Local Flair

Along Came Mary: A Fun Place to Live & Play

Just behind downtown Miami’s financial district, is a dynamic, new neighborhood Mary Brickell Village. Young professionals, whose recreational venues had once been limited to Brickell Avenue, usually in the same buildings in which they worked, can now drink and dine in venues often located in buildings in which they live. In recent years, several new high rises along South Miami Avenue with street level retail plus The Shops at Mary Brickell Village have helped carve out a community where there once was none. In 1870, Mary and William Brickell opened a trading post on the banks of the South Miami River. When William died in 1908, Mary built millionaire’s row” along the bay and developed Brickell Avenue three years later.

Today, office buildings, luxury hotels, and upscale condos have replaced the mansions, and retail offerings are a lot more diverse than the ones frequented by Seminole Indians. But, the area behind Brickell did not gentrify as quickly.

In 1996 when Steven Perricone opened his marketplace and restaurant on Southeast 10th Street, he joined a small coterie of unique venues. Across the street on South Miami Avenue was Firehouse 4, a picturesque restaurant with live music and dancing housed in a historic firehouse. A few blocks north of the firehouse was Tobacco Road, a restaurant and sometimes raucus music venue (now celebrating its 97th anniversary).

Flash forward to 2010. Perricone’s Marketplace, has morphed beyond its rustic, farm-house style building crafted from an old Vermont barn.

There’s now a bar on the front porch, beyond the marketplace and indoor dining room there is a treetop dining deck, and more al fresco dining is available in an adjacent vest-pocket park.

Another tree-draped rusticlooking restaurant, now known as Baru Urbano is right across the street and features a Caribbean flavor, wooden deck, and busy outdoor bar. Firehouse 4 now houses two restaurants, Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita has both indoor dining, a romantic Delano-esque 2nd floor terrace, and classic Mediterranean decor. Sushi Maki, distinguished by its bright color palette, is now renting 1,200 square feet of the space, which includes alfresco sidewalk dining. Just down from the firehouse is a cluster of small Italian venues including Rosinella’s, the original one a long-time fixture on South Beach’s Lincoln Road.

And, across from these restaurants, on Southeast 1st Avenue is La Lupita, featuring real Mexican tacos, and soonto- open Mint Leaf Indian Brasserie, already a highly-reviewed restaurant in Coral Gables.

The Shops at Mary Brickell Village are east and west of South Miami Avenue, just north of the firehouse and Perricone’s. They consist of 195,000 square feet of retail space anchored by a 2,900 square foot Publix and a 31,000 square foot L.A. Fitness Signature Club. An 800 space garage supplements on-the-street parking. The “village-like”setting has two public plazas with fountains and mature oak and mahogany trees. National chains on the west side include sophisticated Oceanaire Seafood Room; Rosa Mexicano with its Acapulco waterfall wall dotted with numerous tiny divers; Blue Martini, boasting three bars; and the anticipated Fado Irish Pub. Smaller restaurants include Abokado Sushi with its pan-Latino cuisine, which will soon be neighbored by a Beer & Burger Joint, which debuted recently on Miami Beach. There are a wide variety of jewelry, accessory, apparel, art galleries, home décor, and gift shops, including the quirky Frida Kahlo-Pasion por la Vida.

Joining Publix and Starbucks across the street are Balans, an international chain with an eclectic menu, which first opened on South Beach’s Lincoln Road, and Roma Organic Gelato. Bi-level Grimpa Steakhouse’s menu includes Brazilian Rodizio and a salad bar/ hot buffet. Its sleek, contemporary décor has spice colors, crisp white linens, and wood floors. P.F. Chang’s Chinese Bistro is another huge space, big enough to display twin life-size statues of horses.

Some smaller restaurants have cropped up around The Shops at Mary Brickell. These include SuViche, a loftlike black, white and stainless steel Peruvian/Japanese restaurant at 49 SW 11th Street. At 50 SW 10th St., is SuViche's gourmet pizza place. A South American chain has opened Brix 46, a neighborhood burger/bar/lounge with DJs, dancing, and Salsa lessons.

The retail growth jumpstarted by Mary Brickell Village now extends down South Miami Avenue, housed in various newly-built condos. Within 1250 is an eclectic clutch of restaurants including JB Kitchen & Bar, formerly a Swiss restaurant but now serving dishes like Peruvian lobster mac and cheese, Piola, and soon-to-open Le Kabob, Zen Sushi, and Kosta Seafood offering make your own ceviche. At 1450 are the wildly popular Segafredo and Brickell Irish Pub. These two, large, lofty restaurants are a study in contrasts. Segafredo, a hip restaurant/lounge, is modern with lots of glass windows, concrete floors, and a huge terrace that seats about 350. Walking past beer barrel tables, and through big, dark wood double doors at Brickell Irish Pub, patrons are greeted by servers wearing unisex kilts and a décor that boasts a Cheers-style bar, colorfully upholstered banquettes, and distressed mirrors; a stage for DJs and live music (offered Wednesday through Saturday) is framed by bookshelves with real books. Another spacious venue, the 9,500 square foot Argentine Puerto Madero, will be opening at Southwest 15th Road.

Commenting on how his business has been affected by the recent development, Perricone says that he had a destination restaurant but now he's in a destination area.

-- Marlene Sholod