Have an affinity for Latin fare with flair? Does the thought of fresh seafood, perfectly prepared ceviche, and sensational sizzling steaks make your mouth water (it’s watering right now, isn’t it?) Well, put this down and head to De Rodriguez Cuba on Ocean, (formerly at the Astor hotel) owned and operated by culinary wizard, James Beard Award winning chef, Douglas Rodriguez, who raises the bar when it comes to seafood and ceviche and takes Nuevo Latino cuisine to new heights by infusing his Cuban roots throughout his dishes with bold Latin spices.  The expansive yet warm, 200-seat, beachfront restaurant is the Bentley hotel’s best kept secret, and includes two full bars, a 25-foot ceviche bar (featuring 15 types of ceviche), wooden mermaids, tropical plants and seafood supplied by environmentally responsible fisherman and fish farms. 

De Rodriguez Cuba on Ocean is one of the few restaurants on South Beach located directly on the ocean so you can enjoy the salty sea air from inside the stylish, dimly lit dining room, or on the gorgeous outdoor patio. Sounds pretty romantic huh? Unique to De Rodriguez Cuba on Ocean is that the menu includes a number of gluten-free items:  root vegetables are used instead of grains and wheat.  Noteworthy dishes include:  the pan con bistec – made with braised short rib and crunchy crust, which is technically an appetizer but can easily serve as an entrée and the arugula/prosciutto salad- also delicious and beautifully presented. With regards to ceviche, the Thai Lobster is among the most popular and the lobster and steak dishes are also quite good.  When asked about the menu offerings, Chef Rodriguez explained, “If I can find purveyors who ensure the products we get are responsibly grown, fished, picked, and so on, then I can feel good about the food on the plate and so can my guests.”  The knowledgeable and delightful servers are such fans of the food and of the chef that you may find yourself ordering half the menu (and asking them to join you for dessert). 

The staff at De Rodriguez Cuba on Ocean promises to delight guests with a terrific overall experience – a trifecta of food, drink and entertainment.  According to Rodriguez, “We strive to go to provide guests of every age with an entertaining experience from start to finish.”  So the next time you crave fresh seafood, served in a sexy setting just steps from the sea, head to De Rodriguez Cuba – D-Rod’s got you covered.

Christian Slater and Brittany Lopez attended Ryan Trecartin’s Any Ever (2009-2010) opening reception at the Museum of Contemporary Art  MOCA) which features the artist’s seven movie video collaboration, produced in Miami with Lizzie Fitch and other contributors. The presentation of Any Ever at MOCA is the first time that the work has been shown in its entirety in Miami, which was not only the setting for the movies and inspiration for some of their content, but is also a character within the works. MOCA continued the celebration at the Standard Miami Beach for the Ryan Trecartin: Any Ever after party. Guests at the reception and party enjoyed signature drinks by Grey Goose vodka and a performance by artists Raul de Nieves and Colin Self. 

Photography editor Beth Hancock of Art and Commerce spent last week in town from Manhattan with Vogue Italia’s it-boy Greg Lotus curating tens of thousands of his famed fashion, beauty and art images that will be included in the magazine’s archives.  Lotus’s work spans twenty years and he joins the ranks of  Steven Meisel, Ellen von Unwerth, David LaChapelle, Robert Mapplethorpe among others represented by A+C after being introduced to Hancock earlier this year by Michael Leondas Kirkland in New York City.  Lotus hosted a poolside cocktail at his Miami home for Hancock and he and his entourage were seen about town nightly, usually ending each evening at Soho Beach House, where Hancock held intimate corner-table conversation with Max Lugavere, and mingled with the likes of Marcos Balladares, Ruth and Alan Zelcer, Edison Lozada, Alex Mijares and yours truly.  Hancock topped off the weekend with an intimate dinner in Lotus’ honor at Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink which included his wonderful studio manager Tiziana Nenezic, her husband Mick, Fredrick Valentin, and Kirkland. IMG is the parent company of Art and Commerce, which manages superstars from Roger Federer to Gisele Bundchen.

Virgin Atlantic CEO, Sir Richard Branson, dined at Meat Market Saturday night with 6 friends.  

Queen Latifah enjoyed Northern Italian faves at Quattro Thursday night.   Also checking out the best Italian food on Lincoln Road were hairstylist Oscar Blandi; Rosario Dawson and friends who also dined at Quattro this weekend.

Brazilian Soccer player Kaká (no we are NOT making this up, his real name is Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite) was seen at Cleber Lopes Beauty & Life Institute in Coral Gables this past week where he patiently waited for his wife, Caroline, to finish her blow-dry and mani/pedi.  Salon reps claim he was quite friendly and social and is returning soon for a haircut.  (He plays for Real Madrid and the Brazilian National team.)

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

On the evening of the summer solstice, Grey Goose vodka aptly kicked off the first official day of summer with a “Summer Soiree” alongside Ocean Drive magazine around the Arkadia pool at the Fontainebleau Hotel.  Nearly 300 guests stayed “cool” (we use that term loosely as it IS summer in Miami) by sipping cocktails and sucking the very dangerously delicious Grey Goose popsicles . 

Those willing to brave the crowd and the long line were treated to BBQ sliders and hot dogs from Gotham Steak which were cooked to order on an outdoor grill. Many opted instead to play with the props around the pool deck, such as the beach balls, and the hunky lifeguard- who dominated the party from an actual lifeguard stand- only making things even hotter! The other topic of conversation of the night was the popsicles, which were served from a branded novelty ice cream push-cart by a beautiful Grey Goose spokes model. See below for the recipes so that you too may create these tasty summer treats for an upcoming summer soiree- Le Citron Frozen Fresh Berry Lemonade, La Poire Frozen Frenchy (the favorite of the night) and L’Orange Frozen Summer.  As for the eye candy- we are still working on a recipe for that one.  Read the rest of this entry »