Two high-profile NYC restaurants shutter Miami outposts

Les Halles Miami in Coral Gables

The New York-Miami food shuttle has been getting crowded lately, but
two high-profile New York-based eateries have shuttered their current
Miami locations.

New
York’s Mamajuana Cafe, the Dominican Nuevo Latino restaurant of chef
Ricardo Cardona, along with Les Halles, the former stomping ground of
chef/critic Anthony Bourdain, have closed their locations in Coral
Gables.

A spokesperson for Mamajuana in New York said the
restaurant was not closing, but was relocating, likely within a month,
to a new location in South Beach.

The two restaurants both
have eviction notices posted on their front doors. Mamajuana Cafe,
which, in addition to its New York location at 247 Dyckman Street in
Inwood has an outpost in Santo Domingo, opened in its location on
Altara Avenue in February 2009. Telephone numbers at both restaurants
were out of service.

Les Halles Miami was an independently
licensed branch of the New York bistro. The Miami restaurant at 2415
Ponce de Leon Boulevard owned and operated by Frederic Martin, with
Frederic Claisse as executive chef.

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Communications to Les Halles’ press representatives were not returned.

Bourdain
is no longer affiliated with Les Halles, although he was the longtime
executive chef. He is now the restaurant’s “honorary Chef-at-large” at
Brasserie Les Halles in New York, where there are two restaurants. Les
Halles Park Avenue is at 411 Park Avenue South, between 28th & 29th
streets, and Les Halles Downtown is at15 John Street, between Broadway
and Nassau streets.

Les Halles in Miami had reportedly been
closed for renovations. Les Halles’ press representatives did not
respond to requests for comment.

Other New York restaurants have
had more success in South Florida of late, including Mexican restaurant
Mercadito, which opened in Midtown this year. Mercadito has two
locations in New York, including one on Avenue B and another on Grove
Street.

Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack recently opened its first
location outside of New York, just off of the Lincoln Road pedestrian
mall in Miami Beach.