New York City restaurants have long been drawn to Miami, opening outposts of familiar Manhattan and Brooklyn brands in the tropics. The concept makes sense: Developers like the idea of a splashy name associated with their hotel or real estate deal; many of the tourists who come to the city are from New York or at least familiar with New York’s buzziest restaurants; and a Miami location adds a bit of glamour to a restaurateur’s portfolio (not to mention a warm place to visit for business during winter).
Which explains why, in the past year alone, Miami branches of long-running restaurants from New York including Italian standouts Osteria Moreni and Carbone, Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster, and Michelin-starred Cote steakhouse all opened shop in the Magic City. Now, however, the tide is turning, with the announcement that two of Miami’s best-known luxury Italian restaurants, Casa Tua and Carpaccio, will open in the New York City area.
The patio at Casa Tua in Miami Beach, Florida.
So what gives? In the case of Casa Tua, the semi-private club and restaurant that is one of South Beach’s most romantic spots for salads, pasta, and tuna tartare, it’s a collaboration with the new ownership of the Surrey Hotel on the Upper East Side. The partnership includes Corinthia Hotels and the Reuben Brothers, who will renovate the property with hopes of reopening in 2023—with New York’s first Casa Tua. The restaurant, club, and lifestyle brand founded in Miami in 2001 by Italian couple Miky Grendene and Leticia Herrera-Grendene, also has locations in Paris and Aspen.
In the announcement about the new project, Casa Tua’s Grendene says of the new partnership, “We feel there is great synergy between us and together our intention is to create one of the most glamorous and exciting spaces in the city. My main goal for The Surrey, as with all of my properties, is to bring unbelievable energy and soul to a landmark and truly make it feel – as our name suggests – like your home."
(It’s worth noting that the architect and designer signed on to The Surrey refresh is Martin Brudnizki, who also oversaw the openings of notable new New York Italian spots Carne Mare and Saint Theo’s.)
Carpaccio is a familiar favorite for elite travelers and well-to-do Miami locals who stop in for a power lunch or romantic dinner amid Bal Harbour Shops, one of the most luxurious shopping malls in the world. Co-founded by Italian native Piero Filpi back in 1995, the glamorous dining room hosts celebrities and jet-setters drawn to its namesake dish as well as first-rate seafood pasta dishes, veal chops, and thin-crust pizza from a wood-burning oven.
Carpaccio won’t be coming to Manhattan but to nearby East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it’ll serve as the primary dining option at The Avenue at American Dream, the luxury wing of the sprawling shopping and entertainment complex. The Avenue, which in addition to Carpaccio will feature shops including a Saks Fifth Avenue department store and shops from Hermès, Dolce & Gabbana, and Tiffany & Co., is slated to open next month.