Miami Nights

Finally, Collins Park newest club Aero Bar is opening. Oh, what's Collins Park? It's the official name of the area directly north of South Beach, technically anything above Lincoln Road, but some argue it's anything about 21st Street. Whatever, point is Aero Bar is suppose to be spectacular and finally this weekend we'll be able to find out if it's true.

The grand opening will be taken Friday through Sunday, starting at 9 p.m. Friday with Shawn Rudnick and Diaga, Saturday at 10 p.m. with Granite & Phunk and Sandman, and Sunday at 10 p.m. with Cedric Gervais and Patrick M.

Just so you know, Aero Bar is a venture by Tony Guerra and Joseph Boyd, both who have plenty of experience working in South Beach's nightlife scene. 

All Purpose Dark says Sushi Samba has announced they will be opening an "ultralounge" (god I hate that word) at Midtown Miam, which I imagine means the Shops at Midtown. The place will be called Sugarcane, which one already exists in New York so the concept isn't exactly new. If it is indeed opening at the Shops, I think this is exactly the kind of business the retail location needs. More cafes, bookstores, bars and lounges need to move into the available spaces. It potentially could be a nice alternative to the Washington Avenue strip, or, dare I say it, an alternative to Coconut Grove and CocoWalk (of course in a better, non-douchy kind of way). The place will open around Winter 2009, which I'm guessing is the beginning on 2009 not the end.

And do I think the concept will be a success? Ask the people over at Domo Japones, whose Thursday nights are the talk of the town. I do have one question, will Sugarcane be open during the day/evening serving food?

I'll admit it, I'm a fucking hypocrite. I always preach about sticking it to the man and supporting local business. But fuck me if I can't get enough of Starbucks, so much so that I know who are the best baristas in town. Plus, I'm a fucking pussy because Cuban coffee is just way too strong for me. Well lucky for me a brand new Starbucks opened on Biscayne Boulevard and 30th Street, just four blocks from my new place of a residence. It opened on Saturday, I know because they have a Polaroid picture of their very first customer, which I'll admit I'm a bit jealous it wasn't me.

So if you don't know already the former Boom Boom Room space was taken over by Alfred Spellman of Rakontur and Keith Paciello and transformed into a new lounge called Bella Rose. In Lesley Abravanel's Velvet Underground column, Spellman says the place aims to bring back the South Beach of yore:

"We were getting really tired of the same stale bottle service nightlife options, so we wanted to do a small room, kind of a throwback to The Spot or Lua."

I have yet to check out the space, but anything is an improvement over the Boom Boom Room, which need I remind everyone a few weeks before its demise it experienced a drive-by shooting. I'll get everyone the full report on the place as soon as I can get my ass over the causeway.

There are also other new places you need to watch out for. Tony Guerra's Aero Bar should be opening soon in the area near the Ganesvoort Hotel and Collins Park. And the airport-themed lounges doesn't stop there as Heathrow Lounge opens up in the ill-fated area of Washington Avenue between 8th and 5th streets (actually, reps for the place have contacted me saying while the place is English inspired, it definitely isn't inspired by the English airport). However, Dek23, which is located in the same area, has been able to pull a steady stream of quality clientèle in an area better known for seedy clubs with even seedier people, so why can't Heathrow do the same?

Ok, so possibly the most creative and funniest "video flyer" I have ever seen. Tomorrow the new night, DAMN SON!, at Jazid makes it's debut featuring.....well just watch the vid below for all the deetz!

Don't forget people, the ultimate Miami party, Money Shot returns tonight to The Vagabond! Free before midnight, $10 after. We'll be there with camera in hand.

Apt. 423 (formerly Apt. 407) is NOT at some poor fool’s apartment. It’s at Love Hate (423 Washington Ave., Miami Beach) starting tonight. Apt. 423 is the underground’s underground party because it attracts a very non-typical, South Beach crowd. For now, at least. Hopefully you’re not a typical South Beach reader who will go to this party and spoil the vibe. No offense, but keep away from things you’ll never understand.

I’m talking music, son. If you dig disco dancing, put your t-straps on and be prepared to twirl. From disco to electro to straight up rock 'n' roll, Apt. 423’s musical tastes run the gamut. DJs Jonathon, Josh and Ray Milan handle the decks – which turns this party into a secret society of music nerds. Except in 423’s case, all the nerds are handsome – glasses and goggles included.

Here’s where you can become their friends: www.myspace/apt407miami

It's with great pride and absolutely no trepidation that I introduce to you our new site Ybor City Nights! I really like Ybor City because I can go out and have a good time in Nike flip flops and not spend a lot of money. It's way more relaxed than all that Downtown junk in Miami that we normally talk about on this site.

Check it out and give us your feedback!

Everyone rejoice! Thursdays are back to being the new Fridays thanks in large part to Xavier Burt and Jake Jefferson, better known as the guys behind Money Shot. Remember Money Shot? It started at Pawn Shop, then moved to Love Hate. Now it's back at a perfectly sized venue for the party. This Thursday DJ Blu Jemz (LA) will spinning for the crowd alongside resident DJs Contra and Induce.

Be aware there is a new cover charge policy that mimics the Poplife formula: free before midnight, $10 after. And it's all going down at the Vag -- um, you know, The Vagabond.

So for those who couldn't score the elusive invitation to The Vagabond's soft opening tonight, don't fret. The brand-new venue will have its door open to the general public all weekend long. Friday and Saturday doors will open at 10 p.m. so you can take a peek inside before the WMC crowds descend and reek havoc upon our little city. I have no idea on who is spinning or what exactly is happening, but the hype is so loud on this place I'm pretty sure everyone is going to regardless just to want to see what all the fuss is about. I'll be attending the festivities tonight and I hope to have a report for everyone tomorrow morning. Wait for it!

I attended the swanky and somewhat puzzling opening of Dune Oceanfront Burger Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton on Key Biscayne. We don't normally cover Key Biscayne on Miami Nights because Key Biscayne is one of the most boring places on earth, yet it is simultaneously too crushingly beautiful and relaxing to be able to convincingly talk shit about it. Anyway, Dune aims to be something like Nikki Beach away from South Beach: a relaxing spot to have a cocktail and detox without the hordes of drugbabies that you'd encounter at the regular parties. How burgers fit into this I'm not sure, but those were damn good burgers.

Would I go back? Hard to say. Everything was comped so I don't have any idea about drink prices, but as the hotel runs $600 per night at 100% occupancy, I would imagine they won't be doing 2 for 1 specials. The food was good, but the crowd had a credit rating higher than the types of people I usually choose to associate with. The music was good in a sort of loungey house way, but they flew in DJ Bruno from Ibiza, so it's hard to say what the regular night may hold. Parking was (free) valet only, if you like that sort of thing: I prefer to slang my wreck into a spot on my own.

Suggestions for Dune staff if they happen to be reading this: find unique, quirky, unusual people and pay them with bottles to attend on a regular basis. You have to be unusual enough to make people drive the ~15 minutes into the key, past a toll. You have the raw materials to make this work with that location and the fresh reputation. Also, where are the spice worms?

Cocktails Anyone? @ Domo Japones is a new Thursday night dinner and drink experience. We have seen this before with places like Cielo, O Asian Grill, Grass and Santos. I have only personally done the dinner and party thing once at Santos and that was ages ago. I prefer just arriving when the drinks and music is thumping already, but that's just me. Restaurants wouldn't be doing this kinda thing if there wasn't some kind of ROI involved.

Anyhow, the launch is this Thursday and will be there every Thursday there after. The dinner event is being co-produced by Plum TV, Eater.com, Revolver, Jake Jefferson, Xavier Burt & Rebecca Mandelman. Some familiar names with the "scene" in there so you can expect some tight jeans and colorful hoodies in the mix. DJ Induce will be pouring the musical libations for the evening. You can check out a video of Domo on You Tube by clicking here (Note: The video shows nothing of the venue. They might wanna do something about that).

Domo Japones
4000 NE 2nd Avenue
Miami Design District
305.573.5474

It seems like the area near Collins Park is soon going to give the rest of South Beach a run for its money. What was just considered the fringes of its trendy southern neighbor, it is becoming a hotspot in its own right. Mokai was the first to come along and proved that if you could conceive a hip-enough spot people would leave the Washington Avenue strip.

Now a new venue hopes to continue that trend. Aero Bar, expected to open March or April 2008, hopes to bring the Miami clubbing experience into the 21st century. It is being described as a contemporary multimedia and entertainment lounge, a sort of "Alice in Wonderland meets the Jetsons" (their words, not mine). The 5,000-square-foot venue will have two distinct rooms with their own style of music.

Who is behind this project you say? None other than nightlife veterans Tony Guerra (Living Room, Opium Garden, crobar, Amika) and Joseph Boyd. And in case you are wondering, the exact location of the venue is 247 23rd Street, Miami Beach, right next to Mokai.

Can't say I'm not intrigued. When a press release uses words like "out of this world", "Jetsons" and "round" there has got to be something to it. I wonder if its going to be anything like Toronto's Circa, which according to my roommate and her Canuck boyfriend is a sort of multimedia/interactive experience in a club setting. 

According to Riptide, Nikki Coconut Grove finally will have its grand opening tonight. The will celebrate it with the club's signature White Party -- wait, White Party? Isn't that when millions of gay men dress in barely-there outfits and dance to Cher and Barbara Streisand at Vizcaya? Point is you gotta dress in all white, which seems to me like a cranberry & vodka spill waiting to happen. In attendance will be Alonzo Mourning and plenty of other people who think they are A-list but are probably on the Z-list (sorry, Duran is a little grumpy today). You can RSVP to coconutgrove@nikkibeach.com if you really want to go.

And I know, I said last time that would be my one and only post about Coconut Grove. What can I say? I'm a liar.

O Asian Grill had a major hit on Saturdays when Danny Daze spun at their New York State of Mind party. Unfortunately for them, Daze is currently on a short tour across North America. However, they hope to bring back the crowds to their newest Thursday night party, A New Beginning, hosted by Kristian G. and Lex H., who while relatively new to the nightlife game have been attached to parties like Black Lipstick, Revolver, Misfit Fridays, Damaged and plenty more.

Lex tells me they hope to bring a slew of guest DJs every week from all over the country, also saying the party should be equally laid back and over-the-top crazy (contradictions, I love them). For the launch this Thursday, things stay local as DJs Johnny the Boy (Setai) and DJ Ruen (Vice Saturdays) will kick things off, while 944 Magazine hosts. Show them some love and tell them Duran sent you.

Miami.com has finally launched and it looks like the Herald has put more time and resources into this site than their actual news outlet. I mean instantly you can see a pretty big difference in the level of quality and this begs the question as to whether the Herald really gives a shit about it's online news source. Critical Miami gives a short overview of some of the features the Beta site has. I have briefly clicked through it and already I am impressed with the amount of content it contains. From the welcome page you can expect the following from Miami.com

On Miami.com, you can find out where J.Lo and Ludacris go to eat, which Miracle Mile boutiques are worth a look and what to do with the kids this weekend. We'll also show you how to find a terrific empanada and how to navigate local airports, traffic and customs (like how to order a Cuban coffee.)

No matter how robust the content though at first glance the site looks like a glorified travel website filled with positive information and nothing negative. I guess Ill have to dig down deeper into the site and see if I can find some real opinions. Or, they could outsource the writing and photographing to MN and we could spice things up a 'lil.

Just a friendly little reminder that The Stoli Hotel Grand Opening is tomorrow night at 8 p.m. at Ice Palace Film Studios, 1400 N Miami Ave. Brody Jenner will be playing hosting duties and Jordan Laws will provide the music. The "hotel" will be open until February 2, with special events being held in it almost every night, so if you cannot make it out tomorrow there are still plenty of more opportunities to go.

Some people have be asking me how can they get admittance to the event. The hotel is invitation only every night it's open. There are a few people around that have a list for tomorrow's event. No, I'm not going to post their e-mails because they are going to be bombarded. So do your damn research and make a few calls. And those who know me, stop calling, I can't help you either.

With the death (hiatus?) of Revolver back in October (Riot! Riot! Riot! at Rokbar didn't count as Revolver in my book), there's been a bit of a void in the diversity of Friday night parties. The last few Fridays I've jumped from party to party filled with open format blandness and antiquated house music. Trust me, I was yearning for some electro/indie goodness. I mean these parties are never held in the highest regard by the average clubbers or club owners, but its thanks to them DJs are now playing stuff like Justice, Mylo, Calvin Harris and arguably even Daft Punk, and that DJs like Steve Aoki, Klever and MSTRKRFT are now dance music icons.

Regardless of what you think of Revolver, you've got to admit founder Joshua Menendez can book some pretty progressive DJs every now and then. I mean he's brought LA Riots, Guns 'n' Bombs, Flosstradamus, Le Castle Vania, the Ruff Club DJs and plenty more. They might not be household names now, but they are definitely making waves. So it was good to see Menendez stay true to his formula in booking Hatchmatik on Friday for the exclusive preview of Damaged, his once low-key Wednesday night party at the Mark. Hatchmatik started off pretty passive but built up the beats and tempo. Yes, the beats were dirty, scuzzy and hard -- just how I like them. Of course, he through plenty of curve balls, turning hip-hop hits into electro-house gold. The best part was simply that Hatchmatik always kept it danceable.

Click here to read full article..

Soon frat boys and Kendallites will have a chic place to call their own. Nikki Beach is expanding its Miami presence with Nikki City Coconut Grove on McFarlane Road adjacent to the Sonesta Coconut Grove. The international club conglomerate already has other locations outside of South Beach, including New York, St. Barths, St. Tropez, Cabo San Lucas, Marrakesh, Hollywood, Fla., and more. Now I kid when I say this place will be invaded by barely legal party-goers. I've been told Cielo Supper Club at the Streets of Mayfair is doing extremely well attracting an upscale clientel (I haven't seen it with my own eyes, though), so there might be room for Nikki Beach to get in the game.

Actually Nikki City will offer three experiences: Cafe Nikki will be an outdoor cafe serving breakfast and lunch along with specialty coffee, Nikki Coconut Grove will be the restaurant serving both lunch and dinner, while Nikki City will be the lounge offering happy hour specials and operating until 2 a.m. Thursday to Saturday.

Obviously, it seems this is going to be much different from Nikki Beach on South Beach, catering to a young professional crowd looking for something a little more high-end on the mainland. According to Coconut Grove Grapevine, Nikki City is poised to open this Saturday, but they've already pushed back the opening several times, so call ahead.

And yes, this will be the first and last time I ever write about anything happening in Coconut Grove. 

Skinny jeans, long bangs, ironic tees, severe coke addictions -- where have all the hipsters gone? You know, those adorably misunderstood misfits that Opium Group exploited in 2007 with extra oh-I'm-too-cool-for-school fliers by Supermarket and a voyeuristic ad campaign by Bronques of LastNightsParty?

Despite their rise to commercial exploitation, 2007 was arguably the death of the hipster trend. From L.A. to New York numerous hipster parties threw in the towel. Probably no sign was clearer then when the MisShapes decided to close their infamous Saturday night party in Manhattan, while Miami's own grandfather hipster party Revolver quietly disappeared. But fret not my Parliament-smoking friends, 2008 may usher in the hipster resurgence thanks to some new venues popping up.

Louis Puig and company hope to cash in on an empty Friday night slot with Rehab Bar at Parkwest. While Rehab has already been opened for afterhours, I was told it was specifically planned out to be the club's "indie" space where the door will be a little more lax on dress code than the main room. If you haven't seen the space, it is industrial chic to the max resembling more a creepy guy's loft (kinda of like Lackner's) than an actual club.

And just down the street, next door to PS14, I/O Lounge will transform into The Vagabond. Owned by Carmel Ophir, the buzz is that there will be no bullshit at the door with lists and drink prices will be sweet. Rumor is last year's runaway success Money Shot will hold fort on Thursday nights and you can probably count on the return of Ophir's gender-bending Monday night Back Door Bamby. If you are wondering what the space will look like, according to the Miami New Times the venue will be divided into 3 separate areas, a bar area in the front, a proper dancefloor and removable performance stage in the back and an outdoor patio complete with fire pit.

Oh yes kids, 2008 is looking brighter for you already -- well if that's what the cool thing is now, if not it sucks.