Head to Sony Open for more than just Tennis

It’s that time of the year for Key Biscayne’s SONY Open Tennis, which will headline tennis stars including Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Novak Djkovic, and Rafael Nadal. Because nothing goes with tennis better than bubbly and sushi, Veuve Clicquot Champagne’s Champagne and Sushi Lounge open from now through March 31 at the 2013 Sony Open. Take a break from the action while sipping champagne and munching on sushi rolls by Sushi Maki. Veuve’s Yellow Label is available by the glass at $18 or the bottle at $118. Rosé is also available for $23 per glass and $125 per bottle.

Throughout the tournament, the BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Lounge will be serving up signature tennis-inspired cocktails for ALL tournament guests, such as the Sapphire Ace Collins and the Sapphire Doubles and Pears. Stop by and enjoy a BOMBAY SAPPHIRE cocktail while taking in the matches.

Aside from enjoying sips, snacks and tennis, players are getting primped and pampered at the Julien Farel  pop-up salon.  For the first time ever, NYC based French luxury hair stylist Julien Farel (2012 marked his sixth consecutive year as the official stylist at the US Open) and his team of experts will be on hand to pamper the players at the SONY Tennis Open starting Wednesday, March 20th through Friday, March 29th. Farel’s “Style Suite” is located in the main player entrance underneath Stadium Court, and includes services ranging from haircuts, to blowouts, to hand and foot treatments. You too can get the royal treatment as Farel has recently invaded the Miami beauty scene, with this South Florida announcement coming on the heels of the recent opening of Julien Farel Salon and Spa Miami (200 South Biscayne Blvd. 305.327.1278).

Khong’s Chef’s Table

The best authentic Thai restaurant in town, Khong River House– recently awarded the coveted 4-star rating by the Miami Herald, is launching its Chef’s Table series this month. The series’ inaugural dinner will be on March 28^th at 8:00 pm and will feature Richard Hales of Sakaya Kitchen as Chef Bee’s guest chef in the kitchen. Tickets cost $55 per person and include a cocktail. For reservations, call the restaurant at 305-763-8147.  Also, in honor of National Noodle Month (March), Khong River House is offering Noodles Four Ways as a special dish all month long for $24.

My Ceviche Opens in Brickell

Roger Duarte, founder and president of the thriving stone crab delivery service George Stone Crab, along with business partner, two-time James Beard Semifinalist Chef Sam Gorenstein proudly announce that they will open a second, much larger, outpost of their popular eatery, My Ceviche, at 1250 South Miami Avenue in the Brickell area of downtown Miami on Friday, March 29.

The Fair- Be There!

There’s still plenty of time to enjoy all that the Miami-Dade County Youth Fair has to offer and the weather is just right for a fun-filled family day outdoors.  Aside from the rides, games and exhibits- there are culinary delights in store with more than 170 food vendors.  Our favorite was Carly’s Seaside Grille Concession which brings a little bit of the sea and turf thanks to Stephen Ebers, better known as Lobster Steve, who serves up the best lobster roll this side of Maine, and don’t miss The Legend- the most tender tenderloin in town.  Pickel Barrel Sirloin Tips’ owner Joseph Colglazier is cooking up fancy food at the fair. The dishes on his menu will sound more like a steakhouse restaurant than a concession stand. Also check out B & H for frosted flakes battered chicken tenders and The Best Around concession stand for the maple-glazed, bacon infused and topped funnel cake- it’s so wrong it’s WRONG- but should not be missed. The Youth Fair is located on Coral Way (SW 24^th Street) at 112^th Ave. Gates open at 12 p.m. all this week and weekend, through March 31.

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore 

Cultural Collection at The James Royal Palm The James Royal Palm celebrated its official launch party along with the debut of Miami’s first-ever Cultural Collection on February 27, alongside marquee partners:  the New World Symphony (NWS), Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) and Public Schoolfashion house, at a unique gathering, which brought these creative forces under one roof on the same night for the first time. More than 500 VIP influencers, socialites and philanthropists came together to experience the unveiling of their exclusive collaborative pieces for an unforgettable night dedicated to the arts. The collaboration united Miami’s cultural leaders to showcase this new approach to Miami hospitality. Stylish guests dodged an unseasonal drizzle while engaging in the multi-sensory experiences throughout the evening.  MOCA transformed The James Royal Palm’s South Shore bar into a private screening room, showcasing the best of its Optic Nerve series, and a special installation by the TM Sisters was projected along the ceiling of the lobby entrance and pool deck. Read the rest of this entry »

Steve Aoki, Armin Van Buuren, & Avicii

Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted at Baoli South Beach along with eight friends. DiCaprio and his group feasted on filet mignon and black truffle risotto and bottles of Dom Perignon and hung out for over 3 hours enjoying the music. After dinner the table was swarmed by women- no surprise there.

Throughout Miami Music Week,the Motorola Music Lounge presented by Sol Republic hosted by Sirius XM at the W Hotel was the place to be for private DJ sets by Tiesto, Calvin Harris, Afrojack, Armin van Buuren and more.  Broadcasted live on Sirius XM, a 250 invite-only crowd enjoyed Corzo tequila cocktails and danced away at the W Bungalows and pool including Michael Phelps, Paul Oakenfold, Steve Aoki, Cameron Winklevoss, Derek & Daniel Koch, New CoverGirls NERVO, Alexis Jordan, Pussycat Dolls Jessica Sutta and others.

VIPs received swag from Motorola, Sol Republic headphones, and Armani Exchange. The highlights from the week included: Calvin Harris and Afrojack performing a set together and an afterhours poker game organized by Sol Republic CEO Kevin Lee with Phelps, DJ Steve Aoki and Afrojack inside the Moto/Sol Bungalow.

On Thursday, March 21^st db Bistro Moderne at the JW Marriot Marquis Miami celebrated the start of the 2013 Sony Open Tennis Tournament with some of the top tennis players of the ATP and WTA including:  David Ferrer, Sara Errani, Nicolas Almagro and Victoria Azarenka. .

Michael Phelps made attended a party held at The Raleigh Hotel’s iconic pool on Thursday where he was seen dancing and mingling with friends. Phelps ordered bottle service to his cabana and made a quick exit once he became overwhelmed with fans surrounding him poolside.

Florence Welch (minus the Machine) danced around with head phones on at Soho Beach House as the special guest for the House’s WMC party on Saturday night.

Russell Simmons visited The Forge with a few close friends to enjoy a specially prepared vegan dinner by Executive Chef Dewey LoSasso. Simmons sat in the main dining room and was seen laughing and enjoying his company throughout the evening. Simmons was also spotted at the Soho Beach House during the Florence Welch appearance.  

Later in the evening, Ultra Music Festival mega-talent Steve Angello of Swedish House Mafia, Thomas Gold, Axwell, Max Vangeli and Sebastian Ingrosso hosted a private dinner in the exclusive Wine Cellar amid a collection of wine worth over $2.5 million.

Monday night, R&B singer, Trey Songz, stopped by STK Miami for dinner and drinks during the steakhouse’s Magnum Mondays dinner series.

Mike Wallace, Wide Receiver for the Miami Dolphins, was spotted having lunch at Toro Toro at the InterContinental Hotel on Tuesday.

Alonzo Mourning attended the Dade-County Youth Fair for a meet and greet with fans over the weekend.  He also stopped by Toro Toro at the InterContinental Miami to watch the Heat play on the restaurant’s big screen TV.

Actor Rob Lowe was spotted at the Sony Open catching one of David Ferrer’s practices as the tennis pro prepared for his first run at the Sony Open title.

As part of USTA’s commitment to First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative, Miami native and local favorite Mary Joe Fernandez celebrated the nationwide 10,000^th youth-sized tennis court.

During the Miami International Film Festival celebrities took center stage. Notables included: John Leguizamo, Karen Martinez, George Sluizer, James Cromwell, Fernando Trueba, Lena Olin, Lasse Hallstrom, Zoe Kravitz, Penn Badgley, and Carrie-Anne Moss.

Prior to the festival, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jeremy Piven, and Carla Gugino joined the Retrospective Countdown.

Gold Medalist Ryan Lochte enjoyed a Miami getaway with friends. Lochte was spotted at the Shore Club for the hotel’s Shore Thing Sundays bash for St. Patrick’s Day. Lochte was also spotted filming his new reality TV show with the E! Network What Would Ryan Lochte Do? at Monty’s Sunset on Miami Beach. He was there enjoying dinner and taping a few scenes for his show.

Snoop Dogg (Lion) and Ne-Yo presented the Prestige Sunday” party at BAMBOO. Flo Rida and Pleasure P arrived also joined in the WMC festivities. According to Prestige Sunday VIP Host, Sia – Ne-Yo and Snoop were overheard talking to Flo Rida about a possible collaboration.  Before long, Snoop took over the mic to the delight of 1500 clubgoers.

Nabilla Benattia, hosted a bowl-a-thon at Diamond Strikes Lanes in Pompano Beach, that raised money for a charity in France.

Stars recently seen dining at Zuma include:  Treach from Naughty by Nature before heading to perform at LIV; Trey Songz and girlfriend enjoying a late dinner; British comedian Alan Karr and Prince Royce with girlfriend and friends.

By:  Mary Jo Almeida Shore

It felt like the setting of an episode from the old television show, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,at theblack-tie birthday celebration for William H. Dean, CEO of Washington D.C.-based engineering firm M.C. Dean, which was held at his newly renovated Miami Beach estate villa Terra Veritatis earlier this month.  The grand affair was hosted by philanthropist/nightlife impresario/chairman of Capponi Construction Group- Michael Capponi, and Sarah Arison, Board of Trustees member for the National YoungArts Foundation.  Read the rest of this entry »

Geoffrey Zakarian, Sunny Anderson, & Guy Fieri

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore
and Maryanne Salvat 

The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF) is more than just a four-day Bacchanal for fans and foodies. It’s unofficially known as “Spring Break for chefs.”  Where else can “chef-lebrities” (the Rock Stars of this decade), play on the sand day and night in the heart of winter? Here’s a rundown of some of the most fun events during SOBEWFF- that provided close celeb-chef encounters. Read the rest of this entry »