Peak crab

Joe’s, SW Coconut Grove listings, The ReefLine, Vero Beach, French Polynesia, luxury investments, best South Beach hotels, MORE

Nov 21, 2024

∙ Paid

RESTAURANTS • FOUND Table

Stone cold classic

No restaurant in Miami has survived time and passing trends quite like Joe’s Stone Crab. Established in 1913 — two years before Miami Beach was even incorporated — it’s the epitome of a classic.

With stone crab season officially in full swing, I recently made my annual pilgrimage to the South Beach institution. After a brief stint on Resy, Joe’s has returned to its original first-come, first-served seating method, which includes charming the maître d' and all. (You can also get on the Maître d' List “to help minimize your wait” up to two weeks in advance.) Joe’s Takeaway, with all the signature dishes (if not the white tablecloth atmosphere) is an option, as is walk-in seating at the bar.

Of course, a meal at Joe’s should revolve around the fresh stone crab claws available by the pound in jumbo, large, and medium, served with that terrific sweet mustard sauce. Classic accompaniments include their famous hashbrowns, creamed spinach, and coleslaw. And the fried chicken has a cult following all its own.

A worthy new entree this season is the grilled snapper in a shrimp Creole sauce, topped with crispy leeks. The blackened grouper Oscar with grilled asparagus, lump crab meat, and hollandaise was also delicious. And the crab, spinach, and artichoke dip is a crowd pleaser. For dessert, there’s silky-smooth, tart key lime pie in a graham cracker crust, which beats any you’ll find in the Keys.

While a cold martini always feels right at Joe’s, 15 new cocktails were recently added to the menu (along with new glassware and upgraded ice). Highlights include a strawberry basil smash (Tanqueray, aperitivo Rosato, strawberry, lemon, basil, and Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic) and a Mexican martini with Don Julio Reposado and olive brine.

Service remains top notch, thanks to the career waiters and staff who have made this restaurant their home for decades, and treat regulars like family. As much as the stone crab themselves, they're a reminder of the delightful timelessness and sacred ritual of a meal at Joe’s. –Melissa Puppo

→ Joe’s Stone Crab (South of Fifth) • 11 Washington Ave • Wed-Sun 1130a-230p, Sun-Thurs 5-10p, Fri-Sat 5-11p • Maître d' List.

MIAMI RESTAURANT LINKS: Coming to Standard Residences in 2025: Sushi Garage • South Beach’s Broken Shaker to undergo makeover, new bar moving in next door • Infatuation’s best new Miami restaurants of 2024 • The only wine you need this holiday season.

GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Sponsor

Water & all that we love

Ryan and Arjan here, the co-founders of Jolie, a beauty wellness company focused on purifying the quality of one’s shower water for better skin and hair. We’re both fans and readers of FOUND, which is why we decided to sponsor this newsletter to reach like-minded folks like you.

As much as we love discussing water’s impact on skin and hair, we’re equally enamored by the connection of water to all else that we love in life — art, coffee, surfing, food, oysters, ceramics, and so much more. That’s why we created a fun video series, Water &, which looks at these topics through the lens of water. Some highlights:

We spent an early morning in Montauk with artist Joe Henry Baker who used the salty ocean water to paint with and wet his canvases, resulting in a crystallization in the painting as it dried.
We spent an evening with Esben Piper, the founder of the renowned Danish coffee company, La Cabra, at their Soho location in New York. Did you know that the parts per million of minerals in water (or the water’s “hardness”) made to brew La Cabra’s coffee is finely tuned to extract flavor while not making the coffee taste sour?
We joined designer Cynthia Rowley for a morning surf out east on Long Island, where the water is both a calming force for her and “balance” to her planned out, calendared work days.
We’ve always loved oysters, but we loved them even more once we started spending time with both the Billion Oyster Project and Montauk Pearl Oyster’s Mike Martinsen. Oysters clean the water by filtering water as they eat, removing ecosystem-destroying pollutants such as nitrogen. They also act as a natural storm barrier and help foster biodiversity. (The Billion Oyster Project, our non-profit of choice, is restoring the oyster reefs in New York’s harbors to clean the Hudson and East Rivers. Last we checked, 122 million oysters have been restored in New York’s harbor over the last 10 years.)

You can watch all of our Water & videos on our website here.

We worked with these partners because we think they are the best at what they do. If you are thinking about buying a Jolie, we encourage you to do so via the link below. We are picking five FOUND buyers to gift a year’s worth of La Cabra coffee to make at home.

The role of water is all around us. –Ryan Babenzien & Arjan Singh

→ Shop: The Jolie Filtered Showerhead (Jolie) • available in brushed gold, modern chrome, brushed steel, jet black, and vibrant red • $148.

REAL ESTATE • First Mover

Three for-sale 3-bedrooms in Southwest Coconut Grove that came to market in the last month priced around $2.5M.

→ 3794 Irvington Ave (Southwest Coconut Grove, above) • 3BR/2BA, 1796 SF house • Ask: $2.495M • no pool but large landscaped yard • Days on market: 16 • Annual taxes: $8420 • Agent: Edda Caban, London Foster Realty.

→ 3701 Kumquat Ave (Southwest Coconut Grove) • 3BR/2BA, 1538 SF house • Ask: $2.3M (reduced from $2.66M on 11/08) • no pool but exposed beams on corner lot • Days on market: 31 • Annual taxes: $15,499 • Agents: Alba Biondi & Isabelle Andrews, BHHS EWM Realty.

→ 4190 Ventura Ave (Southwest Coconut Grove) • 3BR/2.1BA, 2196 SF house • Ask: $2.55M • two-story house with backyard pool • Days on market: 30 • Annual taxes: $11,076 • Agent: Daniele Semerano, Grand Lion Real Estate Group.

MIAMI WORK AND PLAY LINKS: Miami’s first solar-powered new development begins construction • Armani/Casa Residences in Pompano Beach launching sales • 10 power builders and brokers shaping Miami • Pet sick days are the new employee-perk battleground.

WORK • Thursday Routine

Mother earth

XIMENA CAMINOS • founder & artistic director • The ReefLine
Neighborhood you work & live in: Miami Beach

It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
The ReefLine is set to become a groundbreaking seven-mile underwater public sculpture park, snorkel trail, and hybrid reef off Miami Beach's shoreline. It's a space where art, science, and community unite to inspire a deeper connection with our marine world. My workspace is infused with the calming aroma of Japanese incense, a steaming cup of mate by my side. The atmosphere is vibrant as I immerse myself in blueprints of The ReefLine's masterplan, upcoming underwater sculptures, and samples of sustainable materials. Our team is connected 24/7, collaborating online to put the final touches on our next installation that merges art with marine conservation.

What’s on the agenda for today?
My schedule is packed with Zoom calls connecting with international teams. Wearing my artistic director hat, I lead interdisciplinary groups for a couple of clients. My true passion is collaborating with the most exciting minds of our time, nurturing talent, bringing The ReefLine to life, and serving the only CEO I aspire to work for — Mother Earth!

Any bar or restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I don’t go out much, but when I do, I’m drawn to my favorite spots. Mandolin’s grilled feta is unmatched; the flavors are simple and exquisite, and it always transports me to a cozy Greek island. At Faena, the vegetarian parrillada paired with their smoky 'Smoke and Sparks' cocktail is my indulgence. I also can’t resist a scoop of Dasher & Crank’s vegan matcha ice cream.

How about a little leisure or culture?
Recently, I experienced AIR live at The Fillmore, which was a concert for the books. The Frost Museum’s planetarium is another favorite; it’s such a peaceful escape into the stars. I also like The Bass or Pérez Art Museum for world-class art. If you’re after something offbeat, Bakehouse Art Complex is a creative haven where local artists flourish.

Any weekend getaways?
My absolute favorite is driving to my little beach cottage in Vero Beach — I often wish I could live there most of the time. La Tabla is my go-to for a delicious meal; they truly serve the best in town.

Vero Beach is my sanctuary, but NYC is my city fix. Visiting my daughter and my best friend Ines there is always a highlight. I love wandering through the Tribeca galleries, grabbing a lychee martini at Mr. Chow uptown or strolling through Central Park. DIA Beacon is a train ride away, but it’s worth it for the immersive art. When it comes to hotels, The Greenwich and Cipriani are favorites, though I can’t wait for the Faena opening in Chelsea this spring. For matcha, Cha-An and Cha Cha Matcha always hit the spot.

What was your last great vacation?
French Polynesia in July. I rented a beautiful little house on the beach in Moorea. Diving and swimming with whales was surreal, and connecting with local cultural leaders gave me a deeper respect for their heritage and commitment to ocean stewardship. I’m now collaborating with them to create spaces for artists, scientists, and community leaders to come together and foster a culture of cooperation.

WORK • Luxury Report

Tick tock

Years ago, a friend argued that buying high-end bags, watches, and jewelry was not careless consumption, but a smart investment strategy. And for a while, the luxury goods market seemed to have no bounds. The Hermes Birkin handbags purchased for $2000 in 1984 jumped as high as $100,000. (The origin story helped. Actress Jane Birkin pitched the idea for the iconic bag to Hermes CEO Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight from Paris to London.)

Maybe my friend was right.

The market got a boost when specialized reseller The RealReal got traction. Founded by Julie Wainwright, the company extended the life cycle of luxury goods and built a circular economy around pricey clothes and accessories.

It’s not the stock exchange or real estate’s MLS, but could it become an efficient marketplace? Probably not. As demand slows and prices slide, luxury goods seem more like planes and boats, less like houses and publicly traded equities. In the end, maybe The RealReal didn’t do anything more than authenticate consigned luxury items.

Today, the market is still sloppy and inefficient, reliant on fickle brand-obsessed consumption, which favors almost-couture. Long-term value is hard to sustain. Of course, select items — treasures — will appreciate, but the insanity bubble has burst. For proof, I don’t have to look any further than my wrist, which displays my first Cartier watch, an exquisite reflection of poor market timing. –Brad Inman

GETAWAYS LINKS: Inside Prana Maya, Belize’s newest private-island resort • New W Hotel planned for Ocean Drive in Pompano Beach • T&L’s 50 places to travel in 2025 • Everything you need to know about flying private • Shoulder season goes mainstream.

CULTURE & LEISURE • Big Shot

Billy Joel • Hard Rock Live (Davie) • Sat @ 8p • section 115, $893 per
Ben Folds • The Parker Playhouse (Fort Lauderdale) • Sun @ 8p • orchestra left, $46 per
Mavs vs Heat • Kaseya Center (Downtown) • Sun @ 6p • section 106, $273 per

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:

Where should we host our office holiday dinner ?
Where are you making your ski reservations this winter?
Any new and interesting ticketed NYE dinners?

Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfoundmiami.com.

GETAWAYS • The Nines

South Beach hotels

The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of Miami’s best. Here, the best Miami Beach hotels below 24th St. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundmiami.com.

1 Hotel South Beach (above), lavish eco-chic resort, multi-level poolscape, oversized rooms, $772