La Esquina About To Get A Whole Lot Brighter

[Photo via DBTH]

Our favorite little Mexican hot spot has been all over the news lately. First, NYMag spoke of jailbait Cordell Lochlin (is he out?), in a letter that pleads for leniency because his company is already “in the design stage of our second location of ‘La Esquina’ in Miami Beach at ‘the Gale’ hotel." [Grub]

*Hold the phone, La Esquina is moving to Miami Beach??! You heard it right, the place that is KNOWN for inventing the underground, secret dinning experience, is going to try things in the sunlight. DBTH has more of the scoop (and he even created that little number above on photo shop awww...):

The word from South Beach is that Becker and his posse have signed a deal to open La Esquina in the soon to open Mondrian South Beach Hotel and Residences, and that Becker will operate not only a La Esquina lobby restaurant but also a roof top bar. Good deal for Becker, but will taking a restaurant that is known more for its basement than its food to the land of Latin cuisine be a success? Will it diminish the strong La Esquina brand here in New York City?

These are all very good questions. The fact of the matter is, La Esquina has already diminished as a name here. And how could you expect it not too...you can't stay at the top forever. This seems to be a smart business move by Becker, who is trying to STAY in business. The food doesn't matter so much as creating a BRAND that people feel special going to (look at TAO), and people will undoubtedly be flocking to this new location to get to say they were at La Esquina, the same one that all those famous people have been at in NYC. Build it and they shall come....Let's just hope Lochin gets out of the slammer soon so the project can move forward.

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