A man of many different hats, Magic City favorite Tommy Pooch gives the lowdown on being a nightlife impresario.
Tommy Pooch at the Vintro Hotel & Kitchen.
Whether Tommy Pooch is heading to a 1 am table next to Avicii or a 9 am showing on Collins Avenue, the multifaceted Miami nightlife promoter dresses the part, wearing shirts from Abercrombie & Fitch (Aventura Mall, 19501 Biscayne Blvd., 305-466-0110) or Versace (Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., 305-864-0044)—the first one he ever got coming from friend Mickey Rourke—and a fresh trim from Sloane Square Barbers & Shoppe (1322 Alton Road, Miami Beach, 305-673-0877). Pooch’s watches and jewelry for a big night out come from VAULT (1024 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, 305-673-5251), or he has bracelets and personal jewelry commissioned from Loren Jewels, helmed by Loren Ridinger, whom Pooch says he gets his interior and design advice from (but somehow we think that advice is not just limited to interiors and design)
“Just tell me what you need” is what T. Pooch Realty (927 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, 305-992-5152), Pooch’s namesake real estate company, preaches to its many South Florida clients. Of course, those who have been ensconced in the Miami culture for decades know that Pooch’s real “just tell me what you need” attitude comes from his years as one of our city’s most connected club promoters and as owner of Pucci’s Pizza (888 Biscayne Blvd., #102, Miami, 305-358-8881). Now as a partner in the soon-to-be-open Argentinean hot spot Novecento in Midtown, Pooch is elevating his game one notch further.
Meat Market’s Asian barbecued ribs.
A Miami resident since 1992, Pooch calls the luxurious and exclusive North Bay Road his home; it’s where he retreats to after late nights promoting at LIV (4441 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305-674-4680), Story (136 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305-538-2424), Hyde (1701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305-674-1701), and Villa Azur (309 23rd St., Miami Beach, 305-763-8688). “Chaos was amazing from 1997 to 1999,” he remembers. “Studio 54 and Infinity in the late ’70s were the best clubs ever because [back then] anything went.” Now you’re more likely to catch him enjoying a pre-club dinner at Lincoln Road’s Meat Market (915 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, 305-532-0088), sipping on a “good red wine or good tequila.”