It's official: M Bar, the global tapas restaurant and bar from Mancini's owner Jack Mancini, will open in June at 1301 E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. The space, formerly belonging to Bar Amici, has been completely overhauled and is located adjacent to Rocco's Tacos.
To make way for the new launch, Mancini has closed his 10-year-old eponymous Italian restaurant, widely known for its music and lively outdoor patio. Mancini's will reopen in a new space next to M Bar this August.
What's most interesting about M Bar is it won't stay true to the same
Italian theme that's made Mancini's a success on Las Olas. Instead, the
restaurant will focus on small plates, modern cuisine, and burgers
paired with custom cocktails, wine, and craft beer. Mancini also
promises his new restaurant will have a sleek, industrial atmosphere, a
pretty big departure from the classic Mediterranean feel of Mancini's.
Mancini has revealed some of the dishes for his new restaurant as well.
Chief among them: maple-glazed pork belly with sauerkraut and jalapeño
apple sauce, cured Spanish mackerel with pickled watermelon rind and
green peas, and grilled giant prawns with chili and garlic. Apparently
riding the premium-burger trend, prime beef burgers ground in-house
should factor heavily into the rotation.
The restaurant also promises varied craft beer and wine lists and
specialty cocktails from "shotologists" and "master cocktailians."
(File photo on the right.)
OK, we kid, we kid. M Bar definitely sounds like a more modern offering
than Mancini's and should make a good tandem next to Rocco's on the
trendy, proletariat eastern side of Las Olas. Stay tuned for an update
in the coming days.
M Bar
1301 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale