America's nightlife capital; perhaps the city's biggest International buzz generator is its clubs and restaurants—frequented by celebrities, tourists and South Florida residents with increasingly sophisticated tastes

South Florida CEO, April, 2004 by Rochelle Broder-Singer

Peek inside any of the magazines on a supermarket rack--People, Us Weekly, Look--and you'll see an item about some celebrity in a South Beach nightclub, or a brief about the latest chef to announce a planned eatery in Miami Beach. "We're selling this destination to the rest of the world," says nightlife impresario and developer Michael Capponi, who hosts events at such venues as B.E.D. and Prive.

The industry is also doing big business. The Opium Group, which owns the restaurant La Factoria and nightclubs Opium, Opium Garden, Prive (all in the SoFi, or 'South of Fifth Street,' area) and the just-opened Mansion, does $25 million in revenues annually. The company employs more than 400 and averages 4,000 to 6,000 people in its venues every weekend; 30 percent of those patrons are tourists.

"We're starting to get some credibility from a business standpoint," says Opium Group owner and managing partner Roman Jones. He and partners Eric and Francis Milon helped to revitalize SoFi with their 32,000-square-foot property there, and are already pulling new businesses to Washington Avenue's commercial district with the 40,000-square-foot Mansion.

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The city's hotels, too, have become hot nightlife spots, with properties such as Ian Schrager Hotels' Delano and Shore Club attracting a "see and be seen" crowd. "Blue Door and Nobu [restaurants]--those are definitely reasons why people come to the hotels. Same with SkyBar at the Shore Club and Rose Bar at the Delano," says the company's vice president of brand management, Tim Miller.

Even the new Ritz Carlton South Beach recognizes the importance of nightlife to attract people. "Looking at our competitors here, who really are on the cutting edge in terms of entertainment, in terms of providing ambiance, we needed to be in the same league," says general manager Franz Firschke. You'll find a disk jockey and water ballet in the late afternoon, and Capponi and Eric Milon host Sunday afternoon soirees at the hotel's beach club.

Nightlife has also grown to include a cadre of high-quality restaurants, making Miami Beach an outpost for celebrity chefs. Emeril Lagasse has opened a restaurant at the Loews South Beach hotel, while noted designer and restaurateur Michael Chow will open a Mr Chow this year near the Bass Museum. "In terms of international-caliber cities in the US, Miami Beach is one of them," says Mr Chow COO Chris Chun.

The increasingly sophisticated residents of Miami Beach are another reason for the culinary upgrade; local restaurateurs are finding a regular crowd with fine tastes. "To be successful in Miami Beach, you have to cater to the locals," says Jessica Goldman, whose Wish is among the city's hottest eateries.

"This season has been very strong, not so much in the quantity of people we see coming back ... but the quality," says Pino Bodoni, co-owner of Escopatso restaurant on Washington Avenue. "In my dining room, in the same night, you will find a European couple vacationing, you'll find your typical snowbirds, you'll find a local person, you'll find a celebrity and you'll find the businessperson."

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Nightlife is blooming outside of South Beach, too. In North Beach's Normandy Fountain area, a circle of restaurants that includes Ouzo's Greek Taverna and Argentine/Uruguayan steakhouse Las Vacas Gordas bustles with diners. The area attracts families with children early in the evening, and romantic couples later on. "The Fountain area has just come to life," says North Beach Development Corporation president Barry Klein. "We're trying to bring more things there as well, [such as] street musicians or some type of entertainment."

The success of the industry has also brought challenges, especially as South Beach has attracted new, wealthy residents into areas where clubs were once the only bright spots. Opium Garden, for example, has been the target of residents' noise complaints, but Jones says the company isn't going anywhere. For him, the right balance will be found "as long as people understand the nature of what brought about the South Beach rebirth, which was really trendiness and fashion and nightlife and boutique hotels. Miami Beach is a world-class city, and if it wants to stay there, it's got to keep a balance."