Exclusive: Team Behind Lost Boy, Tropezón to Open Brother's Keeper in Miami Beach

If you know Miami, you know Lost Boy Dry Goods, the rugged, old-school bar in downtown Miami that serves fire cocktails. You may also know QP Tapas, the tapas pop-up that has taken the city by storm. Now, the hospitality veterans behind the two spots are coming together to open Brother's Keeper, a new cocktail bar on Alton Road in Miami Beach.

Founded by Chris Hudnall and Randy Alonso of Lost Boy & Co. and husband-and-wife team chef Josh Elliott and Ellie Groden of QP Tapas, the new bar will open this Friday, June 7, at 5 p.m.

Although this may be their first joint venture, they are not new to the industry or the neighborhood. Chef Elliott began his career in Sunset Harbour back in 2011 when he joined Jose Mendin as sous chef for Pubbelly Restaurant Group. He then moved on to join the ranks as executive chef of the Raleigh Hotel in its heyday before Hurricane Irma caused it to shutter in 2017. It was during this time that he met Groden, his now wife and business partner, who was no stranger to Miami Beach, having worked at the likes of Faena Hotel, amongst other local institutions. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Hudnall and Alonso were busy opening the beloved watering hole Lost Boy Dry Goods in 2017. They then opened Tropezón in 2021, the lively Andalusian-style bar and restaurant inside the Esme Hotel on Española Way.
As for how the culinary pros all met? It was fate.

Through an act of Miami industry kismet, Hudnall, Alonso, Elliott, and Groden all met in early 2024 when QP Tapas, Elliott and Groden's Japanese-style, Spanish tapas pop-up, was doing its residency at the Mayfair House Hotel & Garden. "The director of food and beverage for the hotel also happened to hold the same position for the Lost Boy & Co. group, so he introduced us to Chris and Randy," explains Elliott. "After a casual conversation in the kitchen, we knew there were plenty of synchronicities in what we all stood for and wanted to accomplish."

Hudnall and Alonso, known for their handcrafted cocktails and thoughtful bars and lounges across Miami, had been conceptualizing what is now Brother's Keeper for almost three years before meeting Elliott and Groden. "We had been kicking around this idea for a while, and when we met, we knew we were in good company and could create something special together," adds Alonso.

Funny enough, good company is exactly what Brother's Keeper is all about.
Alonso, who serves as the creative director for the group, says the name of the bar comes from the biblical tale of Cain and Abel. It's a message that Alonso has translated into the ethos of the bar, which is to be responsible for others and to be as good as the company you keep. It's also the title of the pilot episode for the hit 1980s show Miami Vice, which is exactly the vibes the bar gives off. "We wanted to create a straightforward bar that had a fun food and cocktail menu with twists on the classics," says Hudnall. And they've achieved that already with offerings like the "Filthy Cherry & Almond Manhattan," which comes with a bacon-wrapped date stuffed with cabrales cheese and hazelnut, and a take on the bijou cocktail aptly named "Mezcal Bijou" thanks to the inclusion of the spirit.

The menu at Brother's Keeper is equally as cool and inventive, with takes on an oysters Rockefeller they dub the "Oysters Crocktefeller" with leek, bacon, and artichoke, as well as the "Crab Rangoonies" with a guava duck sauce. "For us, it's about high-quality ingredients done in a restrained yet reimagined way. You have to know the rules before you can break them," says Elliott.

"We've brought to life the kind of place we'd want to bring our industry friends to," adds Groden, "and it's waterfront!" she jokes, referencing the 25-foot wrap-around salt-water aquarium with a puffer fish they've collectively named Dolly.

In a world where the pendulum seems to swing between the over-polished clubstaurant (club-restaurant) and dive-iest of dives, Brother's Keeper enters the scene as the unassuming yet elevated bar that Sonny Crockett likely would've frequented.

Brother's Keeper. 1710 Alton Rd., Miami Beach; brotherskeeperbar.com. Opening Friday, June 7.