Coral Gables Magazine July 2020

CORAL GABLES

The New World

HOW BUSINESSES ARE NAVIGATING THE COVID

CEO W. Allen Morris outside the iconic Alhambra Towers

STYLE. DISCOVER. EXCITE.

From unforgettable shopping to exciting entertainment, we have everything for everyone at Shops at Merrick Park.

carolina herrera

neiman marcus

crate & barrel

purficacion garcia

A KEYS ROAD TRIP

With the Keys now open again, and a general consensus that driving is far safer than flying these days, the necklace of islands that stretch from Florida City to Key West are more alluring than ever. Open since June 1, we decided to head south to Mile Marker Zero, and to take our time with a few stops along the way, in two teams of travelers. Here’s what we found.

BUSINESS QUARTERLY:

Cover:

Mask it or Casket

I’d like to think I’m not one of those obnoxious types who publicly shames people who don’t wear masks. But I am. If you are walking down the hallway of our office building with no mask, and close enough to bump into me, I will make the sign of the cross, like you are the spawn of Satan. The fact is that requiring everybody to wear masks is the best way to stop the spread of the virus. Period.

Naysayers argue that it’s a violation of personal freedom to be required to wear a mask, that somehow it is contrary to the First Amendment of the Constitution. Sorry. No one is infringing on your right to free speech or free assembly. Just speak freely or assemble with a mask on.

What it comes down to is whether we, as individuals, believe in the greater good. Is our own personal comfort more important than ending a pandemic that’s wrecking our economy? Because that is what it’s all about. When Millenials say they aren’t worried about catching the virus, they are right – they have young, strong immune systems. But they are all potential carriers, passing the virus to those among us who are most vulnerable –the old, the infirm, the compromised. Why not just deny healthcare to the elderly?

Here in the Gables we can take heart. Despite the recent spike, Coral Gables still has a relatively modest number of cases. Even before the current order to wear masks, most people walking down Miracle Mile were already using them. “Coral Gables has not been a hotspot at all, people here have been very well disciplined,” says Dr. Dipen Parekh, Chief Clinical Officer and COO for the University of Miami Health System.

“They are socially distancing and wearing

masks. I am very proud.”

In reporting our cover story on how businesses are emerging from the COVID shutdown, we found this sense of community to be pervasive. From the Chamber of Commerce to the downtown BID, everyone is trying to help small businesses recover from the shutdown. Even the private sector is pulling the oars. Attorney Lillian Ser, for example, has been e-blasting stories about small businesses, urging support for them, and providing online blogs about small business resources and financing.

One effort that we participated in was a webinar on “What Can We Expect?” focusing on the reopening and financial impact of the COVID shutdown. Moderated by our publisher Richard Roffman, and produced by Coral Gables Trust, the webinar featured James Davidson, their Chairman and CEO, along with their Chief Investment Officer Mason Williams and small business entrepreneur Nino Pernetti, the owner of Caffe Abbracci.

“The whole point was to let people who participated understand that there are recovery strategies for small businesses, and that there are financial resources to help,” says Roffman. “It’s all about helping each other get through this challange.” Go to https:// cgtrust.com/the-reopening-and-the-financial-impact to view, listen and learn. And make sure to wear a mask if someone is nearby.

J.P.Faber Editor-in-Chief

CEO & PUBLISHER

Richard Roffman

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EVP PUBLISHER

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Amy Donner

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Monica Del Carpio-Raucci

ART DIRECTOR

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Toni Kirkland

Sherry Adams

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Lizzie Wilcox

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Grace Carricarte

SENIOR WRITER

Mike Clary

James Broida

Andrew Gayle

Doreen Hemlock

Mallory Evans Jacobson

Richard Westlund

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Michael Campina

Emily Fakhoury

CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION

Coral Gables Magazine is published monthly by City Regional Media, 2051 SE Third St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. Telephone: (786) 206.8254. Copyright 2019 by City Regional Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photograph or illus tration without prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Send ad dress changes to City Regional Media, 2051 SE Third St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. General mailbox email and letters to editor@ thecoralgablesmagazine.com. BPA Interna tional Membership applied for March 2019.

Our urgent care doctors are available to see you today, either online or in person . We’re taking the proper precautions in all our locations to keep you as safe as possible. When you need us, we’re ready to continue caring for you.

W. Allen Morris, CEO of the Allen Morris Company

Photograph by Jon Braeley

Now is the time to get the car e you need.

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@thecoralgablesmagazine.com

THANKS FOR THE INFO

I moved to Coral Gables from Boston in January, and as I seek to take my place as an engaged citizen and good neighbor, I have immersed myself in the history, art and architecture, culture and civic life of our beautiful community. I have found Coral Gables Magazine to be a wonderful resource, and eagerly await each new issue. Each creatively conceived and beautifully designed issue is a “crash course” in the energy and life of the Gables… Thanks for producing a publication that holds its own with any local themed monthly in the country!

Rabbi Howard A. Berman

YES, IT IS WORTH SAVING!

On behalf of myself and other concerned residents, please allow me to address the article “Not Worth Saving” [Coral Gables Magazine, June 2020] about the Pancoast ranch house on Asturia. At the time of its construction the house was hailed as precedent setting. This is a unique, custom-built home by the distinguished architect Russell T. Pancoast (the “dean” of South Florida architects) known for “breaking new ground repeatedly.”

Please do not confuse this 1930s house with the mass-produced post-war versions of the ‘50s and beyond. This one is pre-war and is part of the unique, original mold. The house also had very few changes and thus has a high degree of historical integrity.

We would like to address several items in the article. First, the mayor’s recusal

due to his inappropriate communications to members of the Historic Preservation Board before the first vote put a cloud on the entire process and made a fair decision impossible. And to his point about preservation “damaging property values,” national research finds that investing in historic properties has a high rate of return. As for Vice Mayor Vince Lago’s comment about not fighting “to save a ranch house,” he is ignoring his own city’s expert report. This home is not a cookie cutter post-war ranch house. And why is he so against ranch-style architecture? These are as viable to the historic fabric of the city as other styles.

Thank you to Commissioners Pat Keon and Michael Mena for focusing on facts. Commissioner Keon understood that this house was a “first” and that it “played a historic role in our city’s development.” And Commissioner Mena simply and eloquently made the legal case in support of overturning the Historic Preservation Board’s decision. Commissioner Fors inserted subjectivity and not objective criteria, and nobody provided any evidence to refute the three criteria [for preservation]. Lastly, Arva Moore Parks’ final preservation project was this house and her position was “Because it’s by Russell Pancoast and it’s practically intact.”

Vicki Cerda and 100+ neighbors

FAIRWELL MY LOVELY

Dearest Coral Gables. Ours has been a lifelong affair, if only from a distance. I’ve always loved you, longingly from across a causeway. We became serious four years

ago, and what wonderful years they were. I came to be acquainted with your people, your seemingly arbitrary street layout, and George Merrick. How I will miss you.

Cocktails and events at the Biltmore, Books and Books, the farmers market, fine dining every three feet, the world at your fingertips; it is, however, your people I will truly miss. It’s not that I’ve fallen out of love with you, it’s… Well, there’s someone else, an older woman 206 years your senior. I’ve known her since I was a girl and have been seeing her for some time now. Her name is Natchez, Mississippi. I ran to her welcoming arms with family in tow back in March when all shut down and decided not to return. She needs me more than you do, and I need her. You will be fine without me. I have an opportunity here to help rebuild her community through art; it has become my life’s mission. Wish me well and know that it was your kindness and loving support which helped make all this possible.

Stacy Conde, Conde Contemporary Gallery (formerly on Miracle Mile)

ALL IN THE FAMILY

When this whole thing started in early March, we had a very simple target: no layoffs, no furloughs and everyone continues to get a paycheck. That’s what we’re doing. That’s what we’re doing to support our Williamson family and take care of our valued customers.

Ed Williamson, Williamson Cadillac

Shelton-Stewart Group

Consuelo Stewart 305.216.7348

Tere Shelton Bernace 305.607.7212

Teresita Shelton 305.775.8176

360 Costanera Rd. - Islands of Cocoplum, Coral Gables Waterfront two story home with great water views. 42’ dock with davits, water and electricity. 2 car garage.

272 Veleros Court - Islands of Cocoplum Waterfront home,

How to Protest, Coral Gables Style

WHILE THE GEORGE FLOYD DEMONSTRATIONS TURNED VIOLENT IN MANY CITIES, THOSE IN THE GABLES WERE A MODEL OF PEACEFUL DIALOGUE –THANKS IN LARGE PART TO ITS ORGANIZERS

BY LIZZIE WILCOX

It was the image seen round the world: 22 police chiefs taking a knee in front of Coral Gables City Hall. It made it to CNN, CBS, NBC – and went viral in publications, TV programs and websites as disparate as e Cape Cod Times, E! News and Afterbuzztv.com.

at moment, on the last Saturday in May, saw the chiefs from cities across Miami-Dade County join protesters in kneeling together to pray. “For me, I literally looked around and kind of just took in the moment,” says Oshea Johnson, one of the protest organizers. “My eyes kind of lled up and I was like, ‘Wow … this is historic.’”

Johnson organized the protest with Ahzin Bahraini. Both are Ph.D. candidates in the Department of Sociology at the University of Miami. Johnson and Bahraini, through their @ProtestsMiami page on Instagram, were able to spread the word to others who also wanted to stand up against systemic racism and police brutality. Hundreds showed up. “Our people came out and it was a lot of people from all di erent parts of Miami,” Bahraini said. “We thought it would just be 10 of us hanging out on this little street corner.”

e idea of demonstrating against police mistreatment of black citizens in Coral Gables –where only a tiny percentage of residents are African American –at rst seemed incongruous. But what became immediately clear was that, in these protests, it was not just people of color demanding change. “I think there was like a white awakening happening, that people realized, ‘Wait, this is

racist and we need to do something about it,’” Bahraini said. A key factor ensuring a peaceful outcome was contact between Bahraini and Johnson and Coral Gables city o cials. Both City Manager Peter Iglesias and Police Chief Ed Hudak were emailed, and Hudak spoke with the organizers ahead of time. Hudak pledged restraint so long as the protest was peaceful. As the current head of the county’s association of police chiefs, he went one step further. “My fellow colleagues in the chiefs of police association agreed to be at City Hall, and if everything stayed peaceful, to hear their demands,” he said.

at set the stage for what turned into an hour-long session of dialogue between protesters and police, with grievances and replies – an interaction the organizers felt was overshadowed by the image of the kneeling o cers. “It was a dialogue protest,” Bahraini said in reference to protesters who told their own stories of experiencing racism. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen something as emotional and interactive as what we did. But a lot of that got covered up because of this photo. In reality, those narratives and what we did was way more important than that [photo], in my perspective.”

Vice Mayor Vince Lago, who attended the protest said, “What impressed me the most was the dialogue between the police and the protesters… it was a message about their pain. And while we are not going to solve this long-standing issue today, we can acknowledge that (continued on next page)

305.292.1919 • Marquesa.com

600 Fleming Street • Key West

TOP: The demonstration organizers, Ahzin Bahraini (left) and Oshea Johnson (right) are both Ph.D. candidates in the Department of Sociology at the University of Miami.

ABOVE: Chiefs from 22 police deparments kneel in prayer at Coral Gables City Hall.

Photo by Lizzie Wilcox

racism does exist.”

The sociology students who organized the protest both have goals they hope to achieve through their activism. “My end goal, very broadly, is social justice for all. And that is not excluded to black people,” Bahraini said. “I’m standing against ICE, I’m standing against xenophobia, I’m standing against the travel ban and I’m standing for Black Lives Matter.” Johnson wants to see economic, healthcare and

criminal justice equality for the communities that have been “impoverished and disparaged” for decades. “I want to see those [communities] be built up and be reinvested in,” he said. The protest they organized is a personal step for both, and just the beginning. “We’re getting this Ph.D. in sociology and part of it is writing papers and publishing, but for us, the other part is participating in social movements to effect change on

the ground,” Johnson said. “We have to go from the protest to the policies to the polls. There’s a process … and it takes time and it takes planning and strategy and organization and people.”

In the meantime, what they created in concert with our city officials literally set the bar for the rest of the country. As Fox News put it in their description about violent protests in other cities, “In contrast to the display in Coral Gables...” ■

A Bridge Too Far (Gone)

A KEY BRIDGE OVER THE GABLES WATERWAY MUST BE REPLACED

On any given day, you can sit in Ingraham Park on the Coral Gables Waterway and watch well more than a thousand cars cross the Le Jeune Road bridge to Cartagena Plaza, aka the Cocoplum Circle, and vice versa from Sunset Drive and Old Cutler Road. What you won’t see are any fire trucks, EMS vehicles or 18-wheelers. Why? Because the bridge would likely collapse under their weight.

Now 75 years old, the bridge “doesn’t meet any of the

design standards of a modern day bridge,” says Alice Bravo, director of transportation and public works for Miami-Dade County. “It has reached the end of its design life.”

Bravo, along with engineering consultant Steve Sean, recently addressed the Coral Gables City Commission on the urgent need to replace the aging span. Sean was even more poignant than Bravo. “It is one of the bridges in the worst condition in the county,” he said. To il-

lustrate that point, he showed the commission a series of disturbing photos of gaping rust holes in the support beams underneath. “This bridge can only take about 16 tons. A fully loaded fire truck can weigh 41 tons.”

To avert a future disaster, the county wants a new bridge built by the year 2023. Design work should be done by this fall, after which workers will construct a replacement bridge on the site. If all goes well, the old bridge will be closed down for

just two or three months in the summer of 2022 while the new one is put into place.

The bad news: traffic will have to be diverted through nearby neighborhoods that summer. The other bad news: trees on either end of the bridge will have to be removed. The good news: the county will pick up the tab. The other good news: fire and emergency vehicles can use the new bridge to reach nearby homes more rapidly. ■

This once in a lifetime landmark home, located in the historic French Village of Coral Gables, has hosted a President and a Governor during its 95-year existence.

Designed by renowned architect, Philip L. Goodwin, this home reflects a classical French design. A substantial restoration in 2000 maintained the home’s historic integrity while adding the most modern of amenities. This aptly named home “La Belle Vie” translates to “The Good Life” which is perfectly befitting this glorious property. This lovingly tended home is a treasure.

“WE HAVE TO GO FROM THE PROTEST TO THE POLICIES TO THE POLLS. THERE’S A PROCESS … AND IT TAKES TIME...”

OSHEA JOHNSON

A Hub for Smart Aging

BELMONT WINS APPROVAL FOR ITS CUTTING-EDGE SENIOR LIVING FACILITY

When it comes to accommodating its elderly population, Coral Gables has a commendable record. In everything from taking care of isolated seniors during the COVID crisis, to its adult education programs, to the luxurious Palace assisted-living facility a block from Miracle Mile, the Gables earns high grades for its cognizance of senior needs.

Now the city has approved a senior living complex adjacent to the Shops at Merrick Park: Belmont Village. Slated to begin construction later this year, the “village” is being launched in partnership with Baptist Health South Florida. It will be a mixed-use development, with 18,388 square feet of retail and commercial space on the ground floor, and 232 private apartments for “independent living, assisted living and memory care” in 10 stories above.

Besides the quality of the accommodations, Belmont Village will house an array of amenities that make it feel more like a college campus than a home for the aged. These include multiple dining venues, a sports lounge, theater, arts parlor,

library, beauty salon, screening room, and music room, as well as a “great room” and “town hall” for Belmont’s social enrichment programs, designed to keep residents physically, socially and mentally active.

“We got to know Baptist when they were acquiring the property next to the Shops,” said Patricia Will, CEO of Houston-based Belmont Village Senior Living, a company she co-founded in 1997 to build retirement centers with best practices for seniors “in everything from neurology to nutrition.” She says she founded the company, which now has 31 operating properties, with “the idea of embracing life-long learning.”

With the addition of Baptist as a partner, she says, “we can take the subject of health and wellness promotion for seniors to another level.” When approved by the city commission last month, the only caveat in the unanimous vote was the insistence by Vice Mayor Vince Lago that the trees portrayed in the renderings provide an actual canopy. “They won’t be saplings,” said Will. “We take the landscaping seriously.”

■

A Brew that is True

ALHAMBRA CIRCLE GETS ANOTHER BOOST

The commercial stretch of Alhambra Circle that cuts through downtown has been getting a few new tenants lately, including the new headquarters for the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, and the Forum, a new, state-of-the-art shared workspace.

Now comes Nick Sharp, proprietor of Threefold Cafe and Someone’s Son restaurants, with a new brewery. Set to open late this month, Bay 13 Brewery and Kitchen will offer Gableites local craft beer, brewed on premise.

“We’ll probably start with eight to 12 beers, but we can brew up to 21 varieties,” says Sharp.

“The main focus for the kitchen will be small plates that can be shared, 12 to 14 designed to pair

with the beers.”

The new brewery-eatery will have 120 seats inside (pared to half that for COVID) and 80 seats outside, and will also serve wine from Sharp’s native Australia.

Bay 13 gets its name from a section of the Melbourne Cricket Stadium in Sharp’s hometown, a seating area that “was a fun place for young guys to go and drink beer and watch cricket all day,” he says. Sharp promises not to show cricket on the sports screens at his new pub, which he says “takes baseball to a whole other level of boring.” The beer will be anything but, with special batches produced by head brewer Greg Berbusse and guest brewers. ■

Masquerade

FACE MASKS ARE REQUIRED AS COVID CASES SPIKE

In a way it was inevitable. Once restrictions were relaxed, COVID cases in the Gables would surely go up. And go up they did. In the last full week of June, ending on the 27th, the city saw a record 72 new cases. The previous weekly high had been back in April, with 34 cases in the week ending April 4, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Granted, the numbers in the Gables paled in comparison to state-wide jumps, which broke records daily during the final full week of June, climbing from 2,761 cases on Monday the 21st to 9,636 new cases on Saturday the 26th.

Nonetheless, on Wednesday, June 24, Mayor Raúl Valdés-Fauli issued an emergency order requiring face masks to be worn by all Gables citizens over the age of 2 in any public

setting – indoor or out – where social distancing was difficult to maintain. That basically meant on all urban streets where you were likely to come into close contact with other pedestrians. The penalty for not wearing masks: A verbal warning and a $50 fine.

“It’s a pity we had to issue that order,” said Mayor Valdés-Fauli. “But I think we have to wear masks now that we are open. We have to be prudent. The number of new cases is alarming.” The idea, said the mayor, was to avoid reversing the opening of the local economy. According to medical experts, the number of new cases would drop by more than half if everyone wore masks in public. “There are those people who say it’s your constitutional right not to wear a mask, but it is also stupid not to wear mask,” said the mayor. ■

“IT’S A PITY WE HAD TO ISSUE THAT ORDER, BUT I THINK WE HAVE TO WEAR MASKS NOW THAT WE ARE OPEN. WE HAVE TO BE PRUDENT. ”

MAYOR VALDES-FAULI

For decades, we have supported scientists and specialists working to advance rehabilitative medicine—to reach the next level. That ongoing effort has led to this: a new, nine-story facility dedicated to helping patients get their lives back. Lynn Rehabilitation Center features cutting-edge technologies and world-class doctors on every floor. It is the pinnacle of rehab care.

Photo by Emily Fakhoury

News of Note

UM PROF PLEADS GUILTY

One of the more ironic criminal cases in Coral Gables came to a conclusion last month when UM professor Bruce Bagley pled guilty to two counts of money laundering. Bagley is the author of the 2015 book “Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime, and Violence in the Americas Today” who then allegedly laundered more than $2 million in funds illegally secreted out of Venezuela. Bagley now faces sentencing October 1 by U.S. District Court Judge Jed S. Rakoff. The 73-year-old professor of international studies could face up to 40 years in prison.

preservationists. The house at 1208 Asturia Ave. was designed by Deco architect Russell Pancoast (of Bass Museum fame) in the 1930s. The city’s office of Historic Preservation had recommended the house be designated historic as one of the first ranch-style houses built in the U.S.

TEMPEST IN A TEA POT

RANCH HOUSE DEMO DELAYED

The controversial tear-down of a historic Coral Gables ranch-style house has been given a temporary stay by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Lisa Walsh. The house, owned by a member of the prominent Valls family (owners of Versailles and La Carreta restaurants), was to be demolished after the city commission voted in May to uphold the Coral Gables Historic Preservation Board’s decision to deny historic designation. That decision had been appealed by neighbor Maria Cerda and historic

Talk about beating a dead horse. Late last month a report obtained by the Miami Herald showed that an anonymous letter written three years ago accusing Police Chief Ed Hudak of immoral behavior was not written by then-City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark. But a second anonymous letter, also not written by her, may have been addressed by her. The pro-bono investigation by former U.S. Attorney Roberto Martinez said his forensic expert concluded that it was “highly probable” that the letter was addressed by Swanson-Rivenbark. Meanwhile, Swanson-Rivenbark hired her own attorney to investigate the investigation, and his forensic examiner determined it was “very probable” that she did not address the second letter. Swanson-Rivenbark resigned after her original investigation into Hudak was denounced as a personal vendetta. Can we just leave it at that? We disagree with the Herald’s assertion that the story has been “the stuff of water cooler talk in Coral Gables for three years.” This was more an excuse to run the photo of Hudak with female deputies at a pool party – long since debunked as harmless –that started the wild goose chase.

FARMERS MARKET RETURNS

In booths six feet apart, and with masks and gloves on at all times, the merchants who sell bread, vegetables, fruits, candles, fragrances, snacks, flowers and gifts are back at the Shops at Merrick Park Farmers Market. The market is open Sundays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. During the COVID the Shops had set up the market inside the garage as a drive-through. ■

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

Living +

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

TEA FOR TWO BEST BETS FOR JULY

Drummer and music curator Rodolfo Zuniga playing at The Globe’s reopening which is now in full swing

The Sound of Music

THE GLOBE KICKS BACK INTO GEAR WITH SATURDAY NIGHT JAZZ

BY J.P. FABER

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL CAMPINA

The re-start took a little patience. On the first night they could open, The Globe saw its Saturday jazz session eclipsed by torrential rains of Biblical proportions (you may remember the appearance of the Granada Golf Course – or should we say Lake Granada). On the second Saturday came the George Floyd demonstrations down the street at City Hall, and on the third Saturday a countywide curfew at 10 p.m. cut the night short.

Those birthing pains are now behind it, and The Globe is born again and in full swing. After 25 years of proffering quality jazz in a hip Euro-café setting, The Globe remains Coral Gables’ oasis of late-night live music.

“Except during the lockdown, when we couldn’t legally do it, and the odd hurricane, we have never missed a Saturday night,” says Danny Guiteras, who owns and runs The Globe with his wife Lorraine. While it is the blonde, statuesque Lorraine who runs The Globe on Saturday nights, the weekend sessions were born from Danny’s love of the genre. “I love jazz. I’ll never forget listening to Miles Davis’ ‘In a Silent Way’ and John Coltrane’s ‘A Love Supreme,’” he says. In those days, as a student in New York, he went to jazz clubs like Nell’s and Club 55. “Since then I have adored it.”

The post-lockdown return of The Globe (also a restaurant on weekdays) is a welcome sight. With the demise of John Martin’s Irish Pub and the Open Stage Club, it is now about the only game in town for live music on the weekend, and recent Saturday nights have seen the reduced capacity of the restaurant fill up for their music sessions. The café keeps its French glass

The Palace Honors Our Everyday Heroes.

Serving our Seniors Through the Toughest of Times.

doors open onto Alhambra, so the inside feels safe, and there are tables outside if you want to feel even safer – or smoke a cigar.

For the past 15 years, the man who books the bands is Music Director Rodolfo Zuniga, a drummer who tours with Julio Iglesias and teaches jazz at MDC and FIU. “We have a fairly consistent rotation of local artists,” says Zuniga. “Danny wants small groups and traditional jazz, with some modern stuff – seasoned, experienced players. We have built a roster of people who know the gig and enjoy the gig.”

Each Saturday, the jazz trios and quartets start with an 8 to 9 p.m. set, followed by one from 9:30 to 10:30 p.m., with a final session from 11 p.m. till midnight. “The last set gets a bit more fun, a bit more exploratory,” says Guiteras, with impromptu players sometimes joining in. “A lot of younger musicians will drift in during that last set.” On the night we went to The Globe, we listened to Zuniga play with organist Derek Fairhom and guitarist Tom Lippincott. All were wearing masks. We sat in a corner table, drinking vodka martinis. The light was low and golden, from candles on the tables to chandeliers overhead, reflected in The Globe’s dark wooden walls and back-lit bar. The music was melodious classic jazz, the sound nicely absorbed by the old European paintings that line the walls. It was the perfect place to be.

“This is a labor of love, with a capital ‘L’” says Guiteras. “We do it because jazz is the best music in the world. Because it’s jazz, man…. One word, four letters, two Zs.” ■

And the band wore masks: Composer and guitarist Russ Spiegel, above, plays with his trio.

We thank the wonderful doctors & nurses who work tirelessly to fight COVID-19 in the hospitals and clinics nationwide. But right here at home, we want to honor the selfless PALACE HEROES who are working 24/7 to fight an invisible enemy and keep our residents safe, secure and engaged.

When extraordinary events come along — like pandemics and hurricanes — that would overwhelm any family, you have the relief of knowing The Palace and our extraordinary team of Heroes are built to handle it. Our facilities are state-of-theart, and our Heroes are certified and trained to provide everything our residents need, strictly adhering to all COVID-19 safety and mitigation protocols, so you have peace of mind, knowing your loved one is in the best of hands.

For everyone thinking about Senior Living in times like these, we sincerely suggest you consider The Palace. Call us at 305-445-7444 or visit us online at www.PalaceCoralGables.com.

· www.PalaceCoralGables.com

Bottom: The masked proprietor Lorraine Guiteras.

LIVING

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

CORAL GABLES MUSEUM REOPENS WITH TWO EXHIBITS

After almost three months of lockdown, the Coral Gables Museum is now open again to the public – and with two stunning shows.

e rst is their retrospective “Headlines! Unfolding 117 Years of the Miami Herald.” Originally scheduled to open April 3, you can now read the front pages from 75 momentous days in our local and national history. With titles like “Goodbye Ma, Goodbye Pa” (Elvis joins the Army), “ e Day It Snowed in Miami,” and “Man Walks on the Moon,” you can relive the big moments since 1903. ere are also historic artifacts, like period typewriters and an old linotype machine that museum director John Allen personally polished. “Now it shines like when it was rst built in 1916,” he says. Malcom Lauredo, the museum’s director of historic research, says “the biggest challenge was deciding

which front covers to leave in and which to leave out.” Among the papers on display is the last newspaper the Herald printed themselves, before outsourcing that function.

e second exhibit is a display of the acrylic works of wildlife artist Peter G. Gerbert. Here you can see images from Florida’s vanishing wildlife, painted by Gerbert over his 30year career. More than 40 paintings are on display in a show that was originally scheduled to open March 27 – including his “Life in the Everglades,” which became a poster that was sent to all members of Congress to encourage them (successfully) to pass the Everglades Restoration Act in 2000. ■

Tea

for Two

THE ELEGANT AFTERNOON RITUAL IS BACK

Every Friday through Sunday the sound of harp music lls the grand lobby of the Biltmore Hotel with classical melodies. And at tables (now socially distant) between the columns, visitors enjoy the highly civilized experience of High Tea. is lovely British tradition, which disappeared with the lockdown, has returned with the reopening of the Biltmore.

For $45, participants can enjoy deviled eggs, pinwheels, smoked salmon, Cajun shrimp and crudités (carrots, asparagus, green

beans) with honey roasted pepper hummus. And your choice of 16 di erent teas, of course.

Yes, you must wear a mask coming and going to your seat, and social distancing has cut the number of guests who can be accommodated to 18. So, you may want to call ahead. But the experience remains unique. ■

305.913.3189

COVID 19 has affected the travel industry and placed on hold everyone’s plans to visit family and friends, explore a new culture, attend a corporate meeting and more. However, there’s light at the end of the tunnel:

• Safety protocols are being followed by airports, airlines and hotels.

• TSA has implemented changes to their security screening process reducing potential cross-contamination.

• American Airlines is planning a major flight boost for July with scheduled increases in both domestic and international flights.

• Other major airlines are also increasing flights.

• Very competitive fares with flexibility for cancellation without penalty are being offered.

• Cruise industry bookings for 2021 are higher than the same period last year.

• River cruises are increasing in popularity.

• Corporate travel, meetings and trade shows are now being planned.

Whenever you are ready to start making travel plans, contact your Express Travel advisor at 305-341-1200. We are in this together.

BEST BETS

BLACK ART MATTERS (TOP)

FOR JULY

In memory of George Floyd, Cernuda Arte is exhibiting 13 contemporary Afro-Cuban artists, including Wifredo Lam, Juan Roberto Diago and Manuel Mendive. Artworks on display range from paintings to sculptures to ceramics. On view at Cernuda Arte through the end of July. 3155 Ponce de Leon Blvd.

BOOKS & BOOKS’ VIRTUAL AUTHOR SERIES

Our local bookstore has taken its author events online. Events already scheduled for July include Kent and Karen Russell, Congressman Eric Swalwell and Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, and Chantel Acevedo and Alex Segura. Go to booksandbooks.com for a full listing of the virtual author series and to register for the link to the Crowdcast livestream.

MIAMI SPICE (CENTER)

Typically only for the months of August and September, this year Miami Spice began on June 1 and ends on Sept. 30. e extension is to entice residents to support local restaurants and revive the food industry. Indulge in a three-course brunch or lunch for $25 or dinner for just $39. Visit miamiandbeaches.com for an ever-expanding list of participating Gables restaurants.

FRIDAY FLASHBACKS (BOTTOM)

Every Friday, Actors’ Playhouse looks back at some of their favorite past productions. Join Actors’ Playhouse Artistic Director David Arisco on Facebook Live on Fridays at 7 p.m. with new guests each week from di erent shows. Past events have included the productions of “Million Dollar Quartet,” “West Side Story” and “Memphis.” ■

The Flight by Wifredo Lam

Shop

+

SOCIALLY DISTANT SHOPPING WHAT’S HOT IN JULY

THE SILVER DRAGON

The cultures of Tibet, Egypt, India, Turkey and Japan come to Coral Gables at The Silver Dragon.

The Silver Dragon

THE PLACE TO FIND UNIQUE ITEMS FOR THE BODY, MIND AND SOUL FROM AROUND THE WORLD

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY GRACE CARRICARTE

One may not be able to travel right now, especially to places like Tibet, Egypt, India, Turkey and Japan. But the objects of their religious traditions are available in a New Age, eclectic and metaphysical store established on Merrick Way in 2013. “Our pieces come from many different places,” says shop owner Ayessa Lopez. “As for what inspired me, my parents [from Cuba] taught me from a very young age to meditate and work on myself.”

Lopez, a Coral Gables resident since 1992, says the store’s location (it was previously in South Dade) was pure serendipity. “I came across this building as I was walking – which is one of the nice things about Coral Gables – and I saw this ‘For Rent’ sign. Chance. I turned a corner and it was there and it was meant for me.”

Today, anyone who walks into her store is welcomed by the smell of Tibetan green incense, one of many varieties she carries. Those with sensitive noses can take comfort in the fact that her selection of incense – as well as prayer candles – are absent any additives, unnatural colorings, or chemicals. The shop is also replete with natural stones, Turkish, Nepalese and Tibetan jewelry, essential oils, books, aromatherapy products, purifying sage, Buddhist Thangka paintings, prayer malas (meditation beads), quartz bowls, herbs, and healing crystals. Reflecting on the crystals, Lopez says that each is a product of time and pressure. “This is the difference that pressure makes,” she says. “You could say our society is under a lot of pressure right now, so it is how one handles that pressure that can help one evolve, just as one

mineral turns into another.”

Other items include statues of Isis, a widely worshipped Egyptian deity who helped the dead enter the afterlife, and who could invoke healing spells. And while most think of a happily enlightened Buddha, you can also find statuaries and paintings of bodhisattvas – those who are said to delay reaching nirvana out of compassion for suffering beings. And don’t be put off by the traditional Tibetan depiction of skulls within art pieces; they are meant to remind us of the impermanence of life and to scare the evil of the world away. And as for their religious tapestries – all are easy to roll up for traveling, as Tibetans had strong nomadic traditions.

“I hand pick all the pieces, so nothing is the same,” says Lopez. “When someone wants something to bring into their lives, they get something special and unique.” Store items cost from $19 to $5,000, though most are in the price range of their Turkish rings, $79 to $150. There is one item not for sale. It is a wooden statue of Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings, a remover of obstacles to abundance and prosperity. When Tibetan monks visited the store years ago it became a spontaneous alter where they provided prayers and offerings. “We can’t sell this piece. It came here to stay,” says Lopez.

As the city emerges from the COVID shutdown, Lopez hopes to resume the shop’s chakra balancing sessions, energy clearing sessions, and psychic readings. You may also visit their website silverdragongables.com to learn more about chakras and how to stimulate them with different stones or essential oils to increase well-being. ■

The Silver Dragon owner Ayessa Lopez standing among a treasure trove of Asian artifacts from Tibet, Nepal, India and Japan.

Socially Distant Shopping

THE EXPERIENCE OF RETAIL SINCE THE REOPENING

BY LIZZIE WILCOX

As with everything else that has reopened (restaurants, gyms, beaches), there are certain restrictions when it comes to shopping. Face masks must be worn in the store, capacity is limited to 50 percent, and some retailers even require appointments to be made. A month after Phase 1 Reopening began, I spent an afternoon in the Gables to see what a shopping spree was like in this new normal.

I started at My Best Friend’s Closet, which was not the best way to begin my Miracle Mile journey. It was closed. Like lights-out-door-lockedcompletely-empty closed. I can only hope it’s simply under construction and not permanently shuttered because this is one of my favorite Gables boutiques. Spirits dampened, I headed west to some of the other stores. It was good to see that Essence was busy, but it’s small, so between the shoppers and employees, it felt crowded.

On the other hand, Curves N Waves was rather spacious and devoid of other customers, so I felt more comfortable there. Plenty of other stores were open as well, like Violeta’s, Blue Mercury, and various bridal and menswear shops. But I was looking for women’s clothing, so I headed to the Shops at Merrick Park. The scene there was a lot livelier. With large outdoor seating areas in the courtyard, diners were dining. A masked employee at the men’s store Mizzen + Main was wiping down the door handles with disinfectant. Across the courtyard, Earthy Chic was also taking necessary precautions. Upon entering, there was

a bottle of hand sanitizer for patrons, who then followed blue arrows on the floor like the aisles of a supermarket. Owner Priscilla Reyes was behind the register with an employee; both were wearing face masks. In addition to the hand sanitizer and floor markers, Reyes explained, “We also steam all the clothing after someone tries it on so that it is clean for the next person.”

Retailers everywhere have updated their inventory to include face masks, like Johnny Was, the boho chic and vintage clothing store on the west end of the shops. “The thing that we’re selling the most is obviously the masks,” said salesperson Katherine Brown. “We sold out of the silk ones already and we only have cotton and fabric ones left. Everyone’s realizing that this is going to be the new normal.”

One store that grabbed my attention was Sephora on the second floor of the Shops. They had a stand outside with a large bottle of hand sanitizer for shoppers. An employee behind took the temperature of anyone who entered and kept track of the number of people in the store. Once inside, the aisles were also structured like Publix, with floor stickers guiding you through the store. At the register, the cashier – with a protective screen for a socially distant checkout – cleaned the credit card machine between each purchase.

Is shopping the same as it was pre-COVID? Of course not. And it probably won’t be for a while. But getting out of the house and visiting your favorite boutiques is a breath of face mask-filtered fresh air. ■

7710 Erwin Road, Ponce Davis - $3,800,000 Also Available for $22,000/mo

Absolutely stunning retreat, built in 2013. Exudes a sleek, modern, but welcoming feel. Only the finest details throughout on a lush, private, walled & gated 20,564 SF lot.

5002 SW 86th Street, Ponce Davis - $3,750,000

Masterfully crafted Ponce Davis estate nestled on gorgeous lot along quiet cul-de-sac. Walled, gated, and lush builder’s acre showcases the exquisite Florida lifestyle. 5002SW86Street.com 7710Erwin.com

Impeccable masterpiece in guard-gated Stonegate. 3 bedroom/3.5 bath home plus lovely 1 bedroom/1 bath guest house with kitchen. Enjoy the outdoors with an immense tiki hut and firepit, plus a summer kitchen overlooking the resort-style pool.

11525 Nogales Street, Coral Gables - $1,695,000

Fabulous and fully renovated modern home on a private cul-de-sac. This 5 bedroom 3.5 bath home boasts a beautiful open floor plan on a spacious 21,170 sq. ft. lot. Featuring a chef’s dream kitchen, large covered patio, gorgeous pool, and a 2-car garage.

Photos by Emily Fakhoury

TOP: The author at Earthy Chic in Shops at Merrick Park. To keep customers apart, blue arrows on the floor act as guides.

BOTTOM Keeping it clean and safe at Sephora, with hand sanitizer and temperature testing for patrons.

What’s Hot

JULY 2020

BY MALLORY EVANS JACOBSON

Summer is in full swing in South Florida, and beating the heat is proving to be more di cult than usual. But here are five items that will help you cool o or at a minimum, make the season more enjoyable.

COOL DOWN

Perfect for long days at the pool and beach, this canteen by Corkcicle keeps liquids cool for a whopping 25 hours. It’s available in several hues, but I especially like this rainbow print because it goes with everything. Retail: $34.95. Athleta, 350 San Lorenzo Ave. #2035., 305-441-9581, athleta.gap.com

IN THE BAG

Curated by sisters Jeanette Roger and Lyanne Vidal, local shop Nic del Mar stocks a chic collection of resort wear, swimwear, and accessories. My pick for summer is this playful straw tote by Billabong, which can be worn on a casual beach day, or for a night out (even if it’s just a trip to your neighbor’s backyard). Retail: $56. Nic del Mar, 475 Biltmore Way #105, 305-442-8080, nicdelmar.com

SITTING PRETTY

Finding a chair that is statement-making and also super cozy can be a challenge, but Gloster’s Fern high back lounge chair easily makes the cut. Made from durable teak and soft-finished outdoor rope, it’s the ideal seat for sunbathing or reading (or starting happy hour early). Retail: $5,100. Patio & Things, 240 Aragon Ave., 305-446-6163, patio-n-things.com

POKER FACE

Make game night anything but ordinary with Ti any & Co.’s travel poker set. With chips made from porcelain, and sterling silver hardware on a classic blue leather box, it’s an heirloom quality item that will be enjoyed for years to come. Retail: $2,750. Ti any & Co., 342 San Lorenzo Ave., 305-529-4390, ti any.com

FLOAT ON

You can actually float like a butterfly with this candy-colored raft by Funboy. A comfortable craft for chilling both in water and on land, it’ll quickly become your favorite new toy. Retail: $128. Nordstrom, 4310 Ponce de Leon Blvd., 786-9991313, nordstrom.com

CORAL GABLES IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

Come shop, dine and support local businesses and cultural venues. Practice social distancing while safely enjoying your favorite local spots. Remember to wear your mask and wash your hands often.

Seniors and more vulnerable populations should take extra precautions per CDC guidelines.

Removal or Renewal?

An increasing number of patients request their implants removed. Though happy with them earlier, they no longer desire them for various reasons: “just over it”, “at a different stage in my life”, “want to be all natural again”, “they make me look heavy”, “don’t want to have to renew them again”, or “never liked them much”, “don’t look nice anymore”, “my implants keep getting encapsulated”. Some became worried about having something foreign in their body. Whatever the reason, if implants no longer enhance your life, it’s time to consider removing them.

Implant removal typically entails a breast lift for skin tightening, reshaping and lifting, with additional scars; so pros and cons need to be considered individually. If your initial implants were anatomically appropriate for your body, this is usually straight forward. If, however, your implants were overly large, then the change in appearance could be significant. Either way, patients who desire implant removal tend to be happy with their decision, even relieved and “feeling younger again”.

Certainly not everyone wishes their implants removed altogether. Yet all implants age and should be renewed after 10-15 years. If breast shape suffered following babies and breast feeding, a rejuvenating breast lift may be indicated at the same time also - not an uncommon scenario.

If breast shape and size is still pleasing, then a similar size implant exchange for renewal is by far the simplest option, with minimal downtime.

Some, however, desire “to go smaller”. They were happy with their previous size, though some always felt “too big”, but now, years later, are bothered by it. But a noticeable size reduction typically will require tightening of the outside skin with a breast lift, similar to the implant removal.

Overall, secondary breast surgery for renewal, removal or addressing other issues, is highly variable and requires much judgment and experience. So, as always, reflect and research carefully before proceeding.

Bites

Certainly not everyone wishes their implants removed altogether. Yet all implants age and should be renewed after 10-15 years

Baker MD

BRUNCH IS BACK ITALIAN AL FRESCO

SWEET DREAMS +

Whip ‘n Dip owner George Giampetro, Jr. pulls a fresh batch of buttery smooth ice cream from his beloved Italian ice cream maker

Sweet Dreams

WHEN IT COMES TO ICE CREAM, CORAL GABLES HAS IT ALL

Perhaps it doesn’t make it a patriotic part of our heritage that George Washington loved to eat ice cream, but we would like to think so. Nothing says America like the summertime experience of eating an ice cream cone. Or ice cream on a stick. Or in a cup. Fortunately, Coral Gables has a great selection of shops to slake your sweet tooth. Here are the best (and all practice social distancing).

WHIP ’N DIP

Talk about your neighborhood hangout. Whip ’n Dip has been owned by the same family since 1985, and proprietors George Giampetro and son George Jr., along with wives Nancy and Kathy (respectively) have created an institution of sweetness in the south Gables. While they offer great ice cream flavors (mango is a local favorite), what sets them apart is their soft-serve ice cream – with six flavors, including vanilla, chocolate and green tea. All ice cream is made fresh daily. 1407 Sunset Dr. 305.665.2565. Open noon to 8 p.m. daily

SWENSON’S

We don’t know for sure if the Swenson’s here dates back to the 1950s, but that is the vibe, the kind of place where Betty, Veronica, Archie and Jughead would go for what used to be considered the three-legs of a proper teenage meal: hamburger, fries and milkshake. You can also get ice cream by the scoop, or go for that perennial sock hop favorite, the ice cream sundae. 1586 S. Dixie Hwy 305.661.7658. Open daily Noon-9 p.m., until 10 Fri.-Sun.

HÄAGEN-DAZS

What makes Häagen-Dazs special is the sophistication of its 24 flavors. No chunky monkey here. More like dark Belgian chocolate, pralines & cream, java chips, strawberry sorbet, peppermint bark, and rum raisin – though cookie dough is still the most popular. Also, they will make a milkshake for you from any flavor, in an old fashioned mixer. Nothing like a pistachio shake on a hot day. 286 Miracle Mile 786.353.2947. Open daily 11 a.m.-11 p.m, till 1 a.m. Sat., midnight Sun.

MORELIA GOURMET PALETAS

What we love about this flagship store (now a chain in Florida, the DR and Mexico) is their frozen fruit bars – like coconut, lime and strawberry. After all, their “paletas” are derived from the ancient Mexican art of mixing ice with fresh fruit. But Morelia has taken it to a new level with milk-based ice cream paletas, including banana filled with Nutella, passion fruit filled with condensed milk and dulce de leche filled with – of course! – dulce de leche. 76 Miracle Mile. 305.456.1306. Open daily 1 p.m.-11 p.m., till midnight Fri. & Sat.

BEN AND JERRY’S

This Vermont-based chain made a name for itself by offering ice cream with not just lots of fat, but filled with all sorts of stuff. Like cookie dough, fudge brownies, gooey marshmallows, chocolate chip cookies, graham crackers – you get the idea. And what could be better than Rocky Road or Chunky Monkey? As for choice there are 36 flavors; milk & cookies and chocolate fudge brownie are the local faves. 80 Aragon Ave. 305.442.1800. Open daily noon-9 p.m., till 10 p.m. Fri.-Sun.

The latest entry into the Gables ice cream scene, La Glace prides itself on purity – all natural, no sugar added, no artificial colors, etc. They also have non-dairy flavors for vegans. They have 24 regular flavors (like cheesecake, cactus pear, guava, and coconut) and a half dozen vegan (like peanut butter fudge, blueberry and sea salt caramel). Also, pineapple and vanilla soft serve. Our favorite: Coffee. 256 Giralda Ave. 786-542-9115. Open daily 11 a.m.-8 p.m., till 10 p.m. Sat., 6 p.m. Sun.

KRISS GELATO

Leave it to the Italians to have their own type of ice cream. Gelato is churned more slowly, with less air folded in – so it’s denser. Gelato also has less cream and no egg yolks, and uses more milk. The result is a silky product with much less fat but more sugar. At Kriss you can try 18 organic flavors such as lemon, Nutella, coconut, dark chocolate, Italian vanilla and the local favorite, butter pecan. 86 Miracle Mile. 786.953.8172. Open 1 p.m.-8:30 p.m. daily ■

Photo by Emily Fakhoury

LA GLACE

Brunch is Back

DINING AT BRASSERIE CENTRAL IS A GREAT WAY TO SPEND A SUNDAY AFTERNOON

BY LIZZIE WILCOX

The reopening of restaurants is truly a symbiotic relationship. It benefits the restaurant staff that’s been out of work for months, and it benefits us, who haven’t had bottomless mimosas for months. Brasserie Central offers an incredible brunch that won’t break the bank. On Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., you can get an appetizer, main course, dessert and bottomless mimosas for just $45. Considering their entrees hover around $30, this deal is, as the French say, magnifique!

And when they say bottomless, they’re not kidding. When you’re just about to take your last sip of one, the face-masked waiter is ready with the next. Their brunch menu not only satisfied our mimosa needs, but also our wanderlust; while international travel is banned, Brasserie Central transported us from

We began with the artichoke vinaigrette and the gnocchi a la Parisienne. The artichoke was good, and the side of ravigote vinaigrette was even better. The gnocchi – made with a spinach and artichoke gratinée – was very filling for a first course, so to save room for the other two we recommend saving some to take home.

In true French bistro fashion, we then had the croque madame and omelette au jabon and ratatouille for the main course.

The only difference between a croque madame and croque monsieur is that the former has a fried egg atop the standard ham and cheese sandwich. Far superior, in our opinion. The three egg omelet – stuffed with vegetables, ham and gruyere cheese – was savory and satisfying. And the side of potatoes was the cherry on top.

ARRIVED: La Sandwicherie

Now open on Giralda Plaza, so Gableites don’t have to travel to Brickell, Miami Beach or Wynwood for their oversized Frenchstyle sandwiches, served on a baguette or croissant. Sandwiches cost less than $10 and can easily feed two people. Plus, expect late hours for all you night owls.

Portosole

Occupying the space of the ill-fated Seek + Find at Ponce de Leon and Valencia, Portosole is a new, upscale Italian restaurant launched by the former general manager of Zucca. Kudos for the chutzpah to open in the midst of the pandemic.

Taking full advantage of mango season, Brasserie Central serves mango sorbet for dessert. It also offers more traditional French desserts like crêpes suzette, île flottante and pain perdue. But after two indulgent courses, sorbet was the perfect, light way to complete brunch. It was also incredibly refreshing on a hot Miami day. To fight off the heat, the bistro’s outdoor patio has shaded seating and plenty of rotating fans to give you a blast of cool air every few seconds. Our advice: come hungry and with a clear schedule; the three courses took around three hours. At least it gave us plenty of time to knock back the mimosas. ■

MKT Kitchen

The latest upscale gourmet deli at Ponce and Majorca (catty-cornered across from the new Target), with Chef Jason Schaan in charge (a protégé of Chef Michelle Bernstein for two decades). It’s also a sandwich shop with takeaway quiches and croissants.

DEPARTED:

John Martin’s Irish Pub

This 30-year icon on Miracle Mile had a great run. Partners John Clarke and Martin Lynch decided to hang up their aprons before the COVID, but that cinched it.

Miller’s Ale House

A popular spot on Miracle Mile for beer lovers, it did not survive the lockdown. Sorry Millenials!

Patagonia

This small but tasty slice of Argentina, also on Miracle Mile, is apparently unable to return from the pampas. Adios. ■

the Shops at Merrick Park to a Parisian café.

Growing in Space and Time

Italian Al Fresco

OUTDOOR DINING AT FIOLA IS BOTH SAFE AND INDULGENT

BY LIZZIE WILCOX

After so many months of doing takeout, it feels almost unnatural to eat at a restaurant and be waited on. And with the new safety protocols, the dining experience definitely isn’t the same. But without a doubt it’s better than eating another meal in sweatpants on the couch. One of the ways that we feel safest dining out is by sitting outside in the fresh air. Plus, it’s nice to be outdoors after being cooped up at home for weeks on end.

Craving a night out on the town – and some incredible Italian cuisine – Fiola was one of the first places we ventured. It was also our first time eating on their outdoor patio, which is on the side of the restaurant facing San Ignacio Avenue. Due to spacing regulations, there were only a few tables outside, creating a much more quiet and intimate setting than inside.

The entire staff is monitored by the Imhealthytoday program by EliteHealth, which includes testing and monitoring staff wellness as well as contact tracing. Their menus are now paper

and discarded after each use. These measures, coupled with the pre-meal sparkling rosé and the wine pairing, helped us forget our coronavirus fears.

From the food to the service to the atmosphere, the entire experience was exceptional. We began the night with three appetizers from the sea: Oysters, wild Hamachi and yellowfin tuna. Each cost $22, but if you order three appetizers, they’re $58 total. The six oysters – three from the east coast and three from the west – come with two sauces: A Spanish escabeche and a shallot mignonette. The former has a spicy, smoky flavor while the latter is more bitter and like a vinaigrette. We normally favor anything tuna-related, but the wild Hamachi won us over with its peach essence, crispy amaranth and ginger oil.

For the second course we were served one of our favorite things in the world: Pasta. Two kinds, to be exact: The lobster ravioli and the beef short rib agnolotti. The lobster ravioli was our preference – a lobster-filled

ravioli accompanied by another lobster tail sitting in a bath of ginger and chives. A little pricey at $54, but this is one of Chef Fabio Trabocchi’s true signature dishes.

To round out the meal, we returned to the sea with the Ora King Salmon and Red Snapper. The salmon is from New Zealand and covered with a salsa verde, giving it a zesty kick. The snapper dish is bursting with flavors from the roasted fennel, piquillo peppers, saffron and artichokes. The juice from the mussels gives it a semi-sweet touch. For you land lovers, they also have entrees like filet mignon, rack of lamb and a pork chop. For dessert, we had something old and something new. The tiramisu is a must every time we dine at Fiola, but this time we also tried the white chocolate cheesecake, made with a graham cracker crust, vanilla Chantilly on top and a mixed berry coulis on the side. We were not disappointed, to say the least. Then we finished our cappuccinos, settled the bill and put on our face masks. ■

Two of our favorite downtown restaurants are expanding, though not in the same way. Ortanique, the culinary platform for owner/chef Cindy Hutson’s inventive take on Caribbean dining, now has expanded onto the Miracle Mile sidewalk with an array of tables. You can see them under orange (“cuisine of the sun”) umbrellas. Meanwhile, Threefold on Giralda Plaza – the local pioneer of breakfastall-day – is now doing dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. The focus of the menu, which changes every two weeks, is to showcase local products.

But Where is Mr. Fogg?

In his book “Around the World in Eighty Days,” author Jules Verne gave protagonist Phileas Fogg 80 days to traverse the globe and win a bet. In a nod to the French writer, the menu at Green Gables Café on Alhambra has a similar agenda: to dine around the world in 80 days with different specials. The journey began in May, the first five days being devoted to Greece (Greek salads of feta cheese and black olives). Day 18 was a stop in Puerto Rico, with Pinon de Carne. By day 39 the café had reached France, represented by a Niçoise Salad. The final leg of the journey takes place this month. ■

ED HUDAK AURA REINHARDT JOHN ALLEN, JR.

Ed Hudak, Chief of the Coral Gables Police Department

Photo by Jon Braeley

Ed Hudak has been in law enforcement for over 30 years and was named the chief of the Coral Gables Police Department in 2014. Since then, crime in Coral Gables has continued to decline. Chief Hudak is also the district director of the Florida Police Chiefs Association for Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. He recently garnered both local and national attention when photos of the police chiefs kneeling in front of Coral Gables City Hall were picked up by news sources across the country.

Ed Hudak

LATEST ACHIEVEMENT

Worked with many other teams, including the city’s IT department and other Miami police departments, to ensure the Coral Gables protest remained peaceful. Chief Hudak has also served as an ally to the Black Lives Matter movement. “It was a very proud day from an operational standpoint,” he said at a virtual city commission meeting last month.

“And obviously it was a very good day for us to hear the issues that are being raised across this country in a peaceful way.”

WHAT HE SAYS

At the commission meeting, Hudak addressed rumors surrounding both the protest and the photo. “ e reason that everyone was asked to take a knee was for Reverend Richardson to pray,” he said. “ at’s it. ere was no subliminal message, there was no endorsement of one side or the other. It was two groups of people praying for peace.” Less than a week after the protest, the organizers held a Zoom meeting with Hudak and the other Miami police chiefs to continue the dialogue about how to address police brutality and racism within law enforcement. Says Hudak, “I believe this is a time for action and we are going to be a part of it.”

CHIEF, CORAL GABLES POLICE DEPARTMENT

“I BELIEVE THIS IS A TIME FOR ACTION…”

Aura Reinhardt is a marketing executive with a long track record of promoting national brands as well as helping guide local organizations. She is currently the board chair of the Coral Gables Art Cinema and a board member of the Coral Gables Community Foundation. Among her accolades, Reinhardt served for seven years as the VP for communications at Moet Hennessy in New York, and nine years as the VP for corporate relations at Bacardi North America in the Gables.

Aura Reinhardt

John Allen is a third-generation Miamian, born in Coral Gables and raised there and in Pinecrest. He is a graduate of the University of Miami, where he also pursued post-grad studies. Allen joined Gables-based Home Financing Center in 1994 and worked there until 2017, his last seven years as Executive VP of Operations. Allen has served with many community organizations, including as chairman of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce 2016-2017. He currently serves on the board of the Coral Gables Community Foundation. In 2017 he became the executive director of the Coral Gables Museum.

John Allen, Jr.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CORAL GABLES MUSEUM

LATEST ACHIEVEMENT

Reinhardt was appointed in June to be the Executive Director of the Business Improvement District (BID) for downtown Coral Gables. The BID is a special taxing district enjoined with the task of helping promote and market businesses located in the city’s commercial heart.

WHAT SHE SAYS

“I am a brand person. I have spent many years in the corporate world, both in New York City as well as in Coral Gables, taking small brands to big brands, and taking big brands to bigger brands,” she says. “It’s all about understanding what those brands are, who the audience is, and how to communicate the message to that audience. I think that what downtown Coral Gables is looking for is to better understand its brand.” Reinhardt says she hopes to re-energize the BID as the city emerges from the coronavirus shutdown. “I am certainly not someone who sits in the back seat of anything,” she says. “I like to be able to go out and make things happen. I think we need the energy to make things happen in Coral Gables and I’d like to think that I can bring that.”

“WE DO THINGS THAT OTHER MUSEUMS MIGHT NOT TACKLE… WHO’S EVER DONE A MUSEUM SHOW ON A NEWSPAPER?”

LATEST ACHIEVEMENT

Conceiving and launching the museum’s current blockbuster exhibit on the history of the Miami Herald. Also dramatically increased fundraising for the museum, created its Historic Research Division, and connected it to Art Basel.

WHAT HE SAYS

“What I found most challenging was learning the intricacies of museography – laying out an exhibit to its greatest effect,” says Allen. “It’s fascinating to learn the nuances and tricks that make an exhibit really excellent.” The strength of the museum, says Allen, is “a combination of the built environment, history, the arts and historic research. It’s not a typical contemporary art museum. You can’t pigeonhole it into one space. We are a civic museum, so we look at all the civic arts. It gives us a chance to do things other museums might not do, like our Lincoln Cemetery exhibit, or the Herald.”

Photo by Emily Fakhoury

MARKETING EXPERT, NEW DIRECTOR OF THE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

“IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT BEING OKAY. THAT IS NOT MY PHILOSOPHY. WE HAVE TO BE BETTER THAN OKAY. IT’S ABOUT BEING THE BEST.”

Photo by Emily Fakhoury

A KEYS ROAD TRIP

THE KEYS ARE NOW OPEN AGAIN, AND WHAT BETTER PLACE FOR A SUMMER ESCAPE

BY JP FABER AND LIZZIE WILCOX

SPONSORED BY

The water was crystal clear over the white sand, with green islands in the distance. Leading south from the beach was a trail through a forest of gumbo limbo and mangroves. On a deck overlooking the beach they were serving daiquiris and mojitos.

This is what the Caribbean is all about, I thought. Except that it wasn’t Antigua or Aruba. It was Key Largo.

With the Keys now open again, and a general consensus that driving is far safer than flying these days, the necklace of islands that stretch from Florida City to Key West is more alluring than ever. Open since June 1, we decided to head south to Mile Marker Zero, and to take our time with a few stops along the way, in two teams of travelers. Here’s what we found.

TEAM ONE: KEY LARGO

Our first destination was Baker’s Cay Resort

This eco-friendly enclave was named for Ben

Baker, who started a pineapple plantation in Key Largo in the late 1800s. Originally carved out of a natural hammock in 1985, the resort was rebuilt after Hurricane Irma, and reopened as a Hilton Curio property in February last year. It prides itself on its natural setting, with a biologist caretaking what is now a protected tropical hammock. It also brought in literally tons of white sand to create a pristine beach with translucent waters.

Entering the gated compound was our first experience of the COVID changes: A mask-wearing guard at the gatehouse checked us in and pointed us toward our room. No bell boy at a front desk here. Another new sign: Our room had a paper seal across the door under the handle, certifying that no one had entered since it was last sterilized.

Like many of the hidden gems of Key Largo, Baker’s belies the clutter of touristy shops that line U.S.1. Interspersed with stunning views of aquamarine waters are clusters of fast food outlets, gift shops, tattoo

parlors, psychic readers, scuba rentals, and key lime pie vendors. But off the beaten path you will find places like Skipper’s Dockside, a restaurant on a working canal at Mile Marker 100, with a big open area behind what used to be an old icehouse and a 1940s filling station. We decided to eat dinner here because of their smoked fish dip, shrimp ceviche, Bahamian red conch chowder and mango coleslaw. Like restaurants in the Gables, it was masks on the way in and socially distanced tables inside. But unlike the Gables, it was on a waterfront canal with dive boats and lights that shimmered as dusk settled in. We couldn’t leave Baker’s without dipping into the cool waters of their beach; a fair number of families were playing there, taking out kayaks and paddle boards. We also couldn’t leave without breakfasting in the Calusa restaurant. On the third floor of the main building, it overlooks the hammocks and out to the Florida Bay. The sensation was like being on a hillside in Jamaica. After French toast, bacon and coffee we took

OPPOSITE: BAKER’S CAY BEACH, KEY LARGO

RIGHT: CHEECA LODGE PIER, ISLAMORADA

BOTTOM: ISLA BELLA RESORT, MARATHON

PHOTO BY NICK FABER

a last lie down on lounge chairs discretely placed in the hammock at water’s edge. Then it was back on the road.

TEAM TWO: ISLAMORADA

The next major key after Key Largo is Islamorada, a narrow strip of land where just about everything is right off Overseas Highway – like Cheeca Lodge & Spa where we spent the night. Located on 27 acres with 1,200 feet of Atlantic beachfront, it’s a world of its own. With daily snorkel excursions, jet ski tours and sunset cruises, there’s plenty to do even if you don’t leave the property – including a nine-hole par-three golf course. Or you can dismiss the notion of physical activity and lay on the beach or by one of the resort’s two pools, a blackberry margarita in hand.

Cheeca Lodge is also in the heart of Islamorada, close to Village Square behind The Trading Post grocery store. This hidden shopping center looks more like a village for elves than for full-grown people, but that’s part of its charm. Behind the overgrown entryway, there are miniature shops, a cafe, even a small taco stand in a back corner. And when we say that it’s right across the street, we mean it – just don’t get hit jaywalking across Overseas Highway.

A quarter mile south from Cheeca is Morada Bay, a casual beach café that boasts the perfect setting for lunch or a sunset drink. For something more upscale, go next door to Pierre’s. For dinner, Marker 88 is an Islamorada tradition. Located on one of the few natural beaches in the Florida Keys, it’s among the best places to dine and watch the sun slip behind the horizon. We ordered a key lime pie martini – made with Citron vodka, Ke Ke Beach key lime cream liqueur, pineapple juice, and fresh lime juice, with a graham cracker rim. Only the sunset was prettier.

Back at Cheeca, we took an evening stroll on its 525-foot wooden pier. At night there are a million stars overhead; during the day it’s perfect for fishing. Islamorada is known for its world-class fishing, so don’t be

HELLO, OLD CHUM

ROADSIDE ATTRACTION

Driving south from Islamorada, don’t forget to stop at Robbie’s, a tourism mainstay where you can grab a bite to eat, shop for trinkets or feed giant tarpons. That’s right, feed giant tarpons.

From a distance, with their fins sticking out of the water, the tarpons who circle the docks at Robbie’s look like small sharks. But after paying a few dollars to get closer with a bucket of fish, you realize it’s a swarm of hungry tarpons who know that Robbie’s is the place to eat.

You can either toss the bait from the bucket into the water and watch the feeding frenzy or hold it just above the surface and wait for one to jump up and grab it out of your hand. After hand-feeding dead fish to bigger fish, we have never been so grateful that hand sanitizer is now commonplace.

Their website, by the way, has a live webcam so that you can see what is happening on the docks at any time, just in case you want to check the action.

surprised if your elevator companion is a boy with a fishing pole twice his size. The suites are also luxurious, complete with a sitting area, expansive bathroom, and balcony with a table, chairs and Jacuzzi. If you get an oceanfront suite, you can sip your morning coffee on the balcony with views of nothing but blue. Cheeca also offers several dining options. Our recommendation: Atlantic’s Edge, literally right on the ocean, with indoor and outdoor seating open for all three meals. The outdoor patio runs into the beach, and there isn’t a bad seat in the house.

TEAM ONE: MARATHON

The final big island and town on the way to Key West is Marathon. It has the same U.S.1 lineup of fast food and tourist shops, along with waterfront eateries, beach clubs and a municipal airport. It is also home to the Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters attraction and Crane Pointe Hammock, a preserve you can tour. We were too close to Key West to stop for another night, let alone a family attraction, but we did stop to eat at Isla Bella, Marathon’s newest and most posh beach resort.

You need to make a reservation to get past the gate, but once inside the compound you proceed to their Il Postino restaurant. It is inside a Dutch West Indies-style building, with a large, beachfront veranda surrounded by coconut palms. The experience of breezes and light on all sides, on a point of land that overlooks the Seven Mile Bridge, is sublime. The food, says Chef Josean Rosado, “is Italian inspired, using as much of the local produce as possible. You don’t have mahi mahi, in Italy.” But you do at Il Postino, where it’s served blackened on a bean and black olive puree, with spinach and sautéed red peppers and purple onions.

TEAM ONE: KEY WEST

There are two immediate impressions you get when you come to Key West in the postCOVID era. First, it is a lot less crowded than usual. Second, few people seem to care about wearing masks or socially distancing, at least in places like Duval Street, the main commercial drag. Almost no one wore a mask in the shoulder-to-shoulder line of

TOP: BARTENDER AT SUNSET PIER, KEY WEST

BOTTOM: CHECKING TEMPERATURES AT SCHOONER WHARF BAR, KEY WEST

PHOTOS BY: ROBB O’NEAL

people waiting to take selfies at the Southernmost Point, for example. “I just won’t live in fear,” tourist Emily Ardis told us. Visiting from Pensacola, Ardis said her aunt lives in Coral Gables, where she is “quarantined with her husband. I want her to read that I am traveling, because she gave me so much [grief] about coming here.”

Many others we talked to had similar attitudes. One couple from Texas told us that “people who come to Key West aren’t the type who wear masks.” On the other hand, a woman from Miami told us, “This is crazy. Look at these people without masks!”

The good news is that Key West is a place where most restaurants are either outdoors or completely open and breezy, and where there is plenty of room to socially distance if that is your choice. Monroe County regulations require masks to enter any retail establishment. You can de-mask in restaurants and bars, of course, and there is the rub: some bars on Duval Street, for instance, are crowded with mask-free people. On the other hand, there are plenty of establishments that are highly cognizant of protocol.

At the Half Shelf Raw Bar, for example, a waitress takes your temperature before letting you inside. At Two Friends Patio Restaurant on Front Street, you can listen to live music while sitting at every other table. Masks are required at all tourist destinations, like the Hemingway House or the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum. Every person riding the Conch Train – on every other seat – had to mask up.

Even on Mallory Square, where the (thankfully) thinner crowds are back to see the sunset, the seawall where people sit is marked with red X’s six feet apart. We sat there and watched a blazing sun go down on our first evening. Behind us a local musician strummed a guitar while singing, sans mask, the 1960s dystopic ballad, “On the Eve of Destruction.” His attitude seemed typical.

“It’s not like I’m shaking hands or kissing people,” he told us. “I’m just not wearing a mask unless I’m going into a store.”

We stayed in two hotels in Key West, to get a take on the two sides of the island.

Our first was the Barbary Beach House on South Roosevelt Boulevard, the long oceanfront road that runs along the south side of the island. This is a very different

coralgablesthemagazine.com

OPPOSITE: MARQUESA 4-1-4 HOTEL SWIMMING POOL, KEY WEST

PHOTO BY JON BRAELEY

experience than staying in the Old Town. Here the entertainment is waterfront sports and swimming at Smathers Beach, bicycle riding, public tennis courts, walking out on long piers, or visiting a couple of old Civil War era forts that are now open again.

Barbary Beach House itself is a family-friendly compound across Roosevelt from the beach. Its rooms form a large square, inside of which is a garden walkway, pool, terrace restaurant and bar. Despite the family vibe, the food here is gourmet, the kind of place that freshly squeezes your morning orange juice; we would return just for their Thai lettuce wrap or their grilled vegetable gazpacho, both amazingly tasty. Their bar also has several signature cocktails concocted by staff during the lockdown.

“We were just keeping ourselves busy,” food and beverage manager Batu Pektas told us. “We started to make our own ginger lime syrup.” From there they came up with combinations like their Rooster Margarita and Shipwrecker’s Gimlet. The margarita had a nice jalapeño kick, with cayenne pepper sprinkled on top. The Shipwrecker’s used their ginger lime syrup with pieces of cucumber, cucumber vodka and soda water. Delicious and refreshing.

The other hotel we sampled was The Marker, a relatively new, upscale hotel nestled in among the old seafront bars and eateries on Caroline Street. It could not be more different than funky Bo’s Fish Wagon down the block, or the Schooner Wharf Bar next to the hotel, where live music plays at night under a massive thatched Tiki hut. The Marker is a long, narrow hotel with noticeably fine linens, a serenity pool at one end, and bathrooms with that rarity in today’s hotels: a bathtub. The Marker has another two pools and bar out back; open to non-guests, this creates a lively singles’ and couples’ scene. We sat at the bar as a DJ spun tunes, watching the dance of hormones as the bartender poured a complimentary vodka drink (for guests) to get the juices flowing.

The Marker’s location could not be better, right along the pedestrian waterfront walkway that meanders past a plethora of waterfront restaurants, like The Conch Republic Seafood Company, Alonzo’s Oyster Bar and the venerable A&B Lobster House. We ate dinner at the Waterfront Brewery not half a block away, which has an exceptional selection of locally brewed beers on tap. We tried the Lazy Way IPA and the red ale Wrecked

Rooster, both of which helped wash down an incredibly fresh filet of yellowtail as the sun set over the boats docked outside.

TEAM TWO: KEY WEST

One big reason to visit Key West is to spend time in the Old Town – the western historic district that includes Mallory Square, Duval Street, the Key West Cemetery and Fort Zachary Taylor. Here the 19th century, wood-frame Bahamian style buildings, with their tin roofs, covered front porches and picket fences, are protected by local ordinance. Once you leave the commercial areas, walking through the old streets is a journey back in time.

Fortunately, you’ll find plenty of small boutique hotels in historic buildings that blend into the island’s quaint landscape. We chose the Marquesa Hotel, one of Key West’s prettiest historic getaways. From the front, the Marquesa looks like a large house, but inside you’ll find a handsome courtyard with two swimming pools, lounge chairs, patios of ground floor rooms tucked away on the side, and stairways that lead to second and third floor rooms.

The hotel recently finished an expansion project half a block away – the Marquesa 4-1-4 – a compound of three vintage buildings with a swimming pool in the middle. Guests of the 4-1-4 also have access to two pools at the original Marquesa. And of course, all guests can dine at the upscale Café Marquesa, which specializes in contemporary American cuisine like local seafood and grilled meats, with a lengthy wine list.

Just blocks from Duval Street, the Marquesa is an oasis in the middle of the historic district. It is equally distant from the bluster of Mallory Square and the quietude of the Key West Cemetery (where we found the famous “I told you I was sick” headstone). It is also walking distance from the Historic Seaport if you want to take a sunset cruise. We set sail on the Appledore Star, which prides itself as the last Chesapeake Bugeye schooner ever built. This is significant because the Bugeyes were shallow draft two-masters suitable for the waters around Key West. From our socially distanced perch, the views were breathtaking, enhanced by the onboard drinks.

Not within walking distance of the Marquesa (but worth the short drive) is

TO THE KEYS IN COMFORT

ROAD TESTING A MERCEDES GLS 450 DOWN THE OVERSEAS HIGHWAY

began this trip not a Mercedes fan. But after spending four days travelling 350 miles to and from Key West, I am now a major convert.

The GLS 450, which the good folks at Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables lent us for a road test, is a perfect combination of comfort, luxury, technology and power. This is a hard combo to come by in a car these days, especially in an SUV with three-rows of comfortable leather seats. As far as the ride itself, the smoothness was exceptional – especially on the highways going down to Florida City – whether you wanted to push the pedal or drive like grandma. It has multiple riding styles – comfort, sport, eco and custom – but we chose comfort, to minimize the experience of bumps in the Keys.

Like most Mercedes, the GLS 450 was loaded with technology, and the interface could not have been easier: a touchpad on the center console, with a padded leather rest for your wrist while your fingers control everything from the dashboard appearance to options for music and sound. was also deeply impressed with the car’s cameras, which gave us options: the reverse view, the view from above, and a view around the corner as we backed up. The car made it virtually impossible to have a blind spot. Great for parking in tight Key West spots – and great for making long distance drives in safety. For information: www.mbcoralgables.com

Photo by Nick Faber

Barefoot Billy’s. Located inside the Casa Marina Resort (Henry Flagler’s historic hotel), Barefoot Billy’s does boat charters, snorkel trips, kayaks, paddleboard rentals, and our choice: a two-hour guided jet ski tour. It’s not cheap – $140 for a single rider and $160 for a double rider – but it’s a real blast.

The guide took our group entirely around Key West, pointing out landmarks and recounting its history. Once you get to the Gulf of Mexico, you’re given 20 minutes of free time to zoom around the crystal-clear waters on your Yamaha Waverunner. On the way back, the group traveled through Cow Key, named for its manatee population. The guide called this the “lazy river” portion of the tour, as the channel is a no-wake zone for the sake of the water’s inhabitants. Sadly, no sea cows were spotted.

All of this was great fun, but at the end of our day of drinking and sailing and jet skiing, laying poolside at the peaceful Marquesa was the perfect antidote.

Overall, we found Key West to be almost back to its old self, with both pros and cons. Not everything was ready for prime time – Sloppy Joe’s was still boarded up and the old Mallory Square aquarium will not be coming back – but most places were open, and far less crowded than usual. And, for the time being, some hotels are offering bargain pricing to lure back the tourists. The downside is that, just like the rest of the world, the lurking virus means that you must wear masks inside and should maintain social distancing outside. But of all the places you might now visit, few are as bright and breezy and generally safe feeling as Key West and its sister islands. ■

BUSINESS QUARTERLY

Photo by Robb O’Neal

W. ALLEN MORRIS, CEO OF THE ALLEN MORRIS COMPANY, IN HIS HOME OFFICE

Business Briefs

CYBER PAYMENT PARTNERSHIP

Coral Gables-based online financial platform firm PayCargo has announced it will partner with India-based IBS Software to provide air freight carriers and cargo ground handlers with digital payment options. The partnership, announced last month, integrates PayCargo’s digital payment network with IBS Software’s air cargo management platform. This will enable more carriers and ground cargo companies to digitize and simplify payments, says Lionel van der Walt, president and CEO of the Americas division of PayCargo, headquartered on Alhambra Circle.

included in the sale, was completed in 2007. The buyer was a fund managed by Zurich Alternative Asset Management; the seller was Prudential Insurance Company of America.

NEW BOUTIQUE APARTMENT SELLS FOR $11 MILLION

Despite concerns about the impact of COVID on rental payments, a nearly finished 27-unit apartment building on Galiano Street has been sold for $11.1 million. The six-story building is expected to be ready for tenants this fall. Located at the intersection of Galiano and Phoenetia Avenue, the building has 24 two- and three-bedroom apartments, and three ground floor townhouses. The sale price breaks down to $411,111 per unit.

CHRISTY’S BUILDING SELLS FOR $4 MILLION

The building that is home to one of the Gables’ most iconic and long-standing restaurants, Christy’s, has been sold for $4.1 million. The 5,182-square foot building last sold for $116,000 in 1976.

Christy’s itself, closed for COVID, plans to reopen in August, according to manager and partner Chris Klaic.

DRIFTWOOD CAPITAL INVESTS

Earlier this year, Coral Gables-based Driftwood Capital announced that it had plans to invest $3 billion in real estate projects around the country over the next five years. Last month it opened one of its first projects, a $60 million Canopy by Hilton in Tempe, Arizona. The 14-story property, in the city’s downtown, is designed to appeal to young travelers.

ARTEFACTO BREAKS GROUND ON FLAGSHIP GABLES STORE

Artefacto, the Brazilian-based manufacturer of high-end furniture, has long had a presence in Coral Gables – home to CEO Paulo Bacchi. Now the company has upped its ante in the Gables, breaking ground for a new 45,000-square foot flagship store on South Dixie Highway near Ponce de Leon Boulevard. Gables officials welcomed the addition to the South Ponce area near the Shops at Merrick Park, which the city envisions as a future Design & Innovation district. “This was an industrial area of the Gables for many years,” said City Manager Peter Iglesias. “We look at this now as an area for high-end furniture, highend appliances, interior design firms, and architectural firms. ”

BANK MERGER

First Horizon Bank has merged with Iberia Bank, in what Gablesbased market president for Miami, Roberto Muñoz, calls a “merger of equals.” The new bank, with its headquarters in Memphis, will have more than $75 billion in assets, creating the fourth largest bank based in the Southeast. The new First Horizon will have 60 branches in South Florida, “which will give better coverage and better customer service,” says Muñoz. Last year First Horizon bought locally-based Capital Bank, which had earlier acquired Aventura Bank, Metro Bank and Island Bank of the Keys. Iberia had previously acquired Gables-based Gibraltar Bank, Sabadell United and Lydian Bank.

BANESCO LENDS $31 MILLION

WHOLE FOODS BUILDING SOLD

During the pandemic, one bright spot was increased sales at grocery stores. Reflecting that growth, the retail portion of Plaza San Remo – 60,000 square feet of the building where Whole Foods occupies the corner at Red Road and Madruga Avenue – has been sold for $46.75 million ($783 per square foot). The seven-story mixed-use building, which includes a parking garage and medical offices not

Gables-based Banesco USA has given a $31.4 million loan to Gainesville Capital LLC and Columbia Hospitality, subsidiaries of Maryland-based Baywood Hotels. The funds will be used to continue the construction of an unfinished high rise on 57th Avenue, in the Blue Lagoon area just south of Miami International Airport. Baywood purchased the property for $10.5 million one year ago. The 10-story structure, which has remained unfinished for 12 years, will become a Hilton brand. The loan is the largest for a hotel project in South Florida since the pandemic hit. ■

The Long and Winding Road

Recovery is often referred to by a metaphorical journey – whether it be overcoming personal health issues, mending a broken relationship or regaining your company’s footing after an economic meltdown.

Now, we are indeed on that critical expedition as Coral Gables – and the nation – begins the process of reopening.

For weeks now, everything has been about the Phases, a carefully crafted series of plans meticulously reviewed by leaders committed to a safe return to the aptly dubbed “New Normal.” And yet, through it all, we have grown increasingly weary as we’ve seen many of our favorite businesses shuttered, dear friends laid o , and social distancing that has led to greater isolation.

Chambers – and our members – thrive on networking, engagement and coming together. We appreciate the opportunity to shake hands not only as a greeting, but also to seal the deal. We are creatures of connectivity and in Greater Miami that is how business is done. Period. We ourish when the business climate is personal and authentic.

As I walk the downtown streets of our Coral Gables, I am struck by the empty storefronts and darkened retail showrooms. Some will reopen, some have gone quiet and others will end up moving to smaller spaces. Economists will tell you this is the phenomenon of natural selection in the business world – and why so many burgeoning restaurateurs and business owners fail to keep

their doors open. But this is not about new business or rst-timers.

is is about the pain in icted by a devastating pandemic that still grips so many of us, even as we work diligently to pull out of it. O ces are slow to reopen and return to full sta ng, and that hurts downtown foot tra c, limiting the number of hungry diners and window shoppers. Many of us are beyond tired of cooking at home, ordering takeout, or maintaining a lifeline to the outside world via our food delivery driver. We need fresh air, crispy fries and food that has not traveled a great distance to be eaten and enjoyed.

e small businesses that call the Gables home know you and your order by name, they call you when your favorite item is back in stock, they wait curbside for you when you pull-up to pick-up, and they have always created two out of every three jobs in our city and country. Now, they are on a vital quest to survive. But this crusade begins and ends with you – their valued customers.

It is now time to return and get back to business. As we travel down that long and winding road, we will need patience, intestinal fortitude, fearlessness and an emotional intelligence like never before. Wear your mask, wash your hands, limit the audience to two, three or four, wave instead of hugging, and don’t be afraid to sit outside.  is will be our Chamber’s mantra in each phase of the reopening, and our blueprint for recovery. ■

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

THE PATH TO RECOVERY HAS BEGUN – BUT EVERYONE NEEDS TO HELP

“ IT IS NOW TIME TO RETURN AND GET BACK TO BUSINESS. AS WE TRAVEL DOWN THAT LONG AND WINDING ROAD, WE WILL NEED PATIENCE, INTESTINAL FORTITUDE, FEARLESSNESS AND AN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE LIKE NEVER BEFORE.”

The Showroom is Open

LIKE OTHER RETAILERS, VICTORIA’S ARMOIRE HAD TO TOUGH OUT THE SHUTDOWN. NOW CUSTOMERS ARE COMING BACK

BY MIKE CLARY

When the worsening coronavirus pandemic forced Anna and Eddie Fuentes to close their Coral Gables furniture store in March, they thought the quarantine lockdown might last a couple of weeks. Instead, it lasted more than two months.

“This has hit harder than the 2008 recession, or any of the other difficulties we’ve faced,” says Anna, speaking of Victoria’s Armoire, the business the couple opened in 1991 on Ponce de Leon Boulevard just south of Bird Road. “Thank God we have been in the game a long time, and have an established clientele,” she says. “And we are conservative, with a healthy cash flow to bring in goods.”

Still, as the business reopened in late May, it was done so “cautiously,” Anna says, with a reduced staff, an option for customers to shop by private appointment, and an online presence that needed beefing up. “When operating in a brick and mortar mentality, you can’t switch gears immediately,” she says. “But we have a huge following and that has helped a lot.” Indeed, response to the store’s reopening was surprisingly strong. “It seems there is a pent-up demand,” says Anna. “The first week we were expecting a trickle. But we had more customers than we could handle.”

While that may be a good problem to have in most scenarios, it is not the best in a COVID environment that requires masks and social distancing. So far, however, with two large showrooms, they have not had to limit the number of customers perusing the store at any given time (and they have a supply of masks for any customers who forget). Once inside, “people do their own social distancing,” says Anna.

Those who do shop in person have a variety of home furnishings to choose from, including cabinets, coffee tables, sofas, lamps, benches, baskets, mirrors, ottomans, rugs, desks, chairs, etc., all with their hallmark of being unconventional yet elegant – or, as they brand their design sensibilities, “At the Crossroad of Originality and Sophistication.”

And, these days, there is more product than ever. Because the store must pre-pay for the goods it imports, with most coming from Indonesia and Vietnam, shipments continued throughout the quarantine. The store’s warehouse is now packed with 14 containers of furnishings.

From its beginnings in a small 800-square foot showroom on the second floor of its building on Ponce, Victoria’s Armoire has spread out to include a complex of showrooms totaling more than 20,000 square feet in two separate buildings. Now, after nearly 30 years in business, and with a loyal customer base, the store seems poised to survive. But the pandemic has served as a cautionary tale.

“You can never really count on anything for certain, and that’s scary for everyone,” says Anna. “We don’t have a cure [for coronavirus] right now, and I worry about a second wave. It is hard to make plans. Will we have to shut down again?”

Regardless, the pandemic has been a learning experience. “One lesson is to be conservative,” she says. “Have a cash reserve at all times.” ■

“WHEN OPERATING IN A BRICK AND MORTAR MENTALITY, YOU CAN’T SWITCH GEARS IMMEDIATELY. BUT WE HAVE A HUGE FOLLOWING AND THAT HAS HELPED A LOT. IT SEEMS THERE IS A PENT-UP DEMAND...”

ANNA FUENTES (ABOVE WITH HUSBAND EDDIE)

VICTORIA’S ARMOIRE

4077 PONCE DE LEON BLVD

305-445-3848

the great outdoors OY

For nearly two years after Hurricane Irma gutted the iconic Red Fish Grill with a six-foot surge from Biscayne Bay, the coral rock structure remained hollowed out and boarded up. Then entrepreneur Rodney Barreto bought the lease for the historic building, and spent a year bringing Coral Gables’ only waterfront restaurant back to life. Late last month it finally reopened. “I have invested millions here and feel very good about where we’re at,” says Barreto. “Our phone is blowing up off the hook with requests for reservations. And rightfully so – it’s such a gorgeous setting.”

Originally built as a bathhouse in 1935 as part of President Roosevelt’s FERA (Federal Emergency Relief Act) program to boost employment during the Great Depression, the property went through various permutations before becoming the Red Fish Grill. Until Irma hit, it was widely regarded as among the most romantic dining spots in Miami-Dade, as well as a reliably good place for fresh seafood.

The newly renovated Redfish (the name grill dropped) now features more than 100 seats in its outside patio overlooking Matheson Hammock Beach, along with four waterfront cabanas. Another 44 people can sit inside at tables, with 10 more at a custom-built oyster bar (though these numbers will be halved until COVID is over). Barreto, whose son Brad did a lot of the heavy lifting as the project’s general contractor, also added a novel element – a rooftop observation deck.

Barreto, who has earned a reputation as a fearless entrepreneur and master event organizer, said he had no trepidation about opening Redfish during COVID – largely because most of the seating is

Redfish Returns to the Waterfront

SUMMER LIKE YOU MEAN IT.

BY J.P. FABER

al fresco. “I think most people, and most friends I know, want to eat outside,” he says. “It’s much more desirable for the time being. And we have a beautiful place for it.”

Adding to the attraction is the imprimatur of cookbook author and chef Adrianne Calvo, one of the brightest stars in the local culinary firmament (the restaurant’s new, full name is Redfish by Chef Adrianne). The force behind the acclaimed Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar (in West Kendall) and Cracked (in South Miami), Calvo has created a seafood-centric menu, with dishes like brown sugar crusted salmon and peppercorn-seared tuna. “I believe in the magic of Redfish,” Calvo says. “My goal is to restore the love affair South Florida had with this restaurant and location.”

For Barreto, Redfish is the latest in a long string of business ventures, including restaurants (such as The Wharf in Fort Lauderdale), a medical records company, a title insurance company and various real estate investments. “I’m a serial entrepreneur,” he says. “I love business no matter what it is. If we can make money and have fun, I’m in.” Civic involvement is another passion for Barretto. A past chair of the Florida Wildlife Commission, he currently serves on that and numerous other boards. He is probably best known for his role with the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee, which he chaired in 2007, 2010 and this past year.

That sense of civic contribution was another reason he undertook the Redfish project, since it restored a part of Coral Gables’ historic fabric. “We had a lot of work to make it go, but this is in the city where I live and it was sorely needed in this area,” says Barreto. “I’m very bullish about it. I just hope we don’t have another hurricane.” ■

IT TOOK RODNEY BARRETO A YEAR, BUT THE MAN WHO HEADED MIAMI’S SUPERBOWL COMMITTEE HAD THE STAMINA REQUIRED

The Great Bounce Back

RESIDENTIAL ESTATE SALES PLUMMETED DURING THE SHUTDOWN. NOW PENT-UP DEMAND IS BRINGING THEM BACK

BY J.P. FABER

When the pandemic first shut down businesses in Coral Gables, the real estate industry was among the first to be hit. The ability to show houses was initially curtailed, and a wait-and-see attitude prevailed.

“There was initially a slowdown,” says Carole Smith, a leading residential realtor with Compass. “March was frightening and scary, people were freaking out. Then in April people took a deep breath and said, ‘I need a shelter, or a bigger home, or a home with a pool.’ And they [the buyers] started coming out of the woodwork.”

Smith says the pattern was a shut down in March, virtual showings in April, video showings with “booties, masks and gloves” in May, and a return to real showings in June, with everyone wearing masks. “If [buyers] don’t touch anything they don’t have to wear gloves.” The result, says Smith, is that all the Gables properties that she represents, eight properties, are now under contract.

“I think there is a real pent up demand. And a lot of those [buyers] are people who want to move into Coral Gables. They are living on Brickell in a condo, with one child and another on the way. Once they were locked in and the pools and facilities were closed, and the elevators became scary, they wanted a house.”

Rishi Kapoor, whose Gables-based development firm Location Ventures is building the state-of-the art luxury Villa Valencia condominium, says he has seen a recent burst of activity. “In the last 30 days we sold $12 million worth of units there,” says the CEO. “Now we have another four contracts from people who want to relocate from Chicago, Philadelphia and New York… People might have been considering moving here, but now the pandemic and the density in those markets has pushed them to move. First it was taxes and weather, now it’s density and lifestyle. Coral Gables is the destination where the people want to come.”

Ron Shuffield, the veteran realtor who heads the BHHS/EWM offices in Coral Gables, says that one of the problems was that fewer sellers were listing their properties. “One year ago, there were 708 properties on the market [in Coral Gables], including single family homes and condos,” he says. “Now there are 566 properties on the market. That is a 20 percent drop in inventory.”

At the same time, says Shuffield, sales also fell. In the months of March, April and May, there were 145 sales in the Gables, compared with 197 the year before – a 26.4 percent drop.

However, Shuffield expects things to change. “What we are seeing now is a great big burst of activity, of pending sales,” he says. “It was falling for months, and now whoosh, you have a lot of pent up demand.” He also expects a new burst of listings, since “sellers are thinking they should take advantage of any opportunity.”

Shuffield says he was never terribly worried about the Gables market, since it is one of the premier locations in Miami-Dade. “If you compare Coral Gables with the county at large, Coral Gables does much better,” he says. “Generally speaking, looking at the markets over the last 35 years, the Gables has always been more stable, as the markets ebb and flow.” ■

“WHAT WE ARE SEEING NOW IS A GREAT BIG BURST OF ACTIVITY, OF PENDING SALES. IT WAS FALLING FOR MONTHS, AND NOW WHOOSH, YOU HAVE A LOT OF PENT UP DEMAND...”

RON SHUFFIELD BHHS/EWM

Back to the Real World

FOR SALONS AND GYMS, THE RE-OPENING IS WELCOME, IF RESTRAINED

BY LIZZIE WILCOX

When you walk into the Bleach + Blush hair salon on Ponce, everything looks normal: one woman is sitting in a chair getting her hair cut and styled, another is on her phone under the rotating hair dryer. It feels like an ordinary salon scene except that, from the stylists to the clients, everyone is wearing a mask. It may not feel ideal to wear a mask for an entire appointment – or all day in the case of the hairdressers – but it’s better than having your roots grow in and split ends. “Even in these circumstances … at least we get to do hair,” says Bleach + Blush owner Lily Gonzalez. “The world just feels so different, but at least we can do what we love.”

The salon opened on May 18 with the rest of the businesses that were a part of the Phase 1 Reopening. Following CDC guidelines, they only take a few customers at a time and they have removed chairs to ensure six feet between stations. Of course, in between appointments they sanitize everything. “In the hair industry, you have to sanitize your things, so it’s nothing really new,” Gonzalez said. “What’s new is cleaning the chairs. We didn’t do that before, we just sanitized our tools.”

Like restaurants and retail, Bleach + Blush is limited to 50 percent capacity. So while their intake is smaller, their waiting list is longer. “I’m booked until the end of August,” the owner said at the end of June.

The waiting list is also longer because of all the women who were due for a cut or color while the salon was closed for two months. Gonzalez said the most popular service since reopening has been balayage and highlights, adding, “Women just want to do their hair and they want to feel good.”

With the Phase 2 Reopening in June, gyms were also allowed to reopen, like Pure Barre on Altara Avenue just north of the Shops at Merrick Park. Similar to salons, gyms have to modify how they operate. “We’re requiring everyone to wear masks when they enter the studio,” said instructor Callie Jardine. “It’s half capacity so we’re making sure every person has six feet between them at all times.”

They take everyone’s temperature upon entry and keep the studio doors open to keep the fresh air circulating.

Instead of getting your own equipment when you enter the studio, each spot is already set up with a mat, ball, weights and resistance band. And all of this is sanitized in between classes. Usually the class warms up in the center of the room and then moves to the barre (like a ballet barre) at any of the four walls. Then you stay at your designated spot at the barre for the entirety of the class. The biggest challenge for Jardine is not being able to do hands-on corrections.

Like Gonzalez, Jardine also found that people were itching to get back to a real gym after using makeshift at-home gyms for months. “I think people are excited to come back. It’s almost more of a mental health thing,” Jardine said. “People have said to me, ‘It feels good to be back, I can’t do home workouts anymore.’” ■

“IN THE HAIR INDUSTRY, YOU HAVE TO SANITIZE YOUR THINGS, SO IT’S NOTHING REALLY NEW. WHAT’S NEW IS CLEANING THE CHAIRS. WE DIDN’T DO THAT BEFORE, WE JUST SANITIZED OUR TOOLS”

LILY GONZALEZ BLEACH + BLUSH

REMINDERS THAT WE ARE STILL FIGHTING A PANDEMIC SEEM TO BE

The New World

HOW BUSINESS IS RE-OPENING DURING THE PANDEMIC

When the COVID-19 pandemic first shut down all businesses in Coral Gables, the Allen Morris Company was quick to adapt. With 50 some employees, most of them working in the iconic Alhambra Towers the firm built, mobile technology was deployed to link workers together. “We anticipated that we might have to work remotely,” says CEO W. Allen Morris (above). “We tweaked our technology to make sure everyone was connected and operational. We were ready to go.”

Morris himself began working marathon days, with Zoom meetings scheduled back to back not just for clients, but also with the company’s various management teams. “I found it to be very efficient,” he said. “I was also exhausted at the end of the day, with no breaks.” He set up full offices at home, as well as in his house in the Keys – and his log cabin in North Carolina.

Three months later, when the first phases of the reopening of business began, Morris was relieved to spend at least a few days a week back at the office. “You really lose something when you can’t interact with colleagues. You lose a lot of creativity,” Morris says.

“Now that I am getting back to the office, I love the increased

productivity I get meeting people face to face. There is something so much better about being able to talk to people in person.” The company has now opened its offices on a split-shift basis, three days a week for one half of the staff, three days for the other half. Not only do they sit apart from each other, “we have all our employees tested, and their temperatures taken as they come in, in the morning.”

Not all large employers in the Gables have jumped at the chance to bring workers back to the offices, however, at least not just yet. Corporate giants like Bacardi and Del Monte, for example, have initially continued to keep their employees working at home and in the field, connected with HQ and each other via mobile platforms. “Our priority is to keep people safe and to give them the flexibility they need during these new circumstances,” says Pete Carr, regional president of Bacardi North America, which employs 300 at their Gables office. “We know we will need to make some adjustments in our shared spaces when we welcome people back.”

Del Monte Fresh Produce is taking a similarly cautious approach. Since March, most of their 350 employees have been working from home with less than 10 people coming to the build-

BY J.P. FABER

ing, says Martha Jeifetz, chief human resources officer. “Right now, we are thinking about a staggered return to the building beginning with a small team that can test new protocols and safety measures,” she says.

At BHHS/EWM, which employs 220 people in the Gables, the company immediately went into a remote modality. Now workers are returning but keeping their distance. There are plastic barriers at the reception counter, everyone is required to wear a mask, and there are hand sanitizers everywhere you turn. “We don’t encourage people to come into the office and don’t have group meetings. We use Microsoft Teams and Zoom,” says company president Ron Shuffield. “This [virus] is here to stay for a long time and we just have to get used to it.”

“Businesses are concerned about one person becoming sick and exposing everyone in the office to the coronavirus,” says Mark Trowbridge, president and CEO, Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce. “So, there are still lots of videoconferencing meetings.” The chamber itself is open with split schedules for the 10-person staff. “We limit the people in our office – and have invested in personal protective equipment (PPE) branded for the chamber.”

ON THE STREET

For restaurants and retailers, remote work is not a viable option. While many have developed online and contact-free strategies to stay alive, their businesses are by their very nature tied to the brick and mortar world.

During the pandemic shutdown, restaurateurs laid off most of their staff, focusing on delivery and pickup. Even when they were

allowed to open on May 20, they could operate only at 50 percent seating capacity, in order to meet the requirements of social distancing. Those with plentiful outdoor seating were at an advantage, but even here the crowds remain slow to return, absent the city’s preCOVID daily influx of 50,000 (mostly office) workers.

“To run a restaurant at 50 percent capacity is not feasible in the long run,” says Nino Pernetti, owner of Caffe Abbracci. “Break even for most restaurants is 75 percent, or 80 percent. I rotate them, but I can keep only some of my staff. We have to take this one day at a time, going slowly.”

At Threefold Cafe on Giralda Plaza, business is 40 to 60 percent back to where it was, says owner Nick Sharp, thanks to a loyal local clientele. His other restaurant, Someone’s Son, is down by 90 percent, because its Douglas Entrance location depends on traffic from office workers now working from home. “It’s a business to business, location by location situation,” he says. “The challenge is that we are neither fully open nor closed. We are in this middle ground. You can’t do normal things like create events.” Sharp says he is not optimistic about what will happen over the next six months.

“I don’t have a lot of amazing ideas for how the downtown can be busy when 80 or 90 percent of the people normally there are gone… Until that changes, we are not going back to normal.”

Retail merchandisers are facing equally daunting challenges. When the lockdown took place, their normal income evaporated; many shifted to online sales to survive. “Thank goodness we had built out our ecommerce website, because that is what really saved us in May,” says Jill Hornick, co-owner of Jae’s Jewelers on Miracle Mile.

“We probably had 10 times our normal online sales that month.”

“Really, what we have done to make ourselves viable is to turn

into an online book seller, with a full virtual event calendar [for our author series],” says Mitchell Kaplan, the owner of Books and Books on Aragon. Nonetheless, the loss of in-store customers hurts. “The problem with a community-based bookstore is that we thrive on bringing the community together, but that is what makes the virus spread. We have to be careful about how many people we can bring in at a time.”

Some small businesses have not been hit as badly as others. On the retail front, stores that already had established takeout business models were quickest to recover – places like pizza parlors and ice cream stores. Along Sunset Drive in the South Gables, for example, neighborhood favorite Whip ’n Dip lost business during the pandemic but has come back to pre-COVID sales levels.

“We have always been a takeout place, so we just adapted,” says George Giampetro, whose family has owned the ice cream shop since 1985. “We adapted within days to online ordering and then curbside service,” he says. “We trimmed the staff – the employees at high risk – and then the PPP [Paycheck Protection Program] came through, so we have all of our staff that felt comfortable coming back.”

LUCKIER INDUSTRIES

In general, small businesses that are less retail-oriented have had a less painful time. “Our business hasn’t changed that much,” says Catalina Perez, owner of Inkberries design firm. “We are not a business that deals with the public in person a lot. I have clients I have never met, in other cities or other states.” Perez says that after the first few weeks of shock, her clients continued on with projects –including rebranding for the post-COVID era.

Other industries, such as construction, were almost entirely unscathed. “I think our industry was one of the ones least affected,” says Venny Torre, CEO of Torre Construction, which has eight active projects in the Gables. Among them is the restoration of the Palma Hotel in the downtown, and construction of the Althea Row townhouses for MG Developer. “We are one of the fortunate ones. I don’t know that the business of construction has slowed down anywhere across Dade County. There is a lot of activity out there.”

Medical offices, too, have been relatively quick to recover, though their patient load has been curtailed by policies designed to help contain the virus (see sidebar). In residential real estate, an initial pandemic panic slowed sales to a crawl. But since then a combination of clever technology and pent up demand appears to be propelling that industry back. Indeed, businesses that are tech savvy or not dependent on point of contact sales have weathered the pandemic fairly well. What has changed radically for them is the way business is now done.

“Most businesses that function in an office setting were pleasantly surprised that working remotely has worked out better than expected,” says commercial real estate expert Barbara Tria. “It was bumpy at first, but it wasn’t the same thing as a shutdown of their income sources, which is what happened in retail.”

When coronavirus pushed South Florida into lockdown in March, for example, BAC Florida Bank found itself in a better position than most. Some 83 percent of customers at the one-branch bank already used its digital platforms, many from overseas, so BAC didn’t need to worry as much about how to serve its clients remotely.

Still, like other banks, BAC Florida had to move quickly to address health concerns. It sent most of its 175 employees to work from home, turned more to videoconferencing and set up new systems at its offices, including wearing masks, providing hand sanitizers, keeping six-foot distance between clients, installing plexiglass

The Business of Medicine on the Mend

FROM PRIVATE CLINICS TO HOSPITALS, NORMALCY BEGINS TO RETURN

The main concern for skin cancer surgeon Dr. Alysa Herman (above center) was how to keep her staff employed when her clinic was ordered to close down. “We actually shut down on two different occasions, for two weeks at a time,” she says. “Then we came back, at 30 percent of what we usually do, for people with melanomas… the income barely covered expenses, and our staff was worried about being furloughed.”

Instead of laying off her employees, she had them use up their vacation time and sick time, “or not get paid.” All chose the option of forced vacation and sick time, she says. “Not one person complained.” Now her clinic is fully opened for routine visits, but with all necessary precautions, including masks, gloves, staggered visits – and the elimination of a waiting area with magazines and coffee service.

Hospitals, too, are back seeing patients for non-emergency and elective procedures. “We have resumed our surgeries, procedures and imaging diagnostic services, and any other services we did before COVID,” says Diane Amado-Tate, the chief nursing officer at Doctors Hospital. “What’s different is that we are screening patients and staff members every day, with body temperatures, signs for symptoms and questionnaires to see if they’ve been exposed.”

Dr. Dipen Parekh, chief clinical officer and COO for the University of Miami Health System, says COVID-19 has sparked a dramatic increase in telemedicine. “The number of ‘tele-visits’ went from 200 a month to 200 a day,” he says. “We are on track to doing 10,000 tele-visits just in the month of June.” That transition from in person to online was critical in stemming the pressure on facilities like The Lennar Foundation Medical Center. “Once the lockdown was lifted there was a huge demand for elective procedures. Fortunately, we were able to activate telemedicine in a very short time.”

THE DINERS RETURN, AL FRESCO: OUTDOOR AT VILLAGIO IN THE SHOPS AT MERRICK PARK

Going Back to the Office... Slowly

GABLES EMPLOYERS ARE GRADUALLY BRINGING THEIR PEOPLE BACK

After closing in March, SMGQ Law reopened on May 26 with flexible schedules for its 30 attorneys and 25 staff members. “Our attorneys and staff have all been working from home handling clients’ questions about employment, federal aid programs and other matters,” says Pablo Quesada, a founding partner.

Before reopening, the law firm instituted a number of precautions, including social distancing and face mask requirements, as well as a new Plexiglas shield in the reception area. “Clients now go straight to the conference room, to avoid congregating in the lobby,” he says. “After a meeting we wipe everything down… We also instituted shifts for our kitchen, while opening up our lounge and conference rooms, so people could enjoy lunch in the office without feeling crowded.”

Cherry Bekaert LLP, a professional services firm with 100 employees, never closed its Gables office; it merely went skeletal. “We are considered an essential business, so we always had one or two people in the building each day, while the rest of our team worked remotely,” says Mark R. Giallonardo, partner in charge. “We are still in that mode. Most of our employees would love to come back to the office, at least on a limited basis. But we want to make sure they are safe.”

Coral Gables’ largest employer, the University of Miami, is also encouraging staffers to work from home. “We want people to telecommute to the greatest extent possible,” says Matthew Shpiner, director of Emergency Management. However, some employees, including those involved with research and teaching, need to be on campus. “We have been retrofitting our office spaces, installing shields at common points of contact, and preparing ‘safe return kits’ for faculty, staffers and students,” says Shpiner. “Making this environment safe is the leading item on our agenda.”—Richard Westlund

for tellers, limiting the number of people in the branch and scheduling more appointments.

“The most used word these days is unprecedented,” says Julio Rojas, president and CEO of the Coral Gables-based bank that has more than $2 billion in assets. “The challenge is to be more adaptable, creative and collaborative between teams.”

TOMORROW’S OFFICE SPACE

With so much of the local economy depending on the demand from the workers who formerly commuted daily to their offices in Coral Gables, the future use of office space has become a paramount question. With so many able to work remotely, will the working world ever return to its “normal” past?

“We’re all trying to figure out what the new norm is going to be,” says Thad Adams, one of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce’s two representatives on the city’s Business Recovery Task Force. Adams works as a senior vice president for commercial leasing at the Allen Morris Company. “I think that remote working is here to stay. We are repopulating the offices in a progressive manner that allows social distancing and safety in the work environment [but] studies show that the majority of people are interested in working at home, at least one or two days a week.”

Adams says that companies will maintain their office footprint for now, especially for face-to-face meetings with colleagues, but that the future could see downscaling. “One trend we are seeing is companies wanting to leave high density locations, such as high rises, due to time in elevators. We are seeing companies looking to move into submarket centers,” he says, which bodes well for Coral

Gables.

William Holly, the president of Patton Real Estate, agrees that Coral Gables is better positioned than other submarkets. How COVID will impact the commercial market, however, remains to be seen. “Commercial leasing is in a transition period because you had a couple of months where people were not comfortable going to work – in fact were told not to go to work unless they were in an essential industry – so there was no touring of new space.” The future, he says, will unfold on a building by building basis, depending on things like security and the number of elevators per occupant.

One sector sure to benefit from the office fallout is shared workspace, which gives companies greater flexibility in their leasing. “Companies that were committed to long term leases will be looking for flexible alternatives as they come up for renewal,” says Laura Kozelouzek, founder and CEO of Quest Workspaces, which has two shared workspace centers in the Gables. “There will be a shift to more flexible arrangements as long as you can provide a private space component.”

Unlike places such as WeWork, with large open spaces where entrepreneurs can co-work, Quest offers individual, closed offices in addition to shared facilities like conference rooms and cafeterias. Kozelouzek says right now private space is essential, because it is often difficult to make clients wear masks at all times. “All of our client spaces are private offices and not open spaces, so once they go into their offices, they can take their masks off,” she says.

Rishi Kapoor, whose Location Ventures firm recently opened a new 9,000-square foot shared workspace on Alhambra called Forum, is also bullish. “We think we will do quite well,” he says. “We have had major businesses come to us over the last few weeks.” Like

Quest, Forum maintains shared facilities but leases private office suites that can accommodate between one and six workers. “There is no doubt in my mind that flex space will represent a much higher percentage of total commercial office space than it does now.”

THE WAY OUT

As the recovery moves forward, the perennial question is what can be done to help and to make things easier for the hardest hit. One of the biggest lifelines has been the SBA’s PPP that supplies grants to small businesses so they can retain staff.

At Professional Bank, which serves many doctors, lawyers and small businesses, one early shift was offering customers government loans, mainly through the PPP. “We proactively jumped on it,” says Abel Iglesias, president and CEO of the Coral Gables-based bank with $1.7 billion in assets. His team perceived its role as a front-line responder for the economy. “We pretty much transitioned our organization to turn things upside down, from a high-touch, low-volume bank to almost a retail factory-like operation to process an onslaught of PPP applications that came through.” In all, Professional approved more than 1,300 PPP loans topping $215 million.

Even with help covering payroll, the cruel fact has been that many restaurateurs and retailers simply went without any sales, or any substantial sales, for several months. “The fact is that most small businesses live revenue day to revenue day, like people with a paycheck,” says Kaplan. “Losing so many months is a challenge. Every business will be its own story, but as soon as landlords crack down on tenants you are going to see some small businesses closing.”

Barbara Tria, who is a specialist in agreements between tenants

PRECAUTIONS: TEMPERATURE TESTING

STAFF AT EWM WHO HAVE RETURNED TO THEIR OFFICE FIND A NEW ENVIRONMENT LEFT: LAURA KOZELOUZEK, FOUNDER AND CEO OF QUEST WORKSPACES, ONE OF THE ALTERNATIVES FOR POST-COVID OFFICES

and landlords, says that options run the gamut from granting outright abatements or reductions in rent, to deferring those payments to a later time. If no compromise is reached, landlords can evict tenants who don’t pay, “Though I’m not sure what positive outcome that provides,” says Tria. “I’m not seeing a situation where multiple tenants are waiting in line for particular spaces.”

“We have tried to work with all of our tenants,” says Marc Schwarzberg, partner in Maven Realty, which has a number of restaurant tenants on Giralda Plaza. “It wasn’t about rent as much it was about staying alive. These are small, independent businesses where the owners came in and worked their asses off.” Schwarzberg says each tenant was dealt with individually, going so far as to look at bank statements. “It’s been difficult to craft a consistent approach, in particular in regard to our restaurant spaces, who were specifically caught in the lockdown. [But] all have now reopened and we are not evicting anyone.”

Individual cases of extreme financial stress led even the Coral Gables Community Foundation to help out local retailers, something they don’t ordinarily do. From their Community Response Fund, they were able to issue a half dozen micro grants, such as a $2,000 grant to Chocolate Fashion on Andalusia. “We felt we had to support some of our small businesses that were really hurt by the shutdown,” says foundation director Mary Snow. Says the owner of Chocolate Fashion, Persy Berger, “Their help was critical for our survival.”

HELP FROM THE TOP DOWN

In the fight to help Coral Gables small businesses survive, a crucial weapon in the war chest is support from the city itself.

As 2020 began, city officials had plans to aggressively lure new businesses to Coral Gables, in particular targeting financial firms in the Northeast looking to escape high taxes and winter weather. “And a lot of companies were looking,” says Julian Perez, director of the city’s Department of Economic Development. But when the pandemic hit in March, “We had to reorganize ourselves,” says Perez, “to concentrate on the companies here and minimize the impact of the crisis.”

Using a model from Salt Lake City, his department surveyed local businesses to gauge their concerns. Of more than 140 responses, 75 percent said they would rely on technology to make up for in-shop customers, but only half said they had the infrastructure to do it. Equally troubling, 50 percent of surveyed businesses said they needed training in digital marketing analytics to target customers.

Perez had his team put together business technology webinars, which began in late May, through which local business owners could hear from academics and city cyber experts on strategies to stay alive. Webinar presenter Sara Rushinek, a professor of business technology at the University of Miami, even volunteered to link struggling businesses with tech-savvy students looking to replace virus-canceled internships. These partnerships helped businesses learn to use social media and Zoom conferencing, for example, to decrease costs and increase sales.

Other programs were also launched. The city joined forces with the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce to hold a small business recovery workshop, with panelists that included the city’s retail strategist Francesca Valdes, who subsequently launched a series of webinars on best practices and tactics to optimize sales and inventories. “Everyone needs to be more efficient. Everybody is going to have to reinvent,” says Rushinek. “Even [small businesses] who have a strong following and survived the last recession are going to be suffering.”

THE REOPENING TIMELINE

APRIL 29 GOLF COURSES, TENNIS COURTS

MAY 1 LARGE PARKS

MAY 8 HOSPITALS & DOCTOR OFFICES

MAY 18 RETAIL STORES, OFFICES, PERSONAL GROOMING

MAY 20 RESTAURANTS

JUNE 1 HOTELS, POOLS

JUNE 8 GYMS AND FITNESS CLUBS

JUNE 25 THE MASK ORDER

Both the chamber and economic development also worked with the Business Improvement District, whose mission is to market the small downtown businesses. In addition to beefing up their online component to promote demand for downtown stores and restaurants, “The BID purchased 5,000 masks and distributed them to all the local businesses, so nobody had to turn away any clients,” said Hornick, a volunteer member of the BID marketing committee.

At the suggestion of Vice Mayor Vince Lago, the economic development department also set up a Business Recovery Task Force (BRTF), a kind of brain trust with eight members; two were appointed by the University of Miami, two by the Chamber of Commerce, one by the city manager, one by the Community Foundation, one by the BID, and one by the city commission as a whole.

“We were initially meeting weekly, and now we meet every other week,” says task force member Susana Alvarez-Diaz, a UM professor of entrepreneurship. The BRTF, she says, has recommended “a heavy push for these small businesses” that make up most of the employers in Coral Gables. “We are very mindful to stay in line with state and county guidelines to make sure we don’t impose anything that would be detrimental to the businesses,” she says. But with that in mind, they have recommended that certain streets be closed so that restaurants can use them for outdoor seating, that permits for outdoor seating on Miracle Mile be less restrictive, and that signage regulations be relaxed for retailers who want to let the world know they are open.

They have also been trying to think outside the box, with recommendations for safe outdoor events for certain target markets, such as seniors, singles or families with children. “A lot of cities have talked about drive in movies,” said Alvarez-Diaz. “I have discussed cultural events where you drive past different entertainers, maybe down one long street. Something different for the family to get out and feel safe, something fun, something cultural… we need ideas that speak to the time we are in.”

Ultimately, even with the most creative ideas, it will be the public response to COVID-19 that will determine the economic revival of Coral Gables. For small businesses, staying afloat as the economy reboots will rely on innovation, but also the public’s willingness to shop locally. Everything else will ripple outward from that.

“It is really hard to say how many businesses will come back, because we are still in crisis mode,” says Perez. “My personal gut feeling is that there are certain businesses that will do well, because they have adjusted and have an established clientele. We live in a community with a strong identity, that identifies with its business community. There are a lot of people who feel that way, with a lot of pride. That is something that we have that other communities may not have, and that is great to have in these times.” ■

–– Additional reporting by Richard Westlund and Doreen Hemlock

Pool Homes for under $2 Million in Coral Gables

today, we asked three real estate agents to submit one of their homes for sale in that price range – give or take a few hundred thousand dollars – with a place to go for a dip. Here is what they came up with, in different Gables locations.

Palms and Light

6509 RIVIERA DR.

South Gables, Oak-lined Street

420 TIVOLI AVE.

Listing Price

$1.69 million

Listing Price

$1.995 million

4 bed/4 bath/3,856 sq. ft. (adjusted)

A midcentury modern home in the South Gables on nearly half an acre, with open floor plan and travertine floors throughout. Heated pool with “beach” entry and full cabana bathroom, close to parks and schools. Beamed ceilings, two-car garage, impact glass, and lots of light everywhere. Listing Agent: Judy Zeder (Jills Zeder Group/Coldwell Banker), 305.613.5550

4 bed/3 bath/3,015 sq. ft. (adjusted)

Located off Old Cutler Road near Cartagena Plaza, this modern home was recently remodeled, with a new flat tile roof and high-impact windows. On a curvilinear triple lot with towering oaks out front and lush clusia hedges out back for privacy. Ash tone hardwood floors in the bedrooms, marble floors in the common areas. Listing Agent: Tony Rios, Jr. (Shelton and Stewart Realtors), 305.968.7323

On the County Preserve

11525 NOGALES ST.

CORAL GABLES

Listing Price

$1.695 million

MAGAZINE

5 bed/3 bath/1 half bath/3,909 sq. ft. (adjusted) Just down the road from Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, with a back yard facing the R. Hardy Matheson County Preserve, this “smart home” was redesigned and renovated in 2017. Modern whiteness with porcelain tile floors, new roof, impact doors & windows, chef’s kitchen and large covered terrace overlooking the pool. Listing Agent: Ashley Cusack (Berkshire Hathaway/EWM), 305.798.8685

thriving business community is key to the success of Coral Gables. Almost three quarters of all city taxes are paid by businesses, which view the Gables as one of the best environments to locate a company or professional office anywhere in Miami-Dade County.

To address the needs of new and expanding businesses in the City Beautiful, Coral Gables magazine is producing “A Complete Guide to Doing Business in Coral Gables.” Working closely with the city’s Economic Development Department, this annual report will feature essential information on such areas as banking & financial services, commercial & residential real estate, the permitting process, shared workspaces, foreign trade offices & multinationals, business education, the local corporate landscape, resources for entre-preneurs, and much more.

Copies of this comprehensive and informative document will be used by the city to promote business development throughout the coming year. Use this opportunity to brand your business and its services to an audience of companies already here or planning to relocate here.

CALL 305.995.0995

Steak Out

MEATING THE COMPETITION ON PONCE AND THE MILE

BY ANDREW GAYLE

With the exception of Italian restaurants, few kinds of eating establishments are more proli c in Coral Gables than steakhouses. ere is now Christy’s, Fleming’s, Ruth’s Chris and Perry’s, followed by Argentine meat-eateries like Graziano’s. And then there is Morton’s, the Texasbased national steak chain.

For starters, Morton’s has the advantage of location, situated at ground zero for downtown Coral Gables – the intersection of Miracle Mile and Ponce de Leon Boulevard. It is also inside the historic Colonnade building, where it enjoys a steakhouse rarity: outdoor seating. Yes, Perry’s has a courtyard in the Shops at Merrick Park, but this is seating under colonnades, a café society setting on people-watching Ponce.

With the advent of the virus, the outdoor seating has expanded, while indoor seating has been reduced for social distancing. Outside there are now 15 tables compared to a dozen inside, so now is the time to take advantage of eating al fresco while the weather is still pleasant in the evenings. “We’re at 50 percent capacity inside, but we actually added tables on the outside,” says Assistant General Manager Adam Moreira.

Of course, Morton’s location would be meaningless if they did not serve top notch steaks. And theirs are stunning. Rather than the dry-aging technique used by other steakhouses, Morton’s wet-ages their steaks.

at means the meat is vacuum sealed in plastic so that no moisture escapes while it ages –unlike dry aging, which exposes

the surface to the air. “All of our cuts age for about three weeks,” says Moreira. “With wet aging there is less of a gamey taste, and it tenderizes the meat.”

en comes Morton’s dry rubs on the meat, followed by six minutes at a temperature of 1,800 degrees. “We never cook it at a lower heat,” says Chef Tony Gaspar. “You need that to sear in the avor.” e result is a stunningly succulent cut of beef.

For my money, the New York Strip steak at Morton’s may be the best I have ever tasted. Other members of our party preferred the more marbled ribeye, but I didn’t think the extra fat was needed. e wet-aging process made the strip juicy enough, with a robust avor. And, like all their cuts, the beef is served with your choice of avored butters. We favored the tru e-infused.

Of course, Morton’s does a lot more than cook steaks.

eir appetizers run the gamut of steakhouse seafoods, from a colossal crab meat cocktail to baked escargot. Our waiter Angel recommended the bacon wrapped sea scallops, and they were a toothsome combination of perfectly cooked scallops with a salty crust. We also tried the miso-marinated sea bass, which had a light, sweet glaze. Just right.

At the time we dined at Morton’s, they still had a re-

OPPOSITE PAGE

TOP LEFT: Angus Prime Flank

Steak with Chimichurri & Corn

TOP RIGHT: Lobster Mac and Cheese

CENTER: Prime New York Strip

Steak

BOTTOM: Morton’s Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake

duced post-COVID menu. is included a limited selection of four wines, their “bottle shock” collection at $99 a bottle. We picked the Stags’ Leap cab from Napa, and it was excellent. And the rest of the menu, though limited, had just what we wanted: the core traditional foods of a steakhouse, like lobster bisque, Caesar salad and wedge salad, jumbo shrimp cocktails and jumbo baked potatoes. ey also do a stand-out lobster macaroni and cheese, and their creamed spinach tastes like my grandmother made it.

“People are kind of ordering the basics,” Angel told us. “Even in the cocktails. Martinis and margaritas. Nothing fancy. Sort of like it’s good to be back.”

And, like a good steakhouse, Morton’s also serves those comfortable, reliable desserts, like key lime pie and New York cheesecake. Angel recommended, however, Morton’s “Legendary” Hot Chocolate Cake. e experience was – wait for it – legendary. A hot lava of melted chocolate emerging from the body of the chocolate cake, itself topped with whole strawberries and confectioner’s sugar, paired with a ball of vanilla ice cream. at, plus a traditional Sambuca night cap, nished a ne meal in a ne setting. Welcome back. ■

MORTON’S THE STEAKHOUSE 2333 PONCE DE LEON BLVD. 305.442.1662

“WE NEVER COOK IT AT A LOWER HEAT,” SAYS CHEF TONY GASPAR. “YOU NEED THAT TO SEAR IN THE FLAVOR.” THE RESULT IS A STUNNINGLY SUCCULENT CUT OF BEEF.

THE TOP

TOP OUTDOOR RESTAURANTS

Each month we present a selection of Coral Gables’ finest restaurants, sorted according to their type of cuisine, and with guidance as to their specialties, ambiance and pricing. Now that the coronavirus is upon us, our usual dining experience has changed. Last month we listed only those restaurants offering takeout and delivery during the COVID-19 shutdown. This month, most of the city’s restaurants have reopened, but with safety guidelines regarding the wearing of masks and distancing between tables.

We realize, however, that even with the precautions being taken by restaurateurs, some people may still not feel comfortable sitting inside. For that reason, we have compiled a guide to restaurants that have outdoor seating –sure to make even the most cautious among us feel comfortable. What is amazing is just how many places in the Gables have one form or another of outdoor seating – more than 40 such establishments, with everything from courtyards to covered ways to true sidewalk café tables that Giralda Plaza and Miracle Mile were rebuilt to accommodate. So, enjoy your taste of café society – at least until the dog days of summer make sitting inside look not so unpleasant.

$ ............ Under $25

$$ .......... $25-$40

$$$ ........ $35-$75

$$$$ ...... $70-$100+

Prices are per person for appetizer and entrée, no tax, tip or drinks. Prices are approximate.

AMERICAN

77 Sport Bar

Like most restaurants on Giralda Plaza, 77 Sport Bar already had outdoor dining. Even with six-foot distancing, they still have plenty of tables outside plus their shaded lounge area for hookah smoking. They’re known for having ice cold draft beer, perfect for the summer heat. $ 180 Giralda Ave. 305.735.1477

Bachour

Great brunch and world’s best pastries. Their expansive courtyard is perfect for a pandemic. It has plenty of outdoor seating options and was designed to have a breeze blow down the center, circulating fresh air throughout. $ - $$ 2020 Salzedo St. 305.203.0552

Bob’s Burgers

Great burgers and chili. They’ve set up a few tables outside the restaurant, so you can eat your classic burger virus-free while enjoying a view of the Granada Golf Course. $ 2001 Granada Blvd. 305.567.3100

Cheesecake Factory

With over 250 menu items from flatbread pizzas to “glamburgers,” The Cheesecake Factory has something for everyone’s food mood. They also have outdoor tables in a covered area on Andalusia Avenue. $$ 2418 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.529.0703

Clutch Burger

Clutch burger never really closed during the pandemic, because you could ‘take out’ one of their over-the-top burgers and eat at any outdoor table on Giralda Plaza. They’re still here, along with those tables. $$ 146 Giralda Ave. 305.400.8242

Copper 29

The outdoor dining setting is more or less the same as before the pandemic, with a handful of high top tables on the sidewalk; now they’re just farther apart. A great setting for brunch, happy hour and people watching on the Mile. $ 206 Miracle Mile 786.580.4689

Eating House

Pre-coronavirus, Eating House didn’t have any outdoor seating, so they made their own. Now there are three tables under a tent where two parking spots used to be. It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing, but they get an A for effort. $$ 804 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.448.6524

Seasons 52

The restaurant itself is massive –especially for a space on Miracle Mile – which means they have plenty of sidewalk real estate. Their desserts alone are worth the visit. $$ 321 Miracle Mile 305.442.8552

Sports Grill

Now you can enjoy those famous Sports Grill special grilled wings [voted the best in the Gables by this magazine] without the fear of catching COVID. Outdoor seating both in front and out back. $ 1559 Sunset Dr. 305.668.0396

Tap 42

The outdoor scene at Tap 42 hasn’t changed a whole lot. The booths already have a high back that separates diners from each other. We’re just happy the brunch scene is alive and well. $$ 301 Giralda Ave. 786.391.1566

The Globe

Plenty of tables on Alhambra Circle, plus The Globe always keeps their doors open, so you can sit outside and still hear the live jazz on Saturday nights while munching on their incomparable conch fritters. Don’t forget lunch, with awesome mixed salads. $ - $$ 377 Alhambra Circle 305.455.3555

Yard House Yard House has a huge menu so you can always find something to

your taste – along with great lunch and happy hour deals. Plus, lots of outdoor seating at the Shops at Merrick Park. $$ 320 San Lorenzo Ave. 305.447.9273

ASIAN

K.A.O. Sushi & Grill

This Miracle Mile eatery has a plethora of tables outside, from tables out on the sidewalk to booths by the entrance. Amazing deals right now like $12 for a fried rice entrée and two-for-one sushi rolls. $$ 127 Miracle Mile 786.864.1212

Kae Sushi

The food is good, but the service is slow. But with dishes like $7 for shrimp shumai and $12 for specialty rolls, their pricing is more than reasonable. Come here if you’re short on cash, but long on time. $-$$ 143 Giralda Ave. 305.814.5872

Miss Saigon

Any restaurant on Giralda Plaza has an advantage over every other restaurant. If you also serve high quality food from Vietnam, you have a winning combination. Great pho. $$ 148 Giralda Ave. 305.446.8006

Mint Leaf

Their al fresco eating can only accommodate six people with three two-person tables; at least

they are under an overhang. So, reserve early on date night for their excellent Indian cuisine. $$ 276 Alhambra Circle 305.443.3739

Moon Thai

With lots of tables and an umbrella at each, this is a great spot to eat outside if you don’t mind the noise from U.S. 1. Highly recommend their Japanese house salad (who doesn’t love ginger dressing?) and Pad Thai. $ - $$ 1118 S. Dixie Hwy. 305.668.9890

Sawa Restaurant & Lounge

We have long been huge fans of this split-personality mainstay at the Shops at Merrick Park, which offers parallel menus of Japanese and Lebanese food. Thankfully they have lots of outdoor seating under umbrellas. $$-$$$ 360 San Lorenzo Ave. 305.447.6555

Sushi Maki

Here there are two different options for dining al fresco: the patio-esque area on the corner of Ponce and Aragon, or on the sidewalk on Ponce. We prefer the patio because the tables are larger and shade is a must. $ -

$$ 2334 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.443.1884

FRENCH

Brasserie Central

If you want the experience of a French café, this is the spot, with seating along San Lorenzo or under umbrellas and an overhang in the vast courtyard of the Shops at Merrick Park. $$ - $$$ 320 San Lorenzo Ave. 786.536.9388

Pascal’s on Ponce

Pascal’s is the culinary canvas of owner-chef Pascal Oudin, who brings authentic and exquisite French cuisine to the heart of the city. Several tables on Ponce let you enjoy it al fresco. $$$ 2611 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.444.2024

ITALIAN

Caffe Abbracci

Nino Pernetti’s Italian restaurant is both a power lunch favorite for the business elite and an evening gathering place for families and couples. A half dozen tables on Aragon for outdoor dining. $$$ 318 Aragon Ave. 305.441.0700

Fiola

This upscale Italian restaurant offers intimate al fresco dining with four tables tucked away on the side of the building facing San Ignacio Avenue. Perfect for date night and all seafood cravings.

$$$$ 1500 San Ignacio Avenue 305.912.2639

Salumeria 104

Specializing in Italian sliced hams, you can sit close to the street and watch as people struggle to parallel park or underneath the overhang for less entertainment, but more shade. $-$$ 117 Miracle Mile 305.640.5547

Terre del Sapore

We love eating here (seriously, they have superb Neapolitan pizza and now a new pasta menu), but there are only a couple of tables outside and no umbrellas. In the evening shade, however, quite pleasant. $-$$ 246 Giralda Ave. 786.870.5955

Villagio

A long-time favorite for weary shoppers at the Shops at Merrick Park, Villagio is a haven for outdoor dining, with cloth covered tables and huge umbrellas. $$-$$$ 358 San Lorenzo Ave. 305.447.8144

LATIN & SOUTH AMERICAN

Buenos Aires Bistro

We give this relatively new addition to the Gables an A+. Every table has wide, cushioned chairs and couches, perfect for relaxing with a cool cocktail – and we can’t get enough of their quinoa and salmon bowl. $$-$$$ 180 Aragon Ave. 786.409.5121

Caja Caliente

Prior to COVID, Caja didn’t have any tables outside. Now they set up three with two chairs at each. So, not a ton of seating, but their $4 lechon tacos on Tuesdays make up for it. $ 808 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 786.431.1947

Calle 23

We’re excited to have another hangout that will draw the Millenial crowd to the Gables with their neon signs and happy hour deals. Latin food at high tops on the sidewalk and a lounge by the entrance. $-$$ 230 Miracle Mile 786.325.3474

El Porteño

Great food, great wine and awesome cheese board that pays homage to the avors of Ar-

gentina. Now you can enjoy it outside. $$-$$$ 271 Miracle Mile. 786.534.8888

La Taberna Giralda

Only a few tables out front on the sidewalk, but they have a spacious courtyard out back. From tapas, to paella to their Spanish wine collection, there isn’t a bad item on the menu. $$ 254 Giralda Ave. 786.362.5677

Divino Ceviche

Divino takes ceviche to another level, along with lots of other authentic types of Peruvian food and beer. Add to that their cluster of tables under umbrellas on Giralda Plaza for a winning formula. $$ 160 Giralda Ave. 786.360.3775

Graziano’s is gourmet Argentina deli and restaurant (with a great wine collection) has plenty of outdoor seating at high tops under the arches along Galiano, with signs indicating which ones have been sanitized. $ - $$ 2301 Galiano St. 305.460.0001

Talavera Cocina Mexicana

Voted the best Mexican restaurant in Coral Gables by this magazine,

Talavera brings delicious authentic cuisine from south of the border to its array of tables on Giralda Plaza. Could use more umbrellas, so come early or late. $$ 2299 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.444.2955

SEAFOOD

Gringo’s Oyster Bar

A shrine for fresh seafood with the freshest and tastiest oysters you will nd anywhere. Also great lobster rolls. A long alleyway on the side of the restaurant, with overhead fans, lets you enjoy out of doors. $$-$$$ 1549 Sunset Dr.

La Dorada

One of the best seafood restaurants in the Gables, with fresh sh own in daily from Spain. Now outdoor seating, in the shade of umbrellas, let you dine outside. $$$$ 177 Giralda Ave. 305.446.2002

MesaMar Seafood Table

Some of the best - if not THE best - seafood in the Gables with inventive fusions between Peruvian and Japanese cuisine. Tables outside on Giralda provide comfortable al fresco. $$$ 264 Giralda Ave. 305.640.8448

Sea Grill

e Shops at Merrick Park is a haven for outdoor dining. Even with six feet between tables, this Greek seafood restaurant has enough space to still seat upwards of a dozen parties in their outdoor patio. $$$-$$$$ 4250 Salzedo St. 305.447.3990

SPANISH

Bellmónt Spanish Restaurant

ey already have a Miami Spice menu and their new al fresco seating on Miracle Mile is the perfect way to enjoy it. We hope they keep these even when things return to normal. $$$ 339 Miracle Mile 786.502.4684

Tapeo Eatery & Bar

Mara’s Basque cuisine has been transformed into a bustling tapas bar with Spanish small plates. With plenty of seating on Giralda Plaza, now is the time to taste the di erence. $$ 112 Giralda Ave. 786.452.9902

STEAK

Morton’s the Steakhouse

Morton’s in the Gables is not just another Morton’s. Its setting in the Colonnade gives it a unique elegance, with outdoor seating under the arches. Prime aged beef, excellent salads. $$$ 2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.442.1662

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse

Fantastic aged steaks, a seafood tower that won’t quit, and a wine cellar that appears to have no end of its depth – and a few tables outside on Valencia if you wish to eat outside the cavernous interior.

$$$-$$$$ 2525 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.569.7995

Perry’s Steakhouse

Perry’s is a Texas chain that gets its beef from the heart of the Lone Star State – along with their famous ve- nger giant pork chop that’s carved table side. Great out door patio with re pit. $$$$ 4251 Salzedo St. 786.703.9094

PUBS/CAFES/MISC.

Café at Books & Books

Most people might not think about Books & Books when trying to decide where to eat, but it actually has a nice large courtyard. Now we can’t wait until their farm-to-table series is back. $ 265 Aragon Ave. 305.442.4408

Café Demetrio

e courtyard at this café is so gorgeous that we eat outside here even when there’s not a global pandemic. Umbrellas at each table coupled with a massive banyan that shades at all hours. $ 300 Alhambra Circle 305.448.4949

Crema Gourmet Espresso Bar

If outdoor dining were a monarchy, Crema would be king. Tons of seating options from two-person tables on the expanded sidewalk to larger tables and couches by the entrance. $ 169 Miracle Mile 786.360.4026

Ortanique on the Mile

A long-time favorite on Miracle Mile, Ortanique’s fabulous Caribbean cuisine can now be enjoyed at its dramatically expanded outdoor seating, under welcoming orange umbrellas. $$-$$$ 278 Miracle Mile 305.446.7710

Sacha’s Café

e courtyard at Sacha’s is one of our favorite places for sandwiches, quiches and salmon. e tables are distant from each other and, tucked away o Ponce, in a quiet oasis. $ 2525 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.569.1300

Threefold Cafe

You have to love a place that is dedicated to breakfast all day long, especially since you can enjoy the salmon scrambled eggs and smashed avocado toast under the umbrellas of Giralda Plaza. $$ 141 Giralda Ave. 305.704.8007

TUR Kitchen

is relative newcomer to the Gables has a wonderfully inventive menu of Mediterranean cuisine, including excellent lamb and Aegean seafood dishes. Elegant seating under the arches along Giralda. $$$ 259 Giralda Ave. 786.483.8014

FAST CASUAL/TAKEOUT

Carrot Express

Following the trend, they added a few high top tables out on the

expanded Miracle Mile sidewalk. A nice place to sit for a quick, healthy lunch. $ 259 Miracle Mile 786.471.4985

Coyo Taco

A great selection of tacos, and open till the wee hours, we always found the inside a little bright. So those outdoor tables on Giralda Plaza were the go-to place for seating even before the pandemic. $ 126 Giralda Ave. 786.629.7929

La Sandwicherie

Anyone familiar with their other locations celebrated the recent arrival of this mecca for sandwich lovers. Now you can nosh on their oversized masterpieces while sitting outside on Giralda Plaza $ 142 Giralda Ave. 786.615.2724

P.Pole Pizza

Outdoor seating is nothing new here. Whenever we eat here, if we’re not taking their atbread-style pizza to-go, we sit outside, where it’s more quiet than the bustle inside. $ 279 Miracle Mile 786.618.5287 ■

Gables Street Style

The new look for deliveries: For the time being, until the pandemic is bested by a vaccine, this will be the masked and covered style for the people who deliver meals to the elderly. Here we caught food service volunteer Gely Quiñonez delivering in the Gables. Photo by Emily Fakhoury.

The best places are people.

Sometimes we find the places we want to go aren’t really places at all…they’re people. And our people are honored to take you to yours because you are why we fly