(Picture courtesy - sunny.org)

Once a very popular restaurant on Las Olas...the Samba Room has closed it's doors as of August 13, 2010.  The restaurant's parent company - E Brand's Restaurants recently filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, so it seems that the Samba Room was one of the casualties of that process.  The E-Brand's Timpano Chophouse & Martini Bar right next door does remain open.  E-Brand's Restaurants owns 13 restaurants mostly in Florida.

The Samba Room used to a lunch-time hotspot and remained open for about 10 years.  While the restaurant was on trendy Las Olas...it was located a little further west than most of 'restaurant row'.  Most people start their Las Olas stroll at the Cheesecake Factory and head east.  Samba Room's neighbors were some other popular 'high-end' restaurants that have recently closed.  Jackson's Steakhouse and Bova Prime.  Bova Prime was owned by Scott Rothstein and was closed after criminal charges were brought against Rothstein for another one of those ponzi schemes.

While there recently were some restaurant closings on Las Olas...there are some new openings to watch for.  Rocco's Taco's & Tequila Bar and Cafe Europa.  I think the new trend in restaurants we will see for the next few years are less 'upscale/high-end' and more casual to casual/upscale.