Velvet Underground: Pooch and Roth return with Bella Beach Club at Trump in Sunny Isles
It was pretty much decades ago when Tommy Pooch ran the show at Nikki Beach Club which was, back then anyway, South Beach’s sandy version of , say, the Playboy Mansion minus the grottos but full of models and old men who love them. Young folks went too, and now those young folks are officially the old folks who will flock to the brand new Bella Beach Club at the Trump International Hotel in Sunny Isles, where Pooch and his co-hort Alan Roth have pitched their umbrellas for what promises to be a splashy, flashy scene of young, old and in between. And don’t forget those models. Ageless and evergreen, it’s all about the models.
According to its website, Bella Beach is a chic, Mediterranean-inspired restaurant and lounge located directly on the property’s pristine, white sand beach.” Sound familiar? Of course it does. It’s all about formula. And part of that formula includes day beds, raw bar, caviar, lobster, cocktails, entertainment and ocean views. Typical of something new in this town, the opening date has been pushed back several times, from January to next weekend, April 21. An oceanfront oasis complete with resort and beachside entrances, custom lounge chairs, daybeds, and elite amenities, Bella Beach is the areas first restaurant situated directly on the sand. Featuring open-air dining and entertainment on select days, Bella Beach fare focuses on Mediterranean-style cuisine, including whole grilled fish, a raw bar, caviar and tartars, grilled steaks, and lobsters.
Night owls and insomniacs will rejoice at the news of SUSHISAMBA dromo’s new late night happy hour, which follows the 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. early – or normal, rather – happy hour at 11 p.m. and continues until closing every Sunday through Thursday. In addition to dollar oysters and assorted $6 snacks, Japanese beer is $5 and specialty cocktails including Pisco Sours and Peruvian Thyme are $6.
Another new happy hour has been launched, this one at the swanky db Bistro Moderne, whose new Thirsty Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. feature $7 specialty cocktails (remember when $7 used to be the base price of cocktails? Neither do we.) and Chef Jarrod Verbiak’s bar bites ranging from $8 to $10. Soundtrack is a fusion of DJ Michael Sarysz and sax player Jon Saxx (not his real name though we wish it was).
More cocktails and foodstuffs will be aplenty during the United Way Miami Wine & Food Festival, April 18 through 21 at Mary Brickell Village, Village of Merrick Park and the Fontainebleau. Among the festival highlights is Top Chef Season 7 winner Kevin Sbraga, flying in from Philly as the celebrity chef for an interactive dinner Friday night at the Fontainebleau. There’s also a Brews and Bites Craft Beer Tasting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 18 at Mary Brickell Village, where over 50 different beers will be paired with food from local restaurants including Timo, Baru Urbano and Fado Irish Pub. VIP tasting starts at 6 p.m. and costs $75 per person. General admission is an hour later at $55 per person. For more information on events and tickets, go to www.miamiwinefestival.org.
Speaking of Brickell, it’s about to get yet another sprawling restaurant, a hand me down from South Beach in the form of China Grill, which is moving to a tri-level space at 801 Brickell Avenue sometime later this year. The landmark South Beach location, which has been there for 17 whopping years, will be closing on April 28. The times they sure are changing, or at least moving.
Moving onto South Beach eventually with no confirmed opening date just yet is the painfully trendy SLS Hotel, which comes to us from Tinseltown with some truly fabulous welcome to the neighborhood gifts. Among them, Hyde Beach, our very own version of the LA hotspot Hyde, where, says its promotional mouthpiece, it is “home to an elite community of the highest profile personalities, athletes and artists looking for the latest music and a night that fulfills their every need.” Recently we noticed that Tom Cruise’s teenaged DJ son Connor used Twitter to promote Hyde Beach (he recently spun at the Houston opening of yet another SLS property, Katsuya) so we asked if he was involved with the South Beach location and so far, there is nothing confirmed but high anticipation. Stay tuned.
This story was originally published April 11, 2012 at 12:04 AM.