Drag queen Kat Wilderness performs for guests during a Drag Brunch at R House Wynwood in Miami, Florida, on Saturday, April 9, 2022.
dvarela@miamiherald.com
Ten years ago, before the arrival of upscale restaurants and fast-rising residential and office buildings, Wynwood was an arts community with tiny galleries, craft beer havens and a few hardy restaurants determined to make a mark as urban pioneers.
Among popular spots like Joey’s and Wynwood Kitchen & Bar was R House, a restaurant and bar that also acted as a gallery. Art hung on the walls (and was frequently sold). The restaurant, which served new American cuisine, had an industrial feel that meshed with the Wynwood aesthetic.
Now, the art has come off the walls. The look is bright and colorful, the former menu replaced with Latin-inspired cuisine. And R House, famous for its lively drag shows and a legal battle with the state of Florida, is in the midst of celebrating its 10-year anniversary.
Realizing 10 years have passed is still a little surprising to owner and chef Rocco Carulli.
“It snuck up on us,” admits Carulli, who with husband and business partner Owen Bale opened R House in 2014. “It doesn’t feel that long when you’re in it every day.”
As Pride Month begins, the couple admits the past few years have been exhausting. In July 2022, after a video surfaced of a drag performer leading a little girl by the hand, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration filed a state complaint against R House, alleging that the restaurant’s drag show brunches exposed minors to “sexually explicit drag shows.” The complaint, had it been proven, could have resulted in the loss of the restaurant’s liquor license.
The suit was settled in September 2023, with the restaurant agreeing to a $10,000 fine to end the dispute and the state investigation finding no evidence of its claims.
The end of the legal battle has allowed Carulli and Bale to refocus their energy.
“It has given us a new lease on life,” Bale says. “We were working on that, so focused on this critical matter, that a lot of projects were put on hold. Since we settled the case, it’s been fantastic to get back to the fun stuff, what we love: menu development, mixology, developing our shows and the guest experience. That’s why we went into this business.”
R House kicked off its anniversary celebration with a party last month, and its performers — including Miami’s famous Athena Dion, who helped put R House on the map and who creates and often stars in the drag show — will also be part of this month’s Wynwood Pride events, hosting Pride House at the restaurant on June 28.
Drag has been a part of R House’s repertoire since a year after its opening. Carulli, who owned a restaurant in Provincetown, Mass., wanted to open a property in Wynwood because it reminded him of Provincetown’s artistic community.
The first drag show was a birthday celebration for Carulli, but the response was so positive the performances became a regular monthly feature. Soon, they became weekly, and now the R House team performs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The weekend drag brunch in particular is popular — be sure to get your reservations early for brunch during the season.
“The demand was there,” Bale says. “As the art scene declined and Wynwood became more of a nightlife and entertainment district, our business evolved in a similar way. We’re all about the entertainment. That’s what people know us for now.”
The menu has evolved over the years as well. When R House closed during the 2020 pandemic, Carulli took the time to rethink the menu, adding more upscale fare like duck empanadas and short rib arepas, red snapper ceviche and shrimp tostones. He also added more vegetarian and vegan choices.
The pandemic also pushed Carulli and Bale to do what Bale calls a “stealth renovation.” They didn’t want to close the restaurant for redesign, especially since it would have meant a pause in employment for the staff. So over the past few years, they have chipped away at a redesign, working on Mondays and Tuesdays when R House was closed.
“It’s light, it’s a lot fresher,” Carulli says. “There’s more of a happy feeling in there.”
The changes have mirrored the changes in Wynwood itself. But unlike some bereft locals, who still lament the loss of laid-back spots like Wood Tavern and Boxelder Craft Beer Market, Carulli sees the shift with a more generous eye.
“I see it as a good thing,” he says. “Everybody complains about gentrification, but for a restaurant, it just means more people and different types of people, not just the ones we used to have. We used to have just hipsters. Now there are all kinds of people coming. The more the merrier.”
Bale is struck by the diversity he sees in the audience.
“I truly believe it’s unique,” he says. “I’ve never seen the diversity in the crowd anywhere else, all ages, races, orientations. I’m incredibly proud of that how we bring people together and open people’s minds.”
Both men believe that despite its opponents, drag has a future in Florida.
“We’ve always persevered,” Carulli says. Setbacks like the lawsuit “just make us stronger. The drag community is one of those communities that really pulls together instead of fleeing. They stay in the trenches and fight.”
“We have one of the most flourishing drag communities in the whole country,” Bale says. “Nobody’s going anywhere.”
R House
Where: 2727 NW Second Ave., Miami
Hours: 4-10 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday; 4 p.m.-midnight Friday; 11:30 a.m.-midnight Saturday; 11:30 a.m.-6p.m. Sunday; drag shows Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Reservations and more information: www.rhousewynwood.com or 305-576-0201
This story was originally published June 10, 2024, 4:30 AM.
