Cocktails and Tangy Bites

Everyone who lived in the Gables pre-pandemic seems to miss Tarpon Bend, which had the city’s liveliest happy hour. Now, hospitality guru (and former Tarpon Bend proprietor) Wayne Eldred has taken over the food and beverage program at the THesis Hotel, revamping Mamey’s weekday happy hour to include $10 cocktails; half-off beer, wine, and well liquors; and bar bites under $13.

On the Friday we visited, joining the after-work crowd from University of Miami plus some enterprising hotel guests, there was a DJ playing at the back. Somehow, despite sitting about 10 feet from the speakers, the music wasn’t overpowering and we could easily hear each other. The bar was actually louder, with a few patrons apparently having taken advantage of the early start to happy hour, which runs long from 3 to 8 pm.

We started with the Roasted Brussels Sprouts ($8), a favorite of the night, portioned nicely for two to share and drizzled in sweet chili sauce to give the bulbs a distinct Asian flavor. The Short Taquitos ($12) were more surprising, delicious and vibrant with braised short rib, pickled red onions, and zesty aji amarillo aioli that balanced the barbecue-style meat inside a crunchy shell. We paired these with glasses of the Temptation No. 2 cocktail, with Tempt Gin (made by Eldred himself) combined with grapefruit, tonic, and Chinola passionfruit, leaning powerfully into the already-citric flavoring of the gin. As the weather cools, we’ll try the next offering at THesis: the soon-to-be-renovated Ivy rooftop bar. – Kylie Wang