Alex Guarnaschelli Announces Plans To Open A Beach-Themed Restaurant In Miami

Earlier this year we reported that Chopped judge and Butter executive chef Alex Guarnaschelli hinted that she had plans for a restaurant in Miami. Now it's official. Chef Guarnaschelli will open the Nautilus Cabana Club this October in the Nautilus South Beach hotel at 1825 Collins Avenue.

"We want this restaurant to feel — quite simply — beachy and fun," Guarnaschelli told the Miami Herald. "Grilled fish, simple salads with a Mediterranean influence and made with the best ingredients Miami has to offer."

The restaurant, operated and managed by China Grill Management, will definitely have a beach atmosphere, with a saltwater pool, outdoor deck seating, and lushly decorated backyard space. The Nautilus itself is one of several brand-new hotels opening in the South Beach area.

As for the menu itself, Guarnaschelli said she would like to explore her vegetarian side:

"I think there will be a continuation and elaboration upon vegetarian entrées centered on one vegetable; creative use of grains for dough, both savory and sweet; and the hamburger and cupcake will hold steady as their own food groups," she told the Miami New Times. "As an extension of the broth craze, varied genres of soup will become all the rage as healthy, easily digestible, and deeply flavored food."