January Openings

Valerie Nahmad Schimel1/4/2011

2011 is looking like a busy year for the Magic City restaurant scene. A few openings to look forward to…

• Backlot Wine Bar & Lounge is bringing wine, beer and small plates to the Paragon Grove 13 movie theater in the Grove. The restaurant will be open to moviegoers & the general public – the menu includes flatbreads, cheeseboards, panninis and desserts.
• Former Top Chef contestant and local BBQ savant Howie Kleinberg is slated to open Bulldog Burger in “early 2011.” The new restaurant, located next to Bulldog BBQ, will feature 70 seats and a slate of signature burgers, including the French Bulldog (crisp bacon, caramelized onions, brie, crispy onions & a Dijon mayo), the Mexicali Blues (chorizo-spiced beef, avocado, fried picked jalpaenos, queso fresco and chipotle mayo) and the Hawaii Five-O (crispy ham, roasted pineapple, peper jack cheese and house-made Big Kahuna sauce).
• Downtown Miami gets a taste of “down-home, brasserie-style” dining as City Hall opens in Jan/Fen 2011. The two-story, 6,000-square-foot eatery promises moderate prices (average lunch below $20 per person, average dinner below $25) and an eclectic menu including cheese-studded onion soup dumplings, thick-cut bacon with truffle sauce, sesame seared salmon and fettuccini with sautéed jumbo shrimp.
• SoBe gets a taste of Philly as Zama Sushi Bar opens at the Shelborne Hotel. Miami menu is still tbd, but sushi chef Hiroyuki "Zama" Tanaka serves up sashimi, maki, soup, salads & small bites at his Philadelphia restaurant. Highlights include hibachi scallops, an edamame sampler, lobster chawan mushi and black cod saikyoyaki.