Priced to move
Ariete, Hibiscus Island, Toniebox, 9 kids gifts, Art Week galleries, NWS VIP, flying taxis, MORE
FOUND GIFT GUIDE: New World Symphony VIP Membership (Miami Beach), treat a music lover to a monthly membership that opens doors. VIP Members get near-unlimited access to New World Symphony concerts, plus invites to rooftop receptions and half-price guest tickets. [spon]
RESTAURANTS • FOUND Table
Medianoche Français
The Backstory: For the last near-decade, chef-owner Michael Beltran has continually refined the Cuban heritage cuisine prepared with French technique at Ariete, a restaurant nothing if not emblematic of modern Miami’s fine dining today. It’s been on the vanguard of Coconut Grove’s culinary renaissance, and Beltran keeps expanding his footprint in the neighborhood, which includes casual daytime concept Chug’s Diner, historic bar The Taurus (Ariete’s next-door neighbor), and his latest, playful burger joint Chuggie’s, which opened last month.
The Experience: On a recent Thursday night, I booked a last-minute table for two, and we arrived at Ariete on a quiet, leafy stretch of Main Highway. It’s an elegant, grown-up space; minimalist, warm, awash in polished wood and white subway tile, with a wild boar’s head mounted on one wall. That evening, there were smartly dressed Groveites on dates and a multi-generational family celebrating a birthday.
The choice is yours between a $180 per seven-course “versos sencillos” tasting menu (with a $160 per wine pairing option) or an equally worthy a la carte menu. The pièce de résistance has long been the canard à la presse for two ($160), a meticulously constructed dish prepared tableside with 14-day dry-aged duck breast, served with roasted calabaza tamal, wild mushrooms, foie gravy, and duck fricassée pastelitos. Available in limited quantities, it often sells out early in the evening.
We went à la carte, pairing calabaza brioche bread service with cultured butter and grilled oysters two ways: one with uni butter and parmesan lime breadcrumbs; the other with bone marrow, herb oil, and chive powder, all of it delectable and sumptuous. The pithivier caught our eye, described on the menu as a $65 Cuban sandwich with “sauce charcutier”; our waiter explained it as a medianoche-meets–beef-Wellington-style puff pastry. It’s new to Ariete’s menu, but the dish dates back to the 17th century in France's Loire region. Intrigued, we went for it.
What arrived was a decadent laminated pastry shaped like sunshine, glazed in sauce and stuffed with ground pork, Swiss cheese, and a hint of pickle — a wholly original, unapologetically decadent, delightful, and delicious take. We paired it with a juicy grilled kampachi whose skin was charred to the perfect crisp, served with mofongo, pepper velouté, and criolla sauce.
The one miss was dessert. A creative-sounding take on flan made with candy cap mushrooms and sambuca crema was so dense and sweet, I could barely eat two bites, as was the off-menu special occasion mini chocolate cake. A shame, but not a tragedy.
Why It’s FOUND: An original through and through, Ariete is the kind of homegrown Miami restaurant that continues to define the city’s contribution to the global culinary world. –Shayne Benowitz
→ Ariete (Coconut Grove) • 3340 Main Hwy • Sun-Thu 530-10p, Fri-Sat, 530-11p • Reserve.
MIAMI RESTAURANT LINKS: Chef Massimo Bottura reopens Torno Subito in former Elastika space at Design District’s The Moore • BBQ beat: pandemic pop-up Drinking Pig opens permanent spot in Coconut Grove… Charleston pitmaster Rodney Scott readies Little River restaurant • Elevated Mexican Jacinta de México debuts at Aventura Mall.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale properties in Miami Beach that came to market in the last 14 days.
→ 5860 Pine Tree Dr (La Gorce) • 5BR/4.1BA, 4636 SF house • Ask: $5.45M • classic Mediterranean with southern exposure pool • Days on market: 8 • Annual tax: $20,765 • Agents: Stefan Segall & Chad Carroll, Compass.
→ 710 + 700 S Shore Dr (Normandy Island) • 7BR/7.1BA, 6058 SF houses • Ask: $11.5M • adjacent waterfront houses, one updated, one in need • Days on market: 13 • Annual tax: $96,476 + $26,247 • Agents: Amanda Malone & Christopher Wands, Elliman.
→ 360 S Hibiscus Dr (Hibiscus Island, above) • 7BR/6.2BA, 8300 SF house • Ask: $49.5M • 90’ of frontage, rooftop entertainment level, designed by architect Kobi Karp • Days on market: 8 • Annual tax: $201,305 • Agent: Devin Kay, Elliman.
MIAMI WORK AND PLAY LINKS: Stephen Ross’s fix for Miami traffic hell: flying taxis • Construction set to move ahead at GEM Private Residences at Miami Worldcenter • Organic grocery store Nude Miami to bring Erewhon vibes to Brickell early next year • Condos, regulations, and the reinvention of the Palm Beach market • This party season, try a cocktail blazer.
FOUND GIFT GUIDE • FOUND Object
Magic box
Getting your kid to eat a meal can, at times, feel like going to war, albeit with an unreasonably cute foe. These are the moments I’m most thankful for my Toniebox.
Launched in 2016 in Germany, the Toniebox is a cube-shaped audio device designed for screen-free kids’ entertainment. I’ll admit, when I was gifted the squishy original and its accompanying figurine audio cartridges, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. Pregnant with my first, I added it to the ever-growing pile of baby devices I hoped to one day understand. Two years later, the company just dropped its Toniebox 2, and I was among the first in line.
The box itself retails for $119.99, with sold-separately Tonie figurines ranging from around $10 to $20 apiece. There are also discounted bundles and giftable themed packs, with seemingly endless options for children ages one through eight. Among others: Literary Tonies based on classics like Dr. Seuss, educational with Peppa Pig, adventure Tonies featuring the Coco soundtrack, and soothing sleepy time Tonies (the one my son recently put on by himself in the wake of a particularly rough tantrum). If your kid has a favorite book, show or movie, there’s likely a Tonie for that. And if you’ve held out on watching these household names, you can still be part of the playground discourse with a Toniebox. (Despite never actually watching Ms. Rachel, for better or worse, I have now committed all of her songs to memory.)
Compared to the original Toniebox, the 2.0 edition packs in new features like interactive gaming capabilities (for slightly older children) and a programmable sunrise light for wake-up time. Compared to the Yoto Mini, a popular and more compact competitor, the Toniebox is less geared toward travel, functioning more as a friendly household fixture for daily routines.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends zero screen time before the age of two. We didn’t make it quite that far, but with the Toniebox, I can confidently say we’ve enjoyed hours of screen-free singalong and story times with our baby over the last two years — and far fewer mealtime meltdowns. Honestly, priceless. –Falyn Wood
→ Shop: Toniebox 2 • from $107.99.
FOUND GIFT GUIDE • The Nines
Elevated gifts, for kids
Toniebox 2, screen-free storytime, sing-alongs, and games for the budding podcast aficionado
The Perfect Canvas Pouch, colorful, customizable carry-all to keep all the little things contained
Tiny Land Stepping Stones, sturdy, stackable obstacle course for building balance and coordination
Keen Little Kids’ Jasper II TYAKASHA Sneaker, rugged sneaker in bright color-block design in collab with Shanghai’s TYAKASHA
Veer All-Terrain Cruiser, stroller-wagon crossover that looks great, maneuvers hills and dunes with ease, rinses clean in seconds
Ferm Living Slope Table & Chair (above), sweet little desk set in organic shapes inspired by rolling hills, doubles as decorative object
Bombas Toddler Gripper Slipper, cozy non-slip covers for chilly toes, plus clothing item donated for every purchase made
Bentley 6-in-1 Convertible Stroller Trike, sleek wheels w/ plenty of storage and multiple configurations to go the distance
Owala Kids’ FreeSip, pint-sized it-bottle in creamsicle hues w/ leak-proof spout for sipping or swigging
CULTURE & LEISURE • Who is the Sky
David Byrne • The Fillmore (Miami Beach) • Fri @ 8p • orch L, $390 per
Whitecaps v Inter Miami • Chase Stadium (Ft Lauderdale) • Sat @ 230p • sec 117, $614 per
John Mulaney • Hard Rock Live (Davie) • Sun @ 7p • sec 102, $286 per
GETAWAYS LINKS: Winter routing: American doubling MIA-CUR (Curaçao) service… Sunrise launching FLL-CAP (Cap-Haïtien, Haiti) route • Two Autograph Collection resorts in Cancun reopening this week • Are airport lounges merely ‘better than nothing’?
ASK FOUND
Three PROMPTS for which we seek your immediate attention:
What’s your favorite Miami spa (and treatment)?
Who do you trust to do your eyebrows?
Where’s the best bar to dine alone in Miami?
Got answers or more questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfoundmiami.com.
CULTURE & LEISURE • The Nines
Galleries, Art Week edition
Fredric Snitzer Gallery (Downtown), Deborah Brown’s ‘Inside Out’ on view through 01/17; Miami art world pioneer always at Basel