Two longtime restaurants have closed at Gulfstream Village, the latest in a string of high-profile vacancies at the entertainment and shopping complex next to Gulfstream Park casino in Hallandale Beach. Cantina Laredo Mexican restaurant and III Forks steakhouse shuttered this month, leaving an empty building near the racetrack’s north entrance.
Both were part of chains owned and operated by the same Texas-based company, Consolidated Restaurant Operations. Each restaurant dates to 2010, when Gulfstream Village opened. A representative for Gulfstream Village says the leases were expiring and that future plans for the building (501 Silks Run), with more than 10,000 square feet of space, haven’t been finalized. Word around the track is the space may be converted to a multiplex theater.
“We will miss you,” a notice posted on the door of Cantina Laredo read.
“It has been our honor to serve you,” a notice on the door of III Forks said. “Please visit us at another location when traveling.” III Forks in Palm Beach Gardens and Jacksonville remain open as do Cantina Laredo locations in Fort Myers, Tampa and Jacksonville.
A representative for Consolidated couldn’t be reached for comment, despite voicemail and email messages.
A marketing representative for Gulfstream Village said the closures are “part of a re-merchandising” effort underway, which includes a $17 million clubhouse refurbishment at the racetrack-casino.
Cantina Laredo and III Forks, which had nearly 500 seats combined, join a list of departed restaurants at the complex. Rok:Brgr closed at Gulfstream Village earlier this year and the site remains vacant. Adena Grill, a showcase steakhouse that flopped from Gulfstream’s mercurial owner Frank Stronach (he has been in court battles with family members over control of his businesses), remains an empty shell on the south side.
Restaurants still open include Yard House, Christine Lee’s (which moved last year from the clubhouse to the ground floor), Brio Tuscan Grille, Texas de Brazil, Frankey’s Sports Bar, Mijana Lebanese Cuisine, Il Gusto Italian restaurant and La Pizzeria.
Businesses at Gulfstream Village have struggled as planned condos at the site were scrapped and other developments have opened nearby. Among the newcomers: Atlantic Village in Hallandale Beach, Dania Pointe in Dania Beach and the impending guitar-hotel expansion at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino near Hollywood.
Gulfstream Village will soon have another big retail vacancy: Charming Charlie will close at month’s end, part of a nationwide shuttering of the chain after it declared bankruptcy.
Cantina Laredo did brisk business in its early years at Gulfstream, with waits common during peak winter season and on weekends. III Forks also was a solid performer, and I awarded it 3 stars (good) in a 2017 review.
“Like a thoroughbred that regularly manages to finish in the money, III Forks has become a steady and reliable presence,” I wrote. I called it “the best restaurant within the Gulfstream complex to celebrate a big score,” and noted that like certain fine wines and steaks, it had gotten better with age. “The surroundings are smart, the sirloins and rib-eyes are USDA prime, and the filet mignon is certified Angus. The prices are merely high, not astronomical, so if you hit a nice trifecta you might actually have some cash to take home.”
