Gables is known to have the most stable real estate market. That’s encouraging news for Alirio Torrealba, CEO of MG Developer. His Coral Gablesbased company was the first in seven years to develop luxury homes in the residential area of Downtown Coral Gables, beginning with his first residential condominium Biltmore Parc. “Coral Gables is a very stable market for real estate,” says Torrealba, noting the city’s long history of well-planned developments. He continues seeing interest in his luxury townhomes not only from our empty nesters – our main consumers – and New Yorkers, but also from Miami Beach residents concerned about high taxes and insurance costs, as well as international buyers worried about instability in their native countries.
The real estate market in Coral Gables looks promising for 2020, thanks to healthy sales in 2019, low interest rates and plenty of new offerings, from houses to condominiums to townhomes. That’s the word from industry specialist Daniel de la Vega, President of One Sotheby’s International Realty for South and Central Florida. “Overall, I’m expecting a very strong 2020,” says de la Vega. “Year over year, our sales have had a steady increase in the $1 million-plus market in Miami Dade County. Interest rates are still very low and consumer confidence is very high.”
It is widely believed that location is one of the most important aspects in real estate, and MG Developer is
Coral Gables is a very stable market for real-estate,” says Torrealba, noting the city’s long history of well-planned development.
leading the market by innovating enclaves like “Biltmore Square” (Biltmore Parc, Beatrice Row, Althea Row) in one of the most desirable locations in the U.S. This niche product combined with its stunning locations distinguishes the luxury real estate industry in Coral Gables. Most recently, MG began construction on Althea Row, an exquisite new development that is inclusive of five townhomes each spanning more than 7,000 square feet. Each home features four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a four-car garage, highend appliances, a beautiful private front garden, interior patios and magnificent high ceiling, and expansive loggias, with prices starting at $3.1 million apiece. Completion is set for 2021.
MG Developer is investing $80 million to create Biltmore Square, projected to offer 65 deluxe townhomes and residences in Coral Gables when completed. The next part of this major venture is the development of Biltmore Row, which is slated to begin construction in 2020 and will mark the completion of the first part of Biltmore Square as promised.
| Alirio Torrealba
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WHAT’S HOT: DECEMBER A CLASSIC LIVES ON
If you’re still in need of a last-minute gift, we’ve got you covered! This guide features several items we’d be thrilled to gift and get, and they’re all found at shops within our city.
Read more....
There was a time when, if you wanted to conduct a serious business meeting in Coral Gables, it would be over lunch at Christy’s. Here you could order a cocktail and prime rib, like an executive from the television series “Mad Men.”
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These days, it feels like there is such a divide between citizens. From politics to healthcare to climate change, everyone has their own opinion – and your Aunt Sally is not afraid to share hers by writing a small novel on Facebook. But one thing we can all agree on? Dogs are the best.
Lea Black – entrepreneur, author, and reality TV star – is off on her next adventure. Says Lea, I ask myself why I don’t just sit back and relax, and I guess the answer is that I feel everyone should carry their weight in life, and if you have a skill set or talent you have a responsibility to use it for the better good, including yourself....
A long awaited modernization program is finally underway at the city’s iconic high school, with a little help from its friends.
Everybody loves to visit Dad since he moved to e Palace, because there’s so much to do together. It’s the best place to celebrate birthdays and holidays, and nobody has to cook or clean up.
For the kids, there are Disney parties and live stage shows. We even go as a family to watch movies and football games in e Palace eater. And Sunday dinner at our family table at e Palace is something we all now look forward to. Even little things like cooking classes we do with Dad, or watching him play his harmonica in a talent show, are times we could never share back in his previous apartment. And whether it’s catching a beer with him after work at e Palace’s Happy Hour, or watching him treat the kids to ice cream, we’re grateful for all the times we now can share.
“When Dad moved to e Palace, our family time came back to life.”
Afew weeks ago, I was in downtown Coral Gables on the first Friday of the month. This first Friday has been called Gallery Night for decades now, a harkening back to the days when there were dozens of galleries in the city. I printed out the city’s Gables Gallery Night map and went on a quest to visit what remains of these salons of fine art.
I found very few remaining. Yes, the godmother of Gables gallery owners, Virginia Miller, kept her vigil up on Madeira Avenue. And the godfather of Gables gallery owners, Ramon Cernuda, had his showrooms open and brightly lit on Ponce, just south of Santander. But in the great middle – aka the downtown –only H. Benitiz Fine Art on Alcazar was open, and selling only the art of H. Benitiz.
Was the evening a bust? Not at all. The core of the downtown – Miracle Mile, Aragon Ave., Giralda Plaza – was bustling with activity. The Coral Gables Museum was open, with a new exhibit that drew in some 1,000 people that evening. Next door at Books & Books a band was playing in the courtyard, which was filled with revelers. Across the street movie goers were streaming from the Coral Gables Art Cinema.
At the east end of Giralda Plaza there
was a 9-piece band playing away, surrounded by a throng, part of the “Giralda Under the Stars” program by the Business Improvement District. Another part of their Stars night – free shots of a sponsor’s alcohol (on this night, Don Julio tequila) – attracted a long, but fast moving, line. Outdoor seating at restaurants was thick with diners.
On Miracle Mile spirits were equally high. A trumpet player and an electric guitarist were wailing away from chairs outside John Martin’s Irish Pub. Down the block a DJ was spinning tunes for a small crowd in front of PPole Pizza. Across the street happy, dancing people were spilling onto the street from Copper 29, heavy beats blaring.
All and all, it was an energetic scene. But music was the motif, not art; there was even a band playing inside the Coral Gables Museum. So, as much as we all desperately want the art gallery scene to return in full force to the Gables – and I used to go regularly, years ago – it’s time to give this special first Friday of each month a new name. We’ve got Saturday Night Live on TV, so why not Friday Night Live on the streets of Coral Gables?
Just a suggestion. Happy Holidays.
J.P.Faber Editor-in-Chief
PUBLISHER
Richard Roffman
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
J.P.Faber
EVP / PUBLISHER
Gail Scott
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Amy Donner
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Monica Del Carpio-Raucci
ART DIRECTOR
Jon Braeley
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Toni Kirkland
VP SALES
Sherry Adams
SENIOR WRITER
Doreen Hemlock
STAFF WRITER
Lizzie Wilcox
WRITERS
James Broida
Grace Carricarte
Mike Clary
Andrew Gayle
Mallory Evans Jacobson
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Michael Campina
Jonathan Dann
Nickolas Faber
RESEARCH
Gloria Glantz
SENIOR ADVISOR
Dennis Nason
CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION
CircIntel
Coral Gables Magazine is published monthly by City Regional Media, 2051 SE Third St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. Telephone: (786) 206.8254. Copyright 2019 by City Regional Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photograph or illustration without prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Send address changes to City Regional Media, 2051 SE Third St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. General mailbox email and letters to editor@thecoralgablesmagazine.com. BPA International Membership applied for March 2019.
coralgablesthemagazine.com
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Each month we print letters from our readers. We encourage any and all commentary, including criticism as well as compliments, and of course any commentary about our community. If you are interested in writing to us with your opinions, thoughts or suggestions, please send them to letters@thecoralgablesmagazine.com. We edit letters for brevity, grammar and clarity.
Thank you for recognizing the leadership of Mary Snow in Coral Gables and our community. Her lovely smile on the magazine cover perfectly captures her friendliness and professionalism that is synonymous with Mary’s character and work ethic. The entire Snow family is gracious and generous. On behalf of Beaux Arts we are honored to include Mary as a dedicated member and dear friend!
Lauren
Dowlen, President,Beaux Arts of the UM Lowe Art Museum
Editor’s Note: We couldn’t agree more. As director of the Coral Gables Community Foundation, Mary has done a superlative job.
Thank you for another gorgeously produced issue. However, from cover to cover I tabulated that, of 333 persons depicted in photos in stories and ads, 326 were White, 5 Black, and 2 Asian. Even by the low 3.84 percentage of Black residents in the city your magazine falls dismally short of being inclusive and representative. I am disappointed at the message
this sends about a city founded by a strong supporter of south Florida’s Black community.
Guillermo AnlloEditor’s Note: One the one hand, we do think there is substantial diversity in the Gables, if you consider our Hispanic populations. On the other hand, we will do our best to be more reflective of the Black community.
I received the Nov issue this week and while reading News and Notes on pg. 32 was shocked and dismayed to read under “Even if you rent”...,”Then again, who wants to live in Homestead?” What an elitist and unkind statement. Many people do want to live in Homestead for the very reason it is affordable. I think the readership is owed an apology. Janet Copeland, Coral Gables resident
Editor’s Note: Yes, the comment was a bit snarky, but deliberately so, to justify how expensive rents have become in our city. Nonetheless, while we do enjoy visiting Homestead, I doubt many Gables residents would choose to live there over the City Beautiful.
I wanted to bring to your attention a possible omission in your most recent edition of The Coral Gables Magazine List of Top Doctors. As I was looking through your list of Top Doctors, it seems your criteria were two: a Castle Connolly listing and practicing in or near Coral Gables.
Since I meet these criteria, I was surprised to find I was not listed. 1) I am a listed Castle Connolly Top Doctor in Dermatology. And 2) I have a very successful, and nearly 25-year-old private practice, the Children’s Skin Center, which has had a full-time office in Coral Gables (DBA Gables Skin Center) for 14 years at the Riviera Professional Building, as well as a full-time office on the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital campus.
I also happen to be a resident of Coral Gables for 20 years (Cocoplum). And though it’s not a criterion, I do receive the magazine, which is how I saw the list.
Dr. Ana Duarte
Editor’s Note: We are indeed sorry to have missed including you. We asked Castle Connolly for their current listing of doctors in Coral Gables, and for some reason they did not include your name. We will let them know about this omission!
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Gables life-time resident Meg Daly (at home, right) took on the project of creating the Underline – a 10-mile corridor of parks and recreation facilities under the Metrorail – five years ago. Until just recently, however, the nearly $70 million she had raised so far did not include the three miles of Underline within Coral Gables. “This is one the section we had no funding on, and it was really ironic because it happened to be in my backyard.”
That gap was closed last month when Daly secured a $22 million federal grant to pay for the section between Le Jeune and Red Road. “We are very, very happy and feel very fortunate,” says Daly, who is retired and works as the project’s unpaid volunteer director. “This is really good news.”
Daly considers the grant nothing less than miraculous, considering that a similar application last year to the U.S. Department of Transportation BUILD program was turned down. “The first time we asked for about $8 million. And since we didn’t get funded, we tripled our ask, which is of course completely irrational. Right?”
At first Daly refused to work on a second grant, an exhausting effort that took three weeks to complete. But, she says, attorney Daniel Balmori of the firm Hogan Lovells – who also works pro bono on the project – convinced her to persevere. “He said he had a good feeling about it this time,” says Daly. That turned out to be correct, even though the Underline grant was the only “trail
funding” award by the BUILD program; all other grants were for highways.
Daly also credits a coterie of elected Florida officials for helping secure the grant, including Congressional representatives Donna Shalala and Mario Diaz-Balart, and Senator Marco Rubio. “There was a lot of work done in Washington behind the scenes,” she says.
Locally she tips her hat to Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos A. Giménez and to Coral Gables Vice Mayor Vince Lago. “Vice Mayor Lago has been a champion since day one,” she says. “All the resolutions that got us to where we are in the city were sponsored by him.”
“This is an important project for Coral Gables,” says Lago. “It’s going to be a game changer for the entire corridor.” Lago said his enthusiasm for the Underline was sparked by visiting New York City’s Highline project, which repurposed the elevated West Side Highway into a pedestrian walkway. The result was a revival of the area.
“It’s become the backbone of that community, which is what I hope to see with the Underline.”
The timeline now requires another year to find $5 million in matching funds from the City of Coral Gables and the county’s acceptance and procurement of the grant, followed by a year of design work. “I would say this segment will be under construction by 2023 at the latest,” says Daly, who just turned 59. “We are going to be done [with the entire project] by the time I am 65.”—J.P. Faber
FUNDING THE UNDERLINE, TO RUN 10 MILES FROM THE MIAMI RIVER TO DADELAND
TOTAL NEEDED: $120 MILLION
FUNDING TO DATE:
$52 MILLION, FROM MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
$15 MILLION, FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA
$2 MILLION, FROM THE KNIGHT FOUNDATION
$6 MILLION FROM DEVELOPERS ON US 1
$22 MILLION FROM THE U.S. DOT
“The whole grant was built on cost-benefit analysis. You have to say what the costs and benefits are to making sure people don’t die while they are biking, or don’t get killed while they are crossing the street… I am not making this up.”
The presentation to the City Commission began with a simple phrase: “People are like plants. We all lean toward the light.” With that began a campaign last month to bring an annual world-class installation of light sculpture to downtown Coral Gables by the year 2021, to “Bring Coral Gables to the forefront of the art scene and elevate it’s awareness.”
“Illuminate Coral Gables” is a joint project by just about every public stakeholder in the Gables, including the city itself, the Chamber of Commerce, the Business Improvement District, the Community Foundation, and the Coral Gables Museum, with the private arts sector representated by Stacy Conde (Conde Contemporary Gallery) and Olga Granda (The Sanctuary of the Arts). The project was a confluence of similar
ideas by the immediate past chair of the Chamber, Patrick O’Connell, and BID president Venny Torre. “For me it sprung from a conversation with Mayor Valdes-Fauli, because the mayor had seen something like that in his travels,” says O’Connell. Both men went separately to the city’s arts advisory council but were soon united, from there enlisting support.
“The idea is to use light and technology to transform the city with public art that will become magical at night,” says Torre, president of the new nonprofit; O’Connell will serve as secretary. Some buildings will be “mapped” with light, while in other places art objects will be installed –then lit up. The project is expected to cost $1 million; the city is expected to contribute $100,000 in seed money. – J.P. Faber
It is not a new idea. As early as 1992, when Hurricane Andrew slammed South Florida, Coral Gables city officials began conversations with FPL about putting power lines underground. Resolutions were passed in 2005 and in 2017 – each time following hurricanes that caused massive power outages – questioning FPL’s reliability and suggesting underground “conversion.”
This year the momentum has picked up, with the city obtaining non-binding “ballpark” estimates of what it would cost to go underground from FPL, AT&T and Comcast. That estimate was presented to the City Commission last month: a whopping $250 to $275 million, or about $25,000 per FPL customer.
Vice Mayor Vince Lago, who has been spurring the city to focus on the issue, believes that estimate to be highly overblown. He and City Attorney Miriam Ramos both expect a more realistic number by the
THE BENEFITS: INCREASED PROPERTY VALUES POWER LOSSES PREVENTED SAFETY FOR SICK & ELDERLY AN END TO FPL TREE HACKING REMOVAL OF UGLY POWER LINES
first quarter of 2020, when city engineers will “hone down on those numbers,” says Ramos. At the same time, a public campaign will gauge citizen interest.
“Those numbers will drop dramatically,” says Lago. “But I want residents to understand that while there will be significant benefits, there will be costs.” Ramos says that a three month “educational campaign” will begin in January, including “a listening tour for staff to hear what people’s concerns are.” Assuming there is enough public support, says Ramos, the goal is a referendum on the ballot in August, the same time as the presidential primaries. If approved, reasonable payment options will be offered to property owners.
Was there any news media in America that did not carry the story of Bruce Bagley, the UM professor who wrote a book on organized crime and was then arrested for laundering some $2.5 million? From the mighty New York Times to the lowly barstoolsports.com, the story went viral. It was just too perfectly ironic. Our favorite header was the Bloomberg tag line “Professor’s Expertise on Crime Didn’t Help Him Duck Charges…” And amazing how quick his Wikipedia page was updated (“In November 2019, he was charged with money laundering.”) In case you want to order a copy, the book he co-authored is “Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime and Violence in the Americas Today.”
Not all the UM news that made national headlines was bad, however. A few major media picked up the story that the University of Miami will be the first college campus in the U.S. to adopt AT&T’s 5G+ and Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) technology. What that means, points out Yahoo Finance, is that students will be able to use their Magic Leap One headsets to see and interact with virtual objects in the space around them. Magic Leap, for those behind the curve, is a South Florida high-tech company started by a UM grad who donated his company’s virtual reality headsets for UM students to test. So far they claim 30 applications.
The Merrick House on Coral Way is a city landmark. But the city’s father, George E. Merrick, wasn’t about to stay home after he married Eunice Peacock. For her he built a 3,320-square-foot coral rock cottage down the street, at 937 Coral Way, in 1916. The couple lived there for seven years before moving to 832 S. Greenway. The coral cottage is now for sale for $1.85 million.
ELLE’S SPLASH
Speaking of famous houses, you can now add to the list the Gables Estate’s home of supermodel Elle Macpherson. The interior of her art-filled manse is featured in the December issue of Architectural Digest. The People Magazine article that broke the news, however, kept calling it her “Mansion in Miami.” Sorry guys, the 9,000-sqaure foot home she bought last year for $8.1 million – two acres with lemon and orange trees and an in-ground saltwater pool – is strictly Gables.
MARBLE MADNESS
And speaking of national stories about homes in Gables Estates, the New Haven Register ran one about the home of the Fiorenza family, which built their 13,216-square-foot home using $3 million worth of marble from a quarry in Mexico. The house is now on the market for $25 million.
Back in the real world, a Miami-Dade County Circuit Court judge has ruled that the lawsuit filed by former banker Raul Mas Canosa, alleging the city violated his rights as a resident to privacy, can go forward. The lawsuit, filed on his behalf by the New Civil Liberties
Alliance, says that the license plate readers along the city’s borders violate state privacy laws and the U.S. Constitution. The city had asked the judge to throw out the suit.
One of the reasons the city has license plate readers, which photographs cars that enter and leave the city, is to reduce crime. While they may not be the only reason, the latest stats show that the Gables remains a low-crime city. According to a recent four-year study by Gun Violence Archive data, when it comes to per-capita gun violence turning fatal, West Palm ranked ninth nationwide, with Miami and Homestead coming in at 74 and 75. Coral Gables was No. 553.
And as long as we are talking about rankings, just noting here that our very own Bachour restaurant and pastry master was voted by Esquire Magazine as the Pastry Chef of the Year, while Clutch Burger came in at No. 6 for the country’s best burger in a national Yelp review.
As a dog friendly publication (see cover story) we want to give a shout out to former Coral Gables City Commissioner Chip Withers, who supplied much needed pro bono transportation to help bring supplies to homeless dogs in the Bahamas. Two pallets of supplies had been gathered by Miami Pet Concierge in Miami and needed to be delivered to the Tropix Express warehouse in Fort Lauderdale. Withers’ firm, Withers Worldwide Transportation Systems, rose to the occasion in October, supplying truck, workers, and a pallet jack, all gratis. Wag those tails!
6 T H A N N U A L
E S T I V A L
IF YOU’RE STILL IN NEED OF A LAST-MINUTE GIFT, WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED! THIS GUIDE FEATURES SEVERAL ITEMS WE’D BE THRILLED TO GIFT AND GET, AND THEY’RE ALL FOUND AT SHOPS WITHIN OUR CITY
IT’S PERSONAL (TOP RIGHT)
Grab a few of these cheerful initialed mugs for a gift that will be appreciated with each steaming cup of joe. Then up the ante by including a couple of bags of the recipient’s favorite coffee, and you’ll really have a winning gift.
Retail: $14 each. Anthropologie. 330 San Lorenzo Avenue, 305-443-0021.
ABOUT FACE (RIGHT)
Luxury home décor shop Violetas offers an array of unique gifts from coveted designers like Missoni and L’Objet. This season, they’re also making available Jonathan Adler’s latest accessories, including the Gilded Large Dora Maar Vase, which would be a stellar addition to any room of the house.
Retail: $475. Violetas Home Design, 221 Miracle Mile, 305-381-0711.
OPEN BOOK (RIGHT)
Swing by Books & Books and you’ll find a tome for everyone on your list. In celebration of last month’s Miami Book Fair, the shop is highlighting titles from an array of heralded authors and has many signed copies available, some of which are shown here.
Books & Books, 265 Aragon Avenue, 305-442-4408.
MAKES SCENTS (BELOW)
You can’t go wrong with a set of miniature candles from Jo Malone London, even for the person who has it all. Available now at Bluemercury, the collection includes five enchanting scents, including one of the line’s most popular fragrances, Nectarine Blossom & Honey, as well as festive Frosted Cherry & Clove.
Retail: $100. Bluemercury, 317 Miracle Mile, 305-476-1180.
CRYSTAL CLEAR (RIGHT)
Designed by sculptor Arik Levy for Lasvit, these angular vessels create multiple reflections during the day and at night, blurring the lines between design and art. They are available in five hues at Luminaire’s Ponce de Leon Boulevard showroom and would look stunning alone or in a cluster.
Retail: $515-$720. Luminaire, 2331 Ponce de Leon Blvd., 305-448-7367.
MAYBE NOT FIFTH AVENUE YET, BUT…
Among the great pleasures of visiting a city like New York over the holidays are the storefront displays on 5th Avenue. With that in mind, the City and the Business Improvement District (BID) have launched a joint effort to turn the storefronts of Miracle Mile into festive, snowy displays.
“The theme is ‘Winter Wonderland,’ and the goal is to draw people to the area – and for them to have a beautiful holiday experience, a nice cozy feeling,” says Catalina Perez, co-chair of the BID’s marketing committee.
The BID began by declaring a Holiday Window Contest for downtown stores, with prizes for retail, bridal, food & beverage, and
services categories. The City also wanted to do something to activate the empty storefronts along the mile, so they hired Perez’s downtown design firm InkBerry to liven them up with wintery, gift-filled images. “This is a way to get everyone into a holiday spirit,” she says.
“We live in a place where there is no snow,” says BID marketing committee co-chair Jill Hornik, whose family owns Jae’s Jewelers on the Mile. “So, when someone comes into our store, I want them to have a winter experience, with wrapped gifts and snowflakes in the window.”
The BID winners will be announced December 15. The City’s displays will remain through January.
You may not believe that inhaling certain aromas improves your psychological and physical well-being. Some people do. But anyone who has smelled jasmine in bloom must admit that things which smell good make you feel good. The multi-billion-dollar fragrance industry is built on just that. Sweet scents are also part of the holiday spirit, from the smell of a Christmas tree to the perfume of home cooking. Here are a few shopping suggestions to help with the fifth sense.
At Rose Tree Cottage, (388 Miracle Mile) you can purchase elegant variations of Lampe Berger fragrance lamps. Invented by a French pharmacist a century ago to purify the air in hospitals, you light a wick, blow it out, and voilá, no more odors, only a nice smell. From $78 to $150.
The new bakery Madeleines & More, (366 Miracle Mile), is
already redolent with the smell of freshly baked breads and pastries. But this cheerful French bakery also stocks luxury home and body fragrances from Paris. This is what the “more” is all about. Scented soap bars: $27.
Delicious odors come with the territory at Belle Fleur, downtown Gables’ premier florist (333 Alcazar Ave.). But now the shop where the air is filled with the scent of blooming flowers also has a candle bar, where you can purchase a variety of gift fragrances from $20 to $30.
When you walk into Neiman Marcus, it always smells good. That’s partly because the women’s perfume counter is on the first floor. Classics by Chanel, Tiffany & Co. and Prada go for $135. Or try the holiday special for $117: “Good Girl” by Carolina Herrera, in a bottle shaped like a high-heel shoe.
Photos (including Shopping cover) by Nicholas Faber
n Comics slogan –“Get back to yesterday” – is just what the store embodies. Owners (husband and wife) Waldo Rodriguez and Johanna Garcia have filled their store with classic toys in mint condition, vinyl LP records, cassettes, CDs, vintage comic books, old school lunch boxes, and movie posters. The shelves are bursting with an army of retro items, along with more modern Japanese anime and Korean pop music collectables. Prices range from $1 to $300.
The store grew out of the couple’s obsession with collecting items they discovered during their summer road trips, from obscure antique shops and dusty comic bookstores across the country. In 2015, perhaps due to good marital advice, they decided to open a shop instead of hoarding everything at home.
Both Garcia and Rodriguez are schoolteachers – she at Gables High, he at West Miami High – which explains why their shop does not open until 3:30 p.m. on weekdays. They describe their store as an extension of their classrooms. “When young people come in to see the merchandise, they also get to learn some pop – and perhaps political – history in the process,” explains Rodriguez. Says Garcia, “Older people can reminisce, and young people can learn about the past.”
Besides passing along lessons, the couple passes along kindness. Last year they became certified foster parents. This year
alone the couple welcomed seven foster care children into their home. As Garcia puts it, “We both figured that if we have an extra room and they need a place to stay, then why would we keep that to ourselves?”
True to their retro roots, the couple decided against hosting an online version of their store after being bamboozled by their own attempts at making purchases via the internet. (The only time it worked in their favor was once when they somehow received an entire box of toilet golf kits – aka potty putters – which became a hit.) Having only a physical presence, customers know exactly what they’re getting. You just have to find the store first. Think of it as a speakeasy of collectibles, a rare second floor store.
GABLES RECORDS N COMICS
277 MIRACLE MILE, SUITE #203
(ABOVE P.POLE PIZZA)
OPEN: TUES. – FRI. 3:30PM-7PM; SAT. 1PM -7PM.
Photo by Nicholas FaberMoisture-Wicking
Four-Way Stretch
Wrinkle-Resistant
Machine-Washable
*Warning, may cause comfort and extreme confidence
ROCK SHRIMP TEMPURA
Deep water shrimp lightly battered and dressed in MesaMar’s creamy tangy sauce
A ROUND UP OF THE GABLES’ FAVORITE SEAFOOD
AH, THAT TINY CRUSTACEAN, SO SMALL AND HUMBLE. YET FOR ANYONE WHO WATCHED “FORREST GUMP,” THE VARIOUS WAYS SHRIMP CAN BE PREPARED ARE, WELL, DARN NEAR ENDLESS. WHEN IT COMES TO ASIAN CUISINE, SHRIMP IS LIKE THE CHICKEN OF WESTERN COOKING: IT CAN TAKE ON MANY GUISES. WE SEARCHED THE STREETS OF CORAL GABLES FOR ASIAN VARIATIONS ON THE ART OF COOKING SHRIMP. HERE IS A SURVEY OF THE BEST – AND MOST INTERESTING.
ROCK SHRIMP TEMPURA
These are lightly battered fresh rock shrimp, the deep-water cousin of pink shrimp, small and flavorful. Cover them with a secret, tangy chipotle-like sauce and voila: Scrumptious. MesaMar, 264 Giralda Ave. $22
SHRIMP IN LOBSTER SAUCE
It’s an old Cantonese standby. But when it’s done right, served over white rice, and shot with just the right amount of soy sauce? Chinese comfort food!
Canton II, 2614 Ponce de Leon Blvd. $10.25
SHRIMP SHUMAI
This steamed shrimp dumpling is usually the province of dim sum eateries, none of which are in the Gables. This version fills in nicely, served with ponzu or plum sauce.
Red Koi, 317 Miracle Mile. $6
TOM KHA SHRIMP
This soup dish takes you to amazing (and delicious) new tastes, combining shrimp with coconut milk, Thai herbs, lemon grass, cilantro, scallions, mushrooms, tamarinds and lime juice. Malakor, 90 Miracle Mile. $7
CRISPY SHRIMP
This is a house of soft ramen noodles, but when they want to go crunchy, they excel. It might just be the dipping sauce, but you can’t stop eating these addictively tasty bites.
Ichimi, 2330 Salzedo St. $9.95
SPICY SHRIMP SALAD
A light and spicy salad that combines the flavors of lemon grass, lime juice, and chili, so it’s both cold and hot at the same time. A winner for a warm day. Miss Saigon, 148 Giralda Plaza. $11.95.
SHRIMP PAD THAI
The quality of Pad Thai is a telling mark for any Thai bistro, sort of like duck at a French restaurant. It can be too chewy or too cloying. Here, with shrimp, it’s just right. Moon Thai & Japanese. 1118 S. Dixie Hwy. $9
SHRIMP DONBURI
This is the shrimp version of the traditional donburi rice bowl. Here it starts with battered and fried shrimp and vegetables over the rice, with a sweet, savory sauce.
Su Shin Izakaya, 159 Aragon. $10.95/$9.95 lunch.
While we usually rave about happy hour in our beautiful city, not all establishments can draw a post-work crowd like Tarpon Bend used to.
It was the first Friday in November, meaning that Giralda Under the Stars was back for the first night of the season. While the rest of the pedestrian walkway was crowded with families and patrons, Kae was deserted. We sat down inside, but quickly moved outside with our half-off glasses of wine to avoid the awkward silence of being the only customers. Their saving grace, however, was the food. With a two-for-one deal on traditional
rolls, wine and beer from 4 – 7 p.m. on weekdays, you can easily spend under $20 for a sushi dinner (or late afternoon snack). The two rolls of our choosing were the Dragon and the Spicy Tuna Crunch. The latter consists of spicy tuna, avocado and crunchy flakes with sriracha on the side for dipping. The former was our favorite, made with shrimp, asparagus, avocado, eel sauce and spicy mayo. While cream cheese in a roll doesn’t normally tickle our fancy, here it just worked. While not a part of the happy hour special, the pork gyozas deserve an honorable mention.—Lizzie Wilcox
GABLEITES PICK THEIR FAVORITES
For the ninth year in a row, Ponce Circle was transformed into a scene from Dante’s Inferno, albeit with beer and beef: Burgerliscious, the Coral Gables Chamber’s annual November fundraiser for small businesses. With more than 1,000 people attending and 17 burger-flipping contestants, a blind-review by the judges awarded Miller’s Ale House the “Best in Bun.” The
people’s choice went to Pincho. For our money, the best beef was served by Clutch Burger (above), and the tastiest on a tiny pizza offered by Terre del Sapore. But what do we know? Never mind, says Chamber head Mark Trowbridge, who presided over the event: “It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you grew up, we all love a good burger.” Pass the ketchup.
BACHOUR has taken northern Salzedo by storm with its awesome breakfasts and world’s best pastries. Now they are open until 10 p.m. for dinner…. MARA on Giralda Plaza put up a valiant effort to serve real Basque cuisine. Perhaps too arcane, now it’s reinvented itself as a suddenly popular house of tapas… At MISS SAIGON on Giralda, we are sorry to see the help no longer wearing traditional Vietnamese garb, trading in the full-length robes for T-shirts that read “Me love you long time” and “What
the Pho?”… With no bakery actually on the Mile, MADELINE ZAMORA & MORE (right) has opened to fill the gap. Check out those apple turnovers… Finally more upscale dining will appear on Giralda west of Ponce, with this month’s opening of Mediterranean eatery TUR KITCHEN, in the Giralda Plaza building… PALME D’OR, formerly ground zero for haute cuisine tasting menus at the Biltmore that started at $90, is now serving its extraordinary cuisine a la carte…
Jackson Health System welcomes one of the most established names in cardiac surgery to its team, Romualdo Segurola, MD, FACS. Our new Jackson Heart Institute brings together two of the most trusted names in South Florida – Jackson and Dr. Segurola – to form Miami’s most comprehensive heart program. From minimally invasive cardiac surgery to highly specialized cardiac procedures and life-saving heart transplants, there is nothing we can’t do. Miami heart care just got stronger. Surgery
Two Trusted Names. One Comprehensive Goal.
After college, Naomi Harris spent a year and a half in Anchorage, Alaska, a climatic shock for a woman born and raised in South Florida. “Too cold, too far from home,” she says, recalling her winter in the frozen north. But there in the subarctic, working at the small, family-owned Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop, Harris found the inspiration that would lead her back to South Florida to open a bakery of her own.
Madruga Bakery, just three years old in January, has become a Coral Gables institution. Loyal fans, who patiently wait in lines that can stretch to the door, come back again and again for the freshmade breads, cookies, muffins, croissants, and alfajores (dulce de leche sandwich cookies), along with a full menu of nutritious offerings for breakfast and lunch, and a warm, inviting environment.
The goal, says Harris, is to run a bakery that is also a place where the community gets together. “We are so happy to hear from people who come every day, for bread, for coffee, for a salad. It becomes a part of their life,” she says. One of those repeat customers is Dickie
Davis, a neighborhood resident who retired as director of public relations and digital marketing at Miami International Airport. “There is just a feeling here,” Davis said recently over her usual – an iced latte and the print edition of The New York Times. “An original menu, fresh organic food, and a welcoming, cheerful staff.”
Madruga Bakery is an artisanal, all-natural bakery. Many of the bread products begin with a sourdough starter that is nurtured daily, the catalyst for a mixture of water, leavening agents, and heirloom grains milled on premise. The popularity of Madruga means that Harris now spends more time as a manager than as a baker, a diminutive but firm presence in the busy swirl of cooks, bakers, servers and cleanup crews. But she still spends at least one shift a week with the bread team, staying connected to the elemental, satisfying act of kneading and shaping loaves. There, elbow-deep in flour, Harris is reminded of what attracted her to baking in the first place.
As a student at Palmetto High School, she began baking challah bread as a community service project with her B’nai B’rith chapter,
which delivered the bread to a home for senior citizens. As a student at Northwestern University in Illinois, she continued to bake as a hobby. “I always found baking fascinating,” Harris says. “It’s alive, and there are so many factors that can go into the bread. Does it need to rise less, rise more, need water? It’s very tactile. You are always responding to it, and learning.” The bread-making process at Madruga – in an open kitchen intentionally visible to customers – lasts two days. The process starts before dawn, fitting for a shop whose name (the same as the street which it fronts) comes from the Spanish verb meaning to get up early. Bread started that morning ends up as loaves and sandwich slices the next day.
Harris is a third-generation food entrepreneur. Her greatgrandfather started Red Road Food Market in South Miami. Naomi’s dad Larry and her uncle Stuart started Pollo Tropical, which they sold in 1998. Just how well Harris has melded family heritage and her own training to create a thriving bread shop became evident in February, when Harris received a James Beard Nomination as a semi-finalist for Outstanding Baker. The following month the city recognized her contribution to local cuisine with a certificate of appreciation.
There are times when the 36-seat bakery seems too small to accommodate all those who show up, especially on weekends. Yet Harris says she has no plans to move or expand. “We are hitting some limits on space, and we’re trying to rework that,” she says. “But I love the physical location and the support of those who live and work around here.”
Already known for its latenight happy hour, Yard House is adding a new menu to the mix: brunch. Yard House began brunch service a couple months ago on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; now brunch lovers can indulge in bottomless mimosas, Bloody Marys and house beers for $15.
Yard House is no stranger to innovative dishes (poke nachos, fried mac & cheese, moo shu egg rolls) and the brunch menu is no exception. We’ve all heard of chicken and waffles, but here, the Nashville Hot Chicken is paired with sweet potato pancakes. A perfect seasonal treat. The Bread Pudding French Toast (left) is unlike anything we’ve ever had to break the fast. The battered bread pudding is cooked to a crispy golden brown, giving it a crunchy shell with a warm, gooey interior. Drizzle on maple syrup or dip it into the maple bacon cream sauce and you’re in heaven – or Canada.
Going in the opposite direction, a couple of dishes are
inspired by our neighbor South of the Border, like the Machaca con Huevos. Shredded braised beef and scrambled eggs are mixed with onions, peppers and jalapeños, and topped with cheese, green tomatillo, and red ancho chili sauces. On the side are pinto beans and a generous serving of delicious Spanish rice. Mini tortillas are also served on the side so you can make your own breakfast tacos. For the less adventurous there are the brunch staples of a breakfast burger, steak and eggs, and – going with its cult following – avocado toast.
Whether you choose to dine inside or out, there are no bad choices. Inside on Sunday, the TVs show pre-game coverage of NFL games and postgame coverage from Saturday’s college games. Dining outside in the Shops at Merrick Park is especially pleasant this time of year with the cooler weather and holiday decorations. The bottomless drinks add a nice layer of warmth should the temps drop below 75. –
Lizzie Wilcox
By J.P. Faber
F
or Mike Eidson, the Coral Gables attorney who has a passion for saving historic structures, the discovery was nothing short of an epiphany: After struggling for years to save and restore the old Coconut Grove Playhouse, he discovered a 2004 report that Dona Spain, the director of historic preservation for the city of Coral Gables, had written about the two First Church of Christ, Scientist buildings on the corner of Le Jeune and Andalusia. The two “sanctuaries” were designed by famed architect Phineas Paist, the same man
who designed Douglas Entrance, the Colonnade Building, and Coral Gables City Hall. The first sanctuary building was designed in 1928 and finished in 1933; a second, larger building was designed in 1937 and finished in 1942. In the 1950s, two rows of offices and classrooms were added, forming a courtyard connecting the two structures.
“From the first time I saw this I thought of it as a campus. I thought, ‘We can have a cultural arts campus right here in the middle of Coral Gables, in the prettiest place in the city,
and create a new town square,’” said Eidson. “The buildings are, in fact, right across the street from Paist’s City Hall building, with Merrick Park between them. “This could activate the entire area.”
That was a year ago. Since then, Eidson and his team have won over the church members and signed a long-term lease for the larger of the buildings, a 454-seat auditorium that will serve as the central performance space for what he describes as “a multi-purpose, multi-discipline complex for dance, theater and music.” Eidson himself has committed $1,000,000 to repurpose the building and launch the programming. “We can have this whole thing open in six months, with performances. Our idea is to educate and create.” This month the newly dubbed Sanctuary of the Arts will hold its inaugural event, a four-day celebration with dance and music.
For Eidson – who restored the building that houses Books & Books, tried to save the now demolished LaSalle building, and fought for years to bring back the Coconut Grove Playhouse – the new Sanctuary is a refreshing breakthrough in his personal quest to preserve local historic architecture. It also allows him to make use of the knowledge gained in those efforts, especially with the Playhouse.
“We got engineers and architects to show how we could create a cultural arts center [there]. It was pretty much the same idea we are thinking about here. With this, we are transferring all that knowledge,” he says. A key leader in the Playhouse campaign was Olga Granda, a Coral Gables native who was raised blocks from the church. She is now the Artistic Director and CEO of the Sanctuary of the Arts. “Because of my love of historic restoration, I led the Coconut Grove Theater Foundation for two years,” says Granda, who was originally trained as a dancer. “So, when Mike suggested I work on this project, it was a culmination of a life spent in the arts – and in this
area… Little by little we worked out a partnership with the church, and I took on the job of finalizing the lease and the organization.” That multi-decade, renewable lease allows The Sanctuary to use the larger of the two church buildings, the one which faces City Hall across Andalusia. The smaller of the sanctuary buildings will continue to be used for weekly services by First Church of Christ, Scientist.
“We are very supportive of this,” says Liegh Marion, the clerk of the church. “The church at the moment is not using the main building, and it’s a beautiful building with lovely rainbow windows… We think it will be a great blessing to have this right in the center of the community.”
One of the blessings, says Eidson, is the fact that both church buildings have been kept in immaculate condition. “If you walk in the doors today, it would be just like you were walking into the 1930s. Almost nowhere else could you find that – and find someone that would be willing to let you use it.”
Now comes the task of transforming the facility, programming the artistic performances, and bringing in various artists-in-residence who will use the former church offices as studios and classrooms. Already, lighting and sound equipment has been ordered, drapery picked out to reduce inside lighting during shows, and new flooring shipped for installation in the lobby.
“The next stage is to figure out what can be done here,” says Granda. “I consider myself a multi-disciplinary artist, and to curate is an art.” The first benchmark will be putting on a play in April, which requires retrofitting the church stage to accommodate theater. “It’s a very ambitious project,” she says. In the meantime, the property’s 13,000 square-foot lawn will be activated for outdoor performances (see right).
“Right now, our vision is a 100-year vision,” says Eidson. “Everybody else wants to come and tear [the church] down. We want this to be here forever.”
DEC. 20-23, 2019
Celebrate the opening of Sanctuary of the Arts with four days of performances, family-friendly activities, and holiday treats. Free performances by over 20 local artists including musicians, dancers, theater artists, and poets. Shop for handmade goods made by artisanal vendors, tour the Sanctuary’s historic campus, and learn about upcoming programs. Performances programmed by Buskerfest Miami. www.sanctuaryofthearts.org
Mike
on a personal quest to preserve local historic architecture. After struggling for years to save and restore the old Coconut Grove Playhouse, last year he turned his efforts to the First Church of Christ, Scientist buildings on the corner of Le Jeune and Andalusia. He says, “From the first time I saw this I thought of it as a campus...”
OPPOSITE: The interior courtyard of the adjoining sanctuary buildings and the facade of the First Church of Christ, Scientist on Andalusia Avenue.
THE SEASON OPENER FOR ACTORS’ PLAYHOUSE IS ENTERTAINMENT FROM START TO FINISH
There is something about the voice of actor Scott Moreau that is mesmerizing. Forget the fact that, when he sings, he sounds so much like Johnny Cash that if you close your eyes you would swear it was the man himself. But it’s when he speaks that you come under the spell, lulled by a rich, sonorous tone that makes you feel like you’re in a special, intimate space with, in this case, one of the great country singer-songwriters of all time.
If it’s Moreau’s voice that lures you into “Ring of Fire,” it’s the music that knocks your socks off. With a cast of uber-talented actor/musicians, “Ring of Fire” takes you through the musical career of the man from Arkansas, with famous hits like “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I Walk the Line,” and, of course, “Ring of Fire.” The ebullient cast of five plays all the parts and all the instruments with world-class skill and downhome enthusiasm.
Moreau himself could not
be more convincing in the lead role, which he plays with aplomb and confidence. Katie Barton is equally impressive as the irrepressible June Carter. She is a human spark plug, bursting with exhilaration, and as fearlessly country as a basket of fried chicken in a gingham picnic basket. She would steal the show except for Moreau’s embracing presence as Cash.
The other three cast member musicians alternately take the stage in vignettes as Johnny’s family, friends and musical colleagues. When all five players are assembled, the experience feels as much like a close-up country music concert as a stage musical.
In the end, the litany of tunes by Cash and the energy with which they’re played is irresistible. “Ring of Fire” is a rollicking musical ride through the life and tunes of one of America’s most iconic country superstars. If you weren’t a Johnny Cash fan before seeing the show, you will be afterwards.
THE NORTH POLE MUSICAL (RIGHT)
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Crystal Academy joins forces with Area Stage Company’s Inclusion Theatre Project to bring The North Pole Musical to City Hall. The general public is invited to this dynamic show surrounded by song, music and dance. Dec. 18 from 10 – 11 a.m.
25TH ANNUAL CORAL GABLES OKTOBERFEST
CHRISTMAS IS IN THE AIR
No need to fly to Germany, Oktoberfest is happening right in Downtown Coral Gables at Fritz and Franz Bierhaus. Enjoy authentic food, bands from Austria and Germany, and, of course, beer! Oct. 3 – 13. Free admission. Visit www.oktoberfestinmiami.com for details.
VINOS AT THE VENETIAN (ABOVE)
CITIES OF THE MIND (RIGHT)
Celebrate Christmas with the Florida Chamber Orchestra’s traditional concert. Featuring Dunia Ojeda and Ricardo Malfatti, the winner and semifinalist of La Voz (2019), and the Belen Jazz Band. Miami-Dade County Auditorium. Dec. 14 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $25 - $50.
Enjoy drinks and live music poolside at the Venetian Pool. A curated wine auction will benefit the Coral Gables Community Foundation. Nov. 15 from 6 – 10 p.m. Tickets: $50 - $500.
The most recent project by renowned Cuban-American artist Carlos Estévez, Cities of the Mind features nine large circular paintings that reference the artist’s fascination with city planning. Inspired by the Havana of his youth and the Medieval European cities he has visited, Estévez has created personal maps of the human mind. Opens Oct. 24 at the Lowe Art Museum
7TH ANNUAL DOGGIE COSTUME CONTEST
THE NIGHTGARDEN AT FAIRCHILD (RIGHT)
After much success last year, NightGarden will be back and better at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. This year’s event will be three times larger than last year with a majority of the lighting displays, holograms and immersive activities being brand new. Don’t worry, the talking tree will still be there. Starts Nov. 15. General admission tickets: $29 - $33.
Ring in the New Year at the Biltmore Hotel with a contemporary take on the Roaring Twenties. Complete with a full course dinner, open bar, dessert buffet and live band. At midnight, champagne will be poured and fireworks will light up the sky over the golf course. Cigars will be offered on the Terrace. Dec. 31 from 8:30 p.m. – 1 a.m. Reservations: $395 - $495.
Dress up your pooch and head over to the Coral Gables Museum on Halloween. Dogs can strut their stu down the “catwalk” for a chance to win prizes. Registration begins at 6 p.m., contest begins at 6:30. $5 registration fee benefits the Humane Society of Greater Miami. Don’t have a dog? You can still attend and watch the pups parade in their outfits.
HISTORIC HOLIDAYS EVENING STROLL (OPPOSITE TOP LEFT)
WATSON
PUMPKIN PATCH AT PITTMAN PARK (OPPOSITE TOP)
Celebrate fall in the City Beautiful. There will be hundreds of
Based on the life of IBM founder Thomas J. Watson, Sr., this is the story of the Nazi’s use of IBM’s pre-computer technology and the world’s first “personal information” catastrophe – the systematic identification of Jews. In 1937, Watson became the first American to receive the Order of the German Eagle award, one of the highest
Enjoy the sounds of the season while strolling through the Historic Homes of Deering Estate as they light up the night, decorated by top interior designers. Write letters to Santa while sipping on eggnog and snacking on cookies, roast s’mores and watch holiday short films. The evening concludes with Mrs. Claus reading bedtime
honors Adolf Hitler ever bestowed on a non-German. Opens Nov. 23 at GableStage. Tickets: $50 - $65.
BURGERLISCIOUS 9 (OPPOSITE TOP)
The annual burger bash returns to Fred B. Hartnett/Ponce Circle Park (2800 Ponce de Leon Blvd.). Participating restaurants this year
stories for the children. Food trucks will also be on site. Dec. 18 from 7 – 9 p.m. Tickets: $7 - $15.
include Bulla Gastrobar, Pincho, Clutch Burger, House Kitchen & Bar, and John Martin’s Irish Pub. Who will be crowned the next Best in Bun champion? Find out on Nov. 7 from 6 – 10 p.m. General admission tickets: $60; VIP tickets: $125.
pumpkins to choose from, live music, pumpkin decorating, face painting, portrait areas, and food and beverages. Oct. 19 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the corner of Galiano St. and Merrick Way. Free and open to the public.
THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS (2017) (TOP RIGHT)
CLASSICS COME ALIVE! (TOP RIGHT)
This classic holiday tale gets an update courtesy of executive producer Mitchell Kaplan of Books & Books. Watch the film across the street from Books & Books at Coral Gables Art Cinema. Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets: $8; free for Gables Cinema members.
HISTORIC GHOST TOUR (TOP RIGHT)
Step into the past as you explore the haunted history of the Deering Estate. Learn about the Estate’s previous inhabitants and the paranormal activity that has been witnessed by staff and visitors alike. Oct. 10 and 24 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets: $35.
THE NUTCRACKER (RIGHT)
The Frost Saxophone Ensemble welcomes to the stage virtuoso violinist Charles Castleman for a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major that you will never forget. Also, pianist Santiago Rodriguez performs Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. $20 ($15 seniors), UM Gusman Concert Hall, 8 pm., Sunday November 17.
HALLOWEEN AT THE BILTMORE (BOTTOM RIGHT)
PURPLE RAIN (RIGHT)
The iconic Halloween party at the Biltmore returns on Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. Enjoy an open bar, buffet dinner, and costume contest. Tickets: $150. Available for purchase at Eventbrite.com. Discounted hotel rooms available with ticket purchase.
Rockstar Prince plays “the Kid,” a headstrong young musician who leads his band The Revolution in 1984 Minneapolis. After meeting aspiring singer Apollonia, the Kid discovers that talent alone isn’t all he 11:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 and include a free popcorn and happy hour.
Miami City Ballet’s holiday specatacle transports you to a dazzling winter wonderland in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. Step into this magical world of toy soldiers, colorful characters and the enchanting “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy,” set to the music of Tchaikovsky performed by a live orchestra. Ziff Ballet Opera House, Adrienne Arsht Center from Dec. 13 – Dec. 22. Tickets: $30 - $125.
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Adam Carlin began working for Morgan Stanley directly upon graduating from the UM School of Business. He worked first in their downtown Miami office, but for the last 15 years has worked in their downtown Coral Gables office. Beyond a successful career in wealth management, Carlin has been an extraordinarily active member of the community, currently serving on the boards of the UM Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (as Chair), the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, the Dolphins Cancer Challenge Advisory Board, and the UM Business School’s Board of Overseers, among many others. In the last few years he has been honored with the Coral Gables Community Foundation’s Art & Culture Award, and in 2017, UM’s School of Business Excellence in Leadership Award.
Part of the leadership team that helped make Sylvester an NCI-designated cancer center, part of the team that recently raised substantial funds to rename the UM Business School, and co-creator of a scholar’s program at the business school to send talented students for interviews with top New York firms. He continues to unilaterally fund the annual Carlin Family Prom at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, providing children and their parents a safe environment to have fun, regardless of their medical condition.
“Part of what happens in life is the luck of the draw. Some people have had a lot of unfortunate things that have occurred to them through no fault of their own, and some people have had a lot of good fortune in their life, not 100 percent a result of what they have done,” he says. “I remind myself of that, and I think it is very important to give back to the community.” Carlin focuses his community efforts on
health, education and the arts, and within health he focuses on cancer and spinal cord injuries. “With cancer, I would say, it doesn’t discriminate. It’s something that tries to steal our loved ones – young, old, those that are fortunate, those that are struggling… It’s just so important that resources be focused on that to try to make a difference.”
When I was growing up, I never thought in a million years that I would have this blessed life. I was a geek who played the tuba – though, I guess that is redundant…
Dr. Paula Levine was born in Canada, where she was a clinical social worker in Toronto. She moved to South Florida, where she earned a PhD in psychology from the University of Miami in 1981. She launched two Miami-based practices, one focusing on agoraphobia and the other on anorexia and bulimia, before relocating to the Gables in 1995 with a women’s resource and counseling center, in partnership with Dr. Susan Scholz-Rubin. Since then she has focused on eating disorders, phobias and relationships – all of which, she says, come under the heading of “anxiety disorders.”
This coming year Dr. Levine will celebrate her 25th anniversary of serving the Coral Gables community, where her practice employs 15 therapists, three psychiatrists, a full-time nutritionist and three support staff. She also does programs on the new Baptist Health Systems’ “Health Channel” (in partnership with WPBS) and is a regular contributor to “Smart Life” on the same channel.
“I continue to focus on phobias, because we don’t have a ton of experts in town treating this,” she says. “A lot of people don’t understand that phobias are not the fear of the things, but a fear of having a panic attack in that place, like on an airplane, and then being trapped.” She now works with something called ACT, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and is well grounded in mindfulness
meditation as a treatment for anxiety and depression. Among her recent cases is a 32-year-old patient who wants to get pregnant but suffers from emetophobia, or fear of vomiting, which is often a part of morning sickness during pregnancy. “What gives me the most satisfaction,” she says, “is the number of people we have trained over the years.”
I think phobias are as common as ever. Given my reputation, I’m seeing more complex cases…
Charles Castleman was a child prodigy who began playing the violin when he was three years old. He performed at age six with the Boston Pops, and by age nine was a television regular, appearing with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Jackie Gleason, Ed Sullivan and Jack Benny. As an adult he has remained among the most active violinists in the world, playing with the orchestras of Philadelphia, Chicago, Moscow, New York, San Francisco and Shanghai, to name a few. He has released numerous CDs, was a Ford Foundation Concert Artist, has been broadcast on NPR and BBC, and has conducted master classes in London, Vienna, Helsinki, Kiev, Hong Kong, Tokyo and many others.
Donated a 1748 Guadagnini violin valued at $1 million to the University of Miami because “no one was playing it” (he prefers his Stradivarius). Performed Brahms Double Concerto in October and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in November, both at UM’s Frost School of Music.
“By the time I was 15 or 16, I had an incredible level of fame. It was kind of fun to have people recognize you, but I didn’t want to have that kind of life,” says Castleman. “You can’t settle down, and you don’t really have a choice of what to play. You are doing what someone else wants.” So Castleman settled in at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, where
he taught for 40 years. Then Dean Shelly Berg of the Frost School offered him a new role at UM, where he could teach and perform in a variety of genres. “They [Eastman] expected me to keep doing what I was doing until I couldn’t do it anymore,” he says. “I wanted to be in a situation that would challenge me in different ways.”
There is an explicit contract between teacher and student to work together as hand in glove. Each must be willing to go to the extreme for the entire period of study…
These days, it feels like there is such a divide between citizens. From politics to healthcare to climate change, everyone has their own opinion –and your Aunt Sally is not afraid to share hers by writing a small novel on Facebook. But one thing we can all agree on? Dogs are the best.
Not only do the people of Coral Gables in particular love their own pups, but also dogs that don’t belong to anyone. One resident leading the charge in the battle to save man’s best friend is Yolanda Berkowitz,
of Friends of Miami Animals, shown above.
founder and presidentTHE DOG: THE BREED: THE AGE: THE OWNER: QUIRKS:
Maya Collie/Shepherd mix
5
Maria Alonso, CEO of United Way of Miami-Dade
“When we first got her, for some reason she endeared herself to our bed, all 80 pounds of her,” says husband Alex. “We call her ‘birth control.’ For the first year if you moved your feet around, she would bite them. She might have been a little abused [Maya is a rescue dog], but she finally acquiesced and stopped.”
“Our goal is essentially to improve and save the lives of homeless pets in Dade County and at the shelter,” says Berkowitz, who created the foundation in 2016.
Berkowitz, a Gables resident for 20 years, works tirelessly with Miami-Dade Animal Services in Doral, the only open intake shelter in the county. Whereas closed shelters, like the Humane Society of Miami, can somewhat control their population by turning away animals when they’re full, Miami-Dade Animal Services accepts every stray, homeless, or abandoned animal that is brought to the shelter. According to Berkowitz, MDAS takes in around 30,000 animals a year.
This many animals means the shelter needs a lot of help. Which is where FOMA comes in. The foundation organizes volunteer fairs for those who want to lend a hand at the shelter; it also funded roughly 5,000 spay/neuters in the past year and a half.
“The truth is that it’s not really about the dogs I rescue,” Berkowitz says. “It’s about learning what the needs are for shelters.”
One of those needs at Miami-Dade Animal Services was larger play yards. Eighty percent of shelter dogs are large dogs, so they need more room to play. Having adequate space is beneficial to both those with four legs and two, by giving the shelter staff the opportunity to see how their dogs interact with humans – and with each other. Thanks to Berkowitz, this need became a reality. “I was like a dog with a bone with that one,” she says.
Not only is MDAS an open intake shelter, it also became a nokill shelter in 2015.
“The goal is that no adoptable animal is ever euthanized,” says Berkowitz. This means that no healthy or treatable animals are euthanized even when the shelter is full – and that less than 10 percent of animals brought to the shelter are euthanized, and only if they are severely ill or untreatable.
For the Friends of Miami Animals founder, the secret to improving animal welfare is engaging the community and having it help in any capacity: donating, volunteering, adopting, or even fostering. Fostering allows a dog to have a temporary home until it finds a permanent one, while making room for others at the shelter, which is exactly what Tatiana Maldonado did.
Lady, a terrier mix, was brought to Maldonado back in May. Lady was abused and overbred. Her owner would either keep her outside or let her loose on the streets until he found a dog to breed her with. Even when pregnant, she would still be kept outside. The owner would then sell her puppies and dump the ones no one bought. “When the doctor was doing the spay, he said he didn’t know how she didn’t die because she didn’t have one cycle without being bred,” Maldonado said.
With quality food and vitamins, Maldonado was able to nurse Lady back to full health. Now all the dog needs is a forever home. Typically, when adopting, families don’t know what card they’re being handed as far as personality goes. Fortunately, with Lady, Maldonado can attest to how sweet and nurturing she is.
“I’ve been working with animals for over 20 years and she’s the best dog I have ever been able to care for,” Maldonado says. “I have never seen a personality like hers.” That’s saying a lot, considering the fact that Maldonado runs a doggie daycare and boarding service, Your Paws R My Paws, from her home, and cares for 6 to 12 dogs at any given time.
Maldonado herself was a Gables resident who recently moved out of the city for more affordable space to expand her business; the lion share of her clientele, however, remain Gableites. She has been
Lady, a terrier mix above, was brought to former Gables resident, Tatiana Maldonado, who runs a doggie day care and boarding service. Lady was abused and overbred. With quality food and vitamins, Maldonado was able to nurse Lady back to full health.
THE DOG: THE BREED: THE AGE: THE OWNER: QUIRKS:
Jeroboam & Magnum Golden Retrievers
5 and 4
Jeffrey Wolfe, Wolfe’s Wine Shoppe
“They want to be part of everything going on in the shop,” says Wolfe. “During the week, when suppliers come in, they want to taste the wine along with me. This is especially true for Jero. When he was growing up behind the counter, I used to stick my finger in the wine to let him have a sip. Now he is bigger [83 pounds], so instead I just pour some in his mouth and he calms down.”
running her daycare and boarding business for six years now but has been working with dogs since she was 15, through pet sitting, volunteering at shelters, and working at animal clinics.
“Although I was in accounting for 13 years, I’ve always done some type of work with animals on the side,” she said. “It’s always been my passion.” If Lady gets adopted, she will be a foster success story. “Fostering is really, really important and that’s one of the places I hope where we [Friends of Miami Animals] are able to make some inroads in the next year,” Berkowitz added, stressing that fostering puppies is especially important, as they are more susceptible to diseases at a young age.
And then there are the foster “failures.” Maria Alonso and husband Alex are now the proud parents of Maya, a shepherd mix. They heard through friends that there was a dog at risk to be euthanized, so Maria, the CEO of United Way of Miami-Dade, sent Alex to bring her home after agreeing to foster her.
“We thought we’d find a good home for her, but I fell in love with her and so did Maria,” Alex says. “She became part of the family so quickly.” So quickly, in fact, that the second they brought Maya home, she ran upstairs and jumped on their bed. The 80-pound shepherd mix has slept with the couple every night for the past four years. Maria describes Maya as the most loving part of their family, despite her sometimes fierce demeanor. “When you come to the door, [she] looks like Cujo foaming at the mouth,” Maria says with a laugh. “But once you walk in she licks you.”
The addition to their family, which already consisted of several King Charles Cavaliers, made her realize the importance of adopting. “There are so many dogs that are just waiting to come and be a part of a family, and they give so much unconditional love,” said Maria. “I don’t see them as pets… they’re my kids – my furry kids.”
For more information on Friends of Miami Animals and how you can help to improve animal welfare, visit fomapets.org or con-
THE SAYING GOES THAT IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD. THE SAME GOES FOR OUR FURRY CHILDREN. WHETHER YOU’RE GOING ON VACATION, OR JUST NEED SOMEONE TO LET THEM OUT DURING THE WORKDAY, YOU CAN (FORTUNATELY) TURN TO MIAMI PET CONCIERGE OR EQUIPAWS PET SERVICES.
MIAMI PET CONCIERGE was founded by Nicole Brown Packin in 2007. The company offers dog walking (pictured above), pet sitting, Puppy 101 classes, dog training, dog park visits and overnight pet care. Packin is somewhat of an expert in animal welfare herself. She earned her Small Animal Massage Practitioner Certificate from the Northwest School of Animal Massage. She specializes in Myofascial Release Therapy, Trigger Point Therapy and Stress Point Therapy. She is also a certified Canine Aquatic Therapist. She is currently working toward an online degree in Applied Animal Behavior from the University of Washington. “We’re trying really hard to differentiate because there’s 185,000 dog walkers,” Packin laughs
EQUIPAWS was founded by the sister team of Frankie and Flavia Berti (above) in 2011. They offer dog walking, dog running, pet sitting and boarding, vet drop off and pickups, and pet store errands from Brickell down to Cutler Bay. But with their office just across the Gables border on the South Miami side of 57th Avenue, a majority of their clients are Coral Gables pet owners. Their most popular service is the midday dog walks – perfect for when you can’t make it home during lunch or have to work late. Their newest service is home pet health care. “It’s about convenience for [the owner] and comfort for them and the pet,” Frankie says.
THE DOG: THE BREED: THE AGE: THE OWNER: QUIRKS:
Thor Husky
6 months
Wayne Eldred, President and CEO, Brown Label (Events, Productions), Eldred Consulting Group (Business and Hospitality)
“He is a very clever dog. He is the kind of dog that will learn the things he is supposed to learn, and then some,” says Eldred. “If I tell him I am leaving he will run outside of the house. He doesn’t want to go into his crate. I will have to chase him around the house for 10 minutes, and literally pick up him and put him in his crate. He is a terrible guard dog, because he loves all people. If a murderer comes in my house, he will probably kiss him.”
THE DOG: THE BREED: THE AGE:
THE OWNER: QUIRKS:
Jim DalmatianI’m guessing 4 years old (not sure, he was a rescue)
Ben Mollere, Corporate VP, Baptist Health
“Jim thinks he is a lapdog. At a lean 50 pounds, his favorite activity when we read the paper or lounge around is to attempt to climb into our laps. He was rescued and had limited interaction with families, so now he loves being around – or on top of – people.”
THE DOG: THE BREED: THE AGE:
THE OWNER: QUIRKS:
Sushi
Chihuahua/Yorkie Mix
2
Milanka Placeres, Phula Hair Salon
“He dances for treats,” says Milanka’s boyfriend Jose Casas (and co-master of Sushi). “If you have a treat in your hand, he can walk forever on two legs… He also sits on my shoulders like a parrot... At night he sleeps in Milanka’s hair like it’s a nest. She can look like a real tangle in the morning.”
LEA BLACK...
Philanthropist, author, mother, wife, reality star, and entrepreneur
It is a full moon, and Lea Black is addressing a gathering of young women at the Coral Gables Museum. It is the monthly Glow-Up event, a combination of holistic talks, group yoga, trendy vendor booths, and Kettle One Vodka. Like Lea herself, it’s a perfect combination of new age sensibility mixed with martini chic.
The invite to the event, shown above, featured the image of a glowing Lea in the middle of a harvest moon, as radiant as a zodiac icon. “Good evening, and thank you so much for coming out tonight,” she told the crowd of yoga devotees. After a minute or two of pleasantries, Lea turned the mike over to the evening’s yoga instructor and went to check on her display of CBD beauty products.
Lea Black, entrepreneur, author, CEO, podcaster, mother, and wife of legendary attorney Roy Black was here to promote her latest beauty line. Glamour symbol? Clearly. But working girl? Definitely. A Texas native and the oldest of four sisters,
her parents encouraged her to be ambitious. So Lea started working at a young age, leaving college after a short time to manage a gym called Fitness World. She ended up managing 40 Fitness World gyms before leaving to launch several health and wellness brands. One of her skincare products, Sudden Youth Facial, became highly successful. After that, there was no turning back; ultimately, she would help develop more than 400 products.
Flash forward to 1991, to the infamous Palm Beach rape trial of William Kennedy Smith. The now 35-year-old Lea Haller, as she was known then, had moved her business to Palm Beach County and was on the jury that voted to acquit Kennedy Smith in a controversial verdict. Kennedy Smith’s defense attorney was Roy Black, a well-respected Miami criminal defense attorney dubbed “The Professor” for the intelligent, erudite defense he provided his clients. Kennedy Smith went free and Black, 11 years Lea’s senior, went on to date and then marry the former juror. Talk about meeting your mate at work.
The couple moved to Coral Gables. Roy went on to build a powerful legal practice, ultimately representing famous (and infamous) clients ranging from Kelsey Grammer and Rush Limbaugh to Justin Bieber and Jeffrey Epstein. Meanwhile, Lea’s first big project in the Gables was the renovation of a historic home built by developer and city founder George Merrick. Roy had bought it years before he married Lea but was too busy to renovate. Lea jumped right in. “ I renovated it because it deserved it. I had an unlimited budget and I exceeded that,” she says. “We made the effort to maintain the historical integrity of the home. It really is a one of a kind treasure. It has a peaceful energy about it. It deserves the nurturing we’ve given it.”
At this point Lea could have just ridden on her famous husband’s coattails. She could’ve stayed home in her historical multimillion-dollar Gables manse, eating the proverbial bonbons. Instead, Lea resurrected her skincare business, started a reality TV career, became a mom, started a podcast, wrote a book, and became an activist/philanthropist.
In 2011, riding the “Real Housewives” success craze, Black was tapped to be one of the original Real Housewives of Miami – or ROHM, as it’s known – a gig which she says was a major learning experience. “I learned that some people will do anything for attention,” she says. “It can be fun, and it can be hurtful. Most people are not team players. Everyone has an agenda. Reality
THE MANY LIVES OF LEA BLACK:
RED CARPETS & WHITE LIES, a 2015 novel starring a thinly disguised Leigh White, is the story of a philanthropist throwing her last blowout Charity Ball amidst “the world of Miami’s rich and shameless.”
LEA BLACK BEAUTY COLLECTION, a skincare system with anti-aging serums, moisturizers and skin exfoliants, which includes CBD, a hemp derivative.
FULL MOON GLOW-UP, shown below with Lea Black. A combination of holistic talks, group yoga, trendy vendor booths, and Kettle One Vodka, it’s a perfect combination of new age sensibility mixed with martini chic.
TV doesn’t change who you are, it exposes who you are. I went into it with the best of intentions and was quite naïve… It opened my eyes to things I had never thought of before. ” Despite the cattiness of the show, she credits it with providing a platform for the housewives themselves. It gave several cast members, Lea included, the momentum to pursue other projects. Housewife Larsa Pippen now has a lifestyle website and blog. Housewife Alexia Echevarria launched Alexia + Frankie’s Beauty Bar. For Lea, her momentum was focused on writing a novel and expanding her businesses.
The novel, “Red Carpets & White Lies,” was published in 2015. Starring a thinly disguised Leigh White, it is the story of a philanthropist throwing her last blowout Charity Ball amidst “the world of Miami’s rich and shameless.” The book got rave reviews; the New York Post’s trendy Page 6 pronounced her “the next Joan Collins.” Lea, however, is almost dismissive of its success. “I wrote that book on my Blackberry phone,” she says, and without any fear of failure. “When I jump into something I just jump in and do it. And if it’s a success, great, and if I screw up then I just move on.”
One part of the autobiographical fiction of “Red Carpets & White Lies” that clearly mirrored her life is Lea’s ongoing commitment to charities for troubled teens. Since 1992, she and husband Roy have hosted an annual charity event, The Blacks’ Annual Gala, to raise money for their Consequences Charity and Foundation. Having raised millions over the years, she was the subject of a 2008 documentary entitled “The Fundraiser.”
But what gets Lea excited these days are two things. The first is her weekly podcast, “Lunch with Lea Black.” Several years ago, she had co-hosted a Google hangout and chat room with Frankie Grande, brother to Ariana Grande. The two focused mostly on political and celebrity gossip. But when Frankie joined the television show “Big Brother” in 2014, their collaboration was put on indefinite pause. Lea looked to other media options to connect with her fans. James, her social media manager, knew how to create
podcasts and so the two began working on “Lunch with Lea Black,” which officially launched last year. Episodes are released every Wednesday and there are now over 400 to date. Fans have the opportunity to ask questions and along with answering them, Lea chats about news, politics or whatever she feels like talking about that week. She uses it as a platform to support her products as well as those of her friends.
Her products? Lea’s other passion is the continuing development of her Lea Black Beauty Collection, a skincare system with anti-aging serums, moisturizers and skin exfoliants. Never one to rest on her laurels, Lea began to invest in the CBD market more than three years ago, “getting in on the ground level.” She is now full-on with the CBD craze, incorporating the hemp derivative into her line of cosmetic creams.
“I’ve been in the skincare business since 1984 and I’ve always been able to create cutting edge products that work,” she says. “CBD is something I was into years back, and I teamed up with scientists, doctors, laboratories, and marketing companies to do clinical studies to prove the efficacy before I made them available, so that I could launch one of the first CBD skincare lines in the industry. I guess karma finally caught up to me – it’s been one of the most incredible result-producing skincare lines I’ve ever created.”
If Lea’s appearance is any indication, her hemp-powered products are indeed potent. Now 63 (she was the oldest of the housewives), she looks stunningly attractive. She is also stunningly successful, worth an estimated $65 million (more than $100 million if you add in husband Roy). So why is this doyen of pop culture TV and new-age cosmetics out working a Glow-Up gathering at the Coral Gables Museum?
“I ask myself why I don’t just sit back and relax, and I guess the answer is that I feel everyone should carry their weight in life, and if you have a skill set or talent you have a responsibility to use it for the better good, including yourself,” she says. “I’ve been able to create thousands of jobs for others during my career – and watching people see that they can earn their worth, that has energized me to keep going.”
So how does this philanthropist, author, mother, wife, reality star, and entrepreneur want people to think about her? “What they think about me says more about them than it does me. But if they care to get to know me, they’ll find I’m just a simple girl with big ideas that cares about others and believes the world can work for everybody if we just allow it.”
“ I am not a woman to wait for opportunity to come knocking. I’d much rather go out and create my own opportunities.”
THE LONG AWAITED MODERNIZATION PROGRAM IS FINALLY UNDERWAY AT THE CITY’S ICONIC HIGH SCHOOL, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM ITS FRIENDS
By Doreen HemlockPhotos by Jonathan Dann
Jackie Gross-Kellogg used to wince when picking up her daughter from practice as a Gablettes dancer at Coral Gables Senior High School. She’d drive past a chain-link fence into a rutted parking lot, wait at a run-down building, and then pass a garbage collection zone on her way out. “As a parent, it depressed me,” Gross-Kellogg recalls. “I had to do this mantra all the time: It’s not the building or the maintenance. It’s what they’re learning and the friends they’re making. And her coach was amazing.”
Gross-Kellogg got involved at the school and began to see its “hidden beauty,” while understanding its budget constraints. Today she’s hopeful, thanks to a nearly $26 million modernization program getting underway and plans by community supporters to create a $5 million endowment fund.
“THE LONGER WE WAITED, IT GOT TO THE POINT THAT OUR EXPENSES BECAME GREATER THAN WHAT WAS BUDGETED.”
JACKIE GROSS-KELLOGG
Nearly 70 years after opening its doors, Gables High is starting a renaissance. Some older structures off Riviera Drive are being replaced with a more modern, taller building. New air conditioning systems are being installed. Hurricane windows are to be added. And the nonprofit Friends of Gables High is starting an endowment to pay for such student needs as printers and other classroom equipment. A new coat of paint already signals the launch of the biggest upgrade in a generation for a school now serving 3,000plus students. By 2022, principal Adolfo Costa hopes the campus’ outside will more closely match the quality he’s been nurturing inside, where nearly 90 percent of seniors graduate, some heading to Ivy League universities. “We’ll be able to keep up with the Joneses, so to speak, in terms of having a nice, shiny, bright, beautiful and efficient building,” says Costa, proudly dressed in the school’s crimson and gray colors.
To understand how a school that was once a jewel in Coral Gables’ landscape became so run-down, consider the lengthy funding process for the latest capital improvements. Both state and local groups are involved. In 2012, the Miami-Dade County School Board approved some $11 million for the project as part of a larger General Obligation Bond issue, but the school placed close to last on the list to start construction. By 2018, the School Board allotted $15 million more, recognizing that initial funds were insufficient to complete the work.
“The longer we waited, it got to the point that our expenses became greater than what was budgeted,” says Gross-Kellogg, president of the Parent Teacher Student Association, grateful for the extra help. She and others say school board member Mari Tere Rojas has been especially vocal in securing the funds.
Florida’s public schools have been coping with financial headaches for years, their teachers among the nation’s lowest paid. Miami-Dade feels the brunt, as the largest public school district in the state and fourth-largest nationwide. Traditional public schools also face growing competition for funds from newer charter schools, which often are run by for-profit companies and can charge tuition. And some say South Florida hardly gets its due in Tallahassee.
June Morris hadn’t realized how much that funding squeeze had hurt her alma mater until she saw a presentation at City Hall
OPPOSITE: June Morris, a past chair of the city’s economic development board, with deep Gables roots, began mobilizing school friends, business leaders and others to act.
Gables High has an impressive list of graduates and Hall of Fame inductees. Yet even its Hall of Fame program has been dormant in recent years because of funding woes. Here are some examples of famous grads:
JANET RENO ’56: The first female Attorney General of the United States, serving 1993-2001 under President Bill Clinton. She was a debating champion and salutatorian at the high school and later was the first woman to serve as state attorney in Florida, elected five times for Miami-Dade County.
ELLEN TAAFFE ZWILICH ’56: The first female composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. She’s a 1994 inductee into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, won an Arturo Toscanini Music Critics Award and a Guggenheim fellowship, has four Grammy nominations, and has long taught at Florida State University.
WILLIAM “BILL” LENOIR ’57: An electrical engineer and NASA astronaut. Lenoir held a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate from MIT and also taught there. From 1974 to 1976 he was leader of the NASA Satellite Power Team. In 1982, he flew on the first Space Shuttle flight to deploy commercial satellites.
MAXINE CLARK ’67: Entrepreneur who founded Build-A-Bear Workshop company, creator of the Blueprint4SummerSTL educational app. Born and raised in Coral Gables, the retail executive led Payless Shoes from 1992-96 before setting up her own venture to make customizable stuffed animals.
WINSTON SCOTT ’68: A retired Navy captain and NASA astronaut. He flew aboard shuttles Endeavor and Columbia, and later became the executive director of the Florida Space Authority. In high school, he was part of the band and known for his trumpet playing.
MIKE LOWELL ’92: Former Major League Baseball third baseman and son of Cuban parents. During a 13-year pro career, he played with the New York Yankees, Florida Marlins, and Boston Red Sox. He played baseball for the Cavaliers and met his wife Bertica at school, where she was a member of the Gablettes dance team and later became its coach.
JUNE MORRIS
“I saw mold, weeds, chain-link fences and a dilapidated campus. I wanted to do something about it.”
last year by Sam Joseph, chair of the city’s school and community relations committee. She recoiled at some photos shown. “I saw mold, weeds, chain-link fences and a dilapidated campus,” says Morris, a past chair of the city’s economic development board. “I wanted to do something about it.”
A former TV journalist with deep Gables roots – her mom, Dorothy Thomson, was a former mayor and her husband, Allen Morris, is a leading real estate developer – Morris began mobilizing school friends, business leaders and others to act. “The public school system was the invention of America. It is part of our democracy. It aims to give everyone a chance at a solid education,” she says. Studying in a subpar environment detracts from students’ ability to learn at the highest level and undermines the community, she insists. “This is our namesake high school for the City Beautiful. We should have a beautiful high school.”
Morris and some colleagues – including alumni such as chair Darrell Payne and former city commissioner Jeannett Slesnick –formed the nonprofit Friends of Gables High to help the school seek government funds when possible and to raise private funds to supplement student needs. She hosted some 150 people at a kick-off event at her home this past March, resulting in an initial $10,000 gift to the school for mini-grants. That cash has already funded faculty requests for a printer for the journalism department, microphones for drama students, and a coral lab tank for science classes. Says Morris: “We want to do little things to show our support for the students now, and bigger things later.”
Within the next few years, the group aims to create an unusually large endowment for a Florida public high school: $5 million. Business owner Tom Parker, who moved to Coral Gables in 2015 and has long been a public school supporter, is helping lead the fundraising drive. He sees the effort benefiting the city at large. A better school draws more people to settle in Coral Gables, boosts property values and widens the employee pool – as well as benefiting the students themselves, he says.
“Hiring people from our town is a big deal,” says Parker, president of The Ultimate Umbrella Co. Inc. known as TUCCI. “It’s in everyone’s best interest to make Coral Gables the best high school we can.” He figures a $5 million endowment can produce tens of thousands of dollars in interest yearly to fund student needs, allowing children to
spend less time on bake sales and car washes to pay for uniforms and trips, and more time instead on studies and practice.
Principal Costa welcomes that help, calling the endowment idea “phenomenal.” He’s the son of a Cuban immigrant who worked construction with his father and heeded his dad’s advice to study hard for a job out of the hot sun. Costa took the helm at Gables High in 2008 when the school had a “C” grade. He focused on boosting academics, taking the school to an “A” rating – though it now holds a “B,” which Costa links partly to frequent changes in grading criteria. In 2013 he earned the Leonard Miller Principal Leadership
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Award, the state’s top prize for principals, for his hands-on efforts. Among his innovations so far: introducing dual-enrollment with Miami-Dade College and Florida International University, and starting the Academy of Finance, now ranked among the nation’s finest. He’s also tripled the number of advanced placement tests students take yearly, helping teens move more easily into college.
Today, Gables High is well-known for two magnet programs, which are competitive to enter: The International Baccalaureate, which welcomes some 200 first year students each year from more than 1,000 applicants; and the Academy of Finance, which accepts some 100 first year students out of more than 400 who apply each year.
The school has one of the most diverse student bodies in Florida, representing dozens of nationalities, mainly from Latin America and the Caribbean. Some 90 percent are classified as minority, mainly Hispanics, including recent arrivals to the United States entering with limited English and requiring special language classes. About 70 percent qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches, based on household income.
“Something a lot of people don’t understand is that these small charter and magnet schools can turn away kids. Gables High doesn’t,” says PTSA president and alum Gross-Kellogg. “For example, the school has more than 500 special needs students, and they can stay until age 22 to get the skills they need. And if openness to students with diverse needs, English learners and others means keeping this school as a ‘B,’ that’s fine with me. I wear that as a badge of honor.”
Still, the physical plant remains “a challenge,” admits Costa, citing air conditioning as one example. When the school opened in 1950, AC wasn’t standard. Over time, the school added window units and hodgepodge solutions that make the current AC system inefficient and expensive. With new funding, the school is adding a new electric grid and replacing the AC system, among other upgrades.
Overall, the project is designed in phases. This summer, construction is to start on a new two-story classroom building, whose walls will rise in a “tilt-up” process. The new structure will replace two older buildings, known as Six and Seven, making room for more outdoor space for student gatherings. Demolition includes the building that once made Gross-Kellogg wince. The
upshot for students: new art labs, kiln room, gymnastics/dance room, computer labs and covered outdoor dining. Parents also will see the parking lot resurfaced, new drainage and new sidewalks.
Of course, more upgrades are needed, advocates say. Friends of Gables High would like better fencing on Le Jeune Road, enhanced sports fields, plus a new music and performing arts center that would open to the courtyard for pep rallies and other events. Gross-Kellogg envisions improvements that would open the sports fields to the community when not in use by students, a program adopted elsewhere that raises cash for facilities and better integrates the school with the city. Costa dreams of adding a building with extra computer labs and gathering areas for students, like student unions at universities.
High school senior Elias Benedith will be gone before the current renovation finishes, but he’s still enthusiastic about the project. Asked what he likes least about
Gables High, Benedith pauses and then concedes: “Outdated buildings.” He enjoys reading in the open courtyards, but never dallies by the old, windowless cafeteria or its corridor, which feel like “a cave or tunnel.” In contrast, when studying at Miami-Dade College part-time, he finds the environment “more roomy,” made for students who want “to be serious and learn.”
Yet the well-groomed teen is quick to share what he likes best at Gables High: “Diversity,” says Benedith proudly. “That teaches you acceptance, it shows you new ways of seeing things, and that’s key to evolving as a human being.”
There was a time when, if you wanted to conduct a serious business meeting in Coral Gables, it would be over lunch at Christy’s. Here you could order a cocktail and prime rib, like an executive from the television series “Mad Men.”
Christy’s no longer serves lunch, except on Fridays. But on all nights of the week, it continues to deliver the same experience it did when it opened four decades ago: the fare and ambiance of an old-fashioned steakhouse, when men were men, steaks were thick, and martinis were strong and ice cold.
The décor alone is a dead-on retro rendition of what you imagine a traditional steakhouse should look like: Tuscan red walls, dark wood finishes, and candle lamps on the walls and the tables. Various paintings (tropical stills, primitives, Cubist) adorn two main dining areas. There is also a separate bar, warm and elegant with polished mahogany, and a private dining room. Throughout the restaurant, one thing Christy’s has done perfectly is the lighting: soft and intimate, yet not too dim to read the menu.
Christy’s does a few other things perfectly, as well. One of these is their Caesar Salad, still served the old way with anchovies (though you can ask them to go without). The dressing is so spot on (and proprietary) that customers come by just to order containers of it, to go. It is also a dry Caesar, with plenty of freshly grated parmesan and housemade croutons. You will not find a tastier version of this crunchy, garlicky classic salad anywhere, expect maybe in a time machine back to Delmonico’s heydays in New York.
The restaurant also prides itself on its shrimp cocktails, with each shrimp the size of a small lobster. An order of these for a table of four ($28) means one giant crustacean per person, hanging from a margarita glass of tangy cocktail sauce. Cold and savory. They also do a mean escargot and an exceptional oysters Rockefeller, with that same flavorful parmesan cheese, but the other standby – and standout – classic is their lump meat crab cake.
The list of entrees is not overly extensive, which is the way we like it. Keep it simple, damn it. We sampled the roast duck (crisp edged with a pomegranate glaze, just right) and a light, flaky herb-crusted sea bass, just to make sure they were delivering quality outside of the beef spectrum. We also ordered some excellent sides,
TOP: Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with Dijon mustard aioli.
ABOVE: Christy’s Restaurant has been serving Coral Gables locals at the same location since 1978.
OPPOSITE
Top Left: The signature classic shrimp cocktail.
Top Right: The famous house Caesar Salad.
Bottom Left: A warm rich vibrant interior is what you expect of an old-fashioned steakhouse.
Bottom Right: Enough for two, the 32-ounce prime tomahawk, flame-seared for intense flavor.
CHRISTY’S 3101 PONCE DE LEON BLVD.
305.446.1400
OPEN: MON-THU 5PM TO 10PM
FRIDAY 12PM TO 10PM
SATURDAY 5PM TO 10PM
CLOSED SUNDAY
including a plate of plump Crimini mushrooms sautéed in garlic butter with herbs, and a potatoes au gratin prepared like lasagna –thin sliced layers of the spud with gruyère cheese between.
But let’s face it. You’re here for the steaks, and Christy’s does not disappoint. They have changed their supplier of beef only once in four decades (about 15 years ago) and the quality of the cuts shows it. If you are lucky enough to get there in time, you can order the succulent prime rib of beef, roasted for two hours and served with horseradish sauce, housemade in the same old-school fashion way as their Caesar dressing. Mouth wateringly good.
Outside of that it’s just a classic spread of prime cuts: rib eye, New York strip, filet mignon and, bending just a bit to the times, a 32-ounce tomahawk you could use as a caveman’s club. We tried the tomahawk (fit for two) and it was impeccable – crusty, salty and
intensely flavorful on the flame-seared outside, but pink and tasty on the inside. We also tried the filet mignon. Like butter, as my Aunt Sophie would say.
Just when we thought we had reached gustatory nirvana, the dessert suggested by our waiter Christian took us to a new level: bread pudding with white chocolate and caramel sauce. Warm and chewy and delicious, worthy of loosening your belt another notch.
We also liked Christy’s ambiance of continuity and stability. This is where your grandparents would have had a great steak, in a surrounding that felt as safe and solid as a private club. The old guard that once dined here may have passed, but Christy’s is still very much part of the social fabric of the community. As long as it thrives, the Old Gables lives on.
Coral Gables is a movable feast, a veritable mecca of fine dining. It has the highest density of quality restaurants for any city in South Florida – close to 100 good dining establishments. The restaurants do cluster near the main street of Miracle Mile and on the Giralda pedestrian plaza, but are also spread throughout the Gables. There are some good choices at the Shops at Merrick Park, and some hidden gems to be found even in out-of-the-way strip malls.
Dining hours in the Gables stretch from the early evening – when it is common to see people at restaurants close to where they work – until late at night, when it’s not unusual go to a restaurant at 10 p.m. and find the place packed, even with children.
Many of the restaurants in Coral Gables are world-class. But the culinary scene is also changing. Where once the top-flight, traditional dining spots catered to lawyers, bankers, businessmen and diplomats, there is a new crop of edgier places, with young chefs and new tastes, catering to a younger clientele. What follows is our list of the tried and true, and the innovative and new.
$ ............ Under $25
$$ .......... $25-$40
$$$ ........ $35-$75
$$$$ ...... $70-$100+
Prices are per person for appetizer and entrée, no tax, tip or drinks. Prices are approximate.
AMERICAN
Bachour
World-renowned pastry chef Antonio Bachour opened his new bakery and restaurant back in Feb. 2019. The menu, on top of rows of fresh and decadent pastries, features eggs benedict, croissant French toast, guava and cheese pancakes, sandwiches and salads. $ - $$
2020 Salzedo St. 305.203.0552
California Pizza Kitchen
A local favorite, the home of “California-style” pizza, this national chain that started in Beverly Hills is both casual and polished, with a truly inventive array of non-traditional pizzas. Things like cauliflower crust, spicy chipotle chicken, carne asada. And then there are the patrons who come only for the butter cake, which they consider one of the best things on earth. $$
300 Miracle Mile 305.774.9940
Not your average burger. Most of the burgers hover around $20 because they’re made with quality Wagyu beef. They also specialize in fine wines and craft beers brewed here in Miami. $$ 146 Giralda Ave. 305.400.8242
Copper 29
Mostly known for its happy hour, the Miracle Mile restaurant and bar also has a wide range of food options. We especially love the BBQ Chicken Flatbread and Pork Sliders. They also serve bottomless brunch all weekend that includes mimosas, wine, mojitos,
Bloody Marys and champagne. $
206 Miracle Mile 786.580.4689
Doc B’s Restaurant + Bar
Offering a no-veto menu, meaning there’s something for everyone, Doc B’s Restaurant + Bar serves craveable American fare dishes made from scratch daily, incorporating the highest quality ingredients. Offering brunch, lunch, dinner and happy hour, signature dishes include the Wok Out Bowls, The Wedge Burger and “Hot” Chicken. $$
301 Miracle Mile 786.864.1220
Eating House
Groovy place with inventive ever-changing menu, with dishes like nutmeg risotto, pumpkin tiradito, and fried Brussels sprouts. Dynamite freerange fried chicken. Simple artsy décor but superb food, excellent presentation, great value. $$
804 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.448.6524
The Globe
The Globe is a Coral Gables icon, and one of the most pleasant, relaxed places to eat in the city – assuming you like a smart, Euro-style bistro. Decorated with classic paintings (and globes over their old-world bar), their Saturday night live jazz sessions offer the weekend’s coolest entertainment. The menu is a collection of mostly American dishes – salads, burgers, fish, etc. – that have been perfected over the years by owner Danny Guiteras. Best conch fritters anywhere. $-$$
377 Alhambra Circle 305.445.3555
Hillstone
Situated at the corner of Ponce de Leon and Miracle Mile, Hillstone has been a longtime staple in the Gables. Known for their steaks, like the Hawaiian, which is made with a pineapple-soy-ginger marinade. Though an American restaurant, they also have a great sushi bar and offer dozens of
fresh rolls. $$$
201 Miracle Mile 305.529.0141
Seasons 52
The restaurant for healthy eaters who enjoy quality as well. The menu, changing four times a year with each season, is always full of inventive treatments for fresh veggies, soups and salads. Their fish and meat dishes are great values, and the flatbread menu is really a nice touch. It’s a chain, but we forgive them. $$
321 Miracle Mile 305.442.8552
Shula’s
If it’s beef you are after, but want to avoid the formality of a high-end steak house, Shula’s is perfect for you. Good service and pleasant décor – including lots of photos of the coach – make this a go-to place for professionals in the area. Great use of cheeses – Boursin in their mac & cheese, and gorgonzola in their cream spinach. $$$
6915 Red Rd. 305.665.9661
Tap 42
Winner of Best Overall Burger by Coral Gables Magazine, Tap 42 is big,
noisy and fun, with a huge island bar and lots of booths. Reliably good ribs, steaks and burgers, plus shines in the sides (roasted Brussels sprouts with maple mustard, truffle mac & cheese with parmesan crust). Nice random Asian dishes (grilled salmon Zen bowl, Asian coleslaw). $$-$$$
301 Giralda Ave. 786.391.1566
The Local Craft Food & Drink
One of the best places in Coral Gables to enjoy locally sourced food, hence the name. Chef Juan Bedoya wants to create a pub feeling with comfort food. We’re obsessed with the fried chicken, which served on a short stack of cheddar cheese pancakes with bourbon maple syrup. The flavor is enhanced by watermelon jelly on the side for a sweet, spicy bite. $$
150 Giralda Ave. 305.648.5687
Yard House
A cavernous space with huge screens for sports fans, oversized paintings, classic rock in the background and large booths, all making for a comfortable space in which to pick and choose
from an immense and reliable menu of American classics with Asian dishes interspersed. Literally something for everyone. $$
320 San Lorenzo Ave. 305.447.9273
Ichimi
This off-Mile eatery has developed a cult following, with diners content to wait and stand and stare, just for the opportunity to eat Ichimi’s Japanese noodles and rice bowls. And the wait is worth it. Delicious, rich and faraway flavors in dishes you can’t find just anywhere, in a raw, cool space. $-$$ 2330 Salzedo St. 305.960.7016
Izakaya
Located across the street from the Colonnade building, this tiny, bustling Japanese restaurant serves a great bento box – along with an impressive array of daily specials that are posted on the wall in chalk. Super popular lunch spot, for good reason. $$ 159 Aragon Ave. 305.445.2584
Kao Sushi & Grill
A fresh and interesting take on sushi as it is blended with the flavors of Peru. Steamed gyoza dumplings with chorizo? Tuna tataki with traditional Peruvian sauce? Cooked white rice over chipotle seasoned furikake? Yes, to
all three. They also do some interesting things with steak, since the creators of Kao Sushi come from Buenos Aires. Outdoor seating on the Mile. $$
127 Miracle Mile 786.864.1212
Malakor Thai Isaan
This eatery on Miracle Mile prides itself on delivering true, tasty Thai food. That means pork skewers with sticky rice, grilled fatty pork neck sliced and tossed with lime juice, or the Gang Aom, a Thai curry with fish sauce, dill and herb paste. $$
90 Miracle Mile 786.558.4862
Matsuri
Just over the city line at Bird and Red roads, Matsuri is tucked humbly away in non-descript Red Bird Shopping Center. Yet it serves world-class sushi, the finest anywhere in South Florida, and has an enormous menu of traditional Japanese food as well. You will need reservations to snag a seat from its devoted clientele. $$-$$$ 5759 Bird Rd. 305.663.1615
Red Koi Lounge
If you like Thai food, then you will love Red Koi, which takes the Asian specialty up a notch. Their Bangkok Shrimp is worth the visit alone, and their cashew curry chicken will make you come back. Hopefully now we will be experiencing lovely cooler weather,
they will be expanding their few outdoor tables soon. $$
317 Miracle Mile 305.446.2690
Sawa
Delicious take on Japanese flavors served in parallel with Lebanese Mediterranean, Sawa offers seating inside or outside at Merrick Park. A vast selection of sushi rolls and tapas that range from chicken yakitori to octopus ceviche, along with super fresh Middle Eastern comfort food. Some nice “samplers” let you check out the menu’s range, plus great naan flatbreads. World’s best lamb chops. Also has a doggy menu. $$$
360 San Lorenzo Ave. 305.447.6555
Brasserie Central
Secretly owned by Pascal’s on Ponce fame, the restaurant is half inside half in the courtyard of the Shops. A typical French bistro with wonderful onion soup, fresh bread and a superb paté. Everything on the menu is fresh, French, and all you would expect from Pascal. Lots of little French touches, though not cheap. $$-$$$
Shops at Merrick Park 786.536.9388
It looks like an all-American diner (which it once was) but this is pure French cooking in a small but comfy setting. Frenchie himself is usually
• Here, your child is loved, valued and nurtured
• We welcome families from all backgrounds, faiths, ethnicities and nationalities
• Our qualified, experienced teaching team has background clearance in place and is first aid and C.P.R. certified
• Our classroom approach is based on the latest research in early childhood development and developmentally appropriate practices
• Security is an every day priority
• Fully accredited and recipient of FL Department of Children and Families’ Gold Seal of Quality Care program designation License #C11MD0470
there. Some items on the menu can get pricey (filet mignon, $34) but the onion soup ($9) and escargots ($11) are great values, and the croque monsieur ($14) for lunch is a meal unto itself. $$-$$$
2618 Galiano St. 305.442.4554
Palme d’Or
The award-winning Palme d’Or is a dining icon in Coral Gables. At once traditional and innovative, the French cuisine created by Chef Gregory Pugin is a work of art, literally. Each serving in his $115 six-course meals – or his $155 chef’s tasting menu – is impeccable in taste and appearance. $$$$
1200 Anastasia Ave. (at the Biltmore Hotel) 305.913.3200
Pascal’s On Ponce
Elegant, quaint and delicious, Pacal’s is the home and culinary canvas of owner-chef Pascal Oudin, who brings authentic French cuisine to the heart of the city. Oudin excels in seafood, soufflés and desserts. Try the leeks & hearts of palm salad. $$$
2611 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.444.2024
Bugatti
Based on Ponce for several decades, Bugatti prides itself on its pasta. And for good reason, since the restaurant started as a pasta factory. The décor is simple and contemporary, with a good number of booths, while the service is crisp and superb. The dinner menu is straightforward, with pasta dishes mostly under $20 and entrees mostly under $30. We especially like the fact that they have as many dessert listings (12) as pasta choices. $$
2504 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.441.2545
Caffe Abbracci
A Gables icon, Nino Pernetti’s Italian restaurant is both a power lunch favorite for the business elite and a cozy evening gathering place for families and couples. Closely shepherded by the welcoming Pernetti, Abbracci is quiet, elegant and flavorful. The food is so consistently good that Pernetti had to publish his own cookbook. He now has a new chef who hails from Tuscany, so the daily specials have a whole new spin. $$$
318 Aragon Ave. 305.441.0700
Cibo Wine Bar
Cibo has two locations in South Florida, one on South Beach and the other here, on Miracle Mile. Rustic Italian food in a warm interior with exposed brick, wood finishes, butcher block tables and a wall of wine selections. Extensive traditional Italian menu, with lots of pizza options cooked in a brick oven. They are also big on Italian seafood, including a great clam and mussel dish; their black tiger shrimp in spicy wine garlic tomato sauce is worth
the trip. $$-$$$
45 Miracle Mile 305.442.4925
Fiola
Brought to you by Washington, D.C. chef Fabio Trabocchi, this new entry into the Gables dining scene is a game changer. From the place settings to the artwork to the innovative cuisine, Fiola offers an exquisite dining experience. Among their must-try dishes are the porcini mushroom soup, the sea scallops ceviche, and the signature lobster ravioli. Elegant presentations only add to this encounter with gustatory greatness. $$$$
1500 San Ignacio Ave. 305.912.2639
Fontana
The setting is as elegant as it comes: the Biltmore’s famed fountain courtyard. You can sit under the stars, in a covered archway, or inside to enjoy classic Italian dishes. Fresh ingredients, from the salads to the pasta that is made daily. Great octopus, pastas cooked perfectly. One of the most romantic restaurants in the Gables. $$$
1200 Anastasia Ave. (Biltmore Hotel) 305.913.3200
Forno’s
Owner Artan Kapxhiu opened this charming spot back in 2017. Forno’s serves pasta, but people come for the pizza, cooked in a wood-burning oven. From a simple margherita to a stacked pistachio, ham, cherry tomato and shaved grana Padano cheese pizza, there are no bad choices here. $ 1403 Sunset Dr. 305.661.3964
Small, family run, with a fanatically loyal fan base, brilliant Italian comfort food. The long narrow set up with tile floors, wooden chairs and tablecloths makes it feel like New York’s Little Italy. Their calamari, in any variation, is superb, and the fettuccine with prosciutto, mushrooms and green peas is to die for. $$$
264 Miracle Mile 786.452.0068
A fresh take on pizza, each pie is made on the spot at this Miracle Mile pizzeria. At the start of the assembly line-like production, you choose the dough and sauce you want. Then choose as many toppings as you want before sending it into the miniature oven that cooks it right in front of your eyes. Great quality of dough, sauce and toppings. $ 279 Miracle Mile 786.618.5287
A trattoria-style restaurant serving traditional, house made Italian classics. Since a salumeria is the Italian equivalent to a delicatessen, we definitely recommend some sort of meat dish, whether it’s prosciutto for an
“antipasti” or porchetta for a “secondi.”
Unbeatable lunch special of a sandwich and a soup or salad for $10. $$
117 Miracle Mile 305.640.5547
Terre Del Sapore
True Neapolitan pizza in the heart of Coral Gables. Owner Angelo Angiollieri is obsessed with quality ingredients, including minimally-processed flour from Italy, and you can taste it. Offers a great lunch special of a side salad, entrée and drink for $13. No better pizza anywhere. $
246 Giralda Ave. 786.870.5955
Zucca
A worthy heir to the hallowed grounds of the old St. Michel restaurant, this is a star in the galaxy of Italian eateries in the Gables. Distinctly northern Italian, with the home-taught recipes that chef Simone Mua learned in his native Milan. Modern Italian design, sophisticated, with haute comfort food and great service. $$$-$$$$
162 Alcazar Ave. 786.580.3731
LATIN & SOUTH AMERICAN
Aromas del Peru
The shrine for ceviche, with a wide range of choices – 18 ceviches at last count – for great prices. Haute Peruvian appetizers and good fish dishes, right up to the whole fried snapper.
And don’t miss the pisco sour soup. Comfortable leather seats, too. $$
1930 Ponce de León Blvd. 305.476.5886
Caffe Vialetto
Two brothers, managing to keep sibling rivalry at bay, have concocted a menu of upscale Latin food that is consistently changing and interesting. Yuca, mofongo (garlic flavored mashed plantains), and other Caribbean and Latin flavors make for an out of the ordinary experience. Reservations required, always full. $$$
4019 Le Jeune Rd. 305.446.5659
Caja Caliente
Opening its second location in Coral Gables in May 2019, Caja Caliente serves “the original Cuban tacos.” Their flour tortillas come stuffed with any kind of meat from lechon to mahi mahi, and are topped with pico de gallo, aioli, beans and cilantro. Also serve poke and quinoa bowls. $ 808 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 786.431.1947
La Casita
Often overlooked in a region overrun with Cuban eateries, and not far from the top competition of Versailles, La Casita holds its own as a quiet, elegant place to enjoy classic Cuban dishes like vaca frita (the Monday lunch special!), ropa viejas and lechon asado. They also venture into Central American
territory with an excellent churrasco skirt steak. And, surprising for Cuban restaurants where green is rarely seen, a fine selection of salads. $ 3805 SW 8th St. 305.448.8224
Bringing its “Todo es Fresco” philosophy to the Gables, COYO opened its third location in Miami on Giralda Plaza in August 2019. Their guac and array of salsas can’t be beat and their tacos are mouthwatering – we love the Grouper Frito. Don’t forget to hit the speakeasy lounge in the back, open until 2 a.m. $ 126 Giralda Ave. 786.629.7929
This large, bustling Gables mainstay is true Argentine. A deep selection of Argentine wines (which line every wall) to go with churrasco meats slowly roasted over a quebracho wood fire, old school style. They have seafood and pasta, empanadas and salads, but come here for the meat, the selection of which will stun even hardcore carnivores. $$$ 394 Giralda Ave. 305.774.3599
It’s big, it’s easy, it’s comfortable, and it’s where the shredded onion/garlic chicken dinner (pollo vaca frita) with rice, beans and plantains is still just
$12.95. The same with the fried pork chunks (masas de Puerco). Large menu with all your Cuban favorite dishes along with – surprising for a Cuban place – some nice dinner salads. $$ 4612 S. Le Jeune Rd. 305.661.2622
Mikuna Peruvian
“It’s time to feel the real Peru” boasts the Mikuna website, and they do indeed move beyond ceviche to the other dishes that make Peruvian food one of the best cuisines in Latin America. These include lobster with Peruvian yellow pepper sauce, seafood rice with squid ink, and skewered swordfish. Other unique tastes include shrimp bisque with rice and egg. $$$ 325 Alcazar Ave. 786.420.2910
High ceilings and ceramics make this a pleasant place to dine, but it’s the authentic fare that shines. The place for Mexicans homesick for cooking that’s not Tex-Mex. The chicken mole poblano is a winner at $20, and their huarache grill – masa flatbreads that are really haute tacos – are great at $17. $$ 2299 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.444.2955
La Dorada
Regarded by many to be the finest restaurant devoted to seafood in the
Gables, La Dorada is traditional Spanish cooking with a deep-sea focus (and a pleasant, ocean-deco décor). The house specialty is a baked whole fish crusted in sea salt, but don’t miss the traditional Mediterranean seafood stews or the shellfish prepared Galician style. $$$$
177 Giralda Ave. 305.446.2002
MesaMar
Some of the best – if not THE best –seafood in the Gables with inventive fusions between Peruvian and Japanese cuisine. Their fish is caught daily in local waters and brought to your table for inspection. Their whole fried fish is a marvel. Also, make sure to try the lobster tacos. $$$
264 Giralda Ave. 305.640.8448
Sea Grill
Just a few months old, Sea Grill is already a popular weekend destination for lovers of Mediterranean seafood. A large, brightly lit and futuristic space with lots of energy, it serves fish that is caught in the Aegean Sea and flown to the Gables. Their octopus, which takes two days to prepare, is simply the best. $$$
4250 Salzedo St. 305.447.3990
(Shops at Merrick Park)
Bellmónt
Modern décor meets traditional Spanish dishes. Their house specialty is the roast suckling pig. If you want the whole pig ($230 for 4) you need to order four hours in advance. If it’s just you ($49), you’ll need to wait just 50 minutes. As for the rest: authentic Spanish cuisine, with great seafood dishes, fantastic paella. $$$ 339 Miracle Mile. 786.502.4684
Bulla Gastrobar
As valued for its cocktails as for its tapas, Bulla is also something Coral Gables needs – an informal, smart neighborhood hangout with a young, boisterous vibe. Great “small plates” and refreshing sangria. Yes, it is a national chain, but it still feels local. $$ 2500 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.441.0107
La Taberna Giralda
Routinely rated among the top tapas places in South Florida, La Taberna brings the added twist of a chef from Galicia, who puts his own regional spin on the dishes. It’s a small place with a neighborhood vibe, orange walls, string lights and live flamenco on the weekends ($5 cover), so reserva-
tions are a must. $$ 254 Giralda Avenue 786.362.5677
Mara Basque Cuisine
If you have ever wanted to taste authentic Basque cuisine from northern Spain, this is your chance. Its entry into the scene on Giralda brings the best of Basque cooking: Cod prepared with Vizcaina sauce (made from red onions and choricero pepper), Iberian ham with eggs and potatoes, meatballs with tomato sauce and guindilla peppers, and beef oxtail stew. Many dishes
served as tapas to be shared. $$$ - $$$$ 112 Giralda Ave. 305.504.9274
Christy’s
Touted as Coral Gables oldest steakhouse, Christy’s was long the power lunch go-to – until it stopped serving lunch except on Fridays. Still, its aged steaks are consistently excellent, as are the seafood entrees. And their classic Caesar salad is still the best in town, and the jumbo shrimp cocktail is a
house specialty. $$$
3101 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.446.1400
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse
Fantastic aged steaks, a seafood tower that won’t quit, and a wine cellar that appears to have no end of its depth. A place for special celebrations. Recently redecorated, but the open kitchen with its copper “sash” across the top still gives the main dining room a glow. Good menu at the bar. $$$-$$$$
2525 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.569.7995
Morton’s The Steakhouse
Morton’s in the Gables is not just another Morton’s. Its setting in the Colonnades gives it a unique elegance, with outdoor seating under the arches. Dependable quality, prime-aged beef, and excellent salads. Good place to take that important client. Great happy hour with filet mignon sandwiches or short rib tacos for $8. $$$
2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.442.1662
Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille
The latest entry among Coral Gables steak houses, Perry’s is a Texas chain that gets its beef from the heart of the Lone Star State. Great outdoor space with fire pit and a huge interior with its own lounge area piano bar. The entrees are all carefully concocted, including excellent reduction sauces for the finer cuts and their famous five-finger giant
pork chop that is carved at the table and can easily feed two. $$$$
4251 Salzedo St. 786.703.9094
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
There is a reason that the tables at Ruth’s are typically full, even on weeknights. This is where the best steaks are sent and where cholesterol is sent to the devil for the sake of extraordinary taste. Lots of wood paneling, wonderful service, and huge wine selection complete the package. $$$$
2320 Salzedo St. 205.461.8360
PUBS, CAFES & MISC.
Crema Gourmet Espresso Bar
Though it’s named an espresso bar (and definitely try the coffee), Crema also has great food options for both breakfast and lunch. Start your day with a croissant breakfast sandwich or take a midday break with a soup, salad or sandwich. Satisfy your sweet tooth with their Nutella cheesecake. $
169 Miracle Mile 786.360.4026
Fritz and Franz Bierhaus
Be transported from Coral Gables to Oktoberfest. Enjoy German comfort food like Weisswurst and Heringsschmaus. Naturally, you have to order a beer, but here you can have it served in a giant class boot. Proost. $$ 60 Merrick Way 305.774.1883
John Martin’s Irish Pub
Where else in the Gables can you find a relaxed Irish pub with excellent comfort food like shepherd’s pie, bangers & mash, and fish & chips? Answer: nowhere. Which is why this long-established eatery and bar is so beloved by its clientele. Lots of American staples as well, from hot pastrami on rye to their signature Pub Burger. Jazz every Wednesday night. $ 253 Miracle Mile 305.445.3777
Ortanique on the Mile
A long-time favorite on Miracle Mile, Ortanique is named for a tropical citrus fruit (their sister restaurant is in Grand Cayman) and its Caribbean fine dining reflects chef Cindy Hutson’s commitment to “cuisine of the sun.” A warm and welcoming place. $$ 278 Miracle Mile 305.446.7710
Pincho Factory
One of the few places where you can get delicious food at a low price in the Gables, this homegrown chain (based here) combines Brazilian shish kabob (served in rice bowls or as wraps) with uniquely flavored hamburgers. A guilty pleasure for the well to do. $ 30 Giralda Ave. 305.446.5666
Someone’s Son
Brought to you by the same people as Threefold Café, Someone’s Son is
shifting the focus away from breakfast and toward quality dinner entrées. The Gnudi is a must as a starter. For an entrée, we recommend The Softy for carnivores and The Branzino for seafood lovers. A little off the beaten path but worth it. $ - $$ 800 Douglas Rd. Ste. 145 786.334.6374
The Seven Dials
Calling itself an “eclectic American gastropub,” Seven Dials is a fusion of American recipes with British culinary standards, with nice twists. The shepherd’s pie is made from lamb, the chicken breast is cooked with curry sauce. There is also a nice Welsh Rarebit snack and a beer-battered Indian-inspired cauliflower with mint aioli and tamarind. Relaxed, pub-like interior. $$ 2030 S. Douglas Rd. 786.542.1603
Threefold Café
You have to love a place that is dedicated to breakfast all day. Who needs dinner when you can get shrimp tacos for breakfast, along with salmon scrambled eggs, chicken parma, and that Millenial favorite, smashed avocado toast? The brain child of Australian Nick Sharp, Threefold is also popular for Sunday brunch – partly because of nice outdoor seating on Giralda Plaza. And the coffee is some of the best around. $$ 141 Giralda Ave. 305.704.8007
While Coral Gables is known far and wide for its enormous selection of international cuisine, what is less known is that, after dinner, there is almost always something to do. Here is our quick guide to some of the best venues for after dinner entertainment.
Books & Books
Live Music in the courtyard on Friday and Saturday nights. Listen to Jazz, Pop, Rock even Spanish Gypsy music, from 7:30 pm to 11:30 pm.
265 Aragon Ave. 305.442.4408
The Globe
Saturday night is Jazz night at this Euro-café on Alhambra, where it’s always easy to park. Well curated by musical director Rodolfo Zuniga, high quality music.
377 Alhambra Circle 305.445.3555
Open Stage
Monday nights is Jazz night with the Miami Jazz Co-op, starting at 8 p.m. Tuesdays it’s open Mic (read: rock n roll), Fridays Latin or Karaoke, and Saturday disco starting at 10 pm.
2325 Galiano St. 305.441.7902
La Taberna Giralda
Flamenco Saturdays, from 8:30 pm to 11 pm, brings this cozy little slice of authentic Spain to life with the pounding of dance heels on the stage.
254 Giralda Ave. 786.362.5677
Zucca
Every Thursday it’s Noche Latina, with live music from Luis Bofill and Guarachamos, performed at the lounge from 7 pm to 11 pm. Great bar.
162 Alcazar Ave. 786.580.3731
John Martin’s Irish Pub
Jazz on Wednesday nights, Karaoke on Friday nights, Open Mic (acoustic music) on Saturday nights, in this authentic Irish bar and restaurant. Thirty years on the Mile.
253 Miracle Mile. 305.445.3777
Bellmont
Flamenco performances every Friday night at 8:30 pm. Also, the world’s best Spanish ham, if you have any room left.
339 Miracle Mile. 786.502.4684
John Martin’s Irish Pub
On Thursday nights it’s Pub Trivia Night from 8 pm to 10 pm at this classic Irish bar and eatery.
253 Miracle Mile. 305.445.3777
Books & Books
On most weeknights starting at 8 pm
there are readings and talks by authors. Call to check.
265 Aragon Ave. 305.442.4408
Open Stage
On Wednesday nights it’s the spoken word, with different story tellers at 8 pm. Call first.
2325 Galiano St. 305.441.7902
Cosford Cinema
Indie films rule here, with evening showings Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:30 pm or 9 pm. Call first.
University of Miami 305.284.9838
Coral Gables Art Cinema
Most weeknights there is a special, interesting film at 8 pm or 9 pm, and on weekends at 8:45 pm – with special late-night screenings at 11 pm Saturdays.
260 Aragon Ave. 786.385.9689
Copper 29
This is Coral Gables only night club. It’s really just a magnificent bar with lots of signature cocktails, but people dance with abandon, nightly.
206 Miracle Mile 786.580.4689
Open Stage
Every Saturday night starting at 10 pm the Open Stage becomes a 1970s disco dancing emporium, like some sort of Studio 54 Brigadoon.
2325 Galiano St. 305.441.7902
Coral Gables has some of the most valuable real estate in South Florida, with a median home value of $753,800 –more than twice the median home value for Miami-Dade County as a whole ($302,600). While most of the housing is single family homes, there are a growing number of mid-
rise and townhouse options for those who want to downsize – or live closer to urban culture. To see what $2.5 million would buy today, we asked three real estate agents to submit homes for sale in that price range – give or take a few hundred thousand dollars. Here is what they came up with.
1228 ANASTASIA AVE.
Listing Price $2.468m
4 bed/4 bath/1 half bath/Garage/2,791 sq. ft. Soon completed Villa Biltmore boutique condo (just 11 units) on the Biltmore Golf Course, with stunning views of the close by, iconic Biltmore Hotel. Private elevator and three car spaces in the garage add to the ease of living; an Italian Veneta Cucina kitchen with Wolfe/Sub Zero appliances also helps. Dipping pool and deck for residents. Listing Agent: Tero Shelton Bernace 305.607.7212 (Shelton and Stewart Realtors).
Listing Price
786.301.5181 (ONE Sotheby’s International Realty).
10 EDGEWATER DRIVE #7E Listing Price
$2.349m
3 bed/3 and 1/2 bath/2,960 sq. ft. Part of the Gables Club, this high-rise unit has excellent views of the water and/or city from every room. Lots of light with floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows. The Master Suite has two bathrooms, walk-in closet and balcony. Venetian plaster and floor lighting supply design details throughout. Listing Agents: Judy Zeder 305.613.5550; Nathan Zeder 786.252.4023 (The Jills Zeder Group, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate)
THE SEEN
Last month, Coral Gables Magazine hosted 200+ guests at the Miracle Theatre for a symposium on the history and value of Cuban art. The speakers included gallery owners Ramon Cernuda and Stacy Conde, along with art historian Carol Damian. Before the event, participants enjoyed appetizers and rum drinks supplied by Bacardi. The talks themselves covered Cuban artists from the colonial days to the modern period – and how some Cuban art now sells for multi-million dollar prices.
The Astor Companies and The Agency Collective recently hosted the second edition of “Merrick Talks,” an exclusive speaker series at the Merrick Manor Sales Gallery. The event focused on how the cap on SALT (State and Local Taxes) deductions and other provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are fueling substantial domestic migration to South Florida from high-tax states. Faith Gorman of Daskal Bolton LLP, Joseph Hernandez of Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman, and Mike Pappas, CEO of the Keyes Company, gave the real estate professionals and other invited guests an in-depth understanding of the impact of the Act on the South Florida real estate market and the steps an out-of-state buyer must take to establish residency in Florida.
Below: Joe Hernandez, Faith Gorman, Mike Pappas, & moderator Erick Kalis
Host (Right): Executive Director of the Miracle Theatre Barbara Stein
CORAL GABLES’ INITIATIVE FOR EMPTY STOREFRONTS STARTS HERE
Top right: Henry Torres, Joe Hernandez, and Al Arostegui
Bottom right: Joel Valencia, Nancy Dowson, Myriam Mandiola, David Dowson, and Alvaro Coraspe
Presenters (Top): Ramon Cernuda, Carol Damian and Stacy Conde, with husband/artist Andre Conde (left to right). To their left is sponsor Dr. Oscar Hevia and his wife.
The game is on: With a mid-November cut off, the city is taking applications for a pop-up store front on Miracle Mile. The winner gets to use the storefront at 290 Miracle Mile, adjacent to the Starbucks at Salzedo, for $1,000 a month plus 15 percent of sales.
Guests (Bottom): City Manager Peter Iglesias, publicist Israel Kreps, Coral Gables Magazine Associate Publisher Amy Donner, and Vice Mayor Vince Lago.
“The purpose is to provide a very affordable entry into Coral Gables,” says the city’s retail strategist Francesca Valdes. “We’d like them to have a positive experience in the downtown.”
So would we. Send queries to fvaldes@ coralgables.com
It was the hottest and coolest party in Miami last month when Beaux Arts held its 67th annual ball, themed “Fire & Ice.” Miami’s longest running costume ball was held at The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, where guests were treated to a fun and philanthropic night benefiting the University of Miami Lowe Art Museum and Beaux Arts’ educational programs.
Flame carved ice bars, fire dancers, snow queen aerialists, and an actual snow machine brought the party to life, along with a live band, theme-based foods, and cocktails sponsored by Bacardi. This year’s volunteer-produced ball was chaired by Daniella Carazo Reynolds and Kaitlyn Rieder. Décor was chaired by Beaux Arts Vice President Michele Reese Granger. President of Beaux Arts Lauren Dowlen thanked the crowd for helping raise critical funds to keep art programs alive at the Lowe.
The annual costume contest was judged by Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Trowbridge, Beaux Arts Director and Chief Curator of UM’s Lowe Art Museum Dr. Jill Deupi, and Publisher of Miami Kids Magazine Karla Richey.
(1) Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Trowbridge with snow queen aerialist
(2) Kaitlyn Rieder, Daniella Reynolds, Lauren Dowlen, & Michelle Reese
(3) Winter is coming... so says the ice man
(4) Here comes the sun... according to these contestants
(5) Judges Jill Deupi and Karla Richey, and best costume winners Coco Torre, Amy Steinhour, Susie Hannan, Grey and John Bryan, Mandy and Tyler Greenan, Wendy Levitz, and Audra Cherry as “Burning Man.”
As a child I was raised in north London, UK, and as soon as I was old enough to travel alone, every Saturday morning I would ride the Northern Line Underground ‘Tube’ into the center of the city. Sixty years later, I can still remember the excitement of emerging from Tottenham Court Road Tube Station and seeing Foyles, ‘The World’s Greatest Bookshop,’ across the road.
Covering two city blocks on Charring Cross Road, Foyles was the biggest bookshop in the world and boasted 30 miles of shelving filled with books. As a teenager I spent my Saturdays lost in its narrow, dusty corridors, lined floor to ceiling with mysterious volumes, second-hand and new books, jumbled side by side and categorized by publisher rather than author or subject matter. Exploring those shelves was like wandering through a labyrinth created by Borges and organized by Kafka.
Paying for a book was almost as challenging as finding it. First you had to stand in line to collect a slip of paper with the name of the book and its price, hand-written. This took you to a second line where you would pay the cashier (in cash) and she would stamp the slip “paid.” Finally, you would hand your slip to a bookseller who went off, located the book, and placed it in a brown paper bag for you to proudly take home.
and the owner, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, introduced me to them all. As a student in England, I spent every college vacation hitchhiking around Europe. Whether I was going to Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece or further East, my first stop was always Paris. For me, Paris always meant Shakespeare and Company, the iconic bookshop on the banks of the Seine facing Notre Dame cathedral. Like the previous two stores, Shakespeare was a tangle of narrow stairs, hidden nooks and winding passages, all filled floor to ceiling with books, some new, most second-hand. Henry Miller called it “a wonderland of books.” Over the years I became good friends with the owner, George Whitman, and he let me sleep on a couch in the bookstore whenever I was in Paris.
My days of foreign travel are now long past, and I seldom have time to visit and linger in these legendary literary labyrinths. For more than 30 years I have been settled in Coral Gables. Of course, I miss the magic of Foyles, the poetry of City Lights and the Romance of Paris, but really, it’s not the bookshops that I miss, but my lost youth. As far as legendary bookshops go, I live within a ten-minute walk of America’s Premier Independent bookstore, Books & Books.
Thanks to Mitchell Kaplan’s vision, the residents of Coral Gables are spoiled rotten. Since first opening on Aragon Avenue back in 1982, Books & Books has become a cultural phenomenon, with over 60 author events every month...
In the mid-’60s, between school and university, I spent a couple of years hitchhiking around North America, where I discovered San Francisco’s City Lights bookstore. Like Foyles, City Lights was a warren of narrow, book-filled corridors, but unlike Foyles, it carried a selection of Californian writers that would not be available in London for decades. Not only did it have all the new poetry of the West Coast, it had the poets themselves; Ginsberg, Corso, and Burroughs were regular visitors
Thanks to Mitchell Kaplan’s vision, the residents of Coral Gables are spoiled rotten. Since first opening on Aragon Avenue back in 1982, Books & Books has become a cultural phenomenon, with over 60 author events every month and an astounding selection of English, French and Spanish books clearly organized on spacious floor to ceiling shelves. B&B also offers good food and excellent wine. The Coral Gables flagship may lack the narrow, dusty corridors of the other bookshops I mentioned, but I am now of an age when, to quote Hemmingway, I prefer “a clean, well-lighted place.”
The news these days from Mexico is, let’s face it, not pretty. You would think that the entire country was overrun with narco bandits. But, as I sat on the edge of a deep blue cenote – a natural sinkhole found in the Yucatan region of Mexico – I was not concerned in the slightest. Unlike the interior of Mexico, the tourist belt known as the Mexican Riviera could not be safer or more placid.
My sense of security was enhanced by the fact that we were on a guided tour through the jungle. Our group leader George – a real George of the Jungle, if you will – took us not only to various cenotes, but on a zip line journey through the canopy.
Our trip to the jungle was a mere half hour from where we stayed: the Grand Residences Riviera Cancun, a stunning five-star resort overlooking the Caribbean Sea. We stayed in an oceanfront master suite, complete with a full kitchen, living and dining room, a bedroom with a king bed, two walk-in closets, 1.5 bathrooms, and two Jacuzzis (the second is on the balcony, along with lounge chairs and a dining table). All of this for less than the cost of a small
room on Ocean Drive. The other surprise was proximity. The resort is just 30 minutes south of tourist-filled Cancun in a quaint port town called Puerto Morelos. With the flight to Cancun being barely over an hour, the travel time was less than what it takes to get from the Gables to Fort Lauderdale during rush hour.
One of the hotel amenities we appreciated – in addition to beach hat and bag, handcrafted jewelry, and artisanal soap – was a bottle of Mezcal. Indeed, don’t be surprised if you’re offered tequila with nearly every meal (we’ll gladly accept the excuse that it’s good for digestion). Actually, any digestive aid is welcome with all the food at three onsite restaurants.
El Faro Grill offers international cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you can’t bring yourself to leave the pool or beach, Heaven Beach Bar & Grill allows guests to dine in swimwear (or order straight from your lounge chair, and you’ll have a quesadilla and mango mojito at your side in no time). If you want Mexican cuisine, there is Flor de Canela (meaning cinnamon flower), open strictly for dinner. It’s slightly
By Lizzie WilcoxABOVE: The sheltered beach in Puerto Morelos, a fishing village located 30 minutes from Cancun in the Riviera Maya.
OPPOSITE TOP: The large main pool has a swim-up bar.
MIDDLE: The master suite features ocean views, a full kitchen, dining area, and outside jacuzzi.
BOTTOM: Cenotes are water-filled sinkholes, and an important part of Mayan history, found throughout the Yucatan Peninsula. You can dive, zip line and swim at the Cenotes Zapote.
GRAND RESIDENCES RIVIERA CANCUN IN PUERTO MORELOS IS A MEXICAN EXPERIENCE UNLIKE ANY OTHER
higher-end than your typical tacos, burritos and quesadillas – think rice, seafood and meat dishes – but their tableside-prepared guacamole is down to earth. Guests have the option of paying per meal or signing up for an all-inclusive stay.
If you stay on campus, there is no shortage of activities. Find your Zen with a beach yoga class or break a sweat with Zumba. You can also rent tennis rackets, bicycles or snorkel gear. There is even a kid’s club for when mom and dad want to retreat to the spa or the swim-up pool bar.
Despite such comforts, we encourage travelers to explore the town of Puerto Morelos. The world’s second largest barrier reef is located right off the coast of the fishing town (the largest being the Great Barrier Reef) stretching all the way down past Belize. Marina Pelicanos offers daily guided tours of the reef, inhabited by a plethora of sea critters. Guides onboard will even dive down to bring up the largest conch you’ve ever seen.
The town boasts a number of great eateries like La Sirena, which has something absent here in Coral Gables – a rooftop bar. After browsing the shops for Mexican trinkets (candy skulls anyone?), come here for drinks and appetizers while watching the sunset. For a full meal, journey across the street to Punta Corcho.
The highlight of the trip was the morning spent at the nearby Cenotes Zapote. The water of the cenotes is the purest shade of deep cerulean blue, and it was…. refreshing. Not freezing, but not a naturally heated spring either. While we stayed surface level, scuba divers can explore the vast underground of the cenotes, which can be as deep as 200 feet.
Of course, nothing dries you off quicker after a dip in the cenotes than flying between the trees on a zip line. At Cenotes Zapote, being a kind of jungle playground, guides will lead you through the course, consisting of four lines, climbing higher each time. They make it look so effortless, sometimes zooming down the line upside down. The park is so vast it even has bikes or, for the really adventurous, ATVs, so you can explore all the dirt paths.
And the beauty of such adventures is that you get to return to the Grand Residences Riviera Cancun, a perfect getaway that is much closer than you think.
For Gatherings this month we attended the opening of Conde Contemporary’s new show, “Scorpio 1969,” a fantastic collection of 50 works of surreal and magical reality paintings by such artists as Adrian Avila, José Bedia, Andres Conde, Darian Mederos, Luis Enrique To-
ledo del Rio, Ruben Torres Llorca and eight others. We decided to see what sort of footwear gallery goers wear to an opening on Miracle Mile. Here is a selection of the shoes that fit the event. Guess which two were worn by artists at the show? Photos by Jonathan Dann.
