Frontage race
Panamericano, Belle Meade Island listings, Casa de Barcelona, St. Pete, The Boca Raton, FOUND Paris & LDN, best Palm Beach County hotels, MORE
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale properties on Belle Meade Island that came to market in the last 20 days.
→ 928 Belle Meade Island Dr (Belle Meade Island) • 3BR/2.1BA, 3150 SF house • Ask: $7.8M • 90 ft of frontage with newly constructed seawall, dock, and lift • Days on market: 8 • Annual taxes: NA • Agent: Christina Fernandez, ACC Realty.
→ 1070 Belle Meade Island Dr (Belle Meade Island, above) • 3BR/3BA, 2860 SF house • Ask: $7.99M • 111 ft of frontage, infinity pool, jacuzzi • Days on market: 15 (and previous at $8.9M) • Annual taxes: NA • Agents: Nancy Batchelor & Michelle Shurtleff, Compass.
→ 7331 Belle Meade Island Dr (Belle Meade Island) • 4BR/3.1BA, 3612 SF house • Ask: $11.499M • 95 ft of frontage, ‘classical features’ • Days on market: 16 • Annual taxes: $48,548 • Agents: Fabian Garcia-Diaz & Allan Kleer, One Sotheby's.
MIAMI WORK AND PLAY LINKS: Futuristic Foster + Partners-designed office tower 3050 Aventura tops off • Shuttered Olympia Theater will reopen for Miami Film Festival • Why luxury fashion is turning off rich people.
WORK • Launches
New FOUNDs
Over the last month, we’ve been running test issues for both FOUND Paris and FOUND LDN and both are looking good. We’re on track for Q1 launches in both markets.
As with the U.S. editions of FOUND, the central idea is to help locals get more out of their cities (and surrounds). But both Paris and London will be good and useful reads for savvy visitors, too. If you’re in either camp (or have friends who are), use these early-access links to get on the lists:
Meanwhile, we’ve assembled a talented team of contributors on the ground in each city. But there’s always room for more sharp writers (and non-writers with good taste). If you’d like to join the party, drop us a line at found@foundparis.com or found@foundldn.com.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shop
Rare vintage
Stepping into Casa de Barcelona feels like walking into a stylish, design-minded friend’s home. The sophisticated vintage furniture at the by-appointment-only showroom in Little River is hand-selected by owner Raúl Bartolomé, who talks visiting clients through the history of each piece (though you can also shop his collection via 1st Dibs and Instagram).
There’s something visually compelling or decadently textural on every surface, whether a waist-high agate plinth lamp or a large-scale abstract pastel painting. All the vintage sofas, daybeds, and chairs are in perfect condition (or are recently reupholstered), like a 1978 Milo Baughman sofa in a lush gold and navy jacquard velvet print.
Brands often borrow from Casa de Barcelona for high profile events, like during Art Basel, when the shop loaned out an intricately sculpted maple and cherry wood bar cabinet by Jeremy Kimchi. –Caitlin Pangares
→ Casa de Barcelona (Little River) • 210 NW 73rd St • By appointment only.
BARS • First Round
North to south
The Skinny: Opened in November at the rear of Argentine restaurant Novecento (in Mary Brickell Village), Panamericano is a speakeasy-like bar, cultivating a bit of mystery, but pouring excellent, creative cocktails.
The Vibe: Ringing a nondescript doorbell grants entry through the door, into a dark speakeasy dominated by a backlit bar with spirits from around the Americas. Shelves filled with rums, whiskeys, and liqueurs from Canada to Tierre Del Fuego frame a team of mixologists who know how to craft them into something as theatrical as it is delicious.
Whether you post up at the bar or opt for a booth, your server will take their time explaining the concept behind each cocktail. The barely-lit spaces and sexy music make it ideal for an adventurous date. The literal book of a menu gives you plenty to read over — an evening here is nothing if not an education.
The Drinks: You can order any cocktail you please, but why play it safe when you can order a drink named after a Peruvian spirit journey, like the San Pedro Ceremony, whose presentation is modeled after ayahuasca rituals. Even non-alcoholic drinks come with a heavy dose of theatrics, as with the zero-proof Water Divination Ceremony, which arrives with a blindfold and a steaming cocktail glass. The list of distilled spirits is impressive, too, and you’d do well to try a flight of whiskeys or rums, if they’re on offer that day.
The verdict: For atmosphere, creative cocktails, and a story with every order, Panamericano is for my money the best new bar experience in the city. –Matt Meltzer
→ Panamericano (Brickell) • 900 S Miami Ave • Tue-Thur 5p-12a, Fri-Sat 5p-2a • Reserve.
MIAMI RESTAURANT LINKS: Uchi team debuting another Austin import, Uchico, on Monday in Sunset Harbor • Chicago import Aba Miami to close 5/1 • Is Shuckers Bar & Grill reopening? • How are restaurants splashing their VIPs?
WORK • Thursday Routine
High spirits
MITCHELL MEREDITH • beverage program manager • Bacardi Center of Excellence at FIU
Neighborhood you live in: Normandy Isle
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Through my role at the Bacardi Center of Excellence, I work in North Miami at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus in the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. This is a first-of-its-kind partnership between a spirits company and an institution of higher education focusing on beverage management in the hospitality industry through practical experiential learning.
My day-to-day centers on guiding the learning process of the future leaders of hospitality, working specifically with four interns to build educational programming, facilitate events, and engage with the Miami beverage industry. Thursday is a full day for class scheduling on campus, meaning the building will be alive and full of students, faculty, and staff milling about.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Morning usually starts with a café con leche con leche evaporada y azúcar, Cuban toast, and a tequeño from Tinta y Cafe in Miami Shores.
I’ve scheduled a research and development session with the students today. We have the opportunity to work with innovative equipment, including the Hard Tank, a rapid infusion machine created for cold brewed coffee. Our team uses it to create rapid infusions of spirits; specifically infusing herbs or botanicals into gin, vodka, or tequila.
Any bar or restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
This weekend, for my girlfriend's birthday, we’ll be going to a trusted source for curated ambiance, intentional service, and downright incredible Italian, not to mention the delicious wines, Macchialina in South Beach. To start the evening, we’ll choose between visiting Derek and Victor at Bar Kaiju for a pre-dinner cocktail (the clarified and carbonated chukwa is my favorite) or Magie for a bottle of bubbles. Speaking of birthday planning, I’ll be stopping by Cindy Lou's Cookies to stock up. Although I love their triple almond threat, the birthday queen prefers the guava and cheese.
How about a little leisure or culture?
The beauty of Normandy Isle isn’t just its quiet streets, but the short distance to the beach. I’ll likely take the North Beach Loop trolley to soak up the sun and enjoy some time on the sand. This calls for snacks, a good book, and Cazadores Paloma RTDs, the trio of a successful beach day.
Any weekend getaways?
Our favorite weekend getaway from Miami is the St. Pete area, as it combines your standard Florida beach town with incredible sunsets and great food. A four-hour drive is well worth it to get away from Miami’s hustle and bustle, and after the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, they can use the support. The Sunken Gardens aren’t only a St. Pete staple, but a beautiful way to spend the afternoon, followed by a walk on the pier. And for a casual dinner, Trophy Fish (don't sleep on the jalapeno hush puppies).
What was your last great vacation?
Spain, last fall, starting my journey in Barcelona, exploring the coastal cities of Tarragona and Valencia. Highlights include exploring the incredible tapas bars of Barcelona (Bar Cañete is a must), the Santa Tecla Festival in Tarragona (for its frozen yellow Chartreuse cocktails, street procession with fireworks, and incredible coastal views), and traveling through the historical Priorat wine region, specifically Scala Dei, where Chartreuse was once made. In Barcelona, beyond Castle Montjuic, Sagrada Familia, and Park Guell, we also made sure to find a cafe for a tinto de verano every day; some things in life just shouldn't be missed.
CULTURE & LEISURE • JITG
Unrivaled Basketball League • Phantoms v Laces and Lunar Owls v Rose • Wayfair Arena (Medley) • Fri @ 7p • section 9A, $179 per
Ari Shapiro: Thank You for Listening • Amaturo Theater at Broward Center (Ft Lauderdale) • Fri @ 8p • orchestra center, $45 per
Jazz in the Gardens • Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Toni Braxton, New Edition et al., Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex (Miami Gardens) • Sat-Sun • 2-day Platinum 4, $500 per
GETAWAYS • Boca Raton
Major Boca
First opened in 1926, The Boca Raton was Addison Mizner’s answer to the Breakers in Palm Beach and served as a playground for the rich and famous for decades. It recently underwent a nine-figure renovation that included the addition of several Major Food Group restaurants within the historic main resort building and a complete overhaul to its oceanfront Beach Club across the intracoastal (accessible by five-minute boat or shuttle ride).
I recently checked into the Beach Club, which reopened in January, and quickly surrendered to the seaside luxury. The resort is anchored by an oceanfront lagoon-style swimming pool (there’s also an adults-only option) with stylish striped lounge chairs and umbrellas. Inside, the club is decked out with floor-to-ceiling windows, mid-century modern-inspired furniture, and blonde hardwood, making for a luxurious beach house aesthetic with throwback charm.
Guest rooms are big and bright, with ocean-facing suites whose big, sliding glass doors open up to balconies or private lanais.
The Beach Club’s central bar is the social hub where guests gather every night at sunset to enjoy breezes on the long, outdoor patio, before moving onto Marisol or Onda for dinner. The former focuses on Greek mezze and cocktails, while the latter specializes in local seafood. To get a taste of Major Food Group in Boca, I shuttled over to the main resort, where Principessa occupies an ornate, high-ceilinged dining room overlooking the intracoastal for beef carpaccio, spicy shrimp scampi capellini, and rigatoni bolognese. (There’s also an outpost of Sadelle’s for lox and bagels in a grand Art Deco setting.)
With over a dozen dining destinations between two resorts, a spa, golf course, tennis courts, and a marina, you could easily spend a week at the Boca Raton and never leave. It’s a fascinating piece of South Florida history and a true immersion in seaside luxury. –Matt Meltzer
→ The Boca Raton Beach Club (Boca Raton) • 900 S Ocean Blvd • Rates from $912.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Brightline’s spring break sale • Starwood is back (at least in name) • Previewing One GT, new luxe hotel coming this fall to Georgetown, Grand Cayman • Hotelier Andre Balasz talks about Chiltern Firehouse’s massive fire: ‘It’s a complete redo.’
ASK FOUND
First, a quick primer on how this works: You send us the pressing questions of the day (on dining, services, living in Miami and surrounds). We all put our heads together (us at FOUND, + you, FOUND subscribers, who are also FOUND) in search of truth and beauty.
Today, three FOUND subscriber PROMPTS for which we seek intel:
After London and Paris, where should FOUND launch next?
What shops are you keeping an eye on for spring lines?
What’s your spring Caribbean getaway?
Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfoundmiami.com.
GETAWAYS • The Nines
Hotels, Palm Beach County
Nine places to stay in Palm Beach County. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundmiami.com.
The Breakers (Palm Beach), Henry Flagler’s OG palace on Palm Beach, $1639