The Shelborne originally opened in 1940 along Miami Beach’s iconic Collins Avenue. Following a $100 million renovation by Proper Hospitality, the 251-room beachfront hotel has been reimagined, with newly designed guest rooms, new food & beverage outlets, and an updated name: The Shelborne by Proper.
The hotel reopened in May. Now the flagship restaurant and bar are also ready to go. The seafood-focused Pauline opened on November 12, along with a new cocktail lounge called Little Torch.
Pauline is named for Pauline Baker, the wife and muse of Charles H. Baker Jr., the writer known for his gallivanting travels and cocktail books, including “The Gentleman’s Companion.” It’s billed as a tribute to their legacy and also the region’s coastal bounty, and it features Latin and Caribbean influences throughout the design and the menu.
The menu is seafood-focused, with Latin and Caribbean influences.
The 178-seat restaurant was designed by ADC Tuneu and nods to the seaside location, with porthole windows and nautical tones. The dining room is joined by an outdoor terrace that looks out over the hotel pool.
The kitchen is led by culinary director Abram Bissell, a Florida Keys native who has worked in Michelin-starred kitchens like the Modern and Eleven Madison Park in New York City.
“Pauline is my love letter to Caribbean-Latino food,” Bissell said. “Returning to my home state after so many years has been deeply personal. It’s a chance to refine the flavors that shaped me and the people who inspired them.”
The menu begins with raw bar selections, including oysters, crab claws, conch ceviche, and Key West pink shrimp, and then moves on to small plates like rock shrimp fideos and caviar tostadas.
One standout small plate is the caviar tostadas.
Large-format entrées include lobster and mussel sancocho, a traditional Latin American stew more commonly made with meat, beef loin “con pan,” and turbot Encendido. Sides like yuca cremosa with rosemary tostones and green peas and rice round out the menu.
Pauline is open for dinner and will soon start lunch and brunch service.
Little Torch is tucked behind Pauline and is named after Little Torch Key, the smallest and most secluded island in the Florida Keys. The space is intimate and features a design that merges mid-century style with modern touches and tropical accents. The small bar is fronted by pink mosaic tiles, and the lounge has unique upholstered chairs and onyx tables.
Pauline is joined by Little Torch, an intimate cocktail lounge.
The bar pours original cocktails like the Spicy Guava Cooler made with mezcal, aperitivo, guava, grapefruit, and Empirical Ayuuk, a smoky chile spirit. Another standout is the Modern Vices, a clarified piña colada milk punch topped with strawberry foam.
Little Torch is also hosting vinyl DJ sets and musical performances, and it will eventually revive the karaoke nights that were popular in the hotel’s past life.
