Model dressed in GAP

 This year The PlayGround Theatre literally rocked the Ritz-Carlton South Beach on Sunday with its annual Tea at the Ritz to raise funds for its education and outreach programs.  Barton G. known for his creative genius of “all things delicious,” produced a rockin’ roll event with Guitar Hero and Band Hero stations where fans channeled their inner rock star.  The Ritz-Carlton South Beach served up scrumptious kid friendly bites, including  sliders, bite sized pizza, and an ice cream bar with every mix in imaginable.  Also in the “scrumptious” category was WSVN/Deco Drive’s Louis Aguirre, who served as Master of Ceremonies to the annual Fashion Show featuring styles from the Gap, IOS of Coconut Grove, and Kidding Around, amping up the already excited crowd. The highlight of the Tea was when LIVE! School of Music students took the stage and played old school ballads such as the ever popular “Sweet Child of Mine” and Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock and Roll.”  The pint-sized rock stars were a hit, working the kids and their parents into frenzy. 

Chef Colagreco

The W Hotel is known for its celebrity-packed parties and its over the top service, but recently we had the pleasure of enjoying an elegant luncheon hosted by Graffigna Wines of Argentina, featuring a beautiful (yes, the dishes were visually stunning) lunch prepared by world-renowned chef,  Mauro Colagreco of Mirazur located in Menton, on the Côte d Azur .  

With the aid of Victor Marcantoni, Graffigna’s enologist, each dish was paired with the perfect wine to best bring out its essence and flavors.

 The Graffigna Centenario Pinot Grigio 2009 was paired with the delectable oysters in a shallot cream with pears and garden cress and the giant prawns in an osetra caviar broth.

The Graffigna Grand Reserve Torrontes 2009, our personal favorite, was paired with scallops in cream with Vitelotte potatoes and Moroccan lemons. One of the prettiest and most delicious dishes we’ve had in some time.

Graffigna Grand Reserve Malbec 2006 and the Graffigna Centenario Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 complimented the pork belly with orange, lime, and wasabi.

The grand finale was  the ivoire chocolate millefeuille,   which we were unable to try.  If we ever find ourselves in Chef Colagreco‘s neighborhood in the lovely French Riviera, we’ ll make sure and drop by Mirazur for a taste of the decadent dessert.

Overall, the Graffigna luncheon was sensational, with a great mix of delicious wines and dishes and an interesting international crowd.  Graffigna Wines are available in select stores in Miami.  Colagreco is Graffigna’s chef ambassador as part of its commitment to “dare to be different” and based on the menu that I enjoyed and tasted they seem to be headed in the right direction.

Jennifer Behar, Tara solomon and Belkys Nerey

Georges Duboeuf, the winery well-known for its artistic labels, a new one of which is debuted every year with much fanfare, celebrated the official release of the 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau at Au Pied Du Cochon on November 19^th in conjunction with the launch of a food drive to benefit Feeding South Florida (formerly Daily Bread Food Bank). Duboeuf winemaker, Stéphane Queralt arrived with the first case of Beaujolais Nouveau in a vintage Volkswagen “Love Bus” accompanied by a busload of hippies and chefs on motorcycles. Biker chefs included: Sean Bernal, Oceanaire Seafood Room; Sean Brasel and Mickey Deshane, Meat Market; Stéphane Hainaut, Barton G the Restaurant; Carla and Luis Lopez Soyka; Bruno Macazaga, Villagrande Club at Porto Vita; Kieran Masek, ONE Group-STK; Gerdy Rodriguez, MIA at Biscayne. The Hippie-Chic arrival was celebrated with a lavish lunch and, of course, lots of wine.

Thursday, May 21, Norma A. Quintero, Julie Todaro, Karen Gottlieb, Nicole Lozano, Beth Tasca, and Marilyn Wagner hosted an exclusive luncheon and fashion show at Villa Vecchia to benefit Young Patronesses of the Opera.  After lunch, guests were treated to a runway presentation of the Luca Luca fall 2009 collection, wherein 1930′s styled, red-lipped, gorgeous models graced the catwalk. Raul Melgoza, Luca Luca’s new creative director made his first Florida appearance.  Many of the attendees then placed personal orders in which a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Young Patronesses of the Opera charity.

More than 500 women and a few good men gathered on Tuesday, as Tracy Wilson Mourning hosted the 7th Annual Hats off Luncheon at Jungle Island in support of the Honey Shine Mentoring Program, which funds bi-monthly workshops and a four-week summer day camp for 100 at- risk girls. Well-heeled socialites, including Lisa Pliner, DJ Kerr, Jennifer Postrel, Marisa Toccin, Merle Weiss, Heather Davis, Jennifer Boin, Nancy and Lana Bernstein, Daisy A. Casuso and Mari Alarcon-Grimalt, and Jackie Nespral (who served as mc) would have made Minnie Pearle proud by sporting their favorite fedoras, bonnets, panama hats and sombreros at one of the most exciting luncheons of the year. One guest wore a hand-made straw hat decorated with a real garden, butterflies and all!