Geoffrey Zakarian's Tudor House at Dream South Beach is closing

By Lesley Abravanel | Lank@aol.com6/20/2012

The first official South Beach casualty of the summer: Geoffrey Zakarian's Tudor House restaurant, which announced today that it will be closing for good sometime in the coming months. Says Zakarian's publicist Jaret Keller, "Geoffrey Zakarian has decided to divest his investment in Tudor House back to Dream South Beach's owner Sant Chatwal. Geoffrey continues to grow his restaurant portfolio in the Florida market as he develops new projects in St. Petersburg and Miami. He is also set to announce a major F&B partnership in the coming weeks and continues to explore future projects with Hampshire Hotels, the parent company of the Dream brand."

Zakarian wanted his freedom, he says, and plans to stick around. "I am extremely proud of what the staff and I have accomplished at Tudor House with Sant Chatwal. Unfortunately, my contract with the hotel limited me from pursuing other opportunities in South Florida, which I am excited to do."

Fans of the restaurant can have their last meal or two or three, as Tudor House remains under Zakarian's control and executive chef Jamie DeRosa's execution througout much of the summer. As for the official closing date, that's "TBD," Keller says.

Said Dream owner Chatwal, "Geoffrey is an incredible talent, and we thank him for his outstanding contribution to Dream South Beach. The restaurant space will continue to operate as Tudor House and with Geoffrey in charge through the summer. We are honored to have been named Miami's 'Best Hotel Restaurant 2012' during his leadership and look forward to continuing our relationship with Geoffrey on other endeavors."