Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1347386
Kate Betts reflects fondly on her first time dining at Bal Harbour Shops, and gets caught up on what each of the restaurants have been serving up of late. shopping is the ultimate escape—a kind of meditative therapy— then Bal Harbour Shops is retail Nirvana. The outdoor concourse—with its murmuring koi ponds, kaleidoscopic bouquets of bougainvillea and regal palm trees—offers an intoxicating blend of luxury, freedom and the promise of a new discovery, like the recent addition of Lafayette 148, René Caovilla and Michael Aram. These days, the opportunity to dine safely outdoors also beckons. While you may come for the plush Brunello Cucinelli window displays, the sexy Zimmermann lace dresses and just about everything in Gucci's expansive boutique, you will likely stay for a colorful sushi platter at Makoto or a distinctly French brunch at Le Zoo. My introduction to the Bal Harbour Shops restaurant scene was a festive luncheon at Makoto to celebrate the publication of my memoir, My Paris Dream, following a book signing at Books & Books (still one of my favorite independent booksellers). Local journalists, socialites and inuencers too over the plush banquette along one wall of the moody, minimal interior while realed them with stories of m first jo in fashion worin at the aris office of Women's Wear Daily. At the time, my boss, John Fairchild, was as much a foodie as he was a fashion rainmaker and our beat involved discovering both new designers and new restaurants. It made sense to celebrate my book at one of the world's premier fashion destinations with a Champagne toast and many platters of chef Makoto Okuwa's Edomae-style sushi. Today, Makoto offers its signature impeccable service and cuisine on the outdoor terrace where soccer stars as well as celebrities like Mick Jagger, Roger Federer, Gloria Estefan and Alicia Keyes can be seen feastin on the irresistile trufe ponu salmon and iner lam chops. As food inuencer and realit TV star Jonathan Cheban likes to say, "shopping with a side of sushi? Yes, please!" According to his @FoodGod instagram feed, Cheban's favorite brunch- time splurge is Makoto's exquisite caviar platter. This winter, fans will be following Makoto's sushi to a new location upstairs, where the restaurant will take over more than half of the third oor. A little more low key, but no less low calorie, Hillstone is always on the itinerary when traveling with my teenage children, if not for the mid-century modern vie of oulsen artichoe liht fitures and super friendly service, then for classic menu items such as the famous spinach and artichoke dip and Carolina- style beef ribs. Personally I love Hillstone's Thai steak and noodle salad and, let's be honest, it's hard to resist the hot fudge sundae (just one bite, I promise). Adapting to Covid-19 safety norms, the restaurant has opened up windows and provided social distancing at the ar and in the dinin area. ans still oc to the teak-paneled room overlooking the Shop's portico for a sampling of what Bon Appetit has called "the best cheeseburgers on the planet." If current travel restrictions leave you missing the sunn iaas of apri or orrento, drop into al arours uiest estalishment, arpaccio, where If Bal Harbour Shops has expanded its outdoor dining area to include the center courtyard; at right, Le Zoo's Plateaux de Fruits de Mer. PHOTOS BY CARLY KLEIN, COURTESY BAL HARBOUR SHOPS. BAL HARBOUR 189