barton g weiss

Versace's Mansion Rebranded As The Villa By Barton G.

Filed under: Dining

The South Beach home of the still-missed Gianni Versace is being be relaunched as an elegant restaurant. In the years since Versace's death the lavish mansion has been used as a private club, boutique hotel and restaurant. Recently the home known as Casa Casuarina was caught in the crossfire of the Scott Rothstein scandal. Rothstein, who is part owner of the property, was accused of swindling investors in a Ponzi scheme which took in hundreds of millions of dollars.

Now there's a new man at the helm. Barton G. Weiss, a flamboyant Florida foodie with several restaurants running under his Barton G. brand. Weiss has signed a 10-year lease to take over the property and as he tells the Sun-Sentinel he wants to bring a new era of elegance back to the mansion as well as adding some excitement. After all, this is a man who used a live giraffe to open his restaurant, Prelude and serves macaroni and cheese in a mousetrap at another restaurant.

Tags: barton g, barton g weiss, casa casuarina, gianni versace, scott rothstein, south beach, versace, versace mansion