We got a hold of Kris Wessel by cell phone yesterday to talk about his new restaurant Red Light on the premises of Motel Blu on Biscayne Boulevard; it's set to open as soon as he gets everything straightened out with Tallahassee. You might remember him from Liaison on South Beach and Elia in Bal Harbour, neither of which is still around. He also helped launch Paninoteca on Lincoln Road.

MP: What's with the delays?
Kris: I’m actually being held back by Tallahassee on the food license. They lost the application in December. It’s a big issue with us and the regional inspection office. We’re still about three weeks out from serving food.

I’m pissed, needless to say. I’ve written my local commissioners. They’ve now held me up for a month and a half. I don’t have time to get into lawsuits and things like that. I’m at the mercy of the state. Not only do I find a restaurant in a beaten-down drug and prostitute motel, but now at the end of the road the state is giving me this surprise.

MP: Speaking of the motel, how did you decide on this location?
Kris: I was driving my daughters home about three years ago, and I looked out of the corner of my eye at this motel with broken windows. And I saw three letters and “restaurant.” It was a jungle of iguanas, manatees and turtles. At least that’s what my daughter saw. What I saw were crack addicts and prostitutes in this old abandoned Chinese restaurant. Now that I’ve pulled everything together, I’m noticing the manatees and turtles more.

MP: Manatees? Seriously?
Kris: It’s one of the largest migrations of manatees in South Florida. And they turn around at the dam, so I get them going in and going out. The manatee association sent me brand new manatee signs. They love me. And the birds from the El Portal bird sanctuary — they fly and inhabit this river. All on Biscayne Boulevard!

MP: What will the food be like?
Kris: I call it regional dining in the sense of the region of the southeast, but if you look at the southeast from the South, to Florida, to the Caribbean, to South America — everything that influences this region. That, blended with a dominance of organic foods. And all the menu categories will be subdivided into technique and protein and veg, and any starch will be on the side. I also have a little red smokehouse down on the water, and I have a section on the menu of smoked proteins. Lots of tropical fruit that is very easily had will be all over the menu. It won't be so overly Florida — it's a regional organic-driven restaurant.

A few extra details we learned about the restaurant: there will be a raw bar down by the water, a main bar upstairs, and eventually a lounge. Wessel has also set up lots of riverfront dining, so you can watch the manatees (manatees!) swim by. Valet parking will be free. The bar will be open in two weeks, from 6 p.m. until 2 a.m., but there won't be any food until the license from Tallahassee comes through, and that will likely take at least three weeks.

Photo: James Beard Foundation