A destination unto itself

Miami, FL – Amid a visual masterpiece where the architecture and cuisine create a culinary experience, guests at Miami’s most anticipated restaurant and ultralounge will have all five of their senses enlivened at Karu&Y, which represents the most significant restaurant development project in Florida’s history with an investment in excess of $10 million.

With executive chef Alberto Cabrera’s version of Alta Cocina - and an ambience of stunning elements like flowing water, frosted glass, rich colored marble and African wood – Karu&Y is the vision of Brazilian entrepreneur and international jetsetter Cesar Sotomayor. Karu, an upscale restaurant, and Y, a lavish ultralounge, will create a destination where guests can have dinner followed by cocktails and entertainment – in two separate locations under one roof.

The 19,000-square-foot project – which also includes a 7,000-square-foot special events facility connected to the restaurant and ultralounge – will be a significant part of Miami’s rapidly emerging arts and entertainment district, which also includes the Performing Arts Center, a venue also under construction. Karu&Y also represents the latest chapter in the story of the man who is bringing the innovative destination to life.

A two-time Olympic swimmer for the Brazilian national team and a former commercial airline pilot for Varig, the stylish and charismatic Sotomayor developed the idea for Karu&Y from his passion for the South American Aborigine culture. He intends for Karu&Y to attract so much attention that it is the reason travelers visit Miami, not just a hot spot to experience while in Miami.

Fluent in five languages and the son of a U.N. diplomat, Sotomayor travels the world attending the elaborate parties in exotic locales. Sotomayor’s frequent travels to the world’s finest restaurants and night spots hatched an idea for a concept of his own.

After leaving Varig to remain in Miami in 2001, Sotomayor accepted an offer from The Holiday Organization, one of the nation’s most prominent real estate development companies. He worked in the advertising department of the firm’s country club division before president Elliot Monter asked him to create a restaurant in Miami for Holiday’s Arrso Restaurants Co.  

Karu&Y is not Sotomayor’s first foray in the hospitality industry. His family operated two restaurants, La Casa de la Esquina in Madrid and Lemone in South America. In the project that is Karu&Y, Sotomayor initially planned a restaurant alone. Then he discovered the cavernous space once occupied by film production company, and envisioned an immaculate restaurant, ultralounge and entertainment destination.

Karu&Y is all about innovation, including the cuisine. Popularized in Spain but unfamiliar to many Americans, Alta de Cocina is one of the Karu&Y’s most intriguing elements.  The cuisine is brought to life in Miami by Cabrera, who was raised in Miami and perfected his trade working alongside some of the best chefs in town.

Alta Cocina, or cuisine of the Americas, includes a combination of science and artistry. Dishes prompt you to experience and contemplate the purity of each flavor. “Experience” is the operative word in this type of cuisine. Flavors are carefully introduced through mechanisms like smelling napkins that have been spritzed with aromas to enhance the dining experience. In the case of Spain’s chefs, the dishes incorporate textures, aromas, flavor combinations, and contexts while stimulating the senses, pleasing the palate, and provoking thought.

“It’s different than traditional cooking. It’s like a science where everything is exact,” Cabrera said. “It's about taking fine ingredients and utilizing a progression of techniques, textures and temperatures in order to extract flavors without altering their taste. Once you have the unaltered flavor it can add new dimensions to accompanying ingredients.”

Designed by Miami architect Pepe Calderin, Karu&Y will have an aquatic theme with a futuristic feel. “Karu” translates to “eating” and “Y” means "water" in the aboriginal language, Sotomayor explained. Visitors will enter the facility by crossing a bridge over a reflecting pool surrounded by thick glass walls. Bubble domes protrude from the ceiling of Y, the lounge, which will seat 300 and have a 12-foot wall with multiple plasma screens that will serve as the focal point.

The glamorous destination will also feature an exclusive chandelier designed by glassmaster Dale Chihuly and an elaborate custom Murano glass creation from Venini, the world-renowned maker of Italian glass art.

Inside Karu, the restaurant that will seat 126, cantilever tables of wenge and zebrawood will flank the walls and ceiling while terracotta-hued fabric sheets will loosely drape the walls, providing constant waves of illumination. Montreal artist Richard Boprae is creating a piece that will resemble flowing raindrops, span 60 feet in two sections and cover an entire wall.  

The 7,000-square-foot special events facility adjacent to the restaurant and ultralounge will accommodate 500-800 VIPs and host intimate concerts from up-and-coming performers and A-list entertainers, fashion shows from the world’s most prominent designers, art galleries, weddings and VIP parties among other events. It will also serve as a location for production companies to create music videos, films and TV shows.

The VIP room will be highlighted by custom-built fiberglass booths and leather sofas, illuminated by glowing center columns and upholstered walls that give the illusion of a three-dimensional wave pattern. The terrace will boast custom-designed cabanas with tables for al fresco dining and entertaining VIPs with high definition plasma TVs and sound system control. As VIPs stroll to the patio area, they will walk under a glass ceiling of flowing water, which will cascade into the terrace’s reflecting pool.
 
"We're creating an icon," Sotomayor said. “It will be a destination that will attract people from South Florida, across the country and around the world.”

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