Eric Demby, who started Smorgasburg in New York, brought his outdoor food market to Wynwood in March when he saw that a lot of people who worked in restaurants were looking for work. In an email, Mr. Demby said, “We give food entrepreneurs a huge public platform so they can do their own thing with little money up front.” There are more than 60 vendors at the event every Saturday afternoon.
But Major Food Group, a hospitality company based in New York City that is known for fancy restaurants like Carbone and Dirty French, has had the biggest effect on South Florida’s food scene. Jeff Zalaznick, a partner in the group, was with his family in Miami in the spring of 2020 when the coronavirus hit that city. They extended their trip, and Mr. Zalaznick said he saw “an opportunity to raise the bar, to bring our style of high-energy fine dining to Miami.”
Major Food Group came through with a bunch of fancy restaurants with prices that go through the roof. First came Carbone Miami, which opened in South Beach in January 2021. It is a mix of Sinatra-era elegance and South Florida glitz, with dishes like spicy rigatoni ($33) and veal Parmesan ($69). Next, Israeli chef Eyal Shani brings Ha Salon, a dance party in Tel Aviv, to Miami. Then, Sadelle’s in Coconut Grove serves $125 bagel towers at brunch. The Dirty French Steakhouse sells $275 Wagyu Tomahawks, which are bone-in rib-eye steaks served with the whole rib bone. The restaurant is on Brickell Avenue and has zebra-print and velvet walls.
