China Grill is Back. Does It Live Up To Our Memories?
Shadow Lounge later?
A quick history lesson for people who don’t remember The Old Beach:
Before every food license in Miami came with a live DJ, before every menu called itself “Asian fusion,” and before “clubstaurant” was even a word, there was China Grill.
It was Miami’s first “it” restaurant, the place you’d see Aerosmith having dinner while they recorded and album down the street. Or Lenny Kravitz pre-gaming his party at the Florida Room.
They had a DJ in the dining room, and though DJ Cassidy wasn’t exactly Mark Leventhal or even Ivano Bellini, he did inspire a promoter at Tantra named Dave to do the same when he opened his own restaurant years later.
It was the first stop on a night that would run from the Marlin bar to Liquid to Living Room to The Mix. Maybe you’d go to BED. Maybe you wouldn’t.
It was South Beach’s first taste of real, celebrity glam since the Rat Pack left town, and for those who spent hungover mornings watching The Beach Channel and debating whether to go to Penr…
