Of all the pop-ups we’ve seen, well, pop up during lockdown, a steakhouse is perhaps the last one we’d expect. Most makeshift kitchens aren’t exactly equipped to dole out rib eyes and with all dining happening outside, duplicating the traditional ambiance would be a challenge. But if there’s anyone who could pull off such a feat, it’s the team behind Downtown’s Jaguar Sun.
This weekend, Will Thompson and Carey Hynes transform the taco spot they’ve been operating for the last few weeks into a bonafide chophouse. Sonny’s Someday Steakhouse will begin service at Lot 6 in Little River this Saturday and promises the same level of service, copious slabs of high-quality meat and expertly crafted cocktails you’d expect from the Peter Lugers of the world. “Although we can’t install red banquettes and turn the AC up too high—or replace our servers and bartenders with 70-year-olds in starched white jackets—we are going to try and hit that same vibe,” they say.
While we can’t speak to the environment beyond to say it’ll be outdoors and follow the rules of social distancing, we can confirm the auspicious menu will satisfy steakhouse purists. There are Caesar and wedge salads, a shrimp cocktail, a New York strip steak that’s been aged for 70 days and a loaded baked potato. Less predictable are the aged pork chop, crab donuts, a warm leek salad with hazelnuts (a holdover from the taco menu) and more sauces than you’d know what to do with—Béarnaise, salsa verde, green peppercorn and more.
Sonny’s drink menu leans into the timeworn traditions of classic American steakhouse pairings of martinis and manhattans, serving several iterations of each. Think Sonny’s double martini with either gin or vodka and blue-cheese–stuffed olives, versions with rum and sherry and manhattans mixed with an array of whiskeys. Expect some familiar concoctions as well, including Jaguar Sun’s signature Green Ghoul, which will be served frozen, plus a selection red, white and sparkling wines.
If it all sounds like too much for a moment when we’re mostly ordering delivery and spending our days indoors, lounging in sweats, that was the point. On the rare instance that we do venture out, Sonny’s endeavors to be the place worthy of your investment. “We've noticed that going out seems to be much more of an occasion than it was before all this started, so we’re doing something to try and match that special, once-a-week date-night feel that our guests seem to be looking for,” says Thompson.
Ready to hit the town (safely)? Sonny’s Someday Steakhouse opens on Saturday, with service every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 5 to 10pm. Reservations are a must.
Most Popular on Time Out
–This delightful natural wine bar just opened in South Beach
–There’s an Australian-style brewery opening in Coral Gables
–These Miami hotels are now offering day passes for their swimming pools
–The 17 perks of wearing a mask all the time in Miami
–Aching for a massage? Miami Spa Months is back with all kinds of discounted treatments.