The Bloom (stylized, confusingly, as “The B100M”) is a food-hall-like concept in downtown Miami that’s almost nearly well named. It’s more like a new spring bud, not yet the beautiful thing it might become.
Calling itself a “chefs’ collective,” The Bloom occupies the bottom floor of a Biscayne Boulevard high-rise, with a wall of windows facing Bayfront Park and within view of the Kaseya Center. By day, lots of light fills the rather handsome space of mosaic tile and beige wood. There’s a bar to the right and a scattering of high tops and tables that seem nowhere near enough for the place to ever get truly busy. You can order at the counter from any of the three concepts or, like I did, opt for table service. That means you’ll get drinks and food delivered, but you will have to pay the 18 percent service charge.
On the day I went, the place was inexplicably running at half-power. The Ecuadorian concept from chef Alejandra Espinoza, about which I had heard good things, was unstaffed, without a sign or any other explanation. Drinks were out too, as the venue’s liquor license was still pending.
I ordered first from Yasu Tanaka, one of the city’s most talented sushi chefs, who’s been putting out flawless omakase platters at MIA Market since 2020 (andm before that, ran The Den at Azabu). Like he’s done elsewhere, Tanaka’s handroll here is a perfect representation of what’s essentially a Japanese sandwich, stuffed with seared wagyu beef, real-thing wasabi and still-hot sushi rice, wrapped in snappy seaweed. It’s a steal at 15 bucks.
That was true also with the $16 quarter rotisserie chicken from a stand by Maykel Vargas. It’s a dish I could eat daily, a chef-styled version of the supermarket rotisserie chickens I often reheat at home, with a clingy jus sauce that coats the crispy skin. It came with simple salad greens that provided a nice tang and two tiny pieces of garlic bread that were not supposed to be there. “The potatoes are not ready yet,” my server explained.
It was about then, as I pondered asking for a discount on my chicken, that the server and I started talking about what might be coming soon at The Bloom. The liquor license, hopefully, he said. There’s nowhere for groups to sit, I pointed out, and he replied that they’ve requested permission from the city to add outdoor seating. Perhaps one day, all the vendors will be open all the time.
Basically, I got a whole lot of “maybe-soons” in that conversation, which may lead you to wonder if it’s worth stopping into The Bloom before a Heat game. For now, I’d say yes, if simply for that rotisserie chicken and Tanaka’s sushi. But if you require drinks and seating for your group, you might be better off waiting to see if The Bloom finally flowers.