Scuttlebutt: Opium Group signs letter of intent for Mokaï

Nothing concrete, but the scuttlebutt says Opium Group is making a bid on the Mokaï spot.

Might as well toss up a rope and a Frenchman on the MacArthur and Venetian Causeways and be done with it.

the scuttlebutt

Nice code name.

At least it's better than Deep Throat.

Hah, yeah.

It is interesting though that the Beach is now pretty much controlled by one nightlife company.

Anti-trust?

First cameo now mokai sb is officially dead. Cept for shine. Of course the landlord is gonna sign opium group as tenant. He would be an idiot not to

i heard a rumor that set was going to be moving to the mokai location... not sure how accurate that is though

...sb is officially dead...

You don't go out nearly enough to be qualified to make that assessment on your own behalf or anyone else's.

It isn't dead, it just is not what it once was. Beach nightlife is rapidly becoming generic.

It isn't dead, it just is not what it once was. Beach nightlife is rapidly becoming generic.

I remember when I moved here in 1987. South Beach was non-existent as we know it today. It was basically a retiree heaven and predominantly Jewish. Essentially, it was another one of Miami's ganglands. The level of gentrification that has taken place on South Beach starting in the early 90s is nearly unparalleled by any other American metropolitan area. The late 90s saw SoBe basking in its nightlife glory... it was a mecca of clubbing, renowned the world over. Those days have come and, to a large extent, are now gone.

But I would never go as far as to call SoBe your average beach town... check out places like Melbourne (FL), Boynton Beach, Cape Canaveral and so many other insignificant dots on the eastern seaboard and then come back and say that SoBe nightlife is generic.

It's generic. Almost every idea on South Beach as of late has been ripped off from elsewhere.

It's generic. Almost every idea on South Beach as of late has been ripped off from elsewhere.

If I look at nightlife on SoBe, I see a myriad of bars, lounges, clubs, restaurants, swanky hotels, dive joints, billiard halls, and to a lesser extent, venues featuring regular live music. That means that, on one strip of land measuring 1 mile across (perhaps at its widest) and less than 2 miles long (from South Pointe to 17th Street), this beachtown's "generic nightlife" caters to pretty much anyone's tastes. I won't disagree that SoBe venues could benefit from a few injections of creativity and originality once in a while. However, that's a far cry from generic nightlife.