Maybe It’s Time to Admit Hyped-Up 'Clubstaurants' Are Actually Pretty Good

Just because Grutman's name is on it, doesn't mean it sucks

Peking duck from Komodo (Photo courtesy of Komodo)

A few years ago, one of my students at the University of Miami wrote a story about the best restaurants in Miami.

“We’re foodies,” she said, with the charming affluent naivety UM students do so well, “So obviously we hit Komodo, Swan, and Papi Steak.”

“FACT ERROR,” I scrawled in big, red ink all over her paper. “If you were a foodie, you’d have never gone to Papi Steak.”

This was me a few years ago, when it was universally cool for us food people to hate on Lil’ Davey Grutman’s family of restaurants. Like hipsters at a record store sneering when you come in and ask for Nickelback.

“Of COURSE you’re going to Komodo,” we scoff at the girls’ group in town for a 30^th birthday/bachelorette/divorce party. “Please tell me somebody else is paying.”

But hating o…