Editorial Voice

Letters from the issue of February 4, 2010

Bougainvillea’s Old Florida Tavern closes at the end of the month

It’s A Crazy, Mixed-Up WorldOff the EaterWire: “Now open in the Hotel Victor, Victor Café is a Mediterranean bistro belonging to the Bice family of restaurants. Executive chef Julian Baker has opened Bice restaurants around the world and brings to South Beach a menu of classic pasta dishes, salads and…

Over at our post announcing the first phase of Ultra’s line-up this year, commenters have been divided. One camp seemed appalled by the new presence of jam-scene-birthed acts like Lotus, Pretty Lights, and the Disco Biscuits. The other camp’s reaction can basically be summed up thusly: “FUCK YEAH BISCO!”If anything…

BLT Steak, Laurent Tourondel’s steakhouse in The Betsy South Beach, has launched a new BLT Express lunch offering: $18, exclusive of tax and gratuity, for any two items from among soups, salads, and half-sandwiches — served simultaneously to insure speedy service. So you might choose tomato gazpacho with goat cheese…

Jersey Shore has inspired a bit of local pride in us. South Beach has its share of classless juiceheads and bimbos, but dear God, at least it’s not that. If Snooki and the Situation are “Gym, Tanning, Laundry,” SoBe-ites are a tad bit classier — like “Gym, Tanning, Dry Cleaning.”Well,…

Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein bilked investors out of $1.2 billion, but at least he didn’t bamboozle a poor one-armed handyman like Karl Thompson did.The 40-year-old scammer defrauded friends and business associates in Aventura, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Miramar, North Miami, and North Miami Beach between 2008 and last year.Franklyn Walsh, who…

For a while there the fourth day of the week sucked. Everyone was almost forced to watch TV. Lately, though, things are looking pretty good again. Sweat is back up and charging hard with arty/punky/noisy in-stores and weirdo movie screenings while, next door, old reliable Churchill’s has kept shit on lock…

A prisoner’s offhand request for some holiday liquor led to a sting operation that yesterday brought down a guard at Miami’s downtown Federal Detention Center on charges of selling alcohol and cocaine to inmates. The FBI arrested Octavius Allen, a 37-year-old guard, charging he made thousands of dollars by unloading plastic…

Would somebody please explain to me those signs in restaurants that say, “No animals allowed except for Seeing Eye Dogs?” Who is that sign for? Is it for the dog or the blind person? ~Jerry Seinfeld We got so much food in America we’re allergic to food. Allergic to food!…

You may believe you’re only just be getting acquainted with his name, but that’s something he promises to change very soon. And in truth, Yeyo’s been a lot closer than you may think for some time now, well within earshot, but just on the verge of something bigger. The Puerto…

A narcotics bust in West Miami took a wild turn last night, with a high-speed chase leading to a foot race leading to undercover cops slaying a neighborhood dog to save a suspect in an Ecstasy ring. It all began around 7 p.m., says Officer Kenia Reyes, a spokeswoman for…

Blast From the Past is a new occasional series on Crossfade, revisiting classic local albums from days of yore.Psycho Daisies, Sonicly SpeakingWe’re gonna kick these blasts from Florida’s past with a record that best exemplifies how easily the stuff gets lost in the swamp. I’m talking about one of the…

We Southern girls take to the scent of barbecue like pigs to mud on a sunny day, so when I spotted the neon Uncle Tom’s sign flickering in the distance last week, I steered in. A barbecue place on Calle Ocho? Near the Gables? What a delightful surprise!It looked like…

My wife and I were hungry for a quick snack while driving on US 1 the other day. Dumplings will do, we agreed when seeing Moon Thai & Japanese Cuisine. She ordered steamed pork dumplings from the Thai menu; I ordered pan-fried beef/vegetable gyoza from the Japanese menu. Oddly, my…

All We Need Is Love And, of course, murder: Occasionally, I read mystery books, and when I started reading the story about Dalia Dippolito, “She Loves Me Not” (Lisa Rab, January 21), I was pleased. It was well written, with a lot of information and research. It is such a…

As reported here earlier, Cobb frantically tried and failed to ditch a caravan of Miami Police officers last Friday. Along the way, he smashed up other vehicles and a couple of squad cars. Turns out investigators wanted to question Cobb about the murder of Arsenio Harden. The 20-year-old victim was shot…

E! hasn’t officially announced a second season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians spinoff Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami, but we’ve had it on good word for a while that a second season is in the works, and a little ad on Craigslist all but confirms it.Titled “Looking for On-Camera Employees for…

The much-hyped STK took forever to open its doors; about a year longer than expected, actually. Despite the numerous delays, everyone has been buzzing about the upscale steakhouse-cum-lounge. With sister locations in New York and Vegas, STK developed quite a reputation in Miami. Adding to the excitement is the fact…

Last Friday, I told you about a wild police chase on NE Second Avenue. Well, here’s a mug of the culprit who thought he was reprising Wesley Snipes’s role in U.S. Marshals. His name is Jonathan Henry Cobb, a 25-year-old Brownsville resident who booked it when a blue-and-white attempted to…

Apparently, tidings of booze and gourmet appetizers were not enough to sway young Miamians to support the Miami Art Museum, the local arts institution that desperately needs to raise private funds for its new home.Taxpayers approved the use of $175 million in county funds to build the $275 million project…

The burger blitz continues, but now with a new, ugly twist: A 24-hour Whopper Bar is slated to open on Washington Avenue in South Beach next month. Differences between this and the run-of-the-mill BK: a darker, sleeker décor; delivery by scooter; and longer hours. Bigger difference: “gourmet” burgers such as…