PEOPLE View from the Top STARRY DAYS AND NIGHTS Miami is a home away from home for the restaurateur who never seems to, well, be at home. Where do you relax in MiaMi?
“I run on the boardwalk and go to the beach.” Where do you take the kids?
“My kids love Española Way. It’s fun.” Joaquin Phoenix, Topaz Page-Green of The Lunchbox Fund, Mario Batali, and Starr at The Lunchbox Fund Fall Fête at Starr’s New York restaurant Buddakan in 2013.
Favorite place to eat?
“La Sandwicherie. It’s my favorite place in Miami. I love the
sandwiches and the French guys. It just feels good.” What about a night out?
“I go to my second favorite place, Mandolin Aegean Bistro. That’s my idea of a night out—Mandolin and back to my apartment to watch CNN for the rest of the night. I’m kind of boring.”
South of Fifth and a French restaurant in Bal Harbour in the works. “It’s been very difficult. We have a great infrastructure. I can’t stop to think how daunting it is, otherwise I’ll go crazy. So I’ll just keep on going forward.” It’s this forward thinking that makes Starr a visionary. He got his start at the age of 21, opening clubs in Philadelphia and running a promotions company that introduced new music and comedy acts at venues all over town. With an eye for talent, he brought young performers like Jerry Seinfeld, U2, and Bruce Springsteen to the city. The same approach has made Starr Restaurants a decades-long culinary success. “The secret is just spotting great talent and utilizing them to the best of their ability,” he says. Starr had the foresight to see Miami’s potential as well. He spent time visiting as a college student. “It had only one way to go. It had to become one of the most popular places in the world,” he says. “It’s too special. No matter how many times I come here, when I walk out of the airport, I get excited.” He doesn’t let his excitement dominate his business decisions, though. While most people make a beeline for South Beach, Starr opened in Fort Lauderdale, Bal Harbour, and downtown first. “Everyone wants to go to South Beach,” he
FIVE-‘STARR’ REVIEW Stephen Starr will close out 2015 with his fourth restaurant in South Florida. Here’s the 411 on each of his savory joints.
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Starr’s South Florida ventures include Fort Lauderdale’s Steak 954 (above), launched in 2009, and Verde (top) at Pérez Art Museum Miami, opened 2013.
says. “That’s where the action is, and it’s sexy. But areas like Bal Harbour are so compelling in terms of the population and the density the shops get. [Makoto] does enormous business.” When he pulled the trigger on South Beach, Starr had taken one look at Aloft South Beach at 23rd Street and Collins Avenue and saw a vibe that matched what he did 20 years ago in Philly when he opened The Continental, his first Starr Restaurants establishment. It made the decision to bring the popular restaurant south a no-brainer. “That building on Collins is such a fantastic building with groovy architecture,” says Starr. “While we’re definitely making the food more modern, spaces speak to me the most, and that architecture just screamed The Continental.” The sky is the limit for Starr, who says there is no ceiling for his potential in Miami, and keeps his winning gaze on emerging neighborhoods like the Design District and Little River. He may even go back to his roots and take on some of the nightlife scene in town one day. “The entertainment component is something that has always been in my head,” he says. “After a while, you are looking for another option other than the nightclubs. There’s so much opportunity in Miami that anything can happen at any time.” OD
Steak 954: Starr’s sexy take on a steak-
in upscale Japanese entrées, robata,
the ContinentaL: Opening this summer,
house opened in Fort Lauderdale in 2009.
and sushi. Bal Harbour Shops, 9700
The Continental Miami will be an adaptation
401 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort
Collins Ave., 305-864-8600; makoto-
of the original Continental in Philadelphia
Lauderdale, 954-414-8333; steak954.com
restaurant.com
featuring global cuisine. 2360 Collins Ave.,
Makoto: In 2011, Starr joined forces
Verde: A modern-day commissary
Miami Beach; continentalmiami.com
with celebrity chef Makoto Okuwa to
and restaurant at the Pérez Art
FrenCh ConCept: Set to debut in early
open the ever popular Japanese eatery
Museum Miami. 1103 Biscayne Blvd.,
2016, Starr’s next project will be a casual
in the Bal Harbour Shops, specializing
Miami, 305-375-8282; pamm.org
French eatery at the Bal Harbour Shops.
photography by NeilsoN barNard/getty images for the luNchbox fuNd (phoeNix); ceNdiNo teme (Verde)
“ThErE’S So MuCh opporTuNITy IN MIAMI ThAT ANyThINg CAN hAppEN AT ANy TIME.” —stephen starr