community Coffee guy before they went national — I used to order it from Nola.
Above: Carrino (left) with chef Danny Serfer
WORK • Startups
Fast & slow
After a couple of weeks of traveling and holiday disruption, I woke up this morning wanting to go fast — to quiet the uncertainty that built up during days outside the routine by hitting the gas on the business.
Luckily, it was early and I was in my kitchen and nobody else was paying attention, so I couldn’t do any damage.
Lock has a theory, which I subscribe to, that it takes at least a year, probably two, for media brands to take hold. During that waiting period, you’ve got to show up every day, publish when you say you’re going to, do good work even when it seems like nobody’s paying attention. Only then, when you’ve gained trust and established credibility, can you achieve instant success.
At FOUND, we’re just past a year in NY and still counting time in months in Miami, LA, and S,. So we’ve likely got some more slow ahead of us before I can wake up after a holiday and blow a lot of money on hiring new staff.
It’s possible to try to circumvent the media-building process with money, but that’s a tricky game. Revenue can lag other measures of success, which means you better have a lot of money and probably more. It’s also possible to go too slowly, of course, and end up with a hobby instead of a business.
Managing the fast and slow of the early stages is hard. It’s especially hard during the times that don’t call for gas. Hopefully, if we do it right, those times will seem much shorter when we look back on them fondly as the carefree early days of FOUND. –Josh Albertson
CULTURE & LEISURE • Copa Final
Argentina vs Columbia • Copa America 2024, Final • Hard Rock Stadium (Complex), Sun @ 8p, section 118, $3272 per
Gabriel Iglesias, Hard Rock Live (Complex), Sat @ 8p, section 115, $155 per
Tony Hinchcliffe • Lillian Wells Hall at The Parker Playhouse (Fort Lauderdale) • Sat @ 7p, orchestra, $206 per
GETAWAYS • The Hamptons
Hamptons shopping, summer 2024
This post appeared in a recent edition of FOUND NY. Looking for a little more NYC and Hamptons in your life? Subscribe to FOUND NY, with new issues dropping Tuesdays and Fridays.
The Hamptons retail landscape has undergone its most significant upgrade in years. A variety of new boutiques have opened for summer 2024, all seemingly better aligned with the Hamptons clientele than some of the big brand splashes of years past. Here, FOUND’s guide to this summer’s best new additions to the Hamptons retail scene, and a couple of beloved staples:
AMAGANSETT:
The Row has transformed the (dearly departed) TIINA the Store building on Main Street (above) into a chic year-round outpost. Even if you’re not shopping The Row’s collection, it’s worth visiting to admire the elegant interiors — or to pick up provisions from NYC’s ascendant Happier Grocery.
La Garçonne: The popular multi-brand boutique from Tribeca has opened a location in Amagansett Square, bringing designer clothing for men and women in a perfect summer color palette out east (below). On a recent visit, I was pleased to see brands including Dries van Noten, Auralee, and Ines Bressand finally making their way to the Hamptons.
Warm: A favorite of recent years on Main Street, this boutique is expertly curated by local Winnie Beattie. Warm offers an eclectic mix of home decor and clothing by designers like Rachel Comey, forte forte, R13, and Denimist.
MONTAUK:
Utilitaria Montauk Outpost: New to Montauk, resident Ingrid Solomonson has opened this store offering a little bit of everything from legendary collaborators — coveted vintage clothing and pieces curated by Bob Melet, jewelry by Meredith Kahn, clothing by Julia Jentzsch, art by Boohooray, handbags by Esha Soni, ceramics and sculptures by local artists, with more to come throughout the summer.
Adam Mar: Part surf shop, part men’s clothing line, this eponymous store and its owner are true gems. Mar not only stocks the best selection of surfboards from renowned shapers but also designs all of the clothing and accessories in the shop. If that weren't enough, he just released a surf magazine, AM Surf.
Tombolo: Because summer is not complete without one of Tombolo’s terry sets — and Montauk is a perfect place to rock one. –Sarah Jackson
GETAWAYS LINKS: Aztec Airlines adding more flights from FLL to Out Islands of the Bahamas • Closed since 2017, BVI’s Peter Island plans October reopening • New Marriott Luxury Collection resort Almare taking reservations for October opening on Isla Mujeres.
ASK FOUND
First, a quick primer on how this works: You send us the pressing questions of the day (on dining, services, living in Miami and surrounds). We all put our heads together (us at FOUND, + you, FOUND subscribers, who are also FOUND) in search of truth and beauty.
Today, three FOUND subscriber PROMPTS for which we are seeking intel:
What is your favorite Miami flower shop (or flower delivery service)?
What is your restaurant of the summer?
I need a wardrobe update. Can you recommend the best women’s boutiques?
Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfoundmiami.com.