The deep end
The deep end
Sereia, Broken Shaker, best hotel pools, church & state, Ossobucco, Como Parrot Cay, Panthers tix, Chèvre, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
A Portuguese escape
The Skinny: Two-time Michelin-starred chef Henrique Sá Pessoa has partnered with the team behind Dante’s HiFi (Sault Hospitality) to open his first U.S. restaurant, Coconut Grove’s Sereia. Staying true to his roots, Pessoa spins traditional Iberian dishes with modernist technique, elevating rustic classics to fine dining. The doors opened in March.
The Vibe: Soft angles and soothing tones, like an exclusive oceanside spa in a canopy-covered enclave of the Grove — the design mixes natural woodgrains and gently curved furniture with hues of cream, green, and blue. The sound is set at respectful decibel levels, making it possible to focus on the food and present company. (Outdoor seating is a great option for the cooler months.)
The Food: At Sereia, the seafood shines. Salt cod topped with a cured egg, surrounded by fried string potatoes is a must-order. Another Portuguese classic, octopus salad with paprika potatoes, allows quality ingredients to do the heavy lifting. Cured wahoo with sweet potato puree, lime, and salicornia evokes a classic Peruvian ceviche, albeit one that studied abroad in Portugal and stuck around. Finally, if sea urchin sounds like an overwrought addition to beef tartare, think again.
The Drinks: The cocktail menu features some very complex drinks that pay homage to the classic Portuguese ginja and port wine. There’s also a caviar and quince frozinho, exactly as wild and stunty as it sounds.
The Verdict: You might not be able to run away to Portugal for the weekend, but you can make a brief escape to Sereia for an impressive taste of its formidable culinary exports. –Katelin Stecz
→ Sereia (Coconut Grove) • 301 Altara Ave, Ste 122 • Wed-Sun 530-11p • Reserve.
MIAMI RESTAURANT LINKS: Ecuador’s Noe Sushi Bar opening first U.S. location in Miami next month • Fort Lauderdale’s Tulio’s Tacos & Margarita Bar coming to Wynwood in form of Bar Tulio’s • Zucca in Coral Gables will relocate to new development Regency Park in 2026 • Is sotol the next mezcal?
CULTURE & LEISURE • Swimming
Pools, hotels
Fontainebleau Miami Beach (Miami Beach), massive bowtie pool + 10 more; weekend Arkadia Dayclub
Loews Miami Beach (South Beach), family-friendly; bookable SOAK daybeds and cabanas
1 Hotel South Beach (South Beach, above), eco-chic multi-tiered pool deck with great views + rooftop
The Goodtime Hotel (South Beach), pretty-in-pink poolscape w/ DJ-fueled weekend parties
The Standard Spa, Miami Beach (Belle Isle), lemon yellow lounge chairs on Biscayne Bay; book spa treatment for complimentary access
The Biltmore (Coral Gables), massive 600k-gallon pool with classical decor
The National Hotel (South Beach), long and narrow cabana-lined pool; Art Deco charm
J.W. Marriott Turnberry Resort & Spa (Aventura), pool for lounging plus Tidal Cove waterpark with 7 slides & surf simulator
SLS LUX Brickell (Brickell), 75-foot lap pool and zero-entry for stylish rooftop lounging
Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundmiami.com.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shop
Get your goat
If I were to host a fancy picnic lunch aboard a sailboat, Chèvre is where I’d provision. The tiny cheese shop, tucked away on Coral Way, specializes in all things gourmet and artisanal — Kaluga caviar, black truffle honey, blue cheese made by a fifth-generation French cheesemaker, Iberico ham, Basque cheesecake. You know, the good stuff.
It also makes some of Miami’s best sandwiches. In the time the shop has been open, it’s developed a cult following for The Spaniard (Pan de Cristal bread with sliced Iberico ham, chorizo cantimpalo, and manchego with orange marmalade) and La Italiana (Sullivan Street Mezzo Doppio with whipped sheep's milk ricotta, Italian mortadella, freshly-made pesto, crushed pistachios, and truffle wildflower honey).
Next door, the shop runs a wine bar called La Bibliothèque where you can sign up for a wine-tasting class, cheese pairing, or just sit and eat your sandwich with a glass of wine picked for you by the in-house sommelier. Sailing, of a sort. –Katelin Stecz
→ Shop: Chèvre Miami (Coral Way) • 1295 Coral Way • Free delivery on orders over $30.
WORK • Media
Church and state
A subscriber to FOUND NY recently told a colleague that her favorite part of the newsletter is the weekly work item (oh, wow, blushing).
Results may vary! But the compliment landed. In the early days of a start-up, especially one building quietly, the ratio of affirmation to uncertainty and doubt is very low. Add in the factor that FOUND is a fully remote operation, and the result is a feedback loop mostly running tortured laps in our heads.
As it happens, the admiring subscriber is a former co-worker. We only overlapped for a minute, and don’t know each other well, but I distinctly remember the first time I met her. It was in the mid-teens in the offices of the digital media company. I was “on the business side,” and she was a new editorial hire. At first sight, she expressed her point of view that the purpose of the business side was to make money and never talk to her.
It stung! Since my days pasting up pizza shop ads while editing the college newspaper, I always prided myself on being able to see all sides of the media business. Church and state, yes, of course, but we’re all on the same team here, making media and mixing metaphors together.
Ten years later, even the most successful media organizations remain beset by internal conflict. Often the wounds are self-inflicted, but usually, there’s that age-old business-editorial division at the core.
Fortunately, FOUND is too new for that sort of thing. And hopefully, we’ll build something lasting that heralds a new generation of enlightened media, one that truly understands how to have it all — to build a business and maintain standards, to make money and all talk to each other. Probably, though, we’re only months away from hiring the next rising editorial star who tells the business side to go fuck itself. –Josh Albertson
MIAMI WORK AND PLAY LINKS: Surging condo demand sees new rental developments converting to condos (though sales dipped last month) • Proposal for Wynwood’s tallest tower gets thumbs-down • New rendering revealed for 41st Street revitalization in Miami Beach • Amazon robotaxi fleet to be cruising Miami’s streets by this summer • ‘Ghost jobs’ are on the rise • Working late? Don’t bother.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Gentleman’s Sweep
Justin Timberlake, Kaseya Center (Downtown), Sat @ 8p, section 107, $187 per
Silversun Pickups, Culture Room (Fort Lauderdale), Sat @ 730p, GA, $95 per
Oilers vs Panthers, Amerant Bank Arena (Sunrise), Tues @ 8p, section 118, $1933 per
WORK • Thursday Routine
Driving force
DEVIN KAY • co-founder & senior partner • The Exclusive Group at Douglas Elliman
Neighborhood you live in: Miami Beach
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
If I’m not out touring around buyers or showing one of our listings, you’ll often find me at La Gorce Country Club or Shell Bay, where I like to play golf, network with clients, have lunch meetings, and field calls on the driving range.
What’s on the agenda for today?
After dropping my kids off at school, I’ll usually start my day answering emails, on calls with buyers or sellers to update them on deals we’re currently working with them on, and checking in with my team to see what showings we have for the day, what outreach we should be doing, and what PR opportunities there are for current deals. Right now, I have over $150 million in new listings coming to the market over the next two weeks, and will also be launching a new oceanfront development in Miami Beach, so I’ve been busy getting these properties ready to launch (while also dealing with several contracts I just received on current listings).
Any bar or restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Since having kids six years ago, I try to spend most of my time at home with my family once I finish appointments for the day. That said, there are a few amazing new restaurants I’ve been to recently that I’d highly recommend — Ossobucco in Wynwood and Mamo in Brickell have become my new go-tos. I’m also a creature of habit, so you’ll often find me at the Surf Club Restaurant by Thomas Keller or Hillstone at Bal Harbour, two longtime favorites.
How about a little leisure or culture?
When I’m not out golfing, I enjoy going to Miami Heat games, taking my oldest daughter to play tennis, or just enjoying our pool at home. We also enjoy partaking in Formula 1 and Art Basel each year.
Any weekend getaways?
We love to visit Rosewood Mayakoba, Como Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos or Rosewood Baha Mar in the Bahamas, all quick flights from Miami.
What was your last great vacation?
Last winter, we took a family ski trip to Deer Valley in Utah, which was a nice change of pace from Miami. My wife and I also went to Napa last spring and enjoyed wine tasting as well as the culinary scene. We stayed at the Auberge du Soleil which was amazing. This summer, we’re going to St. Tropez and Cap Ferrat in the south of France for a week.
GETAWAYS LINKS: American adding daily Jamaica flights to OCJ (Ian Fleming/Ocho Rios) starting in December • On Riviera Maya, former Zoëtry Paraiso de la Bonita is joining Marriott’s Luxury Collection, reopening late this year • Ritz-Carlton launches residential sales in Savannah • Online U.S. passport renewal is back • Boarding last, not first, is the true airline luxury. • Are summer travel deals finally back?
BARS • Next Chapters
Shake it off
Earlier this week, Bar Lab Hospitality announced the sale of Broken Shaker and 27 Restaurant. After some confusion, reports confirmed that the new owners — who own the Freehand Miami, home to Broken Shaker — will continue to operate the bar and restaurant. Still, the transaction marks the end of an era in Miami Beach. Here, a reflection on the influential establishments.
Broken Shaker opened as a pop-up during Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2012 in the al fresco courtyard of the long-shuttered Indian Creek Hotel (which would soon transform into the Freehand Miami hotel-hostel, with 27 Restaurant to follow). At that time, Elad Zvi and Gabe Orta of Bar Lab were widely known as the guys who designed the cocktail program at the W South Beach. With Broken Shaker, they ushered in an era of Miami Beach cocktail bars designed for locals by locals, free of the glitz, glam, and over-the-top-ness of the hotel bars and clubs lining Collins Avenue.
When they opened, I lived only a few blocks away, and was still relatively new in town. Broken Shaker is where many of my first friendships in Miami were forged. Through the years, we celebrated birthdays to new babies over everything from seasonal highballs to seasonable punch bowls.
During major events like Art Basel, Miami Music Week or South Beach Wine & Food Festival, everyone knew they’d find the best parties with the best crowds at the Shaker. Not just beloved by locals (and later, in-the-know visitors), it’s as critically acclaimed as it is deeply respected within the service industry. Many of Miami’s top mixologists came from or collaborated with their team, who’d also host visiting cocktail teams from other cities. Soon, Bar Lab would go on to open the Broken Shaker in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, in addition to a number of new concepts.
Still, there was nothing quite like those early pop-up days, meeting girlfriends on a weeknight at dusk in that enchanting backyard to sample cocktails, gossip, and flirt. Almost everyone I knew from then has since moved on from the beach — if not Miami altogether — so I guess we couldn’t expect Bar Lab to hold onto Broken Shaker forever. Like us, they will continue to evolve — and surely we’ll reunite in the not too distant future over cocktails at whatever they dream of next. –Shayne Benowitz
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 new FOUND subscriber PROMPTS for which we are seeking intel:
What’s your Restaurant of the Summer 2024?
What is your favorite flower shop (or flower delivery service)?
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.