The best leggings
The Joyce, La Gorce Island listings, Inter Miami, Charleston weekend, Blacklane, FOUND obsessions, best Monday night restaurants, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Art of living
The Skinny: No strip of South Beach is more exciting right now than Española Way, where a spate of buzzy new restaurants is transforming what was once a sleepy pedestrian corridor into an unlikely epicenter of cool. Leading the pack: The Joyce, a 45-seat chophouse that opened last month (with a separate ventanita, The Window, for ordering one of the best burgers in town to go).
The Vibe: Modern, moody, with dim lighting that mainly serves to illuminate walls covered in art from co-owner Andre Sakhai’s enviable collection (Picasso, Basquiat, et al.). Passing through the curtained entry feels like stepping into an exclusive Greenwich Village nook traversed by well-heeled locals and in-the-know visitors. Reservations are currently available through the membership-only app Dorsia, and the crowd looks the part. At the table next to mine, a boisterous party reminisced about their startup’s pre-IPO days. My second trip to the restroom, akin to a mini gallery, was as much an excuse to admire the funky art as it was to pamper with the Aesop products lined up on the vanity.
The Food: Chef James Taylor’s brief menu of creative American classics brings together his experience at some of Chicago’s top restaurants (Alinea, Roister, Bavette's Bar & Boeuf). Thick slices of Hamachi crudo in hatch chile and lime were unbelievably tender; crispy latkes topped with Ossetra caviar melted into crunchy, silky mouthfuls. The creamed kale with rich Saint-André cheese was an ideal accompaniment to a medium-rare Australian filet mignon, as were the tangy, al dente sauteed Brussels sprouts in horseradish and honey mustard. But if a sitdown dinner isn’t in the cards, that Joyce burger, made with a double patty and sharp American cheese, is well worth a visit to the walk-up window.
The Drink: Gregarious beverage director Andrew Herron maneuvers throughout the room wielding hefty sculptural glass vessels in which he delivers selections from a 100-bottle wine collection. Cocktails by Japanese mixologist Takuya Mizuguchi are simple, smooth, and rooted in technique, as was the case with a clarified lassi (a take on the refreshing Indian yogurt beverage) made with gin, absinthe, and lychee.
The Verdict: With edgy contemporary art and a darkened backroom vibe, this spot works just as easily for cocktails and fries before a night out as it does a sexy date or a unique work dinner. The Joyce is trying to be cool, and succeeding. –Falyn Wood
→ The Joyce (Miami Beach) • 448 Española Wy • Wed-Sun 6-11p • Reserve.
MIAMI RESTAURANT LINKS: First look at Aviv, anticipated new Middle Eastern restaurant by chef Michael Solomonov in 1 Hotel South Beach, opening 3/14 • Is Bazaar by José Andrés coming back to SLS South Beach? • Little River wine bar Magie expanding to Coconut Grove this spring • Medium Cool is launching its own record label.
WORK • Linkblocks
Still spreading the love
Our sales team rang the bell a couple of times last week (once for a wellness company’s campaign, and the other for some sponsored real estate FOUNDLISTINGS), which reminded us that this piece originally ran behind the paywall. We’re bringing it forward today, for the folks in the back. Want to join the party and insert your brand into this delightful mix with a sponsorship campaign? We’re here at sales@itsfoundmiami.com.
FOUND is built on our obsessions across a range of lifestyle categories: dining, real estate, travel, shopping, culture & leisure, and work. Instead of siloing them, we’ve brought them together in a way that we hope promotes discovery without sacrificing depth. It’s different from the way we built Eater (dining), Curbed (real estate), and Racked (shopping), each of which stayed in their respective lanes.
To keep ourselves honest on the appeal of the approach, we pay close attention to reader surveys and also to the stats on what subscribers are clicking on in every issue. Some recent results from across the network on those most-clicked links:
Miami: The most-clicked links on Thursday were to our featured restaurant, a’Riva at the Harbour Club, a Super Bowl provisioning recommendation in the Nines, and the New World Symphony, the issue’s sponsor. UPDATE: “/subscribe” was the big winner (hard paywall, best avoided by… upgrading!).
New York: On Friday, the winner was a rice cooker, recommended deep in Margaret Austin’s Routine. On Tuesday, it was Ha’s Snack Bar, our lead restaurant. The previous Tuesday, Canine Styles, the dog boutique we profiled, was tops. And on each of the last two Fridays, the three real estate listings in our First Mover posts were runaway winners. UPDATE: Another big day for Upstate real estate last Friday, joined at the top by the bar Jeremy’s, listed in our Upper East Side cocktails Nines.
Los Angeles: Thursday’s top links were to Not No Bar, Topdrawer’s Kolo House Shoes, an SF Gate story on the Inn of the Seventh Ray, and the White Water Inn, recommended in Meave McAuliffe’s Routine. UPDATE: Three picks from Jason Stewart’s A+ Routine were the most clicked on Thursday. The power of a good recommendation well-delivered!
San Francisco: On Wednesday, the top performers were two of the real estate listings in the shadow of the former Kezar Stadium, news of the first SF Music Week, and a Chronicle story on the Transamerica Pyramid’s new tenant. UPDATE: “/subscribe” was the big winner (hard paywall, you know the drill), followed by a trio of real estate listings.
That’s dining, real estate, travel, shopping, culture & leisure, and work — all represented in a mix of in-house FOUND picks, recommendations from our profiled insiders, and with links out to other sources in our local ecosystems (plus sponsors!). The FOUND dream, playing out in your inbox in real time. Got feedback on what we should be covering more or less of? Drop us a line at found@itsfoundmiami.com. And here’s that sponsorship email again: sales@itsfoundmiami.com. –Josh Albertson
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale properties on La Gorce Island that came to market in the last 15 days, including the below 16K-SF house, currently the “largest available single-family home in Miami Beach.”
→ 6620 Windsor Ln (La Gorce Island) • 3BR/4.1BA, 3172 SF house • Ask: $5.7M • ‘create your dream home’ or renovate • Days on market: 15 • Annual taxes: $68,727 • Agents: Daryl Fox & Daniella Bonetti, One Sotheby’s.
→ 6655 Pinetree Ln (La Gorce Island) • 7BR/5BA, 5472 SF house • Ask: $12.9M • double-frontage Colonial with half-basketball court • Days on market: 15 • Annual taxes: $62,143 • Agents: Daniel & Hillary Hertzberg, Coldwell Banker.
→ 88 La Gorce Cir (La Gorce Island, above) • 9BR/12.3BA, 15,942 SF house • Ask: $88.0M • upgrade in 2024 on 1.1 acre lot with 260-ft waterfront • Days on market: 6 • Annual taxes: $473,236 • Agent: Nelson Gonzalez, BHHS EWM.
MIAMI WORK AND PLAY LINKS: New renderings revealed for The Standard Residences, Brickell, which developer says is 10% sold • Construction begins on 25-story condo development Ocean House in Surfside • What’s the point of a hoodie?
CULTURE & LEISURE • Swiss Notes
Montreux Jazz Festival Miami • Chaka Khan, Janelle Monáe, Jon Batiste • The Hangar (Coconut Grove) • Sat-Sun • 2-day VIP, $1199 per
Knicks v Heat • Kaseya Center (Downtown) • Sun @ 6p • section 107, $317 per
Rod Stewart • Hard Rock Live (Davie) • Sat @ 8p • section 115, $285 per
WORK • Thursday Routine
Inter faith
NICOLE LOSCAVIO • sr. director, partnership activation • Inter Miami CF
Neighborhood you work in: Coral Gables / Fort Lauderdale
Neighborhood you live in: Coral Gables
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
It depends on whether I’m at Inter Miami’s corporate office in Coral Gables or at our facilities in Fort Lauderdale (either Chase Stadium or Florida Blue Training Center). My team and I have the pleasure of working with some of the most incredible brands in the world — JPMorgan Chase, Royal Caribbean, Audi, Tudor, the list goes on. My days in the Gables office are usually more meeting-based, while my time in Fort Lauderdale is focused on specific events and Inter Miami matches. No two days are ever the same in my line of work, which keeps things fun.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Now that we’re in off-season mode, we split our time between preparing for the 2025 season and putting on events with our partners, like Heineken Battle of the Artists, plenty of youth clinics, and holiday events at Chase Stadium and throughout South Florida. Today, I have a day full of internal and external planning meetings, but the highlight will definitely be our team lunch at Cerveceria La Tropical in Wynwood. La Tropical is an Inter Miami partner, and the Cerveceria is our favorite spot for a lunch meeting or post-work drink.
Any bar or restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I’m headed to happy hour tomorrow night at Vinya Table, one of my favorite wine bars on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables. Sunday brunch will be at Pastis in Wynwood.
How about a little leisure or culture?
My husband also works in professional sports — he’s the VP of digital marketing for the (Stanley Cup champion!) Florida Panthers — so if we’re not at a soccer match or hockey game, you’d find us exploring South Florida with our toddler. There isn’t a playground or dog-friendly beach we haven’t met.
Any weekend getaways?
I just got back from a weekend trip to Charleston. A few of the highlights included the aperitivo hour at Babas on Cannon, Gary's eggplant parmigiana at Costa Charleston (trust me!), and a glass of champagne with cheese and charcuterie at Bin 152.
What was your last great vacation?
We took a family trip to Milan, Barcelona, and Mallorca in September and it was a dream. As huge F1 fans, seeing Ferrari win in Monza was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. In Milan, aperitivo drinks at Camparino are a must. My husband still talks about the fresh tuna tostadas we had at Gallito in Barcelona.
We were in Mallorca for a friend’s wedding at Finca Comassema. We stayed at the gorgeous Hotel Es Port in the adorable beachside town of Port de Soller. The night after the wedding, our friends threw an incredible tapas and wine dinner party at Es Recó Bistro, where the plates were family style and the vibes just right.
GETAWAYS LINKS: On Grand Cayman, Palm Heights debuts La Concha private residences • New Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica now taking reservations • Trendwatch: Resorts embracing the natural beach • Anticipated new Aman in Bangkok opening 4/2 • The White Lotus travel effect.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Service
Back in the Blacklane
A block from the Miami Beach Convention Center, at the end of Art Basel, I was feeling exhausted and somewhat marooned. I needed to get to The Standard for one last party and — dreading long wait times and surge pricing from Uber and Lyft — briefly considered walking the mile and a half there. Instead, I opted to fire up Blacklane, the “global chauffeur service” app that offers on-demand and scheduled car pick-up services in Miami and other cities around the world.
I’d tried the app earlier that weekend during peak Friday night party time, and it timed out without a chauffeur in sight. But now, as the festivities wound down, an Escalade was en route. Before I knew it, the driver hopped out, walked around the car and opened the door for me. Inside, the seats were leather and water bottles were waiting — a far cry from the inconsistent quality you get with Uber and Lyft in Miami.
For the rest of the week, hotel-hopping on assignment between South Beach, Downtown, and the Design District, I kept using Blacklane. I got accustomed to traveling exclusively by Escalade or Mercedes EQS sedans, and no longer worrying about negotiating who’d handle my luggage, knowing someone would soon be alighting to take care of it. The app’s interface is intuitive and drivers were always easy to reach and communicative, calling or texting if they were running later than expected. The on-demand pricing was comparable to Uber and Lyft, typically between $15 to $21, while arranging an in-city pick-up ahead of time is typically between $65 and $95.
The service added a new layer of luxury to getting around town. Considering its global reach, I’ll definitely keep Blacklane’s city-to-city services in my back pocket the next time, say, I need to hire a driver between Rio de Janeiro and the Costa Verde. –Shayne Benowitz
→ Ride: Blacklane (Miami and surrounds) • on demand, plus bookable hourly and for city-to-city transfers.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Restaurants, Monday night
Nine places to dine on a Monday night. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundmiami.com.
ViceVersa (Downtown), Roman aperitivo meet Miami w/ neo-Neapolitan pizza among city's finest, kitchen until 1045p
Walrus Rodeo (Buena Vista, above), Boia De crew does vegetable-forward, wood-fired cooking, like duck pizza, kitchen until 1030p
Cafe La Trova (Little Havana), Michelle Bernstein's Cuban cuisine meets Julio Cabrera's cantinero flair w/ live music, kitchen until 12a
Mandolin Aegean Bistro (Design District), courtyard romance w/ mezze, grilled catch, honey pieh, kitchen until 11p
LPM Miami (Brickell), escargots, sea bream, bone-in ribeye w/ potato galette at French Rivieraesque escape, kitchen until 11p
Macchialina (South Beach), house-made pasta like cacio e pepe, plus veal parm, Miami-style tiramisu w/ dulce de leche, kitchen until 11p
Stubborn Seed (South Beach), Top Chef Jeremy Ford's 8-course tasting menu destination, à la carte menu at bar, kitchen until 10p
Joe's Stone Crab (South Beach), Miami Beach institution since 1913, kitchen until 10p
Le Zoo (Bal Harbour), prime people-watching on patio while eating steak au poivre, pommes Dauphine, kitchen until 10p
Photo: David Bley/Walrus Rodeo.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Object
Second skin
Not long ago, right before an SLT class, one of my favorite instructors complimented my workout fit, a black onesie.