Very appetizing
Jewish delis roundup, Mayfair Grill, Opus Coconut Grove, OJAS x Klipsch speakers, best boat day provisions, end of WFH, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Coconut grill
The Skinny: Coconut Grove’s Mayfair House Hotel & Garden has landed a chef (and revamped menu) worthy of its historic setting: Giorgio Rapicavoli of Eating House renown. Mayfair Grill reopened for dinner under his leadership last month.
The Vibe: Situated on the hotel’s ground floor with lush indoor-outdoor seating, Mayfair Grill has been through several iterations over the years. Despite the hotel setting, Rapicavoli says he’s designed the menu with regulars in mind. The result is unpretentious, filled with easy-to-share grilled dishes befitting group celebrations and casual date nights alike. There’s intimate indoor seating with views of the open kitchen, and a courtyard with a plant-covered atrium.
The Drinks: The fruit-forward cocktail menu is inspired by the lush hotel grounds and its surrounding neighborhood, from an herbaceous banana boulevardier to a Coconut Grove dirty martini made with salty coconut water brine.
The Food: Rapicavoli is embracing his Argentine heritage with a menu centered around a massive woodfire Grillworks grill. The approach is simple: fire, season, plate. This shows through in the menu, from a skirt steak with a special chimichurri to Iberico pork churrasco marinated with sweet soy, pineapple, ginger, and garlic to tiger prawns covered in calabrian chili and preserved lemon. Smaller plates include grilled olives, grilled dates, a white bean hummus, grilled oyster mushrooms, and a can’t-miss wagyu tartare.
The Verdict: Mayfair Grill may have fallen off the radar, but it’s back and arguably better than it’s ever been. It’s currently open for happy hour and dinner, with lunch and brunch in the works. –Amber Love Bond
→ Mayfair Grill (Coconut Grove) • 3000 Florida Ave • Sun-Thurs 5-10p, Fri-Sat 5-11p • Reserve.
MIAMI RESTAURANT LINKS: Erba/Ghee team opening new Caribbean restaurant Paya in Miami Beach today • Setai Miami Beach adds opulent new Japanese restaurant Japon to its mix • After closing during pandemic, Fooq’s set to reopen in new Little River digs early next year • The bloody mary breaks free of brunch at last.
REAL ESTATE • FOUND Development
Magnum opus
Opus Coconut Grove is a six-story, 14-unit development designed by Kobi Karp Architecture with João Armentano on interiors. The building, expected to be completed in 2026, launched sales over the summer with three- and four-bedroom units priced from $2.5M. There’s a rooftop pool, a spa, and other luxe amenities to compete with the host of other new developments rising in the neighborhood.
Here, three of the building’s current listings:
→ 3137 SW 27th Ave 2A (Northeast Coconut Grove) • 3BR/3.1BA, 1946 SF condo • Ask: $2.5M • Days on market: 58 • Agents: Luis Diego Palomo & Sari Shapiro, Elliman.
→ 3137 SW 27th Ave 4B (Northeast Coconut Grove) • 3BR/3.1BA, 1926 SF condo • Ask: $3.565M • Days on market: 55 • Agents: Christopher Wands & Alexandra Lane, Elliman.
→ 3137 SW 27th Ave 4C (Northeast Coconut Grove) • 3BR/3.1BA, 1944 SF condo • Ask: $3.75M • Days on market: 7 • Agents: Sari Shapiro & Christopher Wands, Elliman.
MIAMI WORK AND PLAY LINKS: Residences at Six Fisher Island breaks ground • With Brightline at capacity, more cars enroute • ‘Founder mode:’ the devil’s in the details.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Object
Sound solution
Among his A-List audiophile clients are Mark Ronson, Tyler the Creator, and Tom Sachs. His work can be seen and heard locally in places like downtown Manhattan luxe hotel Nine Orchard (in nearly every room of the hotel) and in Brooklyn’s vaunted nightlife complex Public Records. They’re in Supreme stores here and all over the world, and Prada copped a few pairs. They also played in San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art for a week, when a hit parade of “operators” — from Blackbird Spyplane’s Jonah Weiner to Coachella headliner Fred, Again.. — ran a soundsystem he set up inside the museum.
Former fashion guy turned sound guy Devin Turnbull, aka OJAS, is clearly in high demand. But his speakers are decidedly not hype products. Typically assembled by his small team at his studio in Brooklyn, the beautiful stereo equipment produces a sound that is (to put it lightly) otherworldly.
Despite myriad offers to partner with an established high-end audio company, Turnbull didn’t take any of them up on it until recently, when he got a DM from the brass at Klipsch, the legendary American hi-fi manufacturer based in Arkansas. They offered him a collaboration. He’d always been inspired by Klipsch’s famous horn-loaded Heresy speaker, and this became a full-circle moment. The resulting speakers are in an edition of 100. As someone who recently experienced them in person, I can tell you firsthand: Beware. After hearing music sound this good, you’ll forever scorn your Sonos. Or you could just fork over the cash for these speakers. –Foster Kamer
→ Shop: OJAS x Klipsch k0-R1 (OJAS.nyc) • $8498 per pair.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Post-Rock
Ray Lamontagne • Au-Rene Theater (Fort Lauderdale) • Fri @ 8p • orchestra, $89 per
Sugarhill Gang • The Studio at Mizner Park (Boca Raton) • Sat @ 730p, section S1, $70 per
Sigur Rós with the Wordless Music Orchestra • Knight Concert Hall (Downtown) • Mon @ 8p, orchestra, $203 per
GETAWAYS LINKS: Forthcoming St. Regis Cap Cana now accepting reservations for April 2025 • Boutique St Barths hotel Le Toiny reopening Oct. 27 following makeover • Sneak peek of Six Senses Grand Bahama, opening 2026 • Comparing this season’s ski pass offerings from Epic, Ikon, et al • The world’s best bar.
WORK • RTO
Thanks, team
The best part of Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s memo to employees last week, shared publicly by the company on AboutAmazon.com, is the way it begins: “Hey team.”
Uh oh.
Nine paragraphs about culture-strengthening and bureaucracy-trimming follow before the bomb: Team, You’re going back to the office five days a week.
Next, six grafs of understanding (you’ve got three months) and thanks in advance (because “the work won’t be trivial and it will test our collective ability to invent and simplify”), and, finally, the signoff: “Thanks, Andy.”
The WSJ says the breezily delivered change in policy (most Amazon employees had been on a three-days-in-office plan) signals the end of “the work from home free-for-all,” pointing to a recent KPMG survey, which showed a marked increase in CEOs expecting a return to five days a week in the next three years.
But just because you wish it doesn’t make it so. The current reality is that most companies are still offering some flexibility, because that’s what workers want and — whether office-straddled bosses like it or not — it generally boosts productivity and helps retain talent. (They should like it!).
The good news is that Amazon’s plan and its aftermath will make us all smarter about remote and hybrid work’s durability. But, for the love of Nick Denton, let’s hope they also make us smarter about writing sharper corporate memos. –Josh Albertson
RESTAURANTS • FOUND Roundup
Jewish delis, bakeries & appetizing
A FOUND roundup of Miami’s best Jewish delis:
→ Zak The Baker (Wynwood): Nestled in Wynwood, this cheerful Kosher bakery consistently offers a great selection of breads, pastries, and savory delights. The team at Zak’s is dedicated to reinventing classics with innovative local touches. While known for its bread and pastries, Zak’s cafe menu also shines. And for those planning a bris or holiday gathering, there’s catering.
The ticket: To ensure your challah for Shabbat dinner, preorders start at 6p the night before. Double down by booking a Friday lunch reservation. By noon on Friday, you’ll have a table and a challah with your name on it — literally. My order? A tuna melt and a hibiscus lemonade.
→ Sonny’s Bakery (North Miami Beach): Living up to its self-proclaimed nickname, "King of Kosher Challah" — it says so on the door — Sonny’s offers an impressive variety of freshly baked challahs, from the traditional (braided, miniature, and pull-apart) to versions stuffed with apple, guava, and chocolate. If the stuffed challahs aren’t sweet enough, there’s a selection of cookies and pastries to choose from, including excellent rugelach and babka.
The ticket: If overwhelmed by the array of challah options, simply ask which ones are still warm to help narrow down the choices.
→ Bagel Cove (Aventura): A bustling NY-style restaurant and deli, where the tables are full, there’s a line at the deli counter, and the menu checks all the boxes — bagels, fresh rye, pastrami, smoked fish, eggs, cold salads, soups, and cookies by the pound. Of course, they offer party platters and holiday catering. Warning: it may evoke memories of the Jewish deli you frequented with your parents or grandparents growing up.
The ticket: While bagel sandwiches and fish platters are priced similarly, the latter offers more bang for your buck.
→ Kush by Stephens (Hialeah, above): While they proudly offer hand-sliced pastrami and corned beef, this isn't your typical Jewish deli. But it's exactly what you'd anticipate from a Jewish deli situated in the heart of Hialeah. Alongside a creative cocktail list featuring specialty cocktails, sangria, and local beers on tap, you’ll also find classic NY egg creams and Dr. Brown's soda. Whether starting a meal with latkes and matzo ball soup, or alligator bites and croquetas (in reuben and pastrami varieties, naturally), the juxtaposition works. It’s a fun spot, but more importantly, it’s delicious.
The ticket: The Jewban is a reuben-Cuban traif mashup: pulled pork, corned beef, swiss cheese, pickles, sauerkraut, yellow mustard, and Russian dressing, served on grilled rye. The key lime pie is one of the best in Miami. Lastly, if you have a dog, you can take home a serving of corned beef scraps, aptly named Doggy Delights.
→ Kosher Kingdom (Aventura): A South Florida staple since 1952, the kosher grocery boasts a produce department, dairy selection, bakery, candy and sweets, imported delicacies, Judaica, and full-service catering. The market also offers one of the best kosher wine selections in the game. And if you need assistance, don't hesitate to ask — the staff are always helpful.
The ticket: Fridays before Shabbat are very busy and best left to Kosher Kingdom veterans. But when you do visit, don’t miss the butcher counter. They’ve got a stunning selection of kosher meats.
→ Josh’s Deli (Surfside): A modern twist on the traditional Jewish delicatessen, featuring in-house cured, roasted, and smoked meats and fish, from a braised corned beef sandwich to latkes topped with spicy cream cheese and cured tuna. You’ll also find matzoh ball soup, smoked salmon platters, the fluffiest of pancakes and bagel sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, all in a cozy, laidback setting on Harding Avenue.
The ticket: With a playful menu that’s constantly changing, Josh’s specials board denotes new creative concoctions, like the Vietnamese “banh Moses” made with smoked pastrami short rib, pickled veggies, and chicken liver mousse topped with the requisite pile of cucumbers and carrots, all tucked inside a French baguette. –Julia Grossman
GOODS & SERVICES • The Nines
Boat trip provisioning
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of Miami’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundmiami.com.
Chicken Kitchen (Multiple locations), family-sized Chop Chops, platters of quesadillas, massive salad bowls
Joe’s Take Away (South Beach), stone crabs, fried chicken, lobster rolls? Yes please
Belly Fish (Coral Gables & other locations), sushi platters, seaweed salad, sashimi in the cooler
Carrot Express (South Beach & other locations), salads, juices, wraps
Coyo Taco (Wynwood & other locations, above), tacos, guac, salsa bar; mix, match, and make your own
Publix (Multiple locations), nothing better than Pub Subs and chicken tender platters
Pura Vida (South Beach & other locations), green juice, acai bowls, salmon mango salad
Poke OG (Downtown & Wynwood), build your own poke bowl bar; light, fresh and lots of options
Joanna’s Marketplace (Kendall), family-owned grocery store for fresh wraps, fruit platters, salads, and so much more
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:
Where are you excited about dining this fall?
What’s your favorite bookstore in Miami?
Which spa are you booking to escape the chaos of the season?
Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfoundmiami.com.