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Old and New, Fried and True in Miami

Chef Dewey Losasso of the Forge

Completely new: New York’s Shake Shack is coming to Lincoln Road. Top restaurateur Danny Meyer ?brought the smarts of Union Square Café, Tabla, and a slew of hot properties to a hot dog cart in Madison Park in 2004. Within a year he had the best tasting concession stand in modern times, a leading role in the burger revolution and lines as long as?lunch hour.

Success has grown as fast as the lines for burgers, fries, "concrete'' shakes, frozen custard and custom brewed Shackmeister ale.?After opening three more in New York, Meyer plans?a burger palace for Miami’s pedestrian mall that will dwarf the original shack. The quadruple decker design is by no less than Herzog & de Meuron, who are also doing the Miami Art Musuem. It opens next year.

Reopen and close: The bad news is Chef Dewey Losasso has closed North One Ten, an intimate Golden Spoon hideaway for North Miamians. The good news is that he’s the new chef at the Forge, the black-tie, stained-glass jewel that’s over-the-top even in Miami Beach (but perhaps not in Dubai, where a second Forge opened this year). Look for Losasso’s new menu in a revamped Forge next month.

No good news (unless you’re in Venezuela): ? After giving Coral Gables a chic helping of Venezuela in Cacao, robed in dark chocolate and rich wines, Edgar Leal has shuttered the restaurant. In his seven years there Leal brought Miami, a broader taste of gourmet Latin America and a sample of experimental Spanish of Fernan Adria. He has returned to Venezuela.