Miami Race Week at full-throttle with glam Carbone Beach dinner show
MIAMI BEACH - We're making Carpaccio Piedmontese in the kitchen with restaurateur and acclaimed chef Mario Carbone. It's been a little more than 2 years since CBS News Miami's Lisa Petrillo first met him at his namesake restaurant on South Beach not long after they opened during the pandemic.
"So, the first thing we do is add a black truffle aïoli."
But, Carbone says this location was a plan in the works well before COVID.
Still, in January of 2021, restaurants everywhere were shut down and Miami was just opening for outside dining,
"The whole world was in a place of unknown at that moment," he said.
"As a company, we had no idea that we were about to make this giant change ourselves."
In fact, Major Food Group the hospitality group he owns with 2 other partners, is behind some of the most celebrated restaurants in the world.
But, it's New York where it all began for them and that's why Mario says, Miami always made absolute sense.
"Miami is a sister city to New York so there's always been a ton of fluidity between what we did in New York and our friends here in Miami," he explained.
"Our customers in New York come back and forth, so there was no fear because of our relationship with them and their relationship with Miami. it was like Ok let's do that."
In the short span since Carbone Miami Beach opened, they've experienced incredible growth with many of their brands.
"We have 11 in South Florida," he said.
"So, it's right below New York in terms of size?" asked Petrillo.
"It's right there with New York at this point," he said.
Carbone attributes that growth to Miami's major art scene.
"I think we were part of that big art movement and boom period," he said.
"And then certainly just the energy of this city, the energy of the people. It's just one of the great places in the world to live and to be a part of that, to affect that in a positive way, has really been amazing."
And what they do is high-style glamour from the decor to the music and food. A throwback back, he says, to mid-century 1950s and 60s first-generation Italian Americans.
"The food is very much rooted in the food that was created by the immigrants here and less so by the original recipes of Italy. And then from there, it's the music, the fanfare, and all the pageantry. It all comes out of that period."
"It's not just eating pasta and Veal Pamrnigiana. It's an event," said Petrillo.
"Dinner is the show," said Carbone.
And this week, they're back for the second year of Miami Race Week with another full-throttle, glam dinner show called Carbone Beach.
They're teaming up again with American Express for a 4-night supper club beginning Thursday in a tent on the sand, priced at a whopping $3,000 a person.
"It's basically dinner for 400 guests. It's sort of a grand theatrical Carbone experience with even more magic, even more tricks up our sleeves than we do here, Carbone said.
"Then we have headlining performing acts, (Andrea Bocelli and Nas played last year) plus all sorts of other musicians that keep people very entertained throughout the course of the night."
"Is Miami at that level where we can sustain you having four nights of 400 people under a tent at that price tag?" asked Petrillo.
"It does seem that way," he said, grinning.
"But obviously that's a tribute -- what you're doing," said Petrillo.
"Yeah, I mean, where we're taking this idea that dinner is the show and amplifying it into an actual show. So, for us, it pretty much feels like a seamless extension of what we do,' he said.
Carbone Beach is on Thursday through Sunday. There are limited tickets available, and as for the brand, Carbone said they plan to grow much more in the future right here in South Florida.
For more info on Carbone Beach, click here.