Taking its place is yet another operation of the nonstop Wolfgang Puck. Now there's a real shopper, or rather seller -- on the Food Channel, in the kitchen sections of department stores all over the land, in bookstores and on the Home Shopping Network, where he enthusiastically, and authoritatively, touts his complete line of cookware, piling up profits by the pound. Wolfgang Puck Express and Wolfgang Puck Cafes are everywhere, including Sawgrass Mills, airports and, I was amazed to discover a year ago, in Melbourne, Australia.
Jimmy Buffett is another celebrateur, like a Puck or Michael Caine, who sells his name for restaurant fame -- and money. He counts a half-dozen Margaritaville restaurants in his collection, including the one in Key West, where he can take his new Margaritavich, the first of a new line of 42-foot sport fishing boats to be built by West Palm Beach's Rybovich. He's also launched of late, in partnership with the Tampa-based Outback conglomerate, Cheeseburger in Paradise. The first one opened in Indianapolis as the start of a national roll-out.
They can dream and hope for the kind of success achieved by another Florida newcomer, the Bamboo Club, which has considerable cash flow behind it: The world's largest franchisee of T.G.I. Friday's, 60 of them from Kansas, the Southwest and far west, plus five Redfish Seafood Grill and Bar units in Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, San Diego and Arizona. Redfish is a New Orleans-Cajun-Creole, French Quarter-themed restaurant complete with Voodoo Lounges. Chairman of parent Main Street and Main Inc. is the former head of Taco Bell, John Antioco. His team has developed an appealing pan-Pacific menu inspired by exotica from Bangkok, China, Seoul and Singapore, prepared in fascinating display kitchens with various wok stations and lots of flame and sizzle in a setting loaded with bamboo and harmonized by the strictures of feng shui. Among the zingers are pancake-enfolded Beijing duck, lettuce-wrapped chicken and shrimp, Asian tacos, calamari stir-fried with veggies to crackling crispness spiked with Thai chili barbecue sauce, whole red snapper with ginger and Hong Kong Steak dramatically prepared tableside with liberal splashes of VSOP cognac.
The newest of the nine Bamboo Clubs nationwide opened in Miami, at the Aventura Mall (19501 Biscayne Blvd., 305/466-7100) in January, joining predecessors in Wellington at The Mall at Wellington Green (10300 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 123, 561/753-6606) and Tampa at International Plaza (2223 N. Westshore Blvd., Suite B?212; 813/353-0326).
There's more exciting Asian input from a true Miami ethnic merger of cultures and cuisines, the Sushisamba dromo in South Miami Beach (600 Lincoln Road; 305/673-5337), offshoot from New York City's Sushisamba, where SoBe's new executive chef, Israeli-born Shahar Dan, served as sous chef the past year, developing such taste sensations as chilled lobster with arugula and yellow tomato tickled with mint vinaigrette and mojito sorbet. There's a whole series of sashimi seviches and samba rolls, assembled expertly by a separate executive chef in charge of sushi, Naohiro Higuchi. Appetizers range from $6 to $18 and entrees, $17 to $26. A corporate pastry chef, Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez, is responsible for such sensational finishers as gingerbread bread pudding served with mango sorbet and mango caramel, and "donuts y café," guava-filled jelly donuts designed to be dunked into a unique espresso-cream sauce.
Another taste-terrific reminder of the culinary excellence of SoBe's Latin beat is the new Bistro 900 Novecento at 1080 Alton Road (305/531-0900), a 3-month-old mission to Miami by the 10-year-old parent in New York City's SoHo, well-established as an affordable hip hangout.
The SoBe offshoot is well on the way to being the same, morning, noon and night. You can start or break your day with "huevos rancheros" or "huevos revueltos" or fabulous French toast featuring bananas and strawberries and real maple syrup; or get serious with some "panini" with fresh buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto and roasted red peppers, some brown rice risotto or one of their three beef beauties -- after all, this is an Argentine cafe -- grilled ribeye with sauteed spinach, roasted squash and red onions; an entrecote with steak fries; or grilled skirt steak with the Argentine classic chimichurri sauce and mashed potatoes ($14-$21). Those headliners are also available on the weekend brunch menu served from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. along with sauteed Chilean salmon with red peppers, penne pasta with wild mushrooms in demi glace finished with cream; and fettuccine tangled with sauteed spinach, arugula and zucchini, sprinkled with pine nuts and shaved Parmesan with garlic and olive oil.
The dinners have entree prices ranging from $12 for spaghetti Caprese to $24 and $25 for grilled medallions of filet mignon in a Malbec wine reduction with sweet potato puree and the grilled ribeye. And for finishers, what could be better than an Argentine tarte tatin with creme anglaise and vanilla ice cream, or puff pastry layered with a mousse of dulce de leche, meringue and raspberries?