Art & Libations: Untucked

Inside iPic’s Fab Restaurant, The Tuck Room

“Tucked” away inside Intracoastal Mall’s iPic theater in North Miami Beach, The Tuck Room is an intimate and chic drinking den and gastro lounge, offering a seductive culinary and beverage escape. Guests can enjoy an extensive menu of sharable plates and handcrafted cocktails. But the Tuck Room experience goes beyond just fantastic cuisine. It is infused with a taste of the arts. When iPic Theaters decided to bring their premium movie theater franchise to North Miami Beach last December, they took great pains to make sure the ambience conveyed a high-end, yet comfortable feel to visitors by showcasing innovative artwork, which carried over into the décor of The Tuck Room, the theater’s in-house restaurant. Those who haven’t tried the iPic experience should definitely add it to their must-see list. In addition to offering chaise-lounge-style stadium seating, including pillows, blankets, and food & drink service throughout the film, iPic is also known for commissioning local and national artists to create fantastic pieces for its theater premises, and The Tuck Room is no exception.

One of the artists responsible for The Tuck Room’s unique flair is Los Angeles native Mike Stilkey. Stilkey’s special installation at Tuck Room is a very unique piece: it wraps around the entire lounge area and utilizes expired library books and donated books as a spectacular canvas in a one of a kind display. Stilkey has always been attracted to painting and drawing, not only on vintage paper, record covers and book pages, but on the books themselves. Utilizing a mixture of colored pencil, paint, lacquer and ink, Stilkey’s work features fanciful and sometimes gloomy subjects dwelling in the hazy confines and tales of fantasy and fairy tales. The artist deftly conveys a lingering sense of mourning and yearning in his work, hinting at an emotional complexity that captures the viewers’ attention and introspection with elements of humor and mystery. Some have described Stilkey’s style as reminiscent of Weimar-era German expressionism, as well as such artists as Edward Gorey and Egon Schiele.

Stilkey’s art has been exhibited in galleries and museums both nationally and internationally. The Tuck Room marks the first time the artist’s work has been displayed in Miami. Some of his other pieces on display at the iPic include The Wrong Side of the Saw, A Dance With The Bear, Disagreement With Piano, Flowers He Was Gone With A Blessing On His Lips, Irritated By Hypnotist, Man Envious of Bear’s Talent, No Place Like Home, Surfing The Black Sea, Thoughts of Words, Caring Nothing For There Meaning, One Day Life Came, Rain Sang All Day, and The Uselessness of Talking. Other artwork exhibited on the premises include artist Peter Tunney’s Change The Way You See Everything, You’re Not In Kansas Anymore, The Time Is Always Now, Forever Young, and Unexpected Virtue.

And the best part is, you can take all this art in while experiencing one of South Florida’s best Happy Hours at The Tuck Room, Monday thru Friday from 4-7pm. If you’re like us, you won’t be able to get enough of the extensive menu of sharable plates and handcrafted cocktails, ranging from just $6 to $8 each. Our faves include Papas Bravas crispy meatballs, Loaded Tater Tots with bacon ketchup, Pomodoro, garden basil, and the Pulled Pork Sliders. Drink specials include $1 off drafts and bottles, $7 Wines by the glass, and $8 Cocktails.

Art and libations all in one place. It doesn’t get any better than that.

For more information visit:
The Tuck Room
iPic Theaters – Intracoastal Mall
3701 NE 163rd Street
North Miami Beach
786.563.7061
www.thetuckroom.com