Coral Gables Magazine July 2021

CORAL GABLES

The Best of Coral Gables 2021

Inside the Brain: Advancing Care for Tumors

Some 85,000 Americans will be diagnosed with a brain or spinal tumor this year, according to the National Brain Tumor Society. While about onethird of those will be life-threatening, even those that aren’t can cause pain, disability and poor quality of life.

Enter the experts at Baptist Health’s Miami Neuroscience Institute. With an arsenal of innovative treatments and equipment at their fingertips — working closely with their colleagues at Miami Cancer Institute — they provide the most sophisticated and tailored care.

“It’s important to have both skilled, Fellowship-trained surgeons and other subspecialists along with the latest technologies to ensure that we are giving patients personalized options that are best for them,” says neurosurgeon Michael McDermott, M.D., chair of neurosurgery and chief medical executive of Miami Neuroscience Institute.

Not all brain and spinal cord tumors require surgery or are cancerous, Dr. McDermott says. If a tumor is slow growing and not causing symptoms, physicians may opt for imaging studies to monitor changes. And providing a sophisticated multidisciplinary approach means that there are usually numerous treatment options. Physicians may employ minimally invasive endoscopic procedures to reach tumors by going through the nose. They may attack the tumor with radiation or chemotherapy. They may cut off a tumor’s blood supply by blocking a blood vessel. Or, they may use any combination of techniques and methods.

About 60 percent of patients have no symptoms, discovering they have a brain tumor when an imaging study is done for another reason. Those who do have symptoms may experience headaches, nausea, vision or hearing problems, seizures or balance issues, depending upon the tumor’s size and location.

“One headache doesn’t mean you have a brain tumor,” Dr. McDermott says. “A headache that continues for days with

no relief from medications that normally help, or a headache in combination with nausea, vomiting or other symptoms should be checked out.” A headache that improves with vomiting could also be a sign of something serious.

The Institute sees patients with all types of brain and spinal tumors, including primary brain tumors, metastatic tumors that have come from cancer in other parts of the body, gliomas, skull base tumors, ependymomas, cerebellar tumors, pituitary tumors, meningiomas and more.

The most common type of brain tumor in adults over age 35 is a meningioma. It grows in the layers of tissue called the meninges that cover the brain and spinal cord. Usually, they are noncancerous, but they may recur after being removed.

Dr. McDermott is considered the world’s number-one expert on meningiomas from 2010 to present by Expertscape, a physician-based organization that ranks physicians based on their impact on clinical research in their field. He has also received awards from several international medical societies for his research on tuberculum meningiomas and for his development of a grading scale that allows for standardized evaluation of a tumor and helps guide surgical decisions.

Treatment options are always discussed, and decisions made, jointly with the patient, Dr. McDermott says. “It’s their body, not ours. We aren’t treating a diagnosis; we are treating a human being.”

Miami Neuroscience Institute participates in clinical research trials and offers a full array of services, including physical medicine and rehabilitation; physical, occupational and speech therapy; dietary consultations; and support groups.

For an appointment, call 786-596-3876 or visit BaptistHealth.net/Neuroscience

Photo by Nick Garcia

Who dreamed we would find America’s #1 Senior Community right here in the Gables?

If you’re curious to see what it takes to be the best in America, you’re invited to visit The Palace at Coral Gables today. Conceived, built and managed by Coral Gables residents Helen & Jacob Shaham, The Palace consistently wins national awards for everything from dining to activities to health care. We’ve been recognized by Gallup as one of the best places to work worldwide for 4 consecutive years.

If you’re a Senior, or you just love one, come explore the reward of a life well lived, only at The Palace. Call 305.445.7444 or log on to www.PalaceCoralGables.com.

MAKE UP FOR MISSED MOMENTS.

Escape to a place where the air is fresh, the water is warm and a thousand worry-free moments are waiting to unfold. At Sandals ® Resorts, our wide-open spaces are nature-made for romance, whether it’s a stroll on the beach, floating on the surface of a tranquil turquoise sea, or dining al fresco beneath the stars. And with the peace of mind that comes from knowing that we’re looking out for you with our Platinum Protocols of Cleanliness, you can make up for lost time and relax, indulge, and just focus on each other…because in this paradise where everything’s included, we’ll take care of the rest.

BEST OF THE GABLES

For our 2021 foray into the finest our city offers, we searched for the best of Food & Drink, Shopping & Retail, Arts & Entertainment, Sports & Recreation, and Architecture & Public Places. Naturally, since Coral Gables is nothing if not a moveable feast, almost half of our BEST OF choices were for Food & Drink. You may agree or disagree with our determinations, but we think this is a worthy look at some of the best things Coral Gables has to offer.

BUSINESS QUARTERLY: GLOBAL GATEWAY

Coral Gables has always been an international city. Now, new opportunities abound. From his office on 201 Alhambra Circle, Manny Mencia of Enterprise Florida, says “When I was hired to run the international program for Enterprise Florida [the state’s economic development agency], one of my first executive decisions was to move the office to Coral Gables. I wanted to be in a location that was most conducive to international business.”

The Importance of Being Merrick

This past May, Coral Gables became the final city adjacent to US1 in Miami-Dade County to endorse the renaming of that roadway – aka Dixie Highway – to Harriett Tubman Highway. It was largely a symbolic gesture since only the legislature in Tallahassee can legally change the name of this state road. It was nonetheless the right thing to do, replacing a moniker associated with the slave-holding South with the name of a leader of the underground railroad.

When the City Commission voted to endorse the name change, however, several commissioners made it clear that this would not launch a cancel-culture frenzy in the Gables. They made it especially clear that the name of George Merrick, and the statue of his likeness in front of City Hall, were off limits to historic revisionism.

They made this point in light of the recent removal of Merrick’s name from a building on the University of Miami campus, based on students protesting segregationist remarks Merrick made late in his career, long after he had donated the land and dollars needed to start the university. Those who wish to honor the memory of Merrick pointed out that, in the context of the time, building separate housing for black people was a far cry from the lynch mob violence of other places in the South. They also pointed out that it was Merrick’s vision that created the beautiful, smart and elegant city that Coral Gables is today.

For the cover of our annual Best of Coral Gables issue, we therefore commissioned local artist Carlos Garcia-Barbon to paint a watercolor of Merrick. It only seems fitting that this

urban pioneer, who created a city with a plethora of “Best” things, symbolize all that is excellent in this fair metropolis. This desire to honor Merrick and preserve his legacy is far from ours alone. On June 3, an array of community leaders assembled in front of Merrick’s statue at City Hall. In a ceremony organized by the Historic Preservation Association of Coral Gables, Merrick’s 135th birthday and the city’s inaugural “Founder’s Day Ceremony” were commemorated. The event was attended not only by Mayor Vince Lago and Commissioners Rhonda Anderson and Kirk Menendez, but by past mayors Don Slesnick and Dorothy Thompson, along with numerous civic leaders, historic preservationists, and Spain’s Deputy Consul General Gabriel Cremades, who noted how King Alphonso XIII knighted Merrick in 1927.

Also in attendance was Amanda Rose, the first-year UM law student who publicly challenged UM’s research on Merrick’s merits and lambasted the University’s cancel culture attitude. She ended her speech by saying, “We need to continue to preserve this city’s history, its architecture, and George Merrick’s vision for this community.” We could not agree more.

JP FABER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CORAL GABLES MAGAZINE

CEO & PUBLISHER

Richard Roffman

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

J.P.Faber

EVP / PUBLISHER

Gail Scott

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Amy Donner

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Monica Del Carpio-Raucci

ART DIRECTOR

Jon Braeley

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Toni Kirkland

VP SALES

Sherry Adams

STAFF WRITER & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Carmen Sofia Fraga

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Grace Carricarte

SENIOR WRITERS

Mike Clary

Doreen Hemlock

WRITERS

James Broida

Andrew Gayle

Mallory Evans Jacobson

Kim Rodriguez

FILM AND VIDEO CRITIC

Michael Roffman

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Michael Campina

Jonathan Dann

Emily Fakhoury

CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION

CircIntel

OFFICIAL FRAMER

Adam Brand / Frames USA

Coral Gables Magazine is published monthly by City Regional Media, 1200 Anastasis Ave. Suite 115, Coral Gables FL 33134. Telephone: (305) 995-0995. Copyright 2021 by City Regional Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photograph or illustration without prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Send address changes to subscriptions@ coralgablesmagazine.com. General mailbox email and letters to editor@coralgablesmagazine.com. BPA International Membership applied for March 2019.

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Cover: Watercolor painting of the statue of George Merrick by Carlos Garcia-Barbon

Each month we print letters that we receive from our readers. We encourage any and all commentary, included criticism as well as compliments, and of course any commentary about our community. If you are interested in writing to us with your opinions, thoughts or suggestions, please send them to letters@coralgablesmagazine.com

Unfair Claims

I read the article “Gables Insider and Community Newspaper Print Misinformation” in the June issue of Coral Gables Magazine about a controversial subject I had only learned about from a Miami Herald article in early May. [Gables Moves to Sell $3.5 Million City Parking Lot]. The Miami Herald described that, prior to a vote by the Coral Gables City Commission to sell a piece of property to Vice Mayor Mena’s employer, he disclosed that he has a relationship with the prospective purchaser. It further explained that based upon an opinion from the City Attorney, the Vice Mayor did not recuse himself. My impression from the Miami Herald article was that Vice Mayor Mena had done his due diligence and acted correctly.

Since learning of this vote, I have heard grumblings about impropriety directed at both the Vice Mayor and the City Attorney. I then read the article in Coral Gables Magazine. I was particularly interested in the issue in the context of a potential conflict of interest, and the responsibility of an elected official to disclose a conflict and when he should abstain from voting. I do not have any independent information regarding the history of the “deal” or prior discussions about it. However, regarding a potential conflict, it is apparent that Vice Mayor Mena went beyond his technical responsibility by disclosing his relationship with the prospective purchaser even though he had received a legal opinion that there was no conflict requiring a recusal.

I have recently been appointed to a City Advisory Board and have received a package from the City Clerk containing an oath of office and a Form 8B (Memorandum of Voting Conflict for County, Municipal and Other Local Public Officers). I have served on various county and city advisory boards for over twenty years,

so was not unfamiliar with Form 8B. The instructions on the form direct any person elected or appointed to a board to abstain from a vote when such vote will inure a special gain or benefit.

The form is completed when the official abstains and requires disclosure as to whom the special benefit is inured. In the ethics training for boards and committees I have attended, it was explained that this form also provides guidance to prevent a board member from improperly abstaining – for example when a vote is uncomfortable.

The claims of impropriety by others against the Vice Mayor Mena and the City Attorney are unfair and inappropriate. I commend Coral Gables Magazine for calling out those making those unfair claims.

Deborah Swain

Please Save The Oaks

I was doubly happy that my place of employment was featured, and that you mentioned in your “A Whole Lot of Smart” Editor’s Note in the June issue that the City is “maintaining its extraordinary canopy with a data base that monitors the location, height, species, and health of 38,000 trees in public places.” I reached out to the Coral Gables Garden Club and to the city about the abundance of strangler figs nesting in the venerable oak trees along Coral Way. I heard from the Garden Club that the road is maintained by the County. However, I hope someone from the City can get permission from the County (if that’s what it takes) to remove the strangler figs and save these beautiful, and supposedly protected, oak trees. There is no more iconic or beautiful street in the Gables, and I think it would be a shame and a crime to allow this invasive species to do what they do and replace their hosts.

Helen Gynell

Angry

I am astonished and utterly disgusted with the publication in your magazine of the Carlos Saladrigas story regarding his personal views of what the relations with Cuba should be. First of all, your magazine has, to my knowledge, never been involved in politics. Second, this gentleman does not even live in Coral Gables, so I do not know why his views need to be published in a local magazine. Finally, his views are quite offensive and in contradiction to the views of many of us that live in this city. Obviously, my opinion has radically changed regarding your magazine.

Andres Murai Jr

Editor’s note:

Mr. Murai -- I am sorry that you found Mr. Saladrigas’ opinion so upsetting. We all hate the Communist regime in Cuba; the point is that the embargo has failed to change that regime in 60 years, and only hurts the people of Cuba. So, why not discuss another way to end it? As to your specific complaints: 1) We report on city politics every month; 2) While Mr. Saladrigras lives just outside the city, his company was based here for many years, and he remains a part of the community via his membership and perpetual presence at the Riviera Country Club; and 3) The free expression of contradictory views is what Democracy – unlike Communism – is all about.

EXPECTATIONS ARE BUILDING

Coming

With a long tradition of hospitality and care, Belmont Village is collaborating in a unique partnership with Baptist Health South Florida to redefine senior living. Our newest community, opening soon in Coral Gables, builds on our innovative, research-based programming and 24/7 on-site nursing to include a wellness-focused Healthy Living Center on the ground floor. With best-in-class amenities, there’s a life here to meet every need and surpass every expectation.

From City Hall

AT ITS LAST JUNE MEETING BEFORE THE SUMMER, THE CITY COMMISSION:

VOTED 4-1 TO ALLOW PRIVATE ESTABLISHMENTS in the downtown area to have live outdoor music on their property from 5 pm to 11 pm Fridays, noon to 11 pm Saturdays, and noon to 9 pm Sundays. Previously, a business had to go through the cumbersome process of applying for a “special event” permit. “I think it’s going to help our businesses,” said Commissioner Michael Mena, who proposed the ordinance, which limits volume to 85 decibels. Only Commissioner Rhonda Anderson voted against, calling for a workshop on the concept. (Sponsored by Commissioner Mena)

VOTED 5-0 TO RENEW THE EFFORT TO ANNEX the High Pines-Ponce Davis area, a pocket of un-incorporated county land east of Red Road between Sunset Road and Kendall Drive. If annexed, residents of the area would be served by the Gables’ new fire station on Sunset Road, dramatically reducing arrival time for emergency services. The annexation would increase the city’s tax base and make it easier to police the city’s borders. (Sponsored by Mayor Lago)

VOTED 5-0 TO HOLD EVERY OTHER CITY COMMISSION meeting in the evening instead of during the day, so that working citizens can attend. Evening sessions will begin at 4 pm, with items of community importance held until 6 pm. The first such session will be on July 14. (Sponsored by Commissioner Anderson and Mayor Lago)

VOTED 4-0 TO DELAY THE CONTROVERSIAL SALE of the city-owned parking lot at 350 Greco Ave., pending solicitation of other bids. While the city had been offered $3.5 million, the highest assessed value of the land, the commission deferred to citizen complaints that the process had not been sufficiently transparent. The loss of the $3.5 million sale could damage the city’s ability to pay for its new parking structure at the Public Safety Building, but commissioners thought it more important to make sure the sale was conducted openly. (Commissioner Mena abstained from the vote.)

VOTED 4-1 TO REMAIN PART OF THE WESTON v. State of Florida court case, in which 80 Florida cities are challenging the state’s ability to overrule local ordinances on gun sales. At issue is the power of the state to fine and remove city officials who vote in favor of gun control. All the commissioners agreed – except for Commissioner Anderson – that this was an important issue for maintaining home rule and the city’s ability to represent its residents. The city did, however, put a cap of $3,000 on further court costs. ■

The Big Story

What’s Coral Gables known for nationally? Last month it was for one thing: That Latin heart-throb Marc Anthony sold his waterfront mansion here for $22 million. This story appeared nationwide in everything from Architectural Digest to Realtor.com. Each story had a different twist. People magazine called it “his stunning Miami waterfront estate” and asked readers to “See Inside!” The Los Angeles Times put it that “Marc Anthony unloads Florida mansion for $22 million… walking away with a $3.4 million profit.” The only story that got as much play nationally was the sentencing of a local thief to 10 years in federal prison for porch burglaries in the Gables and Miami – for all those worried about their Amazon deliveries.

Wawa Redux

In the ongoing struggle to stop the Wawa gas station going up across the street from G.W. Carver Elementary School on US1, there have been several news items of note. The first was this year’s Legislative/Advocacy Award from the Miami-Dade County PTA, recognizing the parents at G.W. Carver for their “against-the-odds” campaign to stop the development. The second was a ruling by Miami-Dade County’s ethics commission that there was no evidence to support a claim by parents of improper lobbying by attorney Laura Russo, the chair of the Coral Gables Community Foundation. The Gables Accountability Project, a group comprised of G.W. Carver parents suing the city to stop Wawa, filed a complaint against Russo and state Sen. Miguel de la Portilla regarding the communication of an offer by Wawa to pay $17,000 to replace two oak trees taken down with two new 20-foot oak trees.

Auto Shifts

Car dealerships love Coral Gables, and two will now be expanding. Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables will renovate the old city police building on Salzedo Street and use it as a showroom and storage facility. The dealership bought the property from the city for $16.7 million in April. The news is welcome by preservationists, who feared that the unique “Brutalist” style building might be torn down. Meanwhile, The Collection dealership on Bird Road is expanding to a second location on U.S. 1 at Ponce de Leon Boulevard, where it will house its Jaguar and Land Rover dealerships. ■

Time to Go Underground?

IT’S GOING TO TAKE TIME AND MONEY, BUT THE RESULTS MEAN THE POWER STAYS ON

BY J.P. FABER

Ever since Hurricane Andrew crashed into Miami-Dade County in 1992, Coral Gables has been worried about the vulnerability of its power lines. But it was not until the power outages caused by Hurricane Irma in 2017 that the city decided to conduct studies on what it would cost to put its powerlines underground.

Put on hold during the pandemic, the effort to bury the city’s powerlines is now back in motion. With a recent proposal from Mayor Vince Lago, and approval from the City Commission, city staff will move forward this summer with a year-long community outreach and education program. Based on the feedback from that process, the commission will draft language a year from now for approval (or rejection) by voters in the November 2022 general election.

What the voters must decide is whether it’s worth it. On the one hand, as Commissioner Kirk Menendez noted, “We have a gust of forty mile-per-hour wind and half of Coral Gables loses power.” On the other hand, the price tag –estimated by engineering firm Stantec at between $350 million and $390 million – would have to be paid by homeowners over a 30-year period. The cost would be fifty cents per square foot of a resident’s home every year for those three decades. That would mean $1,000 a year for a 2,000-square-foot home – about $83 a month.

“It would not just bury the system, but improve it,” said

Stantec vice president Ramon Constello, building in extra capacity for electric vehicle charging stations and infrastructure for solar and battery storage. The cost to homeowners may also come down if money from a national infrastructure bill becomes available.

Right now, about 80 percent of the city’s powerlines are above ground. The only undergrounded power areas are the University of Miami, the high-end homes east of Old Cutler Road, and the homes in Deering Bay to the south.

The main benefit of going underground, said Constello, is for “future proofing” the power supply so that even in bad storms the street and traffic lights stay on, as would power and communications (phone and cable TV) to homes, schools, elderly care facilities, etc. The other beneficiary: “Green city policies that are forward thinking,” said Constello, including protecting the tree canopy from FPL crews and adding extra capacity for more power usage going forward. Should the citizens of Coral Gables vote in favor, noted Constello, it would be the biggest municipal undergrounding in the state, “larger than any other such project in Florida by a factor of five.” ■

UNDERGROUND POWER LINES:

PROS:

• IN A STORM, POWER TO HOMES STAYS ON

• STREETLIGHTS & TRAFFIC LIGHTS REMAIN ON

• SCHOOL & ELDER CARE FACILITIES REMAIN OPEN

• TREES ARE NO LONGER CUT FOR POWERLINES

• PROPERTY VALUES WILL INCREASE

CONS:

• THE COST WILL BE $350-$390 MILLION

• IT MUST BE PAID FOR BY HOMEOWNERS

• IT WILL TAKE 10 YEARS, WITH DISRUPTIONS

• IT WILL REQUIRE SURFACE TRANSFORMER BOXES

• EXPECT CONFLICTS OVER WHO’S FIRST

The Politics of Participation

THE NEW CITY COMMISSION AIMS TO INCLUDE ALL VOICES. BUT ARE THERE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES?

BY J.P. FABER

When Commissioner

Rhonda Anderson ran for City Commission in April, her platform was clear: More transparency in local government, a wider “open door” for citizen participation, and stronger controls on commercial projects that threaten the Gables’ quality of life. Mayor Vince Lago ran on the same sort of platform, positioning himself as against overdevelopment and promising more of his own open-door style.

For Lago, those two overriding issues – along with his perennial efforts to promote “green” sustainability and fiscal responsibility – defined his previous two terms as city commissioner. He routinely voted against the larger projects that came down the pike and he famously opened his offices at City Hall every Friday afternoon, ready to listen to the concerns of any citizen.

When Anderson attended her first city commission meeting in May, she came out blazing, issuing a memo to her fellow commissioners that outlined her propositions to control devel-

opment. These included some things already in the works, including a digital dashboard on the city’s website showing the status of all commercial projects, and some things already gaining traction, like her stance against the so-called “Mediterranean” ordinance that allows for greater height and density if a building mimics the city’s historic style.

What caused an immediate pushback, however, was her top agenda item: That the city should amend its ordinances that allow “as of right” commercial development to go forward without input from nearby property owners. Her definition of nearby: Within 1,500 feet of any proposed project.

Why this caused such a stir is because “as of right” means that a property owner is allowed to build whatever they like so long as it complies with the city’s zoning code. When projects seek to go beyond that code – huge buildings, for example – they must go before various city boards and, ultimately, the city commission. But for all the

smaller projects, following the rules is sufficient.

Except for newly elected Commissioner Kirk Menendez, Anderson’s colleagues all objected. Commissioner Michael Mena said it would be unfair to challenge commercial builders who operate according to the rules, that it would violate basic property rights. Mayor Lago’s concern was that if you required “as-of-right” projects to go through an expensive process of reviews, it would open a pandora’s box of requested variations and make things worse. Commissioner Jorge Fors thought that if every single “as-of-right” commercial project had to go through massive scrutiny via commission meetings and public hearings, the time and resources required would grind city government to a halt.

Undeterred, Commissioner Anderson requested that a “Sunshine” meeting on commercial development be held, to get more community input. With that, she hit a nerve, attracting nearly 300 citizens – 70 in continued to page 26

“IT WAS THE CONSTANT LASHING AT THE CITY COMMISSION, WHERE YOU HAVE THIS BEAUTIFUL MEETING AND THEN IT HAS TO BE CHAOS… WITH PEOPLE SCREAMING...”

MAYOR VINCE LAGO

VIDEO SCREEN OF THE CITY COMMISSION MEETING

person and 220 by Zoom – for a meeting that ran just under three hours one evening in June. The sentiment echoed Anderson’s sense that many residents feel that development in the Gables needs to be controlled. That was the good news. What non-plussed the mayor was the tone of the meeting, with some members of the public literally yelling at the city commission.

“It was the constant lashing at the city commission, where you have this beautiful meeting and then it has to be chaos… with people screaming,” said Lago, who otherwise concurred with citizens about proper notification. He was also put off by cries to “end all development” in the city, since it was a violation of property rights as well as the law.

For Mayor Lago to be put off by citizens seeking engagement is a sign of how far the lack of civility, as he calls it, has gone. This is a mayor who prides himself on returning every phone call and

email, allowing any member of the public to personally talk with him on Friday afternoons. Among other things, he opened his term as mayor with a “100 Days of Listening” project, where he intends to incorporate the ideas of all residents and business owners into a master strategic plan for the city While Anderson – who has also implemented an open-door Friday policy – admits that “you will have some folks who present themselves differently, because of years of frustration at having nothing done,” she still believes that citizen participation at every level will improve the nature of commercial projects in the city. She also believes that the new tone of the Lago-led city commission, far more open to public participation, will ultimately calm things down. “If you learn to listen, and demonstrate that you have that kind of patience, the temperature will come down in the room. Give us a few more months…” ■

“YOU WILL HAVE SOME FOLKS WHO PRESENT THEMSELVES DIFFERENTLY, BECAUSE OF YEARS OF FRUSTRATION AT HAVING NOTHING DONE...”

COMMISSIONER RHONDA ANDERSON

Modern gated acre gem nestled in the middle of Ponce Davis. Elevator, staff room, impact, Sonos system.

5/6/1 | 6,928 adj. sf. | 42,253 sf. lot | $7,800,000

Elegant 2-story home! Fabulous spaces, high ceilings, all impact. Inviting pool, spa, patio with tall privacy hedge.

7/8/1 | 7,172 adj. sf. | 21,879 sf. lot | $7,950,000

Unique Waterfront Contemporary Home. New roof, impact windows, doors, recently remodeled.

| 4,135 adj. sf. | 32,560 sf. lot | $5,900,000

Stunning brand new modern house, great floor plan and volume ceilings. Guest house and an incredible roof top.

7/8/1 | 7,560 adj. sf. | 23,000 sf. lot | $5,250,000

Investment opportunity! Rented until 7/2023. Wrap around terraces and beautiful lake views. 5/3 | 9,199 adj. sf. | 38,840 sf. lot | $3,450,000

Villa Biltmore - Breathtaking new condo development, next to the Biltmore Hotel and Golf Course. 2 units left! 4/4 | 2,685 sf. | 3 cov. pkng/unit | $1.942M to $2.371M

SOLD! Our Seller SOLD! Our Seller

inspired masterpiece. “Casa Arboles” sits on a manicured 2.87-acre lot.

| 13,872 sf. | 125,044 sf. lot | Sold for $13M

SHELTON STEWART

|

sprawling residence expanded and updated. Convenient split floor plan.

| 6,785 sf. | 26,070 sf. lot | Sold for $2.6M

300 Cocoplum Road - Cocoplum, Coral Gables Spacious and

272 Veleros Court - Islands of Cocoplum, Coral Gables Waterfront home, no bridges to Bay. 3 car garage. Gated for privacy on cul-de-sac. high ceilings, elevator.

7,844 sf. | 20,842 sf. lot | Sold for $5M

191 Los Pinos Court - Cocoplum, Coral Gables

11501 Old Cutler Road - Coral Gables Mediterranean

SOLD! Our Buyer

Tere Shelton Bernace Broker-Owner 305.607.7212

Consuelo T. Stewart Broker-Owner 305.216.7348

Elba Fernandez Realtor-Associate 305.799.7972

GROUP

4831 SW 82 Street - Ponce Davis

7370 Los Pinos Blvd - Cocoplum

4860 SW 76 Street - Ponce Davis

11098 Marin Street - Hammock Oaks

1228 Anastasia Avenue - Coral Gables

Living

“DEERING ESTATE SUNRISE,” BY KELLLY FORMAN, FROM THE CORAL GABLES GARDEN CLUB’S PHOTO CONTEST. PAGE 32

And The Beat Goes On…

MUSIC IS IN THE AIR AS THE PANDEMIC RECEDES

BY CGM STAFF

It’s a weekend night, and you are wondering where in the Gables to take your date for some live entertainment. A few months ago, that might have been a problem. Now, with the end of the pandemic in sight, the options are cranking up.

If it’s jazz you’re interested in, nothing beats the Globe on a Saturday night. This restaurant and bar, announced by its glowing red neon sign (377 Alhambra Circle), exudes a perfectly cool vibe with three shows beginning at 8 pm. Currently they are booked for the summer with Entre Amigos, an Afro-Cuban band that puts a jazz edge on Cuban music. Led by Latin Grammy percussionist Calixto Oveido, the show is stolen by sultry songstress Lily Hernadez. Are we in Havana or just some bohemian watering hole in Europe?

Speaking of Cuban music, if you want to lose yourself to the salsa beat of a four- or five-piece band, head over to Calle 23 (230 Miracle Mile). It’s loud, it’s crowded, and it may be just the kind of raucous dine and dance scene you’ve been waiting for since early 2020. Express yourself.

For something equally exciting, but with no requirement to strut your stuff, there is La Taberna Giralda (254 Giralda Ave.), which has a flamenco show every Thursday and Saturday night. They also happen to have a great selection of Spanish tapas and sangria, so you can imbibe while absorbing the staccato dance and Gypsy King music. Bellmont over on the Mile (339 Miracle Mile) has a more elaborate flamenco show, but just once a month.

If it’s something quieter you’re looking for, there is jazz night on Thursdays at Public

Square, on the edge of South Miami (6915 Red Road). This is the former Shula’s Steakhouse, now reimagined as an American bistro with seafood selections in addition to the meat menu. You can usually find the basic jazz trio of keyboard, drums and bass, always satisfying.

Even quieter, but in a good way, is the Cellar Club Bar at the Biltmore Hotel (1200 Anastasia Ave.), which on Friday and Saturday nights has a piano player and songstress. This is a windowless bar on the ground floor, a very cozy and sophisticated place to take that date of yours. Feels like you are tucked away in a big city somewhere.

In theory, by the time you are reading this, Books & Books (265 Aragon Ave.) should have returned to their Friday night music in the courtyard. The genres change, but the locale does not – the ever-pleasant B&B outdoor space, with its adjacent full bar and café for light meals. And, once a month on the First Friday, the next-door Coral Gables Museum is now sporting live music to accompany your perusal of the latest exhibition.

Elsewhere, live entertainment is also re-emerging. We are happy to see the return of the belly dancing display at Sawa (in the courtyard of the Shops at Merrick Park). Every Friday and Saturday night at 8:30 pm, the music comes on and the show begins, straight out of the Middle East. And while the Titanic Brewery on the edge of the University of Miami campus (5813 Ponce de Leon Blvd.) has not yet resumed its celebrated blues shows, they have brought back karaoke on Sunday evenings. So, go belt out a few choruses; the work week is about to restart. ■

TOP: VOCALIST LILY HERNADEZ PERFORMING AT THE GLOBE. (PHOTO BY MICHAEL CAMPINA)

ABOVE: BELLY DANCING AT SAWA RESTAURANT (PHOTO BY JONATHAN DANN)

As They See It

The Garden Club of Coral Gables this year sponsored their first annual photo contest, “As I See It.” Submissions began April 15 and ended May 31, with seven categories. The grand first prize captured $1,000, with winners in each category snagging $250 for first place, $100 for second, and $50 for third. Garden Club president Susan Rodriquez says she was stunned by the quality of the photos. “Next year, I like to make it an international contest,” she says. The Garden Club was formed in 1925, with a dual mission to beautify Coral Gables and to educate the community about gardening. The contest was sponsored, in part, by a donation of $1,000 from the Marlene Kerdyk Beautification Fund and $1,000 from Mayor Vince Lago. Here are some of the winners.

WINNERS OF THE CORAL GABLES GARDEN CLUB’S PHOTO CONTEST

MARLENE KERDYK GRAND PRIZE WINNER: “UNSPOILED BEAUTY,” BY ANA BOWERS. WHILE YOU MAY THINK THIS IS GRANADA GOLF COURSE AFTER HEAVY RAINS, IT’S ACTUALLY OF FISHEATING CREEK IN PALMDALE, FLORIDA.

1ST PLACE WINNER, HISTORIC PLACES CATEGORY: “DEERING ESTATE SUNRISE,” BY KELLLY FORMAN

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1ST PLACE WINNER, CORAL GABLES CATEGORY: “PONCE CIRCLE COLONNADE,” BY WILLIAM TSCHUMY

2ND PLACE WINNER, CORAL GABLES CATEGORY: “DESOTO FOUNTAIN,” BY BETSY TILGHMAN

Best Bets

FOR JULY THE JUNGLE BOOK (TOP LEFT)

Based on the collection of stories by Rudyard Kipling, “The Jungle Book” returns to Actors’ Playhouse this summer. The jungle comes to life in this musical that follows Mowgli’s adventures growing up in the animal kingdom. Catch this on Saturdays at 2 p.m. from July 10 to 17, and Sundays at 3 p.m. from July 25 to August 1.

CORAL GABLES WATERWAY KAYAK TOUR (BOTTOM LEFT)

Embark on a leisurely kayak journey down the Coral Gables Waterway. Meet at the ramp under the Metrorail along US1/Ponce & Riviera Drive on Sunday, July 25 at 9:30 a.m. and enjoy your tour until 12 p.m. You can experience this blend of Coral Gables nature, wildlife, and history for $40 per person. (This tour also takes place on Sunday, August 29, from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.) Pre-register online at https:// coralgablesmuseum.org/portfolio-item/waterway-kayak-tours/

FAMILY DAY ON ARAGON

Take the whole family to the Coral Gables Museum (285 Aragon Ave.) on Saturday, July 10 for a day of fun, kid-friendly activities. Enjoy free admission to the museum’s exhibits, live music performances, and art & crafts. Scheduled events begin at 3 p.m., with the last event taking place at 5:30 p.m. Visit https://coralgablesmuseum. org/portfolio-item/familyday/ for more information.

MIAMI SPICE

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. And we’re not talking about Christmas. Miami Spice is back again. Indulge in a threecourse lunch/brunch for $28 or dinner for $42 from August 1 through September 30, 2021. Visit miamiandbeaches.com for a list of participating restaurants. ■

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Bites

THE BEST BURGER IN THE GABLES: CLUTCH BURGER PROPRIETOR STEVEN BRADLEY PAGE

Happy Hour on Sunset

GRINGO’S OYSTER BAR OFFERS TWO DIFFERENT HAPPY HOURS

Formerly George’s on Sunset, Gringo’s Oyster Bar is the place to be on a Friday afternoon for seafood fanatics. From 3 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday, Gringo’s offers an oyster happy hour, with a half dozen oysters for just $9 or a dozen for $18. Normally, oysters are $3 each, so this is a steal. Get there early because the tables fill up quickly.

The crowd sticks around even after 6 p.m., as regular happy hour lasts until 7 p.m. On Tuesday through Sunday (yes, even on the weekend) from 4 to 7 p.m., cocktails are $8, well drinks and wine are $6, and beers are $4. The Sunset Mojito – made with Flora de Caña rum, blueberries, peach, mint and lime – is a refreshing cocktail to have al fresco on Sunset Drive. The Pink Drink tastes as good

BY LIZZIE WILCOX

as it looks. We saw someone at a neighboring table drinking it and said, “I’ll have what she’s having.” We don’t usually drink gin, but we made an exception for the strawberry thyme gin martini. Pink Whitney gin, strawberry, lemon and thyme come together to make one hell of a cocktail. You’ll feel like Carrie Bradshaw while drinking it –you know, if Carrie Bradshaw lived in Coral Gables instead of New York and was a food writer instead of a romance columnist. Of course, you can never go wrong with an Aperol Spritz either, the unofficial official drink of summer.

Though there are no food deals during happy hour other than oysters, we couldn’t pass up on some of the other seafood appetizers. The fish dip had a

nice, smoky flavor and came with three options for dipping: A toasted baguette, kettle-cooked potato chips and cucumber slices. The tuna tartare sits on a bed of guacamole with a dollop of spicy mayo. Scoop it all onto the accompanying chips that are light and airy. It’s almost too pretty to eat. Emphasis on the almost.

The favorite, however, was unanimously the conch fritters. They’re warm and soft and delicious. We didn’t know seafood could be comfort food until now. What put them over the top was the creamy, zesty aioli that gave them a burst of flavor. This gringa gives Gringo’s Oyster Bar’s happy hour two thumbs up. ■

More Than Enough

There is an old saying: Never eat anything larger than your head. This comes to mind if you order the Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding at Tap 42 on Salzedo. It is massive, with dark chocolate embedded in the bread pudding and topped by an iceberg of vanilla bean ice cream laced with salted caramel. It will feed a platoon.

Speaking of Desserts

You go to Caffe Abbracci for any number of reasons: excellent service, fine Italian seafood, the presence of powerful citizens. You don’t go for the desserts, per se, but no matter who is at the table, and no matter how forcefully they initially say no, no one will refuse a bite from a shared plate of profiteroles – four puff pastries filled with double cream vanilla gelato and topped with Grand Marnier Liqueur and bitter-sweet dark chocolate sauce. We challenge you to try.

Get Your Beer Here

You don’t ordinarily associate a global collection of beers with a hamburger joint. Sure, Budweiser and Heineken, but brews from overseas? Well, think again, at least if you visit Clutch Burger. The winner of our “best burger” review in this issue, it also sports 80 beers from around the world. Among the more exotic: Hoegaarden from Belgium, Smithwick’s Red Ale from Ireland, and Coopers Original Pale Ale from Australia. ■

Navigating You Home

Bring on the New

COVID OR NO COVID, NEW RESTAURANTS ARE COMING TO LIFE IN CORAL GABLES

Some 15 new eateries opened during the pandemic itself, with at least another ten just now opening or due to open in the near future. Here are two that are brand new.

FORTE BY CHEF ADRIANNE

Chef Adrianne is becoming an unstoppable force in the Gables cuisine scene, having opened Red Fish during the pandemic, and now launching Forte on Miracle Mile. The new restaurant, in the former Cibo Wine Bar space, features her take on Italian food (the name comes from her Sicilian grandmother). So expect the kind of Southern Italian food that we don’t have enough of in the Gables, like homemade pasta with Italian sausage, but with some new dishes that Chef Adrianne will bring. “Forte is my mother’s maiden name and I wanted to celebrate her and my Italian heritage from my maternal side,” says the chef. “These are my recipes, collections of lessons, memories, and a huge amount of passion.” Buon mangiare

CEBADA BY CHEF JORGE RAMOS

Once you go up to the large patio that overlooks Giralda Plaza from atop Coyo Taco, you will wonder why there are not more rooftop restaurants in Coral Gables. At least we have this new one by Chef Jorge Ramos, best known for his Barley and Avi Maria restaurants in downtown Dadeland. His latest is “contemporary American with a Latin overlay” that allows him to

infuse the cuisine with his heritage – grandparents from Spain, parents from Cuba. Also expect baked seafood dishes, an oyster bar, and a wood oven, along with classic Cuban and American cocktails. As of press time, the restaurant was scheduled to open in July. Says Ramos, “If you see people drinking on the railing, then we’re open.” ■

NEW RESTAURANTS OPENED DURING THE PANDEMIC

• BAY 13 BREWERY

• FREDDO

• GUSTAVE

• GRAMERCY

• LA SANDWICHERIE

• L’ARTISANE BAKERY

• LUCA OSTERIA BY CHEF GIORGIO RAPICAVOLI

• MAMEY BY CHEF NIVEN PATEL

• MKT KITCHEN

• PORTO SOLE

• PUBLIC SQUARE

• RED FISH BY CHEF ADRIANNE

• SEASY MEDITERRANEAN

• SWEETGREEN

• VINYA POP UP

NEW RESTAURANTS OPENING POST-PANDEMIC

• CEBADA BY CHEF JORGE RAMOS

• DICKIE’S BBQ

• DOLORES BUT YOU CAN CALL ME LOLITA

• ECLÉCTICO

• FOGO DE CHAO

• JOHN MARTIN’S 2.0/REBOOT

• L’ARTISANE DONUT SHOP

• ORNO BY CHEF NIVEN PATEL

• SUSHI SAKE

• VINYA

TOP: CEBADA IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN IN JULY. “IF YOU SEE PEOPLE DRINKING ON THE RAILING, THEN WE’RE OPEN,” SAYS CHEF JORGE RAMOS.

ABOVE: FORTE OPENED BY CHEF ADRIANNE. “THESE ARE MY RECIPES, COLLECTIONS OF LESSONS, MEMORIES, AND A HUGE AMOUNT OF PASSION,” SHE SAYS.

The Best Burgers in the Gables

Nothing says summer in the USA more than a hamburger. Grilled, fried, or broiled, we don’t care how it’s fixed so long as it tastes great. Add a slice of cheese, and you’re there.

This year we invited Coral Gables Chamber President Mark Trowbridge – the force behind the annual Burgerlicious event and the son of a Wendy’s franchise owner – to join us in the quest for the best. “There is nothing more satisfying than the taste and smell of an incredible hamburger fresh off the grill,” Trowbridge told us. “I know this essence first-hand and have done a series of life-long empirical tests to prove it… You see, I have been in search of the perfect burger every single day since I was eight years old.”

With that in mind we visited places that both specialize in burgers, and those with burgers as an almost after-thought on the menu. Each stop was equal parts taste-test and eye test, with a deeper dive into the flavor and temperature of the meat, the quality of the bun, and the array of condiments. Some were delightfully delicious. Some (we shall not name) were so bland we went for a Covid test afterward because it seemed we could no longer taste anything. Here is what we found.

BEST BURGER IN THE GABLES, PERIOD

CLUTCH BURGER

We tried the classic cheeseburger. It was a wet, juicy assault on our senses, with outrageously good meat. Their specialty burgers are also stunning – such as the Big Blue (with blue cheese), an explosion of flavor with cheese dripping on your plate. But you need go no further than the basic to know what a superlative burger is all about. Says proprietor Steven Bradley, “Our burgers are so darn good because we don’t cut any corners on quality, from our made-daily brioche buns, to our made-from-scratch sauces. It also helps that our 1,000 square foot restaurant has no walk-in cooler or freezer, so everything has to be fresh. It is like a game of Tetris and Jenga mixed together, always at critical mass.” And for a half pound of wagyu beef, $14 is a great price.

CLUTCH BURGER, 146 GIRALDA AVE. 305.4000.8242

BEST SPECIALTY BURGERS

PINCHO

This is a homemade recipe that comes from the family of the owners who launched this Gables-based chain. And it has a unique flavor, made crunchy with potato sticks and flavored by its own secret sauce. Sort of like Shack Shack, but better and bigger, and wellpriced ($7.99 for the basic Pincho burger).

PINCHO FACTORY, 30 GIRALDA AVE. 305.446.5666

YARDHOUSE

This emporium of beer and American pub food has a nice lineup of burgers, most pretty solid. But we found that their Kurobuta Pork burger delivered the best flavor. With blueberry ketchup and its spicy, candied bacon, it was pig-on-pig event ($12.98)

320 SAN LORENZO AVE., 305.447.9273

BEST BURGER VALUE

BURGER BOB’S

There was a day when a burger was a straight-forward thing: A patty of ground chuck on a white bread bun, with lettuce, tomato and onion. Period. Add cheese for a cheeseburger and ketchup or mustard to taste. It’s still here at Burger Bobs for $5.00, $5.25 with cheese. 2001 GRANADA BLVD. 305.567.3100

MOST EXPENSIVE BURGER

THE GRAMERCY

It’s not their thing, but they do a darn good job of delivering with wagyu beef, caramelized onions, and gruyere cheese on a brioche. (Only $24!)

65 MIRACLE MILE. 786.747.4854

TOP: BEST IN THE GABLES: CLUTCH’S CHEESEBURGER ABOVE: BEST SPECIALTY BURGERS: PINCHO

TOP: MOST EXPENSIVE BURGER: THE GRAMMERCY

BOTTOM: CONTENDERS: GUSTAVE

CONTENDERS

MORTON’S

Good meat (it is a steak house, after all), and very tasty. We also loved the toasted bun, plus it comes naked in that bun so you can dress it as you like. ($21)

2333 PONCE DE LEON BLVD. 305.442.1662

DOC B’S

A darn good cheeseburger, juicy and fresh, and on the edge of exceptional. The fries were superb, however. A worthy contender and well-priced for the quality. ($15)

301 MIRACLE MILE. 786.864.1220

GUSTAVE

A great burger in a French café? Yes. Thick and juicy, with a seared feeling, and the added pleasure of mesculin lettuce. Great rough-cut fries, not the salty skinny standards. ($16)

366 MIRACLE MILE. 305.640.5675

FALLEN FROM GRACE

TAP 42

Two years ago, in our last review of best burgers, Tap 42 took first place. It is still an okay burger, with a nice thick slice of tomato. But the bun was slightly stale, and the meat had lost its joie de vivre. ($15.50)

301 GIRALDA AVE. 786.391.1566

Grades K-8

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Our extensive selection appeals to a wide range of jewelry collectors, from those searching for their first fine jewelry piece, to seasoned collectors who appreciate rare pieces they can’t find anywhere else.

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CYNTHIA LOPEZ-RIVAS, OWNER OF CAPRILINA. PAGE 52.

Photo by Emily Fakhoury

What’s Hot

JULY 2021

BY MALLORY EVANS JACOBSON

Summer is here, and we are ready for the requisite entertaining that goes along with the season. Here are five must-haves for welcoming your guests and setting a beautiful table in the months ahead.

PERFECTLY PLATED (1)

French painter Nathalie Lété’s whimsical designs inspired a new collaboration with Anthropologie. From floral vases and monogrammed mugs to the Charmante dinner plate in turquoise, shown, the pieces are sure to spark joy. Retail: $28. Anthropologie, 330 San Lorenzo Ave., 305-443-0021, anthropologie.com.

ON BOARD (2)

Before you orchestrate the perfect combination of cheeses, nuts, and fruit for your next gathering, head to Victoria’s Armoire for this rectangular Swedish bread board, made from reclaimed teak. Retail: $52.99. Victoria’s Armoire, 4077 Ponce de Leon Blvd., 305-445-3212, victoriasarmoire.net.

AT YOUR SERVICE (3)

Cousins Kelly Nelson and Nicolle Mailal’s penchant for interiors and clothing materialized as OAK Apparel + Home, a carefully curated boutique. This summer, dish up your favorite salads with these wood servers from the shop. Retail: $38. OAK Apparel + Home, 116 Valencia Ave., 305-384-1337, shopoakonline.com.

SHEER BRILLIANCE (4)

Part of the Circle Glass collection with Berlin-based artist Milena Kling, this mouth-blown carafe evokes total elegance and would pair well with any tabletop setting. Retail: $250. Luminaire, 2331 Ponce de Leon Blvd., 305-448-7367, luminaire.com.

DRINK UP (5)

These Bora drinking glasses by Italian designer Carlo Moretti are hand-finished with unique decorative patterns. Each oneof-a-kind Murano glass vessel is signed and dated upon creation. Retail: $185 each. Violetas Home Design, 221 Miracle Mile, 305-381-0711, violetashomedesign.com.

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A Baby’s Touch

CYNTHIA LOPEZ-RIVAS’ BABY CLOTHING STORE IS FOCUSED ON ONE THING

BY KIM RODRIGUEZ

On Alcazar and Le Jeune sits a very unassuming office building that houses one of the cutest “little” shops I’ve come across. Called Caprilina, it’s a babies boutique that specializes in monogramming everything for baby and is open to the public despite its tucked away location.

The business is the brainchild of Cynthia Lopez-Rivas. Cynthia is a native Miamian, who graduated from FIU with a finance degree and is now a young wife and mother of two young kids. Her major helped her follow her dream and build the business from a tiny closet operation in her parents’ home three years ago to the successful baby brand it is today.

“I wanted to use my finance degree in a unique way. I love that I’m able to run a business and do what I love.” As for her address, “Coral Gables does a great job catering to small businesses. I couldn’t imagine a better location for Caprilina.”

When asked about the inspiration behind the store’s name and its bunny logo, she says bunnies are not only tender, but symbolize abundance, fertility, sentiment and desire. Perfect branding for a baby line I think. And the name Caprilina is a combination of Lopez-Rivas’ zodiac sign, Capricorn, and the name of her daughter, Angelina. She says it’s her Capricorn traits that gave her the strength to chase her dreams and fulfill them. She is hardworking, stubborn, responsible, and passionate, all of which are attributes still with her three years later. “These

traits are what my shop is built on,” says Lopez-Rivas.

All the cuteness is designed in her store/workroom, which is also her one-year old’s playground. You can find onesies in every color, simple or with ruffles, solids or stripes, bathing suits, sun hats, rash guards, bows, blankets, and their newest addition of nylon pouches in three sizes, perfectly fitted for all your baby gear needs.

The best (I saved this for last) is the personalized monogramming. You can work with her and her team to create the colors of the embroidery, the fonts, and the design. You can also create gift baskets at the shop, to be hand delivered to the parents to be. Or you could just pick up one of the softest pima cotton blankets you’ll ever feel, from Peru.

Lopez-Rivas’ customers aren’t just moms or moms-to-be, but family, friends, and coworkers, all looking for that very special, personalized baby gift. “I love playing a special part in such an exciting time in families’ lives,” she says.

You can pop in to shop from noon till 5 pm on weekdays, or from 11 am to 2 pm on Saturdays. You can also order your special pieces directly from their website www.caprilina. com. Lopez-Rivas says most customers prefer to come in and experience the store, touch the quality of the fabrics, and pick out very personal items for each purchase. ■

Kim Rodriguez is a Personal Stylist and Shopper whose clients include many Coral Gables resi-

“CORAL GABLES DOES A GREAT JOB CATERING TO SMALL BUSINESSES. I COULDN’T IMAGINE A BETTER LOCATION FOR CAPRILINA.”

CYNTHIA LOPEZ-RIVAS, OWNER OF CAPRILINA AT 2151 N. LE JEUNE RD, SUITE #303

Photos by Emily Fakhoury

BY DANIELLA

Time for Summer Fashions

AT CURVES N’ WAVES, IT’S THE SEASON FOR SUMMER WEAR

BY CARMEN SOFIA FRAGA

With the Mean Season now upon us, Curves n’ Waves may be just the place to visit for your summer fashions. At the Miracle Mile store, one can find pieces ranging from tiny Brazilian bikinis and casual blouses to brightly colored activewear (also imported from Brazil) and vintage style jeans. You can also find elegant full pieces and evening dresses, all with a light touch for the coming heat.

With such a wide selection, owner Joe Vitucci calls his clothing store “the One-Stop Shop.” He also proudly proclaims that one of his employees dubbed him “the retail therapist” due to his honest fashion opinions and genuine determination to help women of any age or body type find pieces that make them look and feel their best. “I try to push people to go for pieces that make them feel young, no matter how old they are,” he says. “I don’t care what they look like, I want to help make each particular person look as good as they can. I believe that is my calling in life.”

Curves n’ Waves is one of the two women’s stores on Miracle Mile, along with Essence, that have stood the test of time. Vitucci opened his first Curves n’ Waves store on Miracle Mile in 1993. In 2016, he moved the store across the street, staying in his central Gables location.

Vitucci says his practice of keeping the store stocked with merchandise, as opposed to relying on online sales, is what has kept him secure while other women’s clothing stores have

closed on The Mile. He is also committed to carrying the latest trends, though for him that differs from what’s considered “trendy” on Instagram and other social media sites. “The phone influences fashion choices in the youth,” Vitucci says, with social media constricting our sense of fashion by only showing a limited version of what is considered trendy. He encourages people to expand their fashion sense by exploring the options carried in stores.

Having previously focused on higher end brands such as Parker, Alice & Olivia, and Nicole Miller, in recent years Vitucci has been expanding his merchandise selection to include price ranges from $30-$400. So, in addition to Vivien Tam, expect brands like 7 For All Mankind, Rock & Republic and J Brand.

Vitucci says his interest in retail sparked from assisting his father, Tony Vitucci, in his menswear stores – Tony’s and The Cove – also located on Miracle Mile. He gained in-store work experience from a young age, including learning how to adapt a store’s sales strategy to customers’ changing tastes and needs. He describes a time when his father began carrying women’s apparel in the 1970s thanks to unisex fashion trends, such as women wearing men’s jeans and jackets. Working more frequently with female customers and enjoying it, Vitucci decided he wanted to own a store for women’s apparel. And having grown up in the Gables, there was nowhere else he wanted his store to be. ■

“I WANT TO HELP MAKE EACH PARTICULAR PERSON LOOK AS GOOD AS THEY CAN. I BELIEVE THAT IS MY CALLING IN LIFE.”

JOE VITUCCI, OWNER OF CURVES N’ WAVES AT 126

MIRACLE MILE.

Photos by Emily Fakhoury

1. Less is More: Most patients with aging are bothered by their neck and jowls, as well as a tired eye appearance. Focusing the surgery on these areas serves most patients well and avoids an ‘overdone’ look. Most don’t need a brow lift or full face lasers.

2. Respect anatomy: The face droops as it ages, at multiple levels. Surgery has to lift saggy areas back into their previously normal position. This is done by tightening slack infrastructure and removing loose skin. Incisions are hidden along anatomic lines.

3. Use tension judiciously: Too much tension and the face looks pulled, too little and slack remains or recurs quickly. Most negatives in facelifts are caused by excessive tension.

4. Skin doesn’t hold up the face: Skin’s function is to cover the face. It’s the infrastructure’s job to hold up the face. Pulling tight on the skin to lift the face creates distortion, poor scars and the obvious result most people don’t like.

5. Not easy: Facelift surgery takes years to learn. It is complex and challenging. The stakes are high - it’s your face! It requires intense focus and attention to numerous details over several hours to create a result that looks natural, pleasing and can’t be spotted. To produce optimal results, the surgeon must be in excellent shape, both physically and mentally, as should be the patient.

6. Facelifts are powerful: They add a lot as they focus on the core of facial aging. But judiciously restoring lost facial volume and treating lines with fillers (or fat) is also important even though it won’t substitute for a facelift despite how much we would like it to. Further, careful use of Botox®, is beneficial to enhance overall appearance.

7. Facelifts can’t do it all: A professionally designed skincare program, including a daily sunscreen, as well as an experienced cosmetic dermatologist, are a big plus for the full package. And, of course, a healthy lifestyle!

What the years have taught me

Mike Valdés-Fauli and Ervin Machado

Mike Valdés-Fauli (right) is the president & CEO of Coral Gables-based Pinta PR, with clients ranging from Carnival, Comcast, and Microsoft to Western Union, Heineken, and T-Mobile. Ervin Machado is a veteran sommelier, beverage director, hospitality consultant, and entrepreneur. During the pandemic, the two decided to team up and ride two distinct trends: the rising popularity of prosecco (Italy’s bubbly wine that surpassed Champagne in 2019) and the growing demand for products with less sugar. What they came up with is Prosecco Zero, a super low sugar prosecco that also happens to taste really good. After cutting a 40-year contract with Peninsola Wines in northern Italy (in the region where prosecco comes from), the duo has taken their product to market with a vengeance.

LATEST ACHIEVEMENT

Valdés-Fauli and Machado officially launched Prosecco Zero, LLC in January, after two years of Machado working to create a tasty prosecco with 2.8 grams of sugar per liter bottle (compared with the average 25 to 30 grams). Since then, leveraging Valdés-Fauli’s “secret sauce” of an award-winning PR and marketing firm to push the brand, the firm has signed up 80 clients in South Florida, including Gables restaurants such as Tur, Zucca, Kae Sushi and 77 Sports Bar. They also scored an amazing 96 points from Wine World Tribune, the highest-ever rating for a sparkling wine. They are now finalizing deals to expand beyond Florida into markets in Texas and Mexico, with a direct-to-consumer distribution platform (www.procecco0.com) that can ship to 40 states in four days or less.

WHAT THEY SAY

“As a pure business proposition one can capitalize on the low sugar trend, but you really have to pull a rabbit out of your hat to have a better tasting product,” says Valdés-Fauli. “Ervin pulled off the magic trick of a refined sophisticated taste with lower sugar.” Machado, who grew up in Italy and secured the deal with the winery, says, “I learned how to make Prosecco in northeast Italy, and I remember thinking during the process, ‘Why are you doing it this way and why adding so much sugar?’ … At the biochemist level it’s not that complex a process. You just have to achieve the right kind of PH and grapes in that part of Italy.” As for their pandemic launch, quips Valdés-Fauli, “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.”. ■

CO-FOUNDERS OF PROSECCO ZERO

“WE ARE JUST IN FLORIDA FOR NOW. BUT WE FEEL THAT THE SKY IS THE LIMIT” MIKE VALDÉS-FAULI

Photos by Emily Fakhoury

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The Best of the

Gables

WELCOME TO OUR ANNUAL BEST OF THE GABLES ISSUE

For our 2021 foray into the finest our city offers, we decided to search for the best in 120 categories of Food & Drink, Shopping & Retail, Arts & Entertainment, Sports & Recreation, and Architecture & Public Places. Naturally, since Coral Gables is nothing if not a moveable feast, almost half of our BEST OF choices are for Food & Drink.

To produce this monumental probe into what makes living in Coral Gables so spectacular, we enlisted the help of 38 local luminaries, in addition to what our staff could discern through diligently traversing the city at all hours of the day and night. You may agree or disagree with our determinations, but we think this is a worthy look at some of the best things Coral Gables has to offer. If you would like to offer your own take on THE BEST, please reach out to editor@coralgablesmagazine.com. Now, read on…

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

BEST SATURDAY NIGHT JAZZ

THE GLOBE

377 ALHAMBRA CIRCLE

305.445.3555

Three cheers to Danny and Lorraine Guiteras for keeping this local institution going for more than two decades. Top jazz trios and quartets, curated by musical director Rodolfo Zuniga, in a Euro style café and bar with good food. And you thought there were no hip places in Coral Gables!

BEST PLACE FOR A FIRST DATE OUTSIDE ON GIRALDA PLAZA

Seriously, at any outdoor café. Then you aren’t enclosed, staring at each other in some restaurant booth wondering what to say. Here there are plenty of distractions from people walking by – and his or her observations about the human parade can be revelatory. Also an easy after date walk.

BEST THEATER EXPERIENCE

ACTOR’S PLAYHOUSE

280 MIRACLE MILE

305.444.9293

OUR “BEST OF” BOARD OF ADVISORS:

Patrick Alexander, author & lecturer; John Allen, Coral Gables Museum; Veronica Villegas Baldwin, Kreps PR; Greg Barnes, Bill Ussery Motors; Bradley Barreto, Barreto Group; Rodney Barreto, Barreto Group; Tere Bernace, Shelton & Stewart; Bill Bonn, philanthropist; Karelia Carbonell, historic preservationist; CL Conroy, Conroy Martinez; Ray Corral, The Mosaicist; Meg Daley, The Underline; Sissy DeMaria, Cultivate PR; Swanee DiMare, philanthropist; Wayne Eldred, Outlier Institute; Danny Guiteras, The Globe; Sara Hernandez, First Citizens Bank; Jill Hornick, Jae’s Jewelers; Rishi Kapoor, Location Ventures; Ben Mollere, Baptist Health; Patrick O’Connell, BHHS/EWM; John O’Rourke, First American Bank; Jose Ortega, Maven Realty; Silvia Ortiz, Americas Collection; Judy Mangasarian, Coral Gables Garden Club; Virginia Miller, Art Space; Tony Newell, Resorcity; Julian Perez, Coral Gables Economic Development Department; Kim Rodriguez, personal shopper; Patricia San Pedro, Frost School of Music; Marc Schwarzberg, Maven Realty; Don Slesnick, Slesnick & Casey, LLP; Mary Snow, Coral Gables Community Foundation; Christopher Spuches, Agentis; Venny Torre, Torre Companies; Mark Trowbridge, Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce; Francesca Valdes, Retail Strategist, City of Coral Gables; Jose Valdés-Fauli, retired banker; Jeffrey Wolfe, Wolfe’s Wines.

For live theater, the indominable Barbara Stein has taken Actors Playhouse to a new level year after year. After having gone dark for the pandemic, get ready for big stage razzle-dazzle, or for their mezzanine-floor stage, where you become immersed, and feel you’re part of, what’s taking place just yards in front of you.

BEST KARAOKE

TITANIC BREWERY

5813 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

305.668.1742

The music is finally back at this brew house on the edge of the University of Miami campus, only on Sunday nights so far. But there is nothing like belting out a soulful version of Last Dance by Donna Summer. Or was that Brick House by the Commodores?

BEST PLACE TO TAKE AN OUTOF- TOWNER

FAIRCHILD BOTANIC TROPICAL GARDEN

10901 OLD CUTLER ROAD

305.667.1651

This assumes your guest is not from South Florida, but from some Northern clime, and does not understand what it means to live in a semi-tropical environment. In which case, the flora of rare palms, cycads, flowering trees, and vines – not to mention the butterfly house –will blow their minds.

ARCHITECTURE & PUBLIC PLACES

BEST STATUE: GEORGE MERRICK

BEST FLAMENCO

LA TABERNA GIRALDA

254 GIRALDA AVE.

786.362.5677

Maybe it’s because it feels like you’re in a neighborhood hangout in Salamanca, but the Flamenco at La Taberna feels as natural as a

folksinger in a coffee house. It’s like part of the fabric of Thursday and Saturday nights, rather than something exceptional. Which it is.

BEST MOVIE HOUSE

CORAL GABLES ART CINEMA

260 ARAGON AVE.

786.472.2249

Usually, it takes a massive city like New York to support a film house that shows independent or foreign films you won’t find elsewhere. Intimate, with 140 seats, they also show period films from Hollywood’s golden age and presentations from the British stage, as well as some of the current blockbusters.

BEST PLACE TO DANCE

CALLE 23

230 MIRACLE MILE

786-325-3474

This is the kind of scene that was simply erased during the pandemic – a loud, noisy, fun place to crowd in together and lose yourself dancing to the sound a Cuban band. Named for the famous avenue in Havana, Calle 23 goes live every Friday and Saturday night. Salsa anyone?

BEST PLACE TO LEARN BALLROOM

DANCING

FRED ASTAIRE DANCE STUDIO

45 ALHAMBRA PLAZA

305.443.0085

World Champion Ballroom Dance partners and husband/wife team Vladimir and Vera Kosarev opened Fred Astaire Coral Gables ten years ago. Since then, they’ve built a community of ballroom dancers that compete and hold monthly dance parties. They won’t even ask you who Fred Astaire was.

BEST ART GALLERY CERNUDA ARTE

3155 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

305.461.1050

If you are in the market for Cuban art, nothing else comes close to the two buildings that make up this amazing showcase of fine art. Even if you are not in the market, it is worth a visit here, which proprietor Ramon Cernuda also uses to showcase museum quality pieces for public viewing.

BEST PUBLIC ART

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

BALBOA PLAZA

In Balboa Plaza, a triangular park just south of the Granada Golf Course, sits a giant 30foot oolitic stone sofa at the base of a massive banyan tree. Named “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” it was installed – along with oversized lamps – two years ago by MG Developer. Want to feel like a child again? Sit there.

BEST FAMILY-ORIENTED EVENT

THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING

CITY HALL

Okay, so it’s not the lighting ceremony at

Rockefeller Center in New York City. But for Coral Gables, not much beats the happy faces of kids playing in Santa’s Park in front of City Hall when the large Christmas tree goes live.

BEST GROWN-UP FESTIVAL BURGERLICIOUS

PONCE CIRCLE PARK

The Chamber of Commerce’s annual event in Ponce de Leon Park, where hungry adults stuff themselves with burgers and beer, creates a smokey environment roughly equivalent to one of rings in Dante’s Inferno. This year’s November event will take place on Alhambra Circle, a beef block party for the tenth year.

BEST ART FESTIVAL ILLUMINATE

DOWNTOWN CORAL GABLES

It came during the pandemic, a great relief for those who had been cooped up for so long. And it was free and accessible to all. Next year’s festival of light promises to be much bigger and brighter, but it’s first round in January won the hearts of many a Gableite.

FOOD & DRINK

BEST SPANISH RESTAURANT

BELLMONT SPANISH RESTAURANT

339 MIRACLE MILE

786.502.4684

Owner Sergio Bellmónt personally carves the Jamón de Jabugo, truly the world’s best cured Spanish ham, more valuable than gold. But it’s

the 14,700-pound iron oven from Spain, which they use to roast baby pigs, and the paella selections that will make you feel like you’re in a neighborhood café in Madrid.

BEST ARGENTINE RESTAURANT GRAZIANO’S

394 GIRALDA AVE.

305.774.3599

The beef roasting on an open spit in the entranceway tells you that Graziano’s is all about the meat. They also have literally walls of wine from Argentina. Great cuts of high-quality carne make this the Argentine answer to Fogo de Chão, along with excellent sides and top service.

BEST PERUVIAN RESTAURANT DIVINO CEVICHE

160 GIRALDA AVE.

786.360.3775

The ceviche is divine here. But for those who think marinated fish is the only dish worth trying from Peru, it’s time to explore Divino’s menu, from ají de gallina, Peru’s answer to yellow Asian curry, to tacu tacus, with rice, beans, garlic, beef, quail eggs and creole sauce.

BEST THAI RESTAURANT MOON THAI

1118 S DIXIE HWY

305.668.9890

This longtime favorite on US 1 continues to amaze with the quality of its food, which delivers solid classics like Pad Thai, Satei and

RIGHT: BEST FLAMENCO: LA TABERNA GIRALDA BELOW: BEST ART FESTIVAL: ILLUMINATE

Mee Krab, then goes beyond with roasted and crispy duck dishes, tiger prawns and lamb with honey sambal sauce.

BEST NEW ASIAN RESTAURANT

KHAOSAN ROAD

157 GIRALDA AVE.

305.444.2397

This is the reinvention of Bangkok Bangkok, but with a new menu of real Thai street food. It’s the only place you can get a whole fish fried and bathed in red chili sauce, let alone crispy pork belly with basil and garlic, or e-sarn sausage with ginger, lime and peanuts.

BEST AMERICAN RESTAURANT HILLSTONE

201 MIRACLE MILE

305.529.0141

Arguably the most popular restaurant in Coral Gables, there is rarely an empty table at Hillstone. While it has a large sushi selection, our judges thought that it delivered a quality spread of Americana, from BBQ ribs to grilled chicken salad. Plus a plethora of booths and snappy service.

BEST POWER BREAKFAST

RIVIERA COUNTRY CLUB

1155 BLUE RD.

305.661.5331

On any given day, you will find the city’s movers and shakers in the Founder’s Lounge enjoying breakfast while overlooking the Riviera golf course and congratulating themselves on being masters of the universe. And you know it’s a power breakfast because many people are dressed in golf attire…. on a Tuesday morning!

– Rodney Barreto

BEST POWER LUNCH

CAFÉ ABBRACCI

318 ARAGON AVE.

305.441.0700

Maybe it’s the service, or the walls with their acoustic dampers, or the solicitous service from the staff, or the warm greetings from owner Nino Pernetti. However it works, this bastion of elegant dining makes you feel like family and remains the go-to lunch choice for the city’s power elite.

BEST FRENCH BISTRO

FRENCHIE’S DINER

2618 GALLIANO ST.

305.442.4554

This casual spot doesn’t pretend to look French, but it’s got that Paris café thing, where a truck driver can feel comfortable sitting next to a professor from the Sorbonne, ordering good French food from the chalkboard menu until it runs out. Everything prepared fresh each day.

BEST HAUTE FRENCH

PASCALS ON PONCE

2611 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

305.444.2024

Exquisite, understatedly elegant, intimate

ABOVE: BEST NEW ASIAN RESTAURANT: KHAOSAN ROAD

RIGHT: BEST FRENCH BISTRO: FRENCHIE’S DINER

without feeling crowded. Chef Pascal Oudin has been practicing the art of classic French cuisine on Ponce de Leon Boulevard for 20 years now. Perfection does not come cheap, but splurge here if you want a meal you will never forget.

BEST VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT

MISS SAIGON BISTRO

148 GIRALDA AVE.

305.446.8006

At one time voted the best restaurant in Coral Gables, Miss Saigon is still a perfect place for what it delivers – great Vietnamese food with excellent service and prices. We wish they still dressed in authentic costume, but the light dishes of pho and lemon grass make up for it.

BEST MIDDLE EASTERN RESTAURANT

SAWA RESTAURANT & LOUNGE

360 SAN LORENZO AVE. (MERRICK PARK)

305.447.6555

Maybe it’s because the owner hails from Lebanon, but you won’t find any fresher hummus or baba ganoush made from scratch daily, or any better mousakaa or lamb kebabs. Forgive them for carrying a parallel Japanese menu. Most of the seating is outside, where belly dancers cavort on weekend nights.

BEST INDIAN RESTAURANT

TASTE BUDS OF INDIA

2624 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

786.483.8379

This is the place to learn about Indian food. Just come at lunch and try their buffet, which changes daily. Okay, so you don’t want goat

curry on Tuesday. But Wednesday, the tiki masala will make you a convert. Very fresh, the central kitchen for the growing chain.

BEST BUFFET

POC AMERICAN FUSION BUFFET & SUSHI

2121 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

305.529.0882

This is the upscale version of an all-you-caneat buffet, the only place that Gableites will stand in line for lunch besides Hillstone. How upscale? How about Waldorf salad, lobster bisque, and lots of sushi. They claim to have 100 different dishes every day; we stopped at about a dozen.

BEST ICE CREAM/FRUIT BAR

PALETAS MORELIA

76 MIRACLE MILE

305.456.1306

With global warming on its way, this is vital information: Morelia’s Gourmet Paletas is the perfect antidote for the torrid summer to come. Need a pick me up? Get the coffee filled-withcream paleta. Feeling fruity? Get the strawber-

re l ax i ng eucalyp tuS -S c e n te d l ’m un avai l ab l e

UP FOR A EXPERIENCE

Here, morning ‘me time’ can lead to finding the perfect pair of earrings followed by catching a musical production with friends. COME EXPERIENCE CORAL GABLES.

CORAL GABLES

ry filled with condensed milk. Want something richer? Dip it in dark chocolate.

BEST ICE CREAM

LA GLACE

256 GIRALDA AVE.

786.542.9115

La Glace prides itself on purity – all natural, no artificial colors, etc. They also have nondairy for vegans. With 24 regular flavors (like cheesecake, cactus pear, guava, and coconut) and a half dozen vegan (like peanut butter fudge and sea salt caramel), it’s a tough choice.

BEST STEAK HOUSE

CHRISTY’S

3101 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

305.446.1400

With places like Fleming’s, Morton’s and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse nearby, this is a tough category. What puts Christy’s over the top besides superb steaks and elegant service, is a deep history and rich ambiance, with continuity and stability. As long as Christy’s survives, the Old Gables will never die.

BEST BAR TO WATCH SPORTS

FRITZ AND FRANZ BIERHAUS

60 MERRICK WAY

305.774.1883

It’s cavernous, their big screens (inside and out) are humongous, and the wall of beer tells you all you need to know about their selection of brewskies. Live loud or go home!

BEST HARDCORE BAR

THE BAR

172 GIRALDA AVE.

305.442.2730

If you are a bar purist, The Bar is for you. It’s just a bar. Nothing else. Established in 1946, with a large following of regulars. Reasonably priced, with a wooden bar and wooden walls that haven’t been replaced in forever. Plus, a solid bar-food menu with sliders, wings, cheese fries, etc.

BEST SECRET PLACE TO EAT

TINTA Y CAFÉ

1315 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

305.285.0101

Don’t drive too fast on Ponce or you’ll miss this cozy neighborhood spot tucked in one block east on Salamanca. This is Cuban comfort food at its best, and the mismatched furniture makes you feel like you’re in someone’s home. Great fluffy eggs, all the sandwiches on baguettes, perfect coffee.

BEST RICE BOWL

ICHIMI

2330 SALZEDO ST.

305.960.7016

This is an industrial casual, perennially millennial hangout, and while it is actually a Ramen restaurant it has the best rice bowls anywhere. Their $16.50 Gyudon bowl with beef brisket, and two poached eggs will feed you for a week.

BEST BENTO BOX

SU SHIN IZIKAYA

159 ARAGON AVE.

305.445.2584

Part of the fun here is how owner Chika Abe yells across the place to seat you and say goodbye, like an air traffic controller at Tokyo International. Lots of interesting daily specials, but nothing beats the $11.50 bento box with soup, sushi, tempura, teriyaki and salad with killer ginger dressing.

BEST CAESAR SALAD

CHRISTY’S

3101 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

305.446.1400

What goes with great steaks more than the best Caesar salad anywhere in Miami-Dade, let alone Coral Gables? This is the real deal, old school, with full-on anchovies. The recipe is of course a secret, which keeps locals coming back for more – including buying it by the quart, to go.

BEST EARLY-EVENING HAPPY HOUR

BULLA

2500 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

305.441.0107

After 5 p.m., you know where to find us. Bulla has such an eclectic happy hour menu that there’s something for everyone. As a Spanish restaurant, it’s only fitting that they have killer sangria -- but they have three different types! We’re obsessed with the beer sangria.

BEST LATE-NIGHT HAPPY HOUR

YARD HOUSE

320 SAN LORENZO AVE. (THE SHOPS)

305.447.9273

Sometimes you can’t leave work in time for happy hour. Which is why you go to Yard

House. Sunday through Wednesday they offer a late-night happy hour from 10 p.m. till closing, offering the same food and drink deals as the daytime happy hour. Sometimes just thinking about tomorrow requires a drink.

BEST CHOCOLATE SHOP

CHOCOLATE FASHION

248 ANDALUSIA AVE.

305.461.3200

Other chocolate shops have come and gone, but not this 17-year-old shrine to the sacred cocoa bean. It’s also a nice little café and one of the busiest breakfast spots in town. Their chocolate comes from Switzerland and France.

BEST BRUNCH

FONTANA RESTAURANT AT THE BILTMORE

1200 ANASTASIA AVE.

305.913.3189

At $90 per person, it used to be the most extensive spread in the city. Now they’ve gone from buffet to “boards” for $30 to $40, with seven choices, including caviar trio and Scottish salmon. The “breakfast” board includes two eggs, waffles, chicken apple sausage links and roasted potatoes. Add $5 for bottomless mimosas.

BEST CHICKEN WINGS

SPORTS GRILL

1559 SUNSET DRIVE

305.668.0396

The secret is in the name of the place. These wings are never exposed to the indignity of the fry basket. These babies are all grilled, and you’d be amazed at what that does for the flavor. The Miami Heat style wings – they have eight varieties – are a slam dunk.

BEST STEAK HOUSE: CHRISTY’S

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BEST FAMILY-STYLE ITALIAN FRATELLINO RISTORANTE

264 MIRACLE MILE

786.452.0068

It’s narrow and dimly lit, with lots of old photos on the wall, like at your Italian grandmother’s house. And the food is so homemade – like the fettuccine alla papalina, or the risotto ai funghi porcini. Family run, with a fanatical following, so reserve early.

BEST PASTA NIGHT

SALUMARIA 104

117 MIRACLE MILE

305.640.5547

While it’s known for its Italian meats – those prosciuttos, salamis and mortadellas we love –Salumeria 104 also serves superb pasta dishes. And on Monday evenings you can choose any of them for $10 each. Our recommendation: Farro Alla Nerano, an organic Farro spaghetti with zucchini, pecorino romano cheese and basil.

BEST BAKERY

MADRUGA BAKERY

1430 S. DIXIE HWY

305.262.6130

Come to Madruga and you’ll understand why Oprah Winfrey will never give up bread. Proprietor and master baker Naomi Harris calls it a rustic bakery; their bread and pastries include everything from sourdough to babkas, but they pride themselves on craft bread baked from fresh milled heirloom wheat on a stone hearth.

BEST DOG MENU

SAWA RESTAURANT & LOUNGE

360 SAN LORENZO AVE. (THE SHOPS)

305.447.6555

One advantage of having tables in the courtyard of The Shops at Merrick Park is that you can accommodate canine diners. They are not allowed on the furniture, but that won’t dampen your dog’s enthusiasm for a skewer of chicken breast or filet mignon kebab. Jerky strips and doggie desserts, too.

BEST OYSTER DEAL

GRINGO’S OYSTER BAR

1549 SUNSET DR.

305.284.9989

Gringo’s is the place to go for oyster fanatics. From 3 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday, Gringo’s offers an oyster happy hour, with a half dozen oysters for just $9 or a dozen for $18. Normally, oysters are $3 each, so this is a steal.

BEST SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

MESAMAR

264 GIRALDA AVE.

305.640.8448

Their lobster tacos and popcorn shrimp make everything in the universe right. And where else do they show you the fish before cooking it, except maybe in Hong Kong? Owner and executive chef Lilia “Fifi” Molina, who has a reputation for sending back less-than-fresh fish

to suppliers, fuses Latin and Asian flavors.

BEST CARIBBEAN MAMEY

278 MIRACLE MILE

305.446.7710

Who knew that Caribbean food could reach such heights? Chef Niven Patel’s new restaurant in the THēsis Hotel is a showcase of culinary wizardry, with its mix of Caribbean, Polynesian and Thai gastronomy. Tropical décor inside, lots of seating outside, including an upstairs balcony, to taste this new, light cuisine.

BEST TACOS COYO TACO

126 GIRALDA AVE.

786.629.7929

Coyo Taco was among the first restaurants to open in Wynwood, back when it was actually edgy and raw. It’s incarnation on Giralda Plaza became an instant hit: A wide variety of tacos, late night hours, a speakeasy in the back, and a cool, high-ceiling space that was a post office.

BEST COFFEE HOUSE CAFÉ DEMETRIO

300 ALHAMBRA CIRCLE

305.448.4949

On the inside of this historic, landmark building is a standup piano that actually gets played once in a while. Behind the display cases of pastries are beautiful, ancient coffee machines,

Italian style. But it’s the coffee that is the star here, along with the shady outside courtyard.

BEST LOCAL VIBE CAFÉ AT BOOKS & BOOKS

265 ARAGON AVE.

305.448.9599

This Gables institution feels like a community center, enhanced by live book readings that should soon resume. There’s cozy seating amidst the books and a café that serves inside or in the outdoor courtyard where you can read and nosh. We also love a bookstore that has a wine bar.

BEST BREAKFAST THREEFOLD CAFÉ

141 GIRALDA AVE.

305.704.8005

Don’t show up for dinner here. Like myriad places in proprietor Nick Sharpe’s hometown of Melbourne, Australia, this is an all-day breakfast place. And home to the first smashed avocado toast in the Gables, not to mention their legendary salmon scramble. Loyal clients also come for a darn good cup of coffee.

BEST FRIED CHICKEN

RED FISH

9610 OLD CUTLER RD.

305.668.8788

How ironic it is that the best fried chicken in

BEST LOCAL VIBE: CAFÉ AT BOOKS & BOOKS

Coral Gables should be served on Biscayne Bay at a seafood restaurant? But that is the case with the amazing fried chicken at Red Fish by Chef Adrianne, which is brined and then fried in a buttermilk batter that is laced with honey.

BEST PIZZA

TERRE DEL SAPORE

246 GIRALDA AVE.

786.870.5955

Fantastic flavor, wood fired oven; owner Angelo Angiollieri will tell you that it’s all about the ingredients that go into his Neapolitan-style pizzas, which melt in your mouth. Everything comes from Italy – including the tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and flour that is far less processed, and hence slower to digest.

MOST ROMANTIC RESTAURANT

FONTANA AT THE BILTMORE HOTEL

1200 ANASTASIA AVE.

305.913.3189

Maybe it’s the sound of the massive Renaissance Italian fountain bubbling away. Maybe it’s the pillars and arches of the historic Biltmore Hotel. But when you are sitting in the courtyard of the Fontana Restaurant, with the twilight gently descending and music softly playing, it’s hard not to be enchanted.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

LUCA OSTERIA

116 GIRALDA AVE.

305.381.5097

Giorgio Rapicavoli’s delightful new café on Giralda Plaza is an instant success. Think sophisticated eatery on a side street in Milan or Rome, with a simple, rotating menu based on whatever is freshly in season, customers sipping Campari on the rocks. Don’t miss the Pasta al limione; good luck getting a reservation.

BEST DESSERTS BACHOUR

2020 SALZEDO ST. 305.203.0552

This restaurant was created as a showcase for the creations of Antonio Bachour, voted a few years back by his colleagues as the best pastry chef in the world. The desserts are displayed in glass cases that rival Tiffany and they are works of art. Too bad you can’t help eating them.

BEST TAPAS BULLA

2500 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

305.441.0107

With the pandemic over, what could be better for social interaction than sharing the “small plates” of Spain? Great energy at this open layout, with two dozen tapas, from classic patatas bravas to the more edgy cumin marinated pork chunks. Plus, we are obsessed with their beer sangria.

BEST EXPENSIVE RESTAURANT FIOLA

1500 SAN IGNACIO AVE.

305.912.2639

Founding Chef Fabio Trabocchi, of D.C. fame, made sure every detail of Fiola reflected elegance, from the artwork to the place settings to the food presentations. Among their musttry dishes is the porcini mushroom soup and Trabocchi’s signature lobster ravioli. Either one is worth the visit.

BEST OUTDOOR DINING DURING THE PANDEMIC ZUCCA

162 ALCAZAR AVE.

786.580.3731

Located in the old St. Michel Hotel, Zucca has earned its star in the galaxy of Gables Italian restaurants with its distinctly northern Italian cuisine. During the pandemic they expanded onto Alcazar with a charming outdoor space modeled on the best in New York, with vinery, roof and strings of light.

BEST OUTDOOR DINING

RED FISH BY CHEF ADRIANNE

9610 OLD CUTLER RD. 305.668.8788

Can anything beat the view of the Matheson Hammock Park lagoon and Biscayne Bay beyond it at Red Fish? Answer: No. Originally built as a bathhouse in 1935 as part of President Roosevelt’s Federal Emergency Relief Act, the old stone building was restored last year into this high-priced but delightful place to eat.

BEST COCKTAILS

THE GRAMERCY MIAMI

220 MIRACLE MILE

305.569.0311

Want a tart, yet delicious way to start the evening? Try their signature cocktail, The Gramercy, made with tequila, blackberry-sage, lemon, cardamom bitters and aquafaba (which makes it vegan-friendly). On the sweeter side is the Jazz Connection, which combines gin, orange curacao, honey-lavender syrup, lemon, cream and orange blossom water.

BEST LUNCH BARGAIN

BURGER BOB’S

2001 GRANADA BLVD. 305.567.3100

A cheeseburger for $5.25? A cup of chili for $3? A bagel with cream cheese for $2.50? Did we just climb into a time machine back to the 1950s? That’s what it feels like at Burger Bob’s, the timeless hold out on the edge of the first tee-off at the Granada Golf Course.

BEST POP UP ZITZ SUM

396 ALHAMBRA CIRCLE, SUITE 155 786.409.6920

Part of the fun is walking through the lobby of the enormous 396 Alhambra building. But the real fun is sampling the dumplings of Chef Pablo Zitzmann, whose pop-up restaurant just off the lobby reinvents the dim sum experience with Mexican and Korean influences. Sound intriguing? It is.

SHOPPING & RETAIL

BEST BARBER SHOP

WELL GROOMED GENTLEMAN

130 MIRACLE MILE 786.362.6360

This place harkens back to a time when men were men, and went for hot towels and razor shaves, at places where you could also get a shot of booze. Just layer that with modern metrosexual tweaks, like manicures and lattes, and you’re here.

BEST OUTDOOR DINING: RED FISH BY CHEF ADRIENNE

You’ll both feel safe in our care.

Our integrated maternity program is designed to take care of you and your baby before, during, and even after your pregnancy. Committed to following your birth plan, but ready with one of the most advanced newborn ICU programs in the country should your baby ever need it. Stay at one of our spa-like Little Miracles maternity suites. Let us focus on your every need, so you can simply focus on your little one.

We are proud to be designated a Baby-Friendly Hospital for giving mothers the skills and support needed to feed and bond with their child.

Jackson Memorial Hospital

Jackson North Medical Center

Jackson South Medical Center

Designated 2017 – 2022

For a tour or to find a physician, call 305-585-4MOM or visit JacksonMaternity.org.

BEST FRIDAY NIGHT BARBERSHOP HANGOUT

MANKIND GROOMING & SERVICES

290 ARAGON AVE.

305.446.2500

Friday night at a barbershop is a thing now, so what better place to hang than one with a lounge area, complete with a full-sized pool table and a full bar. At Mankind, which occupies the old Books & Books location, the first craft cocktail or local beer is complementary with any service.

BEST PLACE TO BUY A NANNY CAM SPY SHOP

96 MIRACLE MILE

305.542.4600

Are we being paranoid? Are we saying you can’t trust the hired help? Maybe. But in this day and age of craziness, sometimes you might want to sooth your nerves with a little camera posing as a Teddy Bear belly button. Good for nursing homes, too.

BEST WINE STORE

WOLFE’S WINE SHOPPE

124 MIRACLE MILE

305.445.4567

This is the kind of shop that makes Coral Gables feel like a small town. Owned and run by the extremely knowledgeable Jeffrey Wolfe, this is where you come to get the right vino advice. I mean, he vacations to vineyards. Plus, on weekends the Golden Retrievers come to the shop.

BEST SHOE STORE NORDSTROM

4310 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

786.999.1313

Gucci? Jimmy Chu? Nordstrom’s legendary shoe department at the Shops at Merrick Park is where you would expect to find Carrie Bradshaw hanging out. Great selection. And if you want to shave on prices, hang on till the store’s annual sale, which starts in late July and includes the shoe department.

BEST HAIR SALON

AVANT GARDE SALON AND SPA

155 MIRACLE MILE

305.442.8136

Avant Garde has been servicing Coral Gables women since 1976. That’s a lot of hair styles. What we love is the extensive list of what they provide. We couldn’t find a service they don’t offer. Microblading, yes. Eyelash extensions, yes. Mermaid Unicorn Hair, yes. Balayage hair color. yes.

BEST CIGAR SHOP

GALIANO CIGAR ROOM

2310 GALIANO ST.

305.753.8888

You can buy cigars in lots of places, but where can you also sit down in a lounge by the bar and smoke them while imbibing a drink? Two years old, Galiano is the gold standard for cigar smokers: A roomy walk-in humidor and lockers for members to store their stash.

MOST ACCESSIBLE HIGH-END FASHION BOUTIQUE

FILOMENA FERNANDEZ

4217 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

305.661.4448

Among the city’s elite haute designers, Maritza Fernandez is also a woman close to our cost-conscious hearts. In her upstairs boutique she offers her Spring and Fall lines as prêt-àporter blouses, dresses and slacks that should cost vastly more. Too bad you won’t need her designer face masks any longer.

BEST TEEN CLOTHING STORE

TREND BOUTIQUE

258 ANDALUSIA AVE.

786-942-2626

We love this small boutique where you can shop for the family (some adult sizes, too) and enjoy a personal experience with owner Ana Mari Fuentes. It’s also an emporium of styles for the often neglected “tween” and young teenage market.

BEST FLORIST

BELLE FLEUR

333 ALCAZAR AVE.

305.444.0883

Owner and creative florist Mario Fernandez could not be more accommodating in this pleasantly crowded shop, suffused with wonderful smells. It feels old world, a quiet compartment protected from the outside, where the beauty of flowers still means something.

BEST FRIDAY NIGHT BARBERSHOP HANGOUT: MANKIND GROOMING & SERVICES

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BEST GIFT SHOP

VIOLETTA’S

221 MIRACLE MILE

305.381.0711

Ok, so who’s on your list? Teachers, friends, colleagues, service providers, a dinner hostess? If these gifts require delving into boutiques, Violetta’s is your place, especially if your budget has no restraints. A wonderland of designer home objects, like glassware, throw pillows, wall art, vases, and even Fornasetti plates.

BEST CHILDREN’S STORE

MACANOCO & CO.

2394 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

305.771.3433

What we like here is the spread. Everything from trendy art pencil sets shaped like an avocado for less than $20 to hand-made prams from England for your child’s dolls, for more than $500. Dress your toddler like Little Lord Fauntleroy or buy him a small plastic dinosaur.

BEST MEN’S CLOTHING STORE

PEPI BERTINI

357 MIRACLE MILE

305.461.3374

You want a suit off the rack? That will cost you $1,500 to $3,900 and will then be smartly altered by Pepi “Bertini” Gonzalez, who has served the rich and famous at his Gables location for nearly three decades. If you would like something hand tailored from scratch, that is another matter.

BEST EYEWEAR BOUTIQUE

EDWARD BEINER EYES FORWARD

SHOPS OF MERRICK PARK

305.461.1808

You can book your next eye exam here. Or you can book your next private style consultation here, to see which of the ultra-cool glasses in this shop are perfect for you. Can you get away with a pair of Barton Perreira for $405? Or do you need those Jacques Marie Mage for $685?

BEST BOOKSTORE

BOOKS & BOOKS

265 ARAGON AVE.

305.422.4408

Books & Books is another cornerstone shop that makes Coral Gables feel like a small but very smart town. This is a cozy destination bookstore with a great kid’s selection and large number of autographed tomes you won’t find elsewhere. Can’t wait for their regular author chats to go live again.

BEST BIKE SHOP

NO BOUNDARIES

220 ARAGON AVE.

305.444.3206

Store manager Isreal Rodriguez is an avid biker, frequently taking part in weekend runs to South Miami-Dade. The rest of the time he’s showing riders one of 800 bikes they have in stock, for $280 to $12,000. They will also test your foot for the right athletic shoe.

BEST PLACE TO BUY A ROMAN COIN GABLES COIN & STAMP SHOP

82 MIRACLE MILE

305.446.0032

Okay, so it’s also the only place where you can buy a Roman coin in the Gables. But how amazing that you can buy a 2,000-year-old object for less than $100? Lots of other ancient and U.S. coins as well. Or what about a gold coin to horde for Armageddon?

BEST ANTIQUES STORE

MARTELL GALLERY

3160 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

786.803.8286

They carry early 20th century decorative arts, so if you are looking for a vase or statuette from the 1920s French Art Deco period, this is the place. You can buy a ceramic for $600, but want to dazzle with your collection? Buy the 1925 Russian Dancers by Demétre Chiparus for $936,000.

BEST FURNITURE STORE

VICTORIA’S ARMOIRE

4077 PONCE DE LEON BLVD

305-445-3848

From its beginnings in an 800-square-foot second floor showroom on Ponce, Victoria’s Armoire has spread out to include a complex totaling more than 20,000 square feet in two separate buildings, with unconventional yet elegant cabinets, coffee tables, sofas, lamps, benches, baskets, mirrors, ottomans, rugs, desks and chairs.

BEST BANK COFFEE CAPITAL ONE CAFÉ

50 MIRACLE MILE

Okay, so it’s not hard to beat the tired coffee machines in your typical bank lobby with a

free-standing Peet’s Coffee location in your lobby. All part of the bank’s strategy to lure unsuspecting Millenials into opening their first bank accounts. Latest job offer: Café Ambassador, to work the lobby.

SPORTS & RECREATION

BEST GOLF COURSE

THE BILTMORE GOLF COURSE

1210 ANASTASIA AVE.

855.454.0196

With its recent renovations, the Biltmore is more magnificent than ever, and welcoming for beginners as well as advanced players. Stunning views, and an ambience that only a hundred years of history can provide. Plus, it’s home to the worldclass Jim McLean Golf School.

BEST GOLF BARGAIN

GRANADA GOLF COURSE

2001 GRANADA BLVD.

305.460.5367

This public golf course is also the de-facto Central Park of Coral Gables. It’s also in great shape for a public course, and a great place to start your golfing career. And it’s within walking distance of downtown Coral Gables. Add to that discounts for residents and you have a winner.

BEST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE

CANOEING THE CORAL GABLES WATERWAY

MIAMI ECO ADVENTURES

305.666.5885

Taking a canoe up the Coral Gables Waterway opens a secret world, one filled with manatees, alligators, ospreys, cormorants, kingfishers and

BEST OUTDOOR ADVENTURE: CANOEING THE CORAL GABLES WATERWAY

Rum Aged to Perfection.

Aged a minimum of eight years, BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho is enjoyable on its own, on the rocks, or in a delicious Old Fashioned. Everyone can enjoy this golden sipping rum and create special moments together.

Egyptian geese, all surviving – and thriving – in the midst of the city. Instructors offer instruction to novices but paddling a two-person canoe in a protected waterway is easier than you think.

BEST DOG WALKING

EQUIPAWS PETS SERVICES

305.794.3733

The philsophy here is that “a tired dog is a happy, well-behaved dog.” Not only will Equipaws take poochie for a daily walk, they’ll take him (or her) for a daily run. So, get your pet fit for the next 5K, or just break the tedium, while you’re putting in a long day.

BEST PLACE TO WALK YOUR DOG ON A LEASH

GRANADA GOLF

While you shouldn’t walk across the fairways, especially during the day when players are smacking balls from the tees to the greens, even then a walk around the perimeter of the course is a refreshing exercise in a vast, open space. This is the Central Park of the Gables, after all.

BEST LIVE SPORTING EVENT TO WATCH

UM BASEBALL GAMES

MARK LIGHT STADIUM

6201 SAN AMARO DRIVE

305.284.4171

There is nothing quite as much fun as watching

a UM baseball game at home. The crowd alone is worth it. Overheard at the game: “Hey Umpire! Are you blind? You must be, because I saw your wife!” And everyone knows that the world’s best milk shakes are on tap here.

BEST GYM

EQUINOX CORAL GABLES

370 SAN LORENZO (THE SHOPS)

786.497.8200

Does luxury help you workout? We think so. Equinox is the in-style place for all things fitness: A cycling studio, a Pilates studio, a yoga studio, filtered water, saunas, and steam rooms. Plus, they offer classes in high-intensity boxing and martial arts, so you can work out your frustrations. Or just work out.

BEST PLACE TO BICYCLE

OLD CUTLER ROAD

It’s all about the shade and trees and having a dedicated bike lane. Riding down Old Cutler is like biking through a forest with a tarmac floor.

BEST PLACE TO WINDSURF

MATHESON HAMMOCK PARK

9610 OLD CUTLER RD.

305.665.5475

You’re never going to be able to surf in the Gables, but on most days, there is enough of a Bay breeze at Matheson Hammock Park to send you flying. They call it kite surfing here, and the

folks at Coral Gables Adventure Sports will show you how it’s done.

BEST YOGA STUDIO

PRANA YOGA

247 MALAGA AVE.

305.567.9812

Prana is the Sanskrit word for breath, or the life force, and it is through the control of breathing that stress is released. That is the philosophy here, that manipulation of breath can release the negative and create positive energy. It’s also a beautiful space, of wooden floors and bamboo walls, with a lovely vibration.

BEST TENNIS COURTS

BILTMORE TENNIS COURTS

1150 ANASTASIA AVE.

305.460.5360

The ten hard courts here are well maintained, lit at night, with shaded spots for changeovers and brief breaks. What makes it glamorous is the historic backdrop. You play in the shadow of history.

BEST SUMMER COOL OFF

VENETIAN POOL

2701 DE SOTO BLVD.

305.460.5306

Everyone knows that the water for the Venetian Pool is ice cold, drained each night and then refilled from the aquifer. But in the

summer, it gets crazy with kids. The secret is to wait until after 4 pm, when the camp kids leave for the day. Then, bliss.

ARCHITECTURE & PUBLIC PLACES

BEST STATUE

GEORGE MERRICK

IN FRONT OF CITY HALL

The city’s founding father, George Merrick, stands proudly in front of City Hall, holding a rolled-up blueprint like it was a sword. His name took a lot of heat this year for a few racist comments he made late in life, but the city

still reveres his vision and his memory.

BEST HISTORIC RESTORATION

THE H. GEORGE FINK STUDIO

2506 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.

Kudos to the city for acquiring and restoring the studio of original Coral Gables architect H. George Fink. It looks like a small church, an appropriate honorarium to the man, and this year will finally be reborn as the home to the Department of Economic Development and a small pubic museum.

BEST PLACE TO DRINK BEER OUTSIDE

BAY 13 BREWERY

65 ALHAMBRA PLAZA

Just the fact that they are brewing fresh beer in the vast tanks inside would be enough. But the open-air plaza next to Bay 13, which faces the amazing fountains at Galiano and Alhambra, takes this beer drinking experience to a whole new level.

BEST VIEW FROM A TERRACE

RIVIERA COUNTRY CLUB

1155 BLUE RD. 305.661.5331

Okay, so it will cost you $30,000 to join, even without a golf membership. Or you can find a member who will invite you for cocktails on the veranda. Either way, the feeling is straight out of Tara, in the newly rebuilt clubhouse restaurant, with its vast view down the fairway.

BEST PEOPLE WATCHING SPOT

GIRALDA PLAZA

It is a pedestrian plaza, after all. But Japanese tourists taking selfies? With its now ever-changing installations hanging overhead, and pop-up performance artists, and late night-night eateries like Coyo Taco, you’ve got a whole new flow of humanity strolling the cobblestones.

Live Vibrantly in the City Beautiful

Convenience, comfort and community make The Reserve at The Plaza a step above all of your apartment options!

Live in the heart of Coral Gables

The Reserve was created to accommodate your desires, meet your needs and support your dreams It’s new and modern Uncommonly luxurious And built with easy access to designated parking in the garage as well as the premium retail complex and array of offices at The Plaza

BEST SUMMER COOL OFF: VENETIAN POOL

BEST HISTORIC LANDMARK

THE BILTMORE HOTEL

1200 ANASTASIA AVE.

855.454.0196

Few places are more magical than the Biltmore Hotel, with its central tower rising above Coral Gables’ majestic residential canopy like a sentinel and its massive lobby with arched ceilings and stone pillars. With its nearly century old beauty impeccably restored and maintained, this is the living icon for the City Beautiful.

BEST PLACES WE MISS THE MOST

ORTANIQUE, JOHN MARTIN’S IRISH PUB

BOTH FORMERLY ON MIRACLE MILE

One provided an amazing new range of flavors, based on Caribbean cuisine, the other a great selection of Irish whiskeys and nights of musical mayhem. Both had been with us for decades, and both will be greatly missed.

BEST SECRET GARDEN

MONTGOMERY BOTANICAL CENTER

11901 OLD CUTLER RD.

305.667.3800

This 120-acre collection of thousands of palms and cycads is a living monument to Robert H. Montgomery, the man behind the adjacent

BEST SECRET GARDEN: MONTGOMERY BOTANICAL CENTER

Fairchild Botanic Tropical Gardens. It is actually a working research center, and is only open to the public on an appointment basis.

BEST FOUNTAIN

THE DESOTO FOUNTAIN

INTERSECTION OF GRANADA BLVD.,

DESOTO BLVD., AND SEVILLE AVE.

Every time we drive past this magnificent fountain, with its obelisk and streams of water, we think that we are in Paris. Or Rome. Or anywhere but the U.S.A. Strategically placed between the Venetian Pool and the Biltmore Hotel, it also anchors the largest roundabout in the city.

BEST PARK FOR KIDS

SALVADORE PARK

1120 ANDALUSIA AVE.

305.460.5333

First, there is a green, shady field with playground gear for little kids, and then there are thirteen lighted clay tennis courts for when they get older – all in the midst of a densely canopied neighborhood. This is why you move your family to the Gables.

BEST GABLES ENTRANCE

DOUGLAS ENTRANCE

800 DOUGLAS ROAD

Yes, the road through its grand archway is no longer an active entrance to the city, and yes, it’s now dwarfed by adjacent residential and

office towers. But of all the entrances planned and built for Coral Gables, none has the magnificence of the Douglas Entrance.

BEST NEIGHBORHOOD PARK

BETSY ADAMS

4650 ALHAMBRA CIRCLE

This is the kind of neighborhood park we all wish we had nearby. Transformed with city money by the Coral Gables Garden Club, the park is named after beloved local citizen Betsy Adams. Two lots were repurposed into an utterly charming and sweet open space with a play area for tots.

BEST PLACE TO MEET MEN

THE GRAMERCY MIAMI

220 MIRACLE MILE

305.569.0311

Great food and great drinks, and there are eligible men to be met here, especially at the bar. But while The Gramercy is the heir apparent to the great singles scene that used to take place at its location (Tarpon Bend, remember?), we will take no responsibility for the kind of men you might meet here.

BEST PLACE TO MEET INTELLIGENT MEN BOOKS & BOOKS

265 ARAGON AVE.

What does it say when a man is perusing the section with classic literature or poetry? How about if he is looking at the mystery books? A

good time to meet the unattached but intellectually curious man is during the live book readings, soon coming back. Just avoid the children’s section.

BEST PLACE TO MEET WOMEN

YOGA STUDIOS

There are at least a half dozen good yoga studios in the Gables, as well as yoga programs in places like Fairchild, the Biltmore and the Youth Center. Most of them are populated with women who care about their bodies and souls. Just remember the Buddha’s advice, that patience is the best virtue.

BEST PLACE TO MEET INTELLIGENT WOMEN

CORAL GABLES MUSEUM, FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT

Where else would a smart woman go on the first Friday night of the month? And if she doesn’t respond well to the question of why that particular painting is a) quite interesting b) beyond anyone’s comprehension or c) shows that the artist is a shameless narcissist, then she is clearly not smart enough for you.

BEST PARKING PLACE

DO YOU REALLY THINK WE WOULD EVEAL THIS?

HUMBERTO C ALZADA (b. 1944), Town View (Vista de Pueblo), 1979, acrylic on canvas, 39 ¾ x 36 inches Provenance: e Collection of the Republic National Bank of Miami. e Collection of Wells Fargo International Bank.

A Global Reach

Coral Gables has long been heralded for its international business prowess, punching well above its weight for the past 50 years. Whether it be our Sister Cities efforts, celebrated Flags on Ponce program, the 22 trade and consular offices that call the Gables home, new projects eager to relocate to and expand in Coral Gables, or the 130-plus multi-national headquarters found here, we have a tremendous global story to tell.

Much of this work began under the auspices of the Committee of 21 in the 1970’s, a Chamber initiative that had 21 business members (representing the public and private sectors) whose sole purpose was to grow our international profile. Members were bold in their recruitment, reaching out to corporate brands across the US to bring their Latin American HQ to the Gables. Early arrivals included a regional HQ for Chevron, followed by a cadre of such stars as Bacardi, AmericanAirlines, HBO Latin America, Del Monte Fresh and Diageo.

I recently shared the early days of our multi-national footprint with the CEO of Del Monte, Youssef Zakharia, a transplant from Monaco (by way of Lebanon) and the brand’s top man here in The City Beautiful. In just five short years, he and his team have weathered many challenges, including maintaining a global supply chain during the pandemic. With Zakharia’s vision for innovation, he has also introduced a new fast-healthy concept to the office tower, the FRSHst Market, where all the food is fresh, healthy and bright, and ready for a “grab and go.”

Some days I pinch myself as I walk around the business district of Coral Gables.  Iconic names on the façades of our buildings represent some of the most incredible global brands we know, love, trust and patronize. Earlier this year, we welcomed PNC Bank’s regional HQ to the Gables, soon to be joined by a new Loew’s Hotel, ACI Worldwide (from Nebraska – already working with 18 of the 19 top banks in the US), and Friesland Campina, a Dutchbased dairy with a small, but mighty team nestled along the North Ponce Corridor.

And all of these “gets” have happened in the past six months despite the pandemic, ably recruited by our Chamber, City Economic Development Department, and Miami-Dade’s Beacon Council. This triumvirate of advocates work each day to sell South Florida – and in our case, Coral Gables – to identify relocation projects, promote the assets of The City Beautiful, align our common goals and leverage our relationships to close the deal. Acting together makes good sense, including in workforce development, skill training, incentives, permitting and integration into the local market.

As a Chamber, that is what we do best – rolling out the red carpet for the world. Being a player on a global scale is a calling card for our team, and we know that with the current business climate in Florida and the robust recovery already underway, we are poised for incredible results. So, let’s think even more globally as we act locally to ensure collective success.  ■

Mark A. Trowbridge is the President and CEO of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce

THE GABLES HAVE LONG BEEN A STAGE FOR INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES

“SOME DAYS I PINCH MYSELF AS I WALK AROUND THE BUSINESS DISTRICT OF CORAL GABLES. ICONIC NAMES ON THE FAÇADES OF OUR BUILDINGS REPRESENT SOME OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE GLOBAL BRANDS WE KNOW....”

BANK WISELY LOCAL

TEAM WITH A

Launching a Brand in LATAM

DESPITE A SLOW TRAVEL MARKET, KAYAK’S GABLES-BASED LATIN AMERICAN DIVISION FORGES AHEAD

BY DOREEN HEMLOCK

Carolina Montenegro recalls the challenge five years ago when she started to promote travel search engine Kayak in Latin America. While the site was popular in the United States, few people south of the border knew it. Many equated Kayak with boating, not a place to compare offers on flights, hotels, car rentals and other travel services online. Montenegro reached out to newspapers, TV, bloggers and others to share Kayak’s story, sometimes offering data on local markets to help introduce the brand.

Today, Kayak’s Latin America division employs 14 people at its Coral Gables headquarters and another dozen in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and other key markets – up from five when Montenegro joined. She’s learned along the way how different countries require different strategies to draw customers.

“In Mexico, we talk a lot about families who travel together. In Brazil, there’s more individual travel, and the tone of voice is more personal,” says Montenegro, who’s risen from marketing manager to vice president for the region. “In the US, everybody knows Kayak, so it’s easier to be funny. But in Latin America, we focus more on being educational [and] making ourselves approachable.”

Kayak was launched in 2004 in Stamford, Conn., founded by computer scientist Paul English and online-travel entrepreneur Steve Hafner (who helped start Orbitz). The company went public on Wall Street in 2012 and was soon purchased for $2 billion by a group then known

as Priceline.com. It’s now part of Booking Holdings, which owns brands that range from search engines like Kayak, which make money selling ads, to online travel agencies like Booking.com, which earn cash selling hotel nights and travel services.

Coronavirus has, of course, taken its toll, dropping travel demand worldwide. Kayak pivoted by finding ways to make trip choices easier, adding “flexible” filters to searches for flights (airlines with no cancellation fees, for example) and updating travel restrictions by country. Longer-term, Kayak has bigger ambitions. In April, it opened its first hotel, aiming to test software that lets guests use the Kayak app for check in, as a room key, and then to order housekeeping and other hotel services. The company partnered with the Life House brand for the 52-room Kayak Miami Beach hotel, set in a 1930s Art Deco property.

For Montenegro, working from WeWork in Coral Gables has many pluses. The office is centrally located, an easy drive to downtown Miami or Miami International Airport, and walking distance to offices for business partners such as pay TV channels for Latin America, where Kayak advertises. “We’ve held countless productive meetings around the Gables,” says Hector Costa, senior vice president of ad sales for AMC Networks International-Latin America, based on South Douglas Road.

Still, headwinds remain. While Kayak Latin America has done well localizing landing pages for different nationali-

ties, and has more searches and social-media followers than local rivals Voopter and Viajala, it faces a weak travel market shortterm, says Carolina Sass de Haro, Latin America specialist at travel market researcher Phocuswright. Gross travel bookings in Latin America – up 3 percent to $57.4 billion in 2019, plunged an estimated 62 percent last year to $22 billion. Bookings regionwide may not recover pre-Covid levels until 2023, says Phocuswright.

Montenegro is undaunted, however, recalling her challenges to launch the brand in Latin America. She’s already way ahead. ■

Photo by Jonathan Dann

CAROLINA MONTENEGRO OUTSIDE THE OFFICES OF KAYAK, A LEADING TRAVEL SEARCH ENGINE THAT HAS OPENED HEADQUARTERS IN CORAL GABLES TO RUN THEIR LATIN AMERICA DIVISION

Paying It Forward

GABLES-BASED PAYCARGO RECEIVES A MASSIVE CASH INFUSION TO GO GLOBAL

BY DOREEN HEMLOCK

In 2007, a group of entrepreneurs in South Florida saw an opportunity: create an electronic system to pay airlines, trains, ports and others, so shippers could get freight released quickly and safely.

Fast forward to June 2021, when Coral Gables-based PayCargo received a $125 million investment from private-equity firm Insight Partners to expand its payments business beyond North America and Europe. That’s on top of a $35 million funding round led by Insight Partners last year. “The incredible growth PayCargo has experienced since our initial investment is testament to the confidence the industry has in their platform,” says Ryan Hinkle, managing director of the New York-based private equity firm.

PayCargo roughly doubled business in 2020, processing more than $4 billion in payments, taking in $45 million in revenue, and boosting staff worldwide to roughly 65. It had doubled business in 2019, too. “And we’re on course to do it again this year,” says CEO Eduardo Del Riego. Today, PayCargo works with more than 67,000 users, from air and sea carriers to warehouses. With its new funding, it aims to expand in Europe and enter Asia this year, followed by the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

Growth potential remains enormous, because international trade relies mostly on paper-based payments such as checks, cash and vouchers. Even

in PayCargo’s strongest market, North America, “we handle less than four percent of the payments in logistics,” says del Riego. “Our biggest challenge is education – getting out to the street and letting everyone know the benefits of electronic payment systems and quick release of cargo. Inertia is the most difficult thing to overcome.”

Born in Cuba and flown to the U.S. under the Pedro Pan airlift for children, Del Riego began in the cargo industry after high school in 1974. By age 21, he’d already run a division for a ship line. He worked with shipping companies mainly in Florida, Alabama and Puerto Rico, eventually selecting their software. He then started his own tech firm, Athena Information Systems, which he sold before joining PayCargo in 2013, when it had only 100 users.

Key to growth is neutrality, says Del Riego; PayCargo links to users’ existing software and management systems through a patented process. Its clickship-pay tool not only speeds payments but also reconciles bills, transactions and refunds at a lower price than earlier systems, he says. Shippers pay a per transaction fee of $5 to $9.50, depending on volume.

Coronavirus also sped adoption. Many merchants no longer wanted to handle paper that might pose a health risk, says del Riego. Investors reached out too. Del Riego says his team opted to work with Insight

“OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS EDUCATION –GETTING OUT TO THE STREET AND LETTING

EVERYONE KNOW THE BENEFITS OF ELECTRONIC PAYMENT SYSTEMS AND QUICK RELEASE OF CARGO.”

EDUARDO DEL RIEGO, CEO OF PAYCARGO

Partners for its experience with tech startups and tools such as artificial intelligence.

PayCargo set up headquarters in Coral Gables in 2009, lured partly by the city’s central location and proximity to Miami International Airport – though rent and parking cost more than other areas. “If we hadn’t had the right financial

Emily

backing, we would have thought twice as a startup about being in the Gables,” Del Riego concedes. But the restaurants, services and safety were too alluring. “It’s a benefit when you finish at three a.m. to be in a peaceful, prosperous area,” he says. Now the Gables staff could double, Del Riego says, from roughly 50 today to 100 by 2023. ■

Photo by

Fakhoury

She Matters Most

“Where your child matters most” is not just something we say, it’s our promise to every family that entrusts us with their child’s health. A promise that has placed us in U.S.News & World Report’s 2021-22 Pediatric Rankings. Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is once again, the highest ranked pediatric children’s hospital in South Florida. We know it’s great to lead, but when you do it with compassion and extraordinary care, you show the world why the children matter most…your children.

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is the highest-ranked children’s hospital in South Florida. nicklauschildrens.org

Global Gateway

“I WANTED TO BE IN A LOCATION THAT WAS MOST CONDUCIVE TO INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS. AND CORAL GABLES WAS THE PREFERRED LOCATION FOR MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES COMING TO MIAMI-DADE COUNTY”

MANNY MENCIA SR. VICE PRESIDENT INTERNATIONAL TRADE & DEVELOPMENT ENTERPRISE FLORIDA

Photo by Emily Fakhoury

BY DOREEN HEMLOCK

From his office at 201 Alhambra Circle, Manny Mencia can see the broad avenue where scores of multinationals keep their offices. Within walking distance are dozens more.

“When I was hired to run the international program for Enterprise Florida [the state’s economic development group], one of my first executive decisions was to move the office to Coral Gables,” says Mencia of his choice decades back. “I wanted to be in a location that was most conducive to international business,” he says. “And Coral Gables was the preferred location for multinational companies coming to Miami-Dade County. It was ideal geographically, with fantastic access to the airport, the port and downtown – and it had unsurpassed amenities.”

In particular, Mencia thought the city was the perfect environment for hosting international businesses and their delegations. “The environment of Coral Gables was a way to put our best foot forward and show Florida from an advantageous position,” he says. “And in terms of environment it was conducive to high-end investors and decision makers.”

Dutch dairy giant FrieslandCampina made the same decision last year in relocating its Latin American headquarters closer to that

market. Executives knew they wanted to be near Miami International Airport and its abundant flights to the Latin region. But they weren’t sure exactly where to put their office.

Multinationals with warehouses often set up in Doral, big law and accounting firms often choose downtown Miami, and tech startups are keen on Wynwood. But the milk and cheese maker (worldwide sales: $13.4 billion last year) wanted a walkable area, near good restaurants, with not too much traffic – in a welcoming community that was business friendly with a global outlook.

FrieslandCampina now operates on Ponce de Leon Boulevard near Mencia’s office - with an aim to double its sales in Latin America within the next few years.

“It’s like being in a big city in a big country, but it feels like a small town, with a lot of contact with neighbors,” including fellow executives heading up Latin American operations, says Jose Alonso-Iñarra, the Spaniard who leads the new locale. “We’re happy to discover the good vibes in Coral Gables.”

For generations, the City Beautiful has been known as a global gateway, especially as a hub for multinational companies that often run Latin American, US or even global headquarters from the city.

MANY LEADING BRANDS SUCH AS BACARDI ARE HEADQUARTERED IN CORAL GABLES

Coral Gables has always been an international city. Now, new opportunities abound

Economic development leaders have sought out these large corporations to open offices in the city, encouraging construction of Class A office space and helping newcomers with permits.

Today, some 150 multinationals have offices in the Gables, from Fresh Del Monte Produce, Bacardi, and Hyatt to American Airlines, Tiffany and Kayak, says Julian Perez, who leads the city’s economic development department. The global roster also includes home-grown firms with offices abroad, from builder MasTec to such tech ventures as AppGate and Cyxtera Technologies, launched by Gables entrepreneur Manny Medina. Helping lure them all: Nearly two dozen consular and trade offices representing Spain, Colombia, Italy and other nations, here to facilitate commerce.

TECHNOLOGY MAKING HEADQUARTERS LEANER, ATTRACTING SMALLER FIRMS

Now, the face of international business is changing – and not only because Covid halted most overseas trips, disrupting shipments, squeezing economies, and shifting communication online.

Even before the pandemic, technology was making it easier to operate headquarters with leaner staffs. Executives who wanted to stay in Latin America or elsewhere could do so and still communicate effectively via the internet. Some Latin American headquarters have shrunk South Florida staff in recent years, while new ones tend to stay compact, often employing 10 to 20 top people, says Ken Roberts, CEO of WorldCity, a Coral Gables media company that tracks international trade and multinationals.

“Multinational headquarters are maturing and appreciating that they can find the talent they need in the [Latin American] region,” as education levels rise and technology becomes more widely available, says Roberts. “There’s a talent pool in the region that is better understood, and expanding.”

FrieslandCampina shows the trend. The company, with roots in farming since the 1800s, has more than 20,000 employees worldwide. It had been handling Latin American business largely from its New Jersey hub, but saw a chance to boost Latin American sales by working more directly with big retailers in the region, like WalMart and Carrefour. “We needed to be closer to customers and consum-

TOP: JOSE ALONSO-IÑARRA, WHO RUNS THE FRIESLANDCAMPINA’S GABLES OFFICE

ABOVE: KEN ROBERTS, CEO OF WORLDCITY

“MULTINATIONAL HEADQUARTERS ARE MATURING AND APPRECIATING THAT THEY CAN FIND THE TALENT THEY NEED IN THE [LATIN AMERICAN] REGION. THERE’S A TALENT POOL IN THE REGION THAT IS BETTER UNDERSTOOD, AND EXPANDING.”

KEN ROBERTS (ABOVE), CEO OF WORLDCITY

Global Coral Gables: A Sampler

Coral Gables is home to hundreds of companies that do business internationally, from ones that keep their global headquarters in the city to those with Latin American or US regional headquarters, to ones

that import or export, raise capital across borders, manage franchises worldwide or employ tech professionals overseas. Here’s a sample that shows the variety of international business in the city.

FRESH DEL MONTE PRODUCE: This farm-to-table giant that sells bananas and other fresh fruits and vegetables worldwide maintains its U.S. headquarters in Coral Gables while operating farms across Central America. Spun off from Del Monte’s canned food unit in the 1980s, Fresh Del Monte had global sales topping $4 billion in 2020. Its Sevilla Ave. operations employ more than 275 people, including staff at its newly opened restaurant FRSHst.

BRADESCO BAC FLORIDA BANK: Brazil’s banking powerhouse Bradesco completed its purchase of Coral Gables-based BAC Florida Bank in 2020 in a deal valued at $500 million. The one-branch bank on Miracle Mile has long catered to clients living overseas, providing services online and growing its assets beyond $2 billion. The Coral Gables bank employs roughly 200 people in the city.

BACARDI: The world’s largest privately-held spirits company with global sales estimated beyond $5 billion annually, Bacardi keeps its North American headquarters in Coral Gables, handling sales and marketing of its signature rum, Grey Goose vodka, Bombay Sapphire gin, Patron tequila and other drinks in the US and Canada. Employees in Coral Gables: More than 300.

QUIRCH FOODS: A fast-growing distributor of beef, pork, poultry, seafood and other goods, Coral Gables-based Quirch Foods boosted sales in 2020 beyond 200,000 cases per day on average. About 30 percent goes to Latin America and markets outside the continental United States. Quirch employs 1,700-plus people, with some 500 in South Florida including 180 in Coral Gables.

HYATT HOTELS & RESORTS: This Chicago-based chain keeps its

Latin American and Caribbean headquarters in Coral Gables, now overseeing some 60 properties regionwide from downtown hotels to all-inclusive resorts. In Mexico alone, it plans six more hotels in four years, adding to 22 already there. Gables staff: About 12.

CYXTERA TECHNOLOGIES: Data center owner-operator Cyxtera Technologies is going public on the Nasdaq exchange, with a valuation exceeding $3 billion. Founded by serial entrepreneur Manny Medina in 2017, the Gables-based company had revenues of $690 million in 2020 from some 60 data centers globally. Its staff in the city: about 100.

MORELIA GOURMET PALETAS: Founded by three executives from Procter & Gamble and run by a software engineer, this Gables-based maker of hand-crafted popsicles has some dozen locales in Florida and one in North Carolina, plus six in the Dominican Republic and two in Mexico. It plans to add franchises in other states and countries too. Its Gables staff: five.

8BASE: Founded by serial tech entrepreneur Albert Santalo, Coral Gables-based 8base helps people build and design apps, offering easy-to-use software tools and access to tech professionals on a shared platform. It works with software developers abroad, some in Russia. Gables staff: 40-plus and growing.

DRIFTWOOD CAPITAL: This Coral Gables-based business has raised more than $700 million to date to buy, build and renovate hotels – with about half the money from Latin America. It now has some two dozen hotels, including new ones in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Its Gables office employs about 40.

Ports Data

Billions of dollars in trade move through Greater Miami each year. While hit hard by the pandemic in 2020, figures for 2021 are already showing a strong rebound.

All data in billions of dollars.

Source: WorldCity analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. For more information, contact info@ustradenumbers.com.

Port of Miami

Miami International Airport

ers,” says Alonso-Iñarra. But rather than move a large crew to the Gables, they are keeping their office here lean, likely to no more than 20 employees. This cadre will be sufficient, however, to coordinate hires in Latin America and communication with company offices in US, Europe and beyond, says Alonso-Iñarra.

The lean approach has an upside: It helps smaller international players that might have considered it too costly to set up in Coral Gables before, says Perez. Newcomers also are aided by a profusion of co-working centers that let businesses start with a desk and expand as needed. Among recent inquiries for space: A mid-sized Argentine law firm, says Perez.

Indeed, with the new norm of remote workers interconnected by highspeed networks, international business opportunities abound even for the solo entrepreneur. Consider Frank Lora, a Millennial who grew up in South Florida and graduated from Florida International University. He owns TickSites, a four-year-old company that creates and maintains WordPress websites for clients worldwide. Lora runs his four-year-old business from WeWork in the Gables, teaming with software developers in Venezuela, Ukraine, India and other nations to provide services around the clock.

“What I find fascinating is you can literally run an entire company without ever meeting any of your employees, which is what I’m doing,” says Lora, the 29-year-old sole proprietor.

Covid has sped up decentralization, making it easy for many to work from home. That’s prompting debate over the future of offices in general. Lots of employees now want to keep working from home at least part-time, sparking talk of a “hybrid” office configuration where some come daily but others only occasionally. “We won’t know until maybe a year from now what the impact of technology and Covid will be on the size of the headquarters offices,” says Perez.

PORTMIAMI, MIA REBOUNDING, BUT LATIN AMERICA LAGGING

Two of South Florida’s international engines were hit especially hard by the pandemic: PortMiami and Miami International Airport. The impact in the first half of 2020 was “nasty,” with many shipments and flights cancelled, says Roberts.

But trade began rebounding by summer 2020 and has continued to rise this year. Indeed, in March, the seaport had its second busiest month ever by tonnage, says PortMiami CEO Juan Kuryla.

That’s partly because of imports from Asia to supply fast-recovering Florida.

The seaport and airport have different profiles, however. PortMiami tends to handle bigger, heavier, lower-value items like cement and clothes. In dollar terms, it brings in more than it ships out. MIA instead flies lighter, higher-value items like gold, cellphones, medicine and sensitive perishables like salmon and flowers. Its export value typically tops imports. (See accompanying charts for trade numbers by value.)

Yet one big question for both is when Latin America, a top trading partner, will rebound. The region fared among the world’s worst from Covid; confirmed total Covid deaths in Brazil are second only to the US, and Peru is suffering one of the highest death rates. In 2020, the region’s economy shrank seven percent, double the average world decline. And economic growth is projected at just four percent this year, staying below pre-Covid levels at least into 2022, according to the International Monetary Fund. The outlook depends largely on how fast Covid vaccines can be rolled out, Roberts and others say.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL STILL IN THE DOLDRUMS

Slow vaccine rollouts abroad raise questions for international travel, too. MIA depends on international passengers for about half its traffic. Today, domestic US leisure travel is roaring back, but domestic business trips lag, and international business travel has practically stopped since March 2020.

Many executives wonder if Covid and Zoom meetings will take a long-term bite out of international business as well. And if so, what might that mean for hotels in the Gables that rely on international visitors, and for the restaurants, shops, galleries, law firms and others who serve them?

Unfortunately, there’s no quick turnaround in sight for international business travel. Many embassies and consulates that provide visas closed or worked in limited capacities during the pandemic. That’s created a backlog for visa appointments that’s making it harder for non-US entrepreneurs to visit Florida and develop businesses,

says Deidre Nero, an immigration lawyer who heads the global affairs division of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce. Changes in quarantines, lockdowns and testing rules also complicate overseas trips, potentially stranding travelers – at least for now.

“As much as I don’t want to, I’m telling clients here in the US if they don’t have to travel internationally right now, they shouldn’t,” says Nero, who leads Nero Immigration Law in Coral Gables. “It can be very frustrating, costly and time consuming.”

“KEEP EARNING YOUR STRIPES” TO ATTRACT TECH, FINANCE AND NEW BUSINESSES

Instead, what’s hot these days for new business are US domestic tech and finance companies that are relocating to South Florida in what Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and others have dubbed the “Miami Movement.” Many are setting up offices in downtown Miami and Wynwood, but the Gables has mainly benefited from top executives and financiers who are buying luxury homes (or second homes) here.

Enterprise Florida’s Mencia sees opportunities for Coral Gables and other areas to garner more of that migrating business, both directly and indirectly. That’s because the tech-finance moves are sparking buzz globally about South Florida as a good place for companies – not only sun and fun. The state as a whole is increasingly being seen as business-friendly, with low taxes and welcoming officials, and offering high quality of life, from warm weather to diverse culture.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been as bullish about Florida as an international center. We’re getting investment leads from places we’ve rarely gotten before, like Finland, Hungary and New Zealand,” says Mencia. But converting buzz to bucks will require a pro-active approach by the state, cities and others, he says: “You have to keep earning your stripes every day and finding ways to refine your product.”■

A DINING ROOM IN MEXICO: HYATT HOTELS & RESORTS OVERSEE SOME 60 PROPERTIES FROM THEIR OFFICES IN CORAL GABLES

What $33.5 Million and $45 Million Will Buy in Coral Gables

Residential real estate in Coral Gables continues to rise in price, making it among the most valuable in South Florida. According to Redfin, the average home in Coral Gables now costs $835,000, up 23.7 percent from last year. What is more remarkable is the brisk pace of sales for homes at the top of the market. There are

typically only a handful of houses that sell for stratospheric prices each year; this year has seen a score of such sales already, from Don Peebles’ home on Old Cutler Road for $13 million to Marc Anthony’s home in Cocoplum for $22.4 million (see page20). Here are two examples of houses on the market today.

Modern Gables Estate

390 CASUARINA CONCOURSE

Listing Price $33.5m

8 bed/11 bath. 9,125 sq. ft.

On 1.42 acres in Gables Estates, this newly built home with 200 feet of waterfront was designed by architect Cesar Molina as a one-story, resort-style estate. The front courtyard is built around a specimen banyan tree, expansive windows allow for sunlight, and a spacious entertainment area extends to the covered terrace. His and hers bathrooms off the mater suite. Listing Agent: Marilda Fernandes (Compass), 305.213.1251

Waterfront Haven

Listing

If You Can’t Take the Heat...

For the past dozen years, the Coral Gables Community Foundation has held an annual Tour of Kitchens to raise money for student scholarships. Charitable homeowners volunteer their homes for these tours, open to the ticket-purchasing public.

This year was a little different. Due to Covid-19 concerns, “Outdoor Living” was the theme, focusing on al fresco living, luxury pools, outdoor furniture, and outdoor cooking. Each home offered bites from local chefs, and all participants –more than 600 this year, a record – could start the tour with pastries, coffee and mimosas in the courtyard of Shops at Merrick Park, and end the day with a beer at Bay 13 Brewery.

Eleven homes participated. They ranged from the landmark residence of Weston Lyons and Dr. Raul Vasquez-Castellanos (Villa Palmarito) built in the Italian Village in 1927, to the Deco home of John and Patricia Wish on North Greenway Drive, featuring a mosaic pool created by Mosaicist, Inc. founder Ray Coral. Another Mosaicist designed pool was featured at the home of foundation board member Matthew Meehan, where guests were treated to a live trumpet performance of “New York, New York,” courtesy of Gramercy restaurant.

“We are thrilled with the positive feedback from the Tour of Kitchens outdoor edition. After such a challenging year, the enthusiasm and community support has been overwhelming,” said Mary Snow, President and CEO of the Coral Gables Community Foundation. And, as foundation board member and event chair Venny Torre noted, “events such as the Tour of Kitchens make it possible for our community’s best and brightest students to reach their goals.”

For lead sponsor and Mosaicist CEO Ray Corral, this year marked the first time he could see other homes; usually he stays at home, in the indoor kitchen he volunteers for the tour.  “I had a chance to visit other homes, mingle with the other sponsors and have some fun,” said Corral. “It’s been a very hard and trying time for all of us. This was an opportunity to help the community – and to showcase some of my work.”

TOP: ALINA MELEDINA & RAY CORRAL, PRESENTING SPONSOR

ABOVE: GUESTS AT VILLA SERENITY, GABLES ESTATES

LEFT: ANDY PEACH, SHOPS AT MERRICK PARK; VENNY TORRE, TOUR OF KITCHENS CHAIR; MARY SNOW, PRESIDENT & CEO CORAL GABLES COMMUNITY FOUNDATION; ALINA MELEDINA & RAY CORRAL, MOSAICIST

THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SCORES WITH AN OUTDOOR KITCHEN TOUR

LEFT: FXD CONSTRUCTION CEO & TOUR SPONSOR, XAVIER DURANA AND GUESTS

MIDDLE: BHHS/EWM CEO RON SHUFFIELD, JENNY DUCRET AND MG DEVELOPER CEO ALIRIO TORREALBA

BELOW: HOMEOWNERS JOHNNY & PATRICIA WISH WITH CORAL GABLES FIREFIGHTER DAVID PEREZ

ABOVE: HOMEOWNER ARMANDO BUCELO AND FAMILY

LEFT: MIKE WALSH, FOUNDATION BOARD TREASURER; MARY SNOW, PRESIDENT & CEO CORAL GABLES COMMUNITY FOUNDATION; LAURA RUSSO, FOUNDATION BOARD CHAIR

As we descended to our landing in Liberia, we could see Rincon de la Vieja volcano off to the left of our American Airlines Boeing 737. “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore,” my wife said to me. She waits for moments like this to use the Oz quote, but it was true. The Pacific Northwest coast of Costa Rica, where we’d chosen to travel after so long at home, is a unique ecosystem.

The entry was easier than expected; not even a Covid test is required for Costa Rica, though you must buy travel insurance and get tested to come home. Like any flight, you still have to wear a mask for the duration. But the system that circulates air through AA’s medical grade filters is so strong that you welcome the mask, like a face muffler in winter.

Our destination was Casa Chameleon, a boutique resort built atop a promontory of land that sticks out into the ocean near the tiny town of Las Catalinas. The main building is an open-air pavilion with arched ceilings and teak wood trunks as beams, with a wrap-around infinity pool on the sunset side. The feeling is Asian, enhanced by statues of Indian gods, and a Happy Buddha statue-fountain outside the airy entrance hall.

The views are captivating. On one side is Dansa Beach and on the other is Sugar Beach, each forming a curve of volcanic sand, with green islands in the coves and hills rising from the shore. The rooms are separate, individual buildings on the flanks of the bluff. The sound of the surf below is mesmerizing. Each suite has an infinity plunge pool, and we wasted no time before dipping in. The moment was perfect; a sky of pure blue and a hummingbird working on the pink blossoms of an adjacent powderpuff tree.

We landed on a Friday afternoon, a good time to arrive because Friday night is asado night, when executive chef Jose Lopez cooks a seven-course meal in “the grill” – an open room recessed in the base of the main building. Part of the room has an open fire pit, where meats and vegetables are roasting; the other part is a covered balcony with high-top tables for two.

“This is going to be a very special night,” said chef Lopez, who explained how he was roasting eggplants and onions and sweet potatoes in the ashes, and what cuts of grilled meat and fish were coming our way. He warned us to pace ourselves.

Chef Lopez takes his inspiration from Peruvian cuisine, with its distinct fusion

PARADISE FOUND

A TRIP TO CASA CHAMELEON

BY JAMES BROIDA

ABOVE: THE RESORT’S HILLSIDE LOCATION MAKES FOR DRAMATIC VIEWS FROM INDIVIDUAL “VILLAS” OF EITHER SUGAR OR DANSA BEACHES BELOW

OPPOSITE

OPPOSITE CENTER: A GUEST BANGS THE GONG FOR SUNSET AS OTHER GUESTS RELAX IN THE LOUNGE

OPPOSITE BOTTOM: SEAFOOD COOKED OVER AN OPEN FIRE GRILL WITH FRESH LOCAL VEGETABLES

TOP: THE MAIN BUILDING WITH ITS BEAMED SPACES FOR DINING, LOUNGE AND YOGA, OVERLOOKING THE INFINITY POOL AND THE PACIFIC OCEAN

TOP: CHEF LOPEZ AND HIS TEAM FUSES PERUVIAN CUISINE WITH FLAVORS FROM ASIA AND THE CARIBBEAN, INCLUDING COSTA RICAN FARE

of Latin and Asian flavors. His version of marinated, grilled mahi-mahi (caught that day) with a garlic butter sauce was beyond delicious. The same for his fried calamari: Festooned with a citrus-onion slaw and served on a pool comprised of roasted aji peppers, garlic, onion, soda crackers, crumbly cheese and evaporated milk, it was uniquely flavorful.

If not for the breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes engineered by chef Lopez, we might have never left the cocoon of our room, with its sonorous sounds of waves. The restaurant itself occupies center court in the main building, with panoramic views. It’s bracketed by an open kitchen on one end and a bar with couches facing the sea on the other. Upstairs is a large room where you can sit – or practice yoga in daily 9 am classes.

There is plenty to do beyond the walls of Shangri-la. There are expeditions to rain forests and zip lines and kayak friendly rivers. And there are innumerable trails in the surrounding hills. For us, the main outing was to Las Catalinas, the village down a steep road from Casa. The town, born only ten years ago, has been built with exquisite detail in Colonial Spanish style, with a maze of courtyards, side streets, fountains, alleyways, and arches, all off limits to vehicular traffic. There are restaurants on the black volcanic sand and a shop to rent fat-tired bicycles for the beach or trails.

After three days at Casa Chameleon, we were so relaxed I thought we’d need a stretcher bearer to take us out. During our last day, lying in bed, our balcony was visited by three yellow-breasted Great Kiskadees, a bright orange Euphonias, and two prehistoric-looking leather-necked Black Vultures. I had to stop my wife from quoting Dorothy. ■

The sun sets early in Costa Rica, and at sundown Casa has an evening ritual of banging a large gong (by a volunteer guest) and igniting columns of flame on the edge of the infinity pool. And after dark there’s a rare sight for city dwellers: a gloriously starry, starry night.

A VISIT TO THE MIDDLE KEYS

GRASSY

FLATS RESORT & BEACH CLUB

STORY BY LAURA KELLY PHOTOS BY DAN OWENS

It is late afternoon—the golden hour— and low tide on Grassy Key. Wide flats of shallow water bracket the oceanside of the island and ripple over the sand and shells. About 100 miles from Coral Gables, Grassy Key doesn’t have the marquee status of Key West, the strip mall and chain restaurant enthusiasm of Key Largo or the gated exclusivity of neighboring Duck Key. Grassy is often called “True Florida,” local speak for a place that retains the salty essence of Old Florida.

At the Grassy Flats Resort and Beach Club, a two-and-a-half-year-old family-owned, boutique hotel, reggae purrs from speakers in a poolside tiki hut. A burnished piece of recycled mahogany that was a boat prow now has a second life as the bar. Vertical aeroponic herb towers hold mint, basil, and oregano. Hammocks sway. A couple of Hobie Cats are tethered to a couple of floating docks.

Matt Sexton, a 35-year-old former adventure athlete and internationally recognized professional kiteboarder, is the affable visionary and owner of Grassy Flats Resort and its sister property the Lagoon, a 50-acre day resort, marketplace and water sports park about a mile from Grassy Flats. Sexton is encyclopedic in his Keys knowledge, contagious in his Keys enthusiasm, and a catalyst for what he calls a Grassy Key renaissance.

Sexton’s vision centers on the prefix re. Reuse, recycle, rethink, reshape. “I don’t like being called a developer,” he says. “I see myself as a rehabilitator.” Grassy Flats began as a trio of Mom-and-Pop hotels that are now refurbished into sizeable oceanfront rooms with full kitchens and balconies. The resort has a zero-waste program, bills itself as ecofriendly and touts its sustainable amenities and practices. Plans in the works include more units, and a rooftop restaurant.

The Lagoon began as a limestone quarry with past lives that include a lobster farm, an aquatic research facility and a fish petting zoo. Today the Lagoon is the epicenter for cable wakeboarding, efoiling and kiteboarding. It also has a cafe, an art park, and the Lagoon Saloon, a cavernous space for merch and instructional sessions to prepare firsttime kiteboarders. In the future, Sexton sees an artist-in-residence program, a botanical garden, and nature trails. He calls this integrated eco-system of eating, lodging and water play: “experiential hospitality.”

It is mid-day. After a session of cable wakeboarding at the Lagoon, we stop at Bongo’s Cafe for shrimp tacos and prosciutto with figs from their edible garden. A local band plays something by the Eagles. We sit beneath the palms while the saltwater dries on our hair and conjure some words of our own that center on the prefex re: Relax. Renew. Repeat. Return. continued

TO SEE AND TO EAT IN THE AREA

CRANE POINT HAMMOCK

63 acres of tropical hardwood hammock and a must see for bird lovers. Well-tended nature trails, a wild bird educational center and free fish pedicures (minnows nibble away the dead skin on your toes) with the $15 entry fee.

OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK

5550 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY CRANEPOINT.NET

THE TURTLE HOSPITAL

Their mission is to rescue, rehab and release wounded sea turtles. The hospital offers daily 90-minute education tours with a chance to hold and pet the critters. The only access to the turtles is through the tour and reservations are necessary.

OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK

2396 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, MARATHON TURTLEHOSPITAL.ORG

CASTAWAY WATERFRONT RESTAURANT & SUSHI BAR

A bustling canalfront restaurant a few blocks off of U.S. 1 with indoor and outdoor seating, 32 beers on tap and an extensive sushi menu. Most evenings you can find John, the amiable owner, sitting at his corner of the bar, pecking at his laptop and greeting customers. Reservations strongly suggested but there are often empty seats at the bar, where you can order the full menu.

CLOSED WEDNESDAYS

1406 OCEANVIEW AVENUE, MARATHON JONESN4SUSHI.COM

S.S. SHIPWRECK

Across the street from Grassy Flats and next to the Dolphin Research Center. It’s convenient for a casual, quick nosh, outdoor dining or catching the latest game on one of the TV screens encircling the indoor dining room. They serve conch fritters, fish, burgers.

OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK

58835 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, GRASSY KEY WRECKGALLEYGRILL.COM

BONGO’S CAFE

Located in the Lagoon Adventure Park opened on June 1. This chill vibe cafe sits beneath a canopy of palms with small tables and hammocks for lounging. An informal beach menu, local brews and live music on Sunday afternoons.

OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK

59300 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY RIDETHELAGOON.COM

GRASSY KEY RETAINS THE SALTY ESSENCE OF OLD FLORIDA WHERE YOU CAN RELAX BY THE LAGOON OR SIP ON BEERS AND LUNCH ON SHRIMP TACOS AT BONGO’S CAFE.

And Now for Something...

Fun!

AT ECLÉCTICO, THE TASTES ARE AS NEW AND BREEZY AS THE LAYOUT

BY ANDREW GAYLE PHOTOS BY JONATHAN DANN

Just when you thought your taste buds had become jaded, along comes the new concept Ecléctico, recently opened in the Shops at Merrick Park. The brainchild of restauranteur Ramzi Zahr, who created the Lebanese/Japanese fusion at nearby Sawa, Ecléctico presents a fresh new array of tastes.

The idea behind Ecléctico – which is also an agave bar with a stunning array of tequillas and mezcals – is pan-Latin. What that comes down to is Peruvian with a dash of Argentine and a taste of Latin Caribbean, all with an overlay of Mexican. The result is what Ecléctico calls “what could be, if we venture to step outside the realms of tradition.” In other words, eating outside the box.

So, be prepared to find a mix of the familiar with the new, and all of it done in a light way, something you don’t expect with Mexican influences. Take the “lobster tacosito” for example. It’s a taco shell with lobster salad and guacamole but tweaked with a spicy cilantro mayo and hibiscus granules. A lively, delicate flavor with a nice crunch.

Like other “small plates” on the menu, the tacositos are meant to be shared, and come in a raft of four. The same goes for their “Return of the Mac,” a surprising twist on mac and cheese. This is presented as four half shells of the noodles and cheese, fried to create a crust; inside is the mac with gouda and a touch of jalapeño, drizzled with truffle crema and truffle shavings, topped with cilantro. Yes, it’s mac and cheese, but reinvented to lighten and heighten the flavors.

The menu throughout follows that theme: familiar dishes put through a pan-Latin filter that makes them new and interesting. Their ceviche? Done with big chunks of seafood, avocado and sweet potato, with a coconut lime marinade. Just delicious. Their chicarron? A crispy edge to the otherwise soft and succulent pork belly, with lime and green onion. You will never be able to eat the usual chicarron again. They also do vegan dishes, such as the Chorizo enchilada with homemade vegan crema cheese sauce.

Keeping it fresh, Chef Jaime O Montilla makes everything in house from scratch daily, from sauces and seasonings to tortillas. And not everything is derivative; his “Forbidden Sea” dish is a unique combination of lobster, scallops, shrimp, octopus and maduros (fried sweet plantains), all atop a bed of black Indian rice with a Puerto Rican sofrito sauce. Not to be missed.

The interior of Ecléctico is true to its name, an eclectic potpourri of different design elements. The tin ceiling makes it feel like an upscale Latin cafeteria, the mural of famous people on the back wall like a hip L.A. coffee house, the extremely comfortable velvet chairs like an elegant, upscale restaurant, and the large TV screens

TOP: CHEF JAIME O MONTILLA MAKES ALL THE DISHES FROM SCRATCH DAILY.

ABOVE: THE INTERIOR IS AN ECLECTIC MIX DESIGNED TO LET PATRONS LET THEIR HAIR DOWN AND HAVE FUN!

(and large bar) give it a sports bar effect. Eclectic indeed. Two of the walls are entirely glass, which open onto the quiet streets on the edge of the Shops and give everything a feeling of openness.

Speaking of the bar, a special aspect of Ecléctico is a vast menu of more than 120 tequilas, from a humble Hornitos ($12) to a super-premium 1800 Milenio ($48). They also offer more than 50 mezcals, an up-and-coming variation of tequila made from roasted agave plants to give it a smokey flavor. Their specialty cocktails are also worthy. We sampled one that involved a Camarena tequilla with mango habanero sauce and lime. Tangy and refreshing. Ask your waitress; ours was very well informed.

More than anything else, Ecléctico is a fun place to eat, with an inventive new cuisine. The relaxed, open atmosphere belies the quality of the food, which is high-end and sophisticated. And don’t forget the dessert. The molten chocolate lava cake was the winner for us. ■

PAN-LATIN CUISNE COMBINES PERUVIAN WITH A DASH OF ARGENTINE AND A TASTE OF LATIN CARIBBEAN, ALL WITH AN OVERLAY OF MEXICAN.

TOP LEFT : LOBSTER TACOSITO FEATURES LOBSTER SALAD, GUACAMOLE AND SPICY CILANTRO MAYO

TOP RIGHT : CHICHARRON DUO WITH PUFFED PORK SKIN, TAJIN, CRISPY PORK BELLY, AND GREEN ONION..

ABOVE LEFT : RETURN OF THE MAC WITH FRIED MAC & CHEESE ON CREAM, TOPPED WITH TRUFFLE SHAVINGS.

ABOVE RIGHT : FORBIDDEN SEA WITH LOBSTER, SHRIMP, SCALLOPS, OCTOPUS AND BLACK INDIAN RICE.

Bringing Natural Smiles To Coral Gables

There are very few dental practices with a hyper-focus on cosmetic and implant technology. Drs. Laura Davila and Cristina Osorio have an emphasis and specialization in Prosthodontics - i.e. Full Smile Restorative Dentistry (veneers & implants) with timely dental treatment. There are very few dental practices with a hyper-focus on cosmetic and implant technology. In addition to Prosthodontics, we perform all General and Family Dentistry. Coral Gables Dentistry believes in making their patients’ comfortable and o er complimentary nitrous gas sedation as an adjunct to treatment and hygiene visits. Their philosophy is to provide comprehensive dental care along with treatment options that cater to one’s specific needs. Identifying and addressing your unique desires is often the best way for patients and dentists to share a fulfilling relationship and meaningful outcomes.

Cooling Off

With summer upon us, we thought you would appreciate this photo by Coral Gables photographer Cindy Seip. The image is of her then nine-year-old son in a “splash photo” called “Daisies.” Seip has created a wide range of images but has made something of a specialty of capturing her subjects under water. To see more of her work, go to http://seip-design.com.