The past several weeks have been an eventful period for Matt Whitney, the director of operations at Sunny’s Steakhouse. Not only did he open a new restaurant that was more than two years in the making, but the Miami-based team had to navigate not one, but two serious hurricanes that recently barreled through Florida.
Fortunately, the beautiful new mid-century modern dining room at Sunny’s—and its 3,000-square-foot outdoor seating area—were relatively unscathed, if a bit wet, when the restaurant officially opened on October 2. “It’s been great,” says Whitney. “And I know that’s what we’re all supposed to say, but I’ve done openings before that were very highly anticipated and … we’re all pretty proud of the team over the last couple weeks.” Indeed, Sunny’s has been one of Miami’s most-anticipated restaurant openings this year.
The story of Sunny’s began back in 2020. “It was a COVID response for [now shuttered] Jaguar Sun, and it started as just this abandoned roofing factory that held some pop-up events from time to time,” says Whitney. The space started out serving tacos and cocktails, but with a lot of competition in that category—and guests’ clear desire for a fine-dining experience amidst the pandemic—the team soon reimagined the concept as an outdoor steakhouse. “Why not throw some white tablecloths on picnic tables, serve steaks and Martinis, and see where it goes?” says Whitney. It was an instant hit.
Don’t miss the latest drinks industry news and insights. Sign up for our award-winning newsletters and get insider intel, resources, and trends delivered to your inbox every week.
Sunny’s closed in 2022 with the intention of reopening in a permanent home. Now, the steakhouse has finally returned as a full-service restaurant. “It’s not a picnic pop-up anymore, where people are a little bit more forgiving,” says Whitney. “It’s not this weird lobby bar called Jaguar Sun, where people are kind of surprised that it’s there. It’s a real restaurant now, so it carries a little bit more weight.” Nevertheless, Sunny’s has maintained much of its original pop-up charm. “It’s certainly a restaurant that looks and feels fine dining, but we were able to break those rules pretty quickly and just have a lot of fun,” says Whitney. “And that’s really starting to seep out into service every night.”
In its new form, Sunny’s beverage list has also evolved beyond Martinis. “We’re upping our game across the board,” says Whitney. “We now have two fully developed bars that are designed by [co-owner Will Thompson]. We now have a wine cellar. We now have a full wine program. So it’s really taking what was just thrown together as a pop-up and this fun outdoor thing, and now … building more of an established restaurant.”
SevenFifty Daily caught up with Whitney to learn about some of the most popular wines during the first weeks of service. (Included are the bottle prices for each wine at Sunny’s.)
Chartogne-Taillet ‘Cuvée Sainte Anne’ NV, Champagne, France; $130
Perhaps unsurprisingly, “We’ve sold a ton of this Champagne in these last two weeks,” says Whitney, as guests have celebrated the long-awaited opening. “I think part of that was the industry friends and family, but [Chartogne-Taillet is] a really great producer with really classic wines that are just delicious. It’s priced very aggressively; it’s meant to share, to allow people to come in and have a great start to their meal. So we’ve ripped through a good amount of that in two weeks.”
Domaine Bachelier ‘Les Fourneaux’ 1er Cru Chablis 2020, Burgundy, France; $98
Beyond Champagne, many French classics have resonated with diners thanks to a diverse food menu that starts with lighter fare and raw items. “We’re selling some Burgundy, which is cool to see,” says Whitney. “I didn’t know if it would be all Napa Cab and Argentine Malbec. We sold a decent amount of Chablis—premier cru Chablis from Domaine Bachelier. It’s been flying. I think it pairs really well with a lot of the raw bar items and crudos. I think that’s really where people are kind of leaning towards. It’s a great match for the first page of our culinary program.”
Muchada-Léclapart ‘Lumière’ Palomino 2017, Jerez, Spain; $80
Part of what makes Whitney’s job so enjoyable is introducing guests to new, unexpected wines, such as those from Muchada-Léclapart, which is a partnership between Alejandro Muchada and grower Champagne producer David Léclapart. “It’s a Palomino not made in the fortified sherry style,” says Whitney. “We have it on the list for $80. You can sell this to the person who’s looking for something funky, and maybe on the natural wine front, but it’s also just something really delicious and different, and this is a part of the program that I really love. We’ve been able to introduce people to this, which has been really, really fun.”
Domaine Trapet ‘Ostrea’ Gevrey-Chambertin 2015, Burgundy, France; $245
While there have been many popular wines since opening, the top seller over the past two weeks was Domaine Trapet. “[It’s a] great vintage from a great producer,” says Whitney. “The wine is a great complement to how we’ve seen people interacting with the menu. A lot of people are sharing everything … entrée courses to share, a lot of mid-course pastas. And ’15 Gevrey definitely has a little bit more structure to it, a little bit more power behind. It can stand up to some of the heartier fare, but not overpower some of the lighter stuff. We sold over a case this week, which has been an incredibly cool thing. It gets the team excited, and I think it’s an awesome bottle of wine.”
Jean-François Jacouton ‘Sortilège’ Saint-Joseph 2019, Northern Rhône, France; $85
For Whitney, one bottle stands out as the perfect choice at Sunny’s. “The thing that I would pick from the wine list if I didn’t work here is Jean-François Jacouton’s Sortilège,” says Whitney. “For me, it’s the exact wine that I would want from this wine list. It goes with the wood-fired grill, so it fits the food program. It’s really good value. It’s an incredibly well-made wine. It has a little bit of age on it, and it’s under $100. So we’ve been moving up a good chunk of this as well.”
Dispatch
Sign up for our award-winning newsletter
Don’t miss the latest drinks industry news and insights—delivered to your inbox every week.
Caitlin A. Miller is a New York-based wine writer and the current associate editor for SevenFifty Daily. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Vinous, and Christie’s International Real Estate Magazine. She holds the WSET Diploma in Wines and was the recipient of the 2020 Vinous Young Wine Writer Fellowship.
