At 1 Hotel & Homes South Beach, a new era of star chef has arrived on Miami Beach—Tom Colicchio, of Craft restaurants fame. The Best New Restaurant host and former Top Chef judge just opened several spots inside the hotel: the elegant restaurant Beachcraft, the lobby bar Tom on Collins (pictured), and The Sand Box, a casual poolside affair with white couches and tables set into boxes of sand.
At Beachcraft, which opened to the public over the weekend, Colicchio is working with executive chef and South Florida homeboy Michael Fiorello. The tone is blissfully serene—no pounding house music, like most South Beach restaurants—and decidedly eco-friendly. Designed by Meyer Davis Studio, Beachcraft is done up in petrified wood coffee tables and reclaimed wood ceilings.
The food, prepared in an open kitchen, is similarly thoughtful, with biodynamic sparkling wine from Oregon’s King Estate and antibiotic-free meat dishes. Reister Farms’ Lamb Chops with Harissa Yogurt & Eggplant Caponata is one of Beachcraft’s featured attractions. The other highlights of the menu include an exclusive dish—Beets Corvelli with Artichokes, Cured Olives, Anchovies, & Cherry Peppers (pictured)—as well as the Manila Clam Flatbread with Pancetta & Oregano.
The fare is right in step with the environmentally conscious 1 Hotel & Homes South Beach, a partnership between Barry Sternlicht (founder of the W chain) and Richard LeFrak. Sternlicht has his own bee farms, and fresh organic produce is sold at a lobby farm stand. For Sternlicht, a chef like Colicchio is part of being an evolved hotelier. “Like a lot of our guests, I eat organic food and live by a certain ethos,” he says. “This is a South Beach hotel for daylight people, and Tom Colicchio is part of our unique experience.”
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