Latest news with #Maple&Ash
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Lobster, champagne and stripper poles: Panthers party like rock stars in Miami
Can't stop, won't stop. The Florida Panthers kept the party going to the extremes Thursday night two days after winning their second consecutive championship at home against the Edmonton Oilers. The guys had already celebrated so hard the day before in Fort Lauderdale Beach that they banged up the actual Stanley Cup. Insiders told us that the guys painted the town red starting at Maple & Ash at downtown's Miami World Center. The boisterous crew toasted to their back to back titles, along with the guest of honor, the (repaired) trophy, as well as a famous fellow diner, tennis great Martina Navratilova. The entire team indulged in an 'extravagant' dinner party for 40 at the upscale steakhouse, taking over the VIP area, and tucking into Chef Danny Grant's so called IDGAF Chef's Menu…Champions edition. The protein- and calorie-packed recovery meal included dry-aged meatballs, bone-in ribeye and lobster spaghetti followed by chocolate cake, coconut cream pie, and raspberry macarons. Drink of choice: 'Expensive' California cabs, and naturally, champagne, guzzled out of the Stanley Cup. After chowing down and toasting their win, the Cats moved the festivities to E11EVEN, the 24/7 ultraclub where dozens of cheering hockey fans were already waiting by the red carpet. Once inside, things got a little crazy, Miami style (just like last year). Rapper Rick Ross sent over a 15-liter bottle of his Belaire bubbly, which immediately got sprayed in every direction. While winger Brad Marchand crowd surfed, the rest of the gang piled on the main stage dancing to Chappell Roan's hit 'Pink Pony Club.' If you know, you know: the Edmonton Oilers adopted it as a victory song during the playoffs. Burn. The ecstatic teammates then all began dancing and screaming, 'We got the Cup!' while the packed club chanted along. As iconic Queen anthem 'We Are the Champions' came over the speakers, confetti rained down and smoke came out of nowhere. That's when the crowd went absolutely wild, we were told of the blowout that lasted well past 3 a.m. Among the many highlights of the evening/early morning was center Sam Bennett dropping the bombshell that he intends to stay a Cat, by uttering the famous line from 'The Wolf of Wall Street' — 'I ain't f---ing leaving!' Another viral moment was born when fellow center Sam Reinhart climbed a stripper pole to grab a signed Aleksander Barkov jersey from the a trapeze bar hanging from the rafters, while people yelled his nickname, 'Reino! Reino!' The wild scene was captured on Barstool Sports' Instagram page with the caption, 'THE FLORIDA PANTHERS MAY NEVER SLEEP AGAIN.' We feel like at least a few probably did eventually get some well earned shut-eye after that booze-soaked, exhilarating rager. 'Wherever you looked they were, truly enjoying partying with their fans,' dished a fellow patron. 'And those fans who waited all night to get in were drinking from the same champagne bottle as the champs.' Speaking of enjoying time with fans: Upstairs in the balcony, Brad Marchand, double fisting beers, managed to sign fans' plastic rat souvenirs. One woman asked him to autograph her forehead, which he contemplated briefly, but said no. After that acrobatic stunt on the pole, Reinhart was later seen with forward Evan Rodrigues pouring shots down fans' throats and handing out full bottles to revelers. Though Reinhart was up playing bartender until the wee hours, the NHL superstar was able to eventually clock in at Raising Canes in Tamarac on Friday for a 'celebratory shift.' 'There was no sobriety check this morning,' the pro told reporters. Miami Herald reporter Amanda Rosa contributed to this story.
Time Out
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Photograph: Courtesy Maple Hospitality Group/haasandhaas.com
Walking into Maple & Ash at Miami Worldcenter feels like stepping into a party where excess isn't just welcomed, it's the whole point. This massive restaurant marks the third outpost of America's top-grossing steak house, and it fits right into Miami's "more is more" mentality. The multi-room space hits you with sensory overload: velvet curtains, textured wallpaper, and an over-the-top upside palm centerpiece dripping with crystals. The dining area doubles as a wine library you can actually walk through, while tables topped with tall candelabras set the scene. The menu delivers steak house hits with theatrical flourishes. The fire-roasted seafood tower is a must-order—a collection of hearth-roasted crab, oysters, lobster, prawns, scallops, and clams swimming in garlic bu699 NE 1st Avetter and chili oil. Just when you think you've finished, servers appear with pasta to soak up the remaining sauce, cleverly turning one dish into two. If you've got cash to burn, the Japanese Wagyu offers melt-in-your-mouth decadence, while the tomahawk serves as a more "reasonable" splurge. The cocktails match the kitchen's boldness. Try the IDGAF Old Fashioned with actual gold flakes. Wine fans will appreciate the massive 2,500-bottle list. For dessert, the key lime pie hits the table that's almost as wide as the table itself, because subtlety isn't on the menu here.
Miami Herald
30-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
This popular Italian restaurant from New York is now open at Miami Worldcenter
The latest culinary addition to the downtown Miami Worldcenter is now open for your (pasta) pleasure. Founded in 1995 by Fabio Granato and Vittorio Assaf in New York City, Serafina Italian restaurant is now taking reservations at the sprawling 27-acre downtown development. The new restaurant joins other new concepts like Earls from Vancouver, which also recently opened a spot in Fort Lauderdale, and the famous Maple & Ash steakhouse and overall hot spot from Chicago. The second Serafina in South Florida — there's another location in Aventura — will be run by Benny Shabtai and his son David Shabtai, who grew with loving the New York version. 'The first Serafina opened the year I was born, a block away from my childhood home,' he said. 'It was where we'd gather for family meals. It's where I had my first date. As the restaurant expanded throughout New York, it was the obvious choice for my friends and I to grab drinks and share good times. It was the office lunch of choice at least two days a week, sometimes four.' 'It embodies a restaurant ambiance that I feel Miami has perhaps lacked in the midst of its rapid growth over the last few years — a true high-end yet comfortable neighborhood establishment,' he added. 'I believe the community will embrace it with open arms. ' Serafina, which will serve pasta and a variety of meat and seafood dishes, will seat 283 diners indoors and outdoors on a covered patio. There's also a striking bar and a private dining and event room available. The menu will be similar to what you'll find in Aventura, but there are a few Worldcenter-exclusive dishes, such as salmon and tuna crudo, arancini, steak tartar, prawn fettucine, short rib ravioli and steak frites with ribeye. One of the highlights of the new restaurant is the Marana Forni pizza oven, which means — yes! — pizza is also on the menu, including the only-in-Miami pizza a la vodka. The wine program features half-bottles, with 60 percent of the full bottles coming from Italy. Serafina Where: 652 NE First Ave., Miami Hours: 5-11 PM daily; lunch hours coming soon Reservations: OpenTable More information:
Eater
28-05-2025
- Business
- Eater
Maple & Ash's Ground-Floor Bar Unveils an Omakase That Leaves The Rules Behind
Chef Danny Grant and the team behind Maple & Ash have big plans for Eight Bar, the tavern underneath the Gold Coast steak house. They want the first floor to carve its own identity and see potential in opening other locations as they did earlier this year in Miami when Maple & Ash entered the South Beach market. Maple & Ash's playful approach has proved successful, a consumer-first approach to fine dining centered around steaks without adhering to old rules. Management is trying to bring that energy downstairs at Eight Bar without the need for reservations, a requisite for Maple & Ash. One of Eight Bar's strengths is that a customer can find variety. They can order a burger accompanied by a maki roll with a glass of burgundy without judgment. Seeing a greater opportunity, Eight Bar is giving sushi lovers a new omakase option, one that doesn't require reservations. 'Omakase' means 'chef's whim,' and Grant wants to give the power back to his diners. Eight Ball's Golden Omakase offering is the Japanese counterpart to Maple & Ash's popular 'I Don't Give a F@ck,' a $225 per person tasting menu option. The $150 Golden Omakase is more of a 'customer's whim' — diners can decide on the spot.. It's meant to break rules, not beholden to tradition: 'I didn't want it to be a drag-out two-and-a-half-hour experience,' Grant says. That's not to say the menu is amateurish. Hari Chan, a sushi chef who's spent more than a decade in Chicago behind restaurants like Kaze and Macku — before working for companies including Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises and Hogsalt — is ensuring Eight Bar's menu matches the standards he's set at his previous establishments. The menu isn't 100 percent sushi. Grant describes a scallop dish slow-roasted with ramps and left in the shell. For maki fans, one of the popular items is a King crab roll. An optional beverage pairing costs $75. Diners can expect about seven courses. Grant says they check in with diners around course five to see how they're doing. Grant says that they don't want customers to feel like they need a slice of pizza at the end of their meal, but they also don't want to overstuff them. Hearty eaters may earn a surprise at the end of their meals — if they have room in their stomachs. Grant teases a fried chicken sandwich: 'So it's not typical,' he says. Maple & Ash opened in 2015 in the Gold Coast near two of Chicago's most beloved steakhouses, Morton's and Gibsons. The restaurant ascended thanks to its reverent attitude and lavish buildout. The restaurant has survived despite an acrimonious split with ownership. A group of the restaurant's former investors has also taken ownership to court with a laundry list of accusations. Now dubbed Maple Hospitality, the reformed company is pursuing expansion opportunities, including a space in New York. Sign up for our newsletter.
New York Post
19-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Owners of luxe steakhouse opening in Trump-owned building used COVID funds for personal expenses: lawsuit
The owners of a luxury Chicago steakhouse who are opening an outpost at a Midtown tower that's partially owned by Donald Trump allegedly used federal funds meant to pay employees' salaries during COVID for personal expenses – including $2 million on Learjet, according to a bombshell lawsuit. Maple Hospitality Group, the owners behind Maple & Ash, was accused of 'fraudulently' tapping $7.6 million in Small Business Paycheck Protection Program funds, according to the civil suit brought by investors in Chicago's Cook County Circuit Court. 'The MA restaurants never received a dollar of these funds,' according to the suit, which was obtained by The Post. 4 Maple & Ash, which opened its flagship steakhouse in Chicago in 2015, is the nation's fourth-highest-grossing restaurant with more than $35 million in revenue a year. Google Maps According to the complex case, the alleged misappropriation was part of a wider pattern of fiscal wrongdoing by Maple & Ash co-owner Jerald Lasky, his brother James Lasky and by companies controlled by them. Although the lawsuit refers only to 'private jet expenses,' the Chicago Sun-Times and radio station WBEZ traced the payment for the pricey Learjet in 2021 to 'a company whose president is James Lasky.' The owners have denied the charges in the complaint, which was first filed three years ago but received little media attention outside the Windy City. As reported in The Post in February, Maple Hospitality Group signed a lease for 12,000 square feet at 1290 Sixth Ave., which is majority-owned by Vornado Realty Trust but where the Trump Organization has a 30% passive stake. Trump's position reels in more than $60 million in annual rent revenue. 4 Maple & Ash co-owner James Lasky and his brother Jerald denied using federal funds meant to pay employees' salaries during COVID for personal expenses. Maple Hospitality Maple & Ash, which opened its flagship steakhouse in Chicago in 2015, is the nation's fourth-highest-grossing restaurant with more than $35 million revenue a year. But there seems to be as much sizzle in the Chicago court as on its fancy plates. Investors who helped raise $3 million each to open Maple & Ash in Chicago and in Scottsdale, Ariz., also claim the company wrongfully used profits to fund the owners' other restaurant brands in other cities, according to the complaint. The Laskys allegedly retaliated against the investors for filing the suit by dissolving their interests in the company, according to an amended filing. 4 A Maple & Ash restaurant will be opening at 1290 Sixth Ave. later this year. J. Scott Wynn James Lasky has been sanctioned by the judge in the case for failing to comply with court orders to turn over bank records and other information. He was ordered to cover plaintiffs' $191,000 legal fees resulting from withholding information, court records show. The lawyer for the investors, Michael Forde of Forde & O'Meara, said he hoped the case would finally go to trial early next year. James Lasky's lawyer, James Stamos of Stamos & Trucco, didn't immediately respond to an email and phone call. 4 Maple & Ash's newly opened restaurant in Miami. Google Maps The hospitality group launched another steakhouse in Miami in March. Haut Living magazine said the restaurant 'brings [the brand's] signature blend of refined dining, uninhibited energy, and indulgent luxury to the Magic City.' The Big Apple opening is slated for later this year.
