Hear that? That's the sound of a squeal of joy coming from Florida. Why? Because Danny Meyer's New York institution Shake Shack has set its sights on Miami for its first operation outside of New York. Opening sometime in spring/summer 2010, the new Shack will be located in a new development at  11 11 Lincoln Road on Lenox Avenue. The only real question is, will Miami flip for the same Shackburgers, concretes and long lines that New Yorkers have grown to love so much?

Photo: Micky

With fall almost here, it's time to look forward to the new restaurants coming your way:

• Boston
• Chicago
• London
• Los Angeles
• New York
• Philadelphia
• San Francisco
• Washington, DC

Charles Phan's San Francisco eatery Heaven's Dog is set to open January 14th

Times may be tough, but you wouldn’t know it from the barrage of restaurants slated to open across the country in the next few months. Look out for newcomers from notables such as Adolfo Suaya, Charles Phan, Govind Armstrong and Stephen Starr.

• Boston
  
• Chicago
  
• Los Angeles
  
• New York City
  
• Philadelphia
  
• San Francisco
  
• Washington, DC
  

Summer may be blockbuster season for movies, but it's pretty much the dregs as far as restaurant openings go. Fortunately, we're now looking forward to an exciting fall season of debuts and second acts around the country and in London.

• Boston Fall Preview
• Chicago Fall Preview
• London Fall Preview
• Los Angeles Fall Preview
• New York Fall Preview
• Philadephia Fall Preview
• San Francisco Fall Preview
• Washington, D.C. Fall Preview

San Francisco star chef Michael Mina will be joining Wolfgang Puck, Eric Ripert and other notable whisks who've recently set their sights on DC's culinary scene. This December, Mina plans to open a branch of Bourbon Steak (which currently has locations in Florida, Arizona and Michigan) in Georgetown’s Four Seasons. With the help of NYC restaurant designer David Rockwell, the hotel’s ground-floor Garden Terrace will be transformed into an elegant venue for this classy beef- and bourbon-focused retreat. Fans of the hotel's famed power-breakfast needn't fret, however, as it will continue to be served at its lower-level restaurant, Seasons.

There may another big name on the way to the nation's capital or, as the case may be, just outside it. Reports are circulating that Gordon Ramsay may be working with Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner in McLean, VA, to develop a restaurant for the Maestro space. Ramsay's team would not confirm this as its policy is not to say anything until all the contracts have been signed.

A rendering shows the plans for the Liaison's Art and Soul.

Having successfully opened TABLE fifty-two in Chicago, cookbook author and humanitarian Art Smith is headed next to DC to be consulting chef at Art and Soul in the recently opened Liaison Capitol Hill hotel. Slated for a September debut, the resto-lounge will highlight Smith’s Southern cooking, honed as Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef, in a space adorned with murals of political notables.

Capping its recent $53 million dollar makeover, D.C.’s St. Regis Hotel has tapped the internationally acclaimed talents of chef Alain Ducasse and architect David Rockwell to open Adour, a spin-off of NYC's modern French restaurant, in early September. The menu will be prepared by a yet-to-be named Ducasse protégé, with a vino selection suggested for each appetizer and entree, while the classic architecture of the dining room will be decked out with luxury appointments like fancy wine vaults and recessed alcoves.

After a lengthy wait, we can now confirm that Parisian toque Hélène Darroze will be taking over the space formerly occupied by Angela Hartnett's MENU in London's recently refurbished Connaught Hotel. Darroze, whose eponymous restaurant is one of the Most Popular in our Paris Survey, will open Hélène Darroze at The Connaught in June. The space itself, which has been renovated as part of the hotel's £70 million renovation, is being designed by the French firm India Mahdavi. Darroze will be overseeing all of the hotel's food, including private and in-room dining, the more informal Gallery and the Connaught Grill, which is expected to return this fall (16 Carlos Pl., W1; 020-7499 7070).

Trianon Palace & Spa will house Gordon Ramsay's new ventures.

photo: courtesy of Trianon Palace & Spa

So what can a British chef bring to France, to the footstep of Versailles no less? Well, everyone (or rather the lucky few who can procure a reservation for one of the 50 seats) is about to find out on Wednesday, March 26th, when Gordon Ramsay au Trianon opens at Trianon Palace & Spa, the magnificent Westin hotel next to the palace. Modeled after Gordon Ramsay at 68 Royal Hospital Rd., which serves “hellishly good” New French cuisine, this new venture will also get Simone Zanoni as chef de cuisine, who has been head chef of the Chelsea flagship for the past five years. For those looking for a more casual dining experience, Ramsay's group will also oversee the hotel's brasserie La Veranda and room service.

This is not Ramsay’s first foray to France; in the early days of his career, he worked in the kitchens of Guy Savoy and Jöel Robuchon, while learning to speak French on the job (1 Bd. de la Reine; (33-1) 30-84-50-00).

Less then a year after opening two new restaurants in Vegas (that would be the Venetian's B&B Ristorante and Enoteca San Marco), Molto Mario and his business partner, Joe Bastianich, are at it again. As part of the opening celebrations at the new Palazzo Hotel (3265 Las Vegas Blvd.; 702-607-4300), just next door to the Venetian, comes the pair's newest concept, an Italian steakhouse called Carnevino. Though the Palazzo officially opens its doors to the public on January 17th, Carnevino will begin service in its 16-ft.-high ceilinged dining room two days after, on January 19th (a smidge later than has been reported elsewhere).

Las Vegas, of course, is already home to steakhouses from Tom Colicchio, Charlie Palmer and Emeril Lagasse, among others. Batali hopes to stand out from the pack by putting an Italian spin on the proceedings, with handmade pastas and classic antipasti supplementing the chops. There will also be an international wine list – a first for the Batali-Bastianich team – and, in a nod to the pedigreed meat trend, "a special brand of organic super prime beef developed exclusively by the B and B group."