Magic hour
Magic hour
Magie, $10M club, Amara at Paraiso, Bouchon Bistro, August effect, The Guesthouses at Southernmost Beach Resort, MORE
BARS & RESTAURANTS • First Word
Wine for grown-ups
The Skinny: Hospitality powerhouse trio Caroline Strauss, Sofia Cirincione, and Jacqueline Pirolo have teamed up to create Magie, the wine bar Little River didn’t know it desperately needed.
The Vibe: A grown-up version of Lagniappe, the kind of laid-back, convivial gathering place where, on arrival, your group will divide and conquer. Send one person to the counter to order a bottle of wine and a charcuterie plate, while another hunts down a table outside on the patio or inside the mod, cozy, living room-like space. Some nights feature live music, full moon Tarot readings, and restaurant pop-ups.
The Drinks: Priced closer to retail than your typical bar (most bottles range from $45 to $60), the selection is curated by (Macchialina’s longtime wine whisperer) Pirolo, and skews towards small producers and natural wines. Consider Bisson Glera Frizzante, bone dry and appley, or the Sebastien Besson Beajoulais Blanc La Cree for something bright, minerally, and crisp. They also host a monthly club where fellow local somms hold court to showcase their latest findings.
The Food: The “snack” menu changes regularly, but charcuterie is always on offer, as in the “Girl Dinner,” a plate of three cheeses, two cured meats, “toasties” and a bottle of wine for $65. Other rotating highlights include tinned fish, escargot, and toasts topped with anything from truffle and tapenade to burrata and peaches.
The Verdict: Could this be the wine bar of our dreams? Casual, cozy vibes, self service, and a fun, funky wine list. As the mural splayed inside Magie reads: “Miami, I have so much to thank you for.” Clearly, they intend on this being one of those things. –Amber Love Bond
→ Magie (Little River) • 8281 NE 2nd Ave • Thurs-Sun 4p-1a.
MIAMI RESTAURANT LINKS: Downtown’s Jaguar Sun to close Aug. 25 as team preps Sunny’s Steakhouse in Little River • South Beach shutters: Chotto Matte closes for renovations, Yard House to close permanently on Sept. 1 • New Italian restaurant Otto & Pepe brings pasta and natural wine to Wynwood • A mojito for every mood.
REAL ESTATE • Market Report
Luxe life
Conversation starter for this weekend’s cocktail party: How many $10M+ homes traded across the country in the first half of 2024?
Who guessed 838? Winner! That’s a 3.9% increase over last year, per Compass’s mid-year report. Ten markets accounted for 75% of all sales, with Palm Beach County in the third slot and Miami-Dade in the fourth.
The full top 10:
Greater Los Angeles CA • 135 sales (-15.62% YoY)
Manhattan NY • 121 (-2.41%)
Palm Beach County FL • 79 (46.29%)
Miami-Dade FL • 74 (21.31%)
Orange County CA • 51 (96.15%)
Southwest Florida FL • 41 (46.42%)
The Hamptons NY • 37 (8.82%)
Silicon Valley & Peninsula CA • 35 (12.90%)
Big Island, Kauai, Oahu & Maui HI • 32 (18.51%)
Aspen CO • 29 -9.37%
Elsewhere in the (loosely defined) ultra-luxe neighborhood, Central Florida (five sales, 400%), Southwest Florida (41 sales, 46.4%), Broward County (15 sales, 25%), and the Emerald Coast (eight sales, 14%) each made the report’s list of 20 markets that saw year-over-year increases.
Final stumper for your cocktail party friends: Which ultra-luxe market saw the largest percentage increase in sales YoY? Nashville, with seven transactions over last year’s one, thanks to (in no particular order) its moderate climate, good food and music, and tax-free livin’.
MIAMI WORK AND PLAY LINKS: New development Shoma Bay in North Bay Village to offer residents chauffeured Rolls-Royce as perk • Megadevelopment Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale plans fall opening • Casa Neos prepping four-suite boutique hotel (with North-African inspired rooftop lounge) for November debut • Is the 4-day workweek in peril before it truly arrived? • See also, say goodbye to raises! • But to get ahead, don’t fall into the workhorse trap.
WORK • Thursday Routine
Hair-raising
WILLIAM KIRST • founder/CEO • Kyir
Neighborhood you live in: Edgewater
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Mornings are our busiest time at my home office. My assistant and I are packing orders, and I’m usually on a Zoom with my team to check the status of our upcoming products. You might also find our Kyir content creator around. We have a hit growth serum for hair with great, plant-based ingredients that focus on the health of the hair follicle. We’re currently working on another breakthrough product to treat root-to-tip hair health.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I’ll stop into Pura Vida in the Design District or Edgewater for a smoothie. Then, I like to get a walk in around Margaret Pace Park and the Venetian Causeway. I love how pedestrian-friendly Edgewater is. Then it’s back to the office and back to work.
Any bar or restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
In Edgewater, I love to kick back on the patio at Amara at Paraiso. It has great drinks and healthy options as well.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I’ve recently gotten into pickleball. I have a weekly meet up with a few of my friends at Ultra Padel Club. Do I sound Boca, or what?
Any weekend getaways?
I have a quick trip coming up to Baha Mar in the Bahamas for a friend’s birthday. I love that it’s super close, but you still get that feeling of traveling. I was also just in Key West, where we rented a house. I always have such a great time there. Love the history of the whole city.
What was your last great vacation?
I spent an amazing week at the Herman Bungalows in Palm Springs. They’re to die for. I’m a sucker for a good pool.
What store or service do you always recommend?
Easy. I’m trying to live as clean as possible these days, with exceptions, of course. I’m obsessed with Living with Ivey. It’s a great beauty, home and wellness store that only carries clean and non-toxic products. You can find Kyir there. It started in Palm Beach where locals refer to it as the “ general store.” She just opened a new location in Coconut Grove and the next one is coming to Sunset Harbour.
WORK • Out of Office
Beached
Did financial executives on vacation contribute to last week’s market chaos? Possibly! Per the Financial Times:
Senior investors scrambled to respond to the global sell-off from their holiday homes, and junior traders struggled to keep up with the unfolding chaos as markets plunged then recovered this week. Those left at their desks said a lack of liquidity — the volume of money shifting around world financial markets, slowed by thin staffing over the holidays — made the market ructions worse.
We’ll wait for the Michael Lewis book to unravel whether twenty-something HBS grads in their first months on the desk are really to blame (for the ructions!). But there’s no denying that August is a historically bad time for bad things to happen at work.
I’m writing this from the beach myself, an admission that probably invites some sort of unexpected happening. Fortunately, there’s nothing in FOUND’s portfolio likely to blow up this week — no positions to unwind, no big transactions inching toward close. But I remember very clearly the times that there were — the hastily arranged calls and Zooms taken from rented rooms and porches ill-suited for serious work. Usually, they arrive just as you’ve submitted to the sounds of the surf.
Contrary to distressed traders’ anecdotes — like the merger arbitrage trader who told the FT about the one guy who lost millions on the Eurostar, heading to the Olympics, when he “went into the tunnel and… had no connection right when contagion was spreading” — it’s also possible that the pandemic and corresponding shift to WFH-readiness have taken away some of the jarring contrast of an August (or Thanksgiving, or late-December) surprise. Maybe it doesn’t hurt quite as much to be summoned back to your desk when your desk or “desk” is just a few steps away. What we lose in the blurring of work and life, we gain in the smoother transitions from one to the other.
Still, I’d never willfully plan anything important for these next few weeks. Leave it for September, when the beach is closed. –Josh Albertson
CULTURE & LEISURE • Warm Ups
Commanders vs Dolphins • preseason • Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens) • Sat @ 7p, section 118, $34 per
DL Hughley • Miami Improv (Doral) • Sat @ 7p, VIP, $50 per
Trueno • The Fillmore (Miami Beach) • Sat @ 830p • mezzanine, $87 per
GETAWAYS • Key West
A Southernmost backyard
I think of Key West as Miami’s eclectic backyard, an island 150 miles south where you can escape city life and really leave it all behind. I recently made my annual pilgrimage to the southernmost city and checked into the newly renovated Guesthouses at the Southernmost Beach Resort, a constellation of restored 1880s and 1920s era Victorian-style homes on upper Duval Street and along South Street. It’s exactly the kind of cozy oasis I seek on these laid-back adventures.
Southernmost Beach Resort anchors the quieter end of raucous Duval Street (where the famed Southernmost buoy is just a block away with its never-ending line of tourists waiting for their photo op). The Guesthouses, which include La Mer, Dewey, Avalon, and Duval Gardens, act as luxurious adults-only sanctuaries with specialty amenities, including access to a chic parlor bar and beachside deck for complimentary breakfast and hor d'oeuvres, in addition to the resort proper.
Guesthouse rooms are decorated with classic coastal elegance that offers just enough historic Key West charm, while still offering the expected modern comforts. Picture large vintage wooden furniture and seafoam green textured wallpaper and charming rocking chairs on your private patio overlooking the beach — ideal for reading a book with a glass of wine or people watching.
Also consider the spa, where I enjoyed a deep tissue massage, plus multiple swimming pools (including adult-only), fitness classes, and activities. And when it’s finally time to let loose, the bars of Duval Street are waiting. –Amber Love Bond
→ The Guesthouses at Southernmost Beach Resort (Key West) • 1317 Duval St.
GETAWAYS LINKS: TSA Precheck hits 20 million members • French Caribbean regional airline Air Antilles is back • Delta rolling out free wifi on international flights • New Rosewood Exuma coming in 2028 • Disney is rethinking the Magic Kingdom • How to go car camping in your Porsche • The best new hotels of summer 2024.
RESTAURANTS • FOUND Table
Bouchon Bistro
The Skinny: Coral Gables’s historic La Palma building is the spot for chef Thomas Keller's second venture in Miami, Bouchon Bistro, a compelling (and much less formal) follow-up to The Surf Club.
The Vibe: With red velvet booths, glass and gold accents, inlaid deco ceiling lighting, and white tablecloths, Bouchon feels like old Paris. Hand-painted murals by French artist Paulin Paris line the dining room walls, and the lighting dims as soon as the sun goes down. Despite its ornate fine-dining elements, the restaurant manages to pull them off without feeling overly stuffy.
The Food: Classically French. To start, oeufs mimosa, four delightful deviled eggs topped with fried capers; tartare de boeuf with radishes, cornichons, frisée, horseradish crème fraîche; and terrine de foie gras de canard with a toasted baguette. For the mains, the poulet roti is brined for 12 hours, and then air cooled for another 12 hours, before it’s roasted and served with mushrooms in a pool of jus-de-poulet.
The drinks: A great place for happy hour, Bouchon boasts a 40-page wine menu and a cocktail menu of French staples, like the French 75, sidecar, and la fête.
The Verdict: A Coral Gables winner offering great French food in an upscale (yet unpretentious) setting. –Katelin Stecz
→ Bouchon Bistro (Coral Gables) • 2101 Galiano St • Tues-Thurs 4-10p, Fri & Sat 12-10p • Reserve.
ASK FOUND
First, a quick primer on how this works: You send us the pressing questions of the day (on dining, services, living in Miami and surrounds). We all put our heads together (us at FOUND, + you, FOUND subscribers, who are also FOUND) in search of truth and beauty.
Today, three FOUND subscriber PROMPTS for which we are seeking intel:
What’s your favorite Miami flower shop (or flower delivery service)?
I need a wardrobe update. Can you recommend the best women’s boutiques?
What is your Restaurant of the Summer?
Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfoundmiami.com.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Miami Spice
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of Miami’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundmiami.com. For the full archives, click here.
Miami Spice is back with its three-course prix fixe menus ($30/$35 for lunch/brunch, $45/$60 for dinner) at participating restaurants through September. Here, nine that are a cut above the rest.
Blue Collar (MiMo), includes entire menu, don’t overlook chicken parm