By: Maryanne Salvat

Haute Tea Luncheon Benefiting the Diabetes Research Institute

Young Society of Love and Hope like it haute! For a third consecutive year, the group of South Florida philanthropists is hosting the Haute Tea luncheon and fashion presentation benefiting the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) at The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, Friday, September 12. This year’s elegant soiree is honoring Linda Gibb – who serves alongside her husband, Barry Gibb, as International Chairman of Love and Hope and has supported the DRI’s work for more than three decades. And, since it just wouldn’t be a royal affair without big, fancy hats – event Chairs Jillian Posner and Dr. Stacy Chimento of Diane Walder MD encourage all guests to don their finest haute headwear and heels to the event, where they will be greeted by palace guards at the champagne reception, followed by a three-course lunch, and a formal tea service fit for the Queen. Prizes will be awarded for the best hats of the day – which will be selected for various categories and judged by guest judges, including Entertainment/Features Reporter and Film Critic for WSVN’s Deco Drive and Fashion Blogger Shireen Sandoval and Maria Tettamanti of the popular Miami fashion blog, The Wordy Girl. Sponsorship packages and tickets for the 3^rd Annual Haute Tea Luncheon happening September 12 at 11:30 a.m. at the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort located at 9703 Collins Avenue can be purchased online via www.DiabetesResearch.org/Haute-Teaor by calling 954-964-4040 / 800-321-3437.

Fit to Fight: Box & Lunch

In conjunction with the Fit to Fight Miami Challenge, co-owner/executive chef Sean Brasel of Meat Market, alongside Dena Marino of MC Kitchen and Johnny Rock of Sobekick will host Fit to Fight: Box & Lunch, a kickboxing/dining event on Sunday, September 14. Brasel and Marino are two of the 12 chefs participating in Fit to Fight, a chef weight loss challenge to raise awareness on the benefits of healthy living and to raise money for Live to Fight, a non-profit organization that supports those suffering from life-threatening illnesses.Guests will kick off the morning at 11:30 a.m. with an hour-long boxing class at Sobekick led by former Miami Dolphins tight end Jason Rader, jabbing and kicking alongside some of Miami’s hottest chefs before enjoying a refueling meal at 1:30 p.m. at Meat Market, Lincoln Road’s sizzling contemporary steakhouse. The set menu, prepared by Brasel, will feature delicious and healthy bites paired with special skinny cocktails. The regular a la carte menu will also be available.The package, priced at just $60 per person (excluding tax and gratuity), includes the class at Sobekick, Miami Beach’s premiere boutique boxing studio; a healthy two-course lunch with two specialty drinks at Meat Market; a special dish from Chef Marino, as well as a crash course on nutrition from Rachel Lee of Nutrients Lab.

3^rd Annual Fashion Gives Back Event

On Thursday, September 18 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. the 3^rd Annual Fashion Gives Back Event benefitting Miami Children’s Hospital presented by Farell & Patel presents a night of fashion, cocktails, and mingling while making a difference in the lives of so many children who are treated at Miami Children’s Hospital.  Your donation of $25 provides you a chance to win from a selection of wonderful prizes, including sports memorabilia, vacations, gift certificates and more!   RSVP by September 16.  For more information contact Alyse Cahill at alyse.cahill@mchf.org or 786.624.2857.

SIUDY Between Worlds : Entre Mundos

Back by popular demand, the award-winning Pablo Croce Productions announces its return to the Sunshine State in September with a highly anticipated double weekend showcase of SIUDY Between Worlds Entre Mundos, featuring two of today’s legendary acts from the world of Flamenco and Broadway. The Miami-based award-winning dance theater and screen production company will stage SIUDY Between Worlds – the highly acclaimed story inspired by a tribal tale of passion and love – on Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21 in the ZIFF Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami.   The performance will also make its debut in Central Florida on Saturday, September 27, at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre in Orlando.  Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, at www.arshtcenter.org <http://www.arshtcenter.org>  <http://www.arshtcenter.org> or by calling 305.949.6722. SIUDY Between Worlds Entre Mundos will make its debut in Orlando on Saturday, September 27, at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, for which tickets are also available through Ticketmaster.

By: Maryanne Salvat

Bistro One LR Miami Spice at the Ritz Carlton South Beach

Chef Gihen Zitouni is heating things up at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach for Miami Spice.  The former Top Chef Germany Host is serving up Florida Fare including Iberian Croquetas, Florida Seared Grouper and Key Lime Brulee with a Ritz-Carlton twist.  The Miami Spice special includes a starter, entrée and dessert for $39 through the end of September; for more information visit: www.ritzcarlton.com. 

La Gazzetta Italian Café

La Gazzetta located in Mary Brickell Village serves fresh and light Italian Riviera fares incorporating touches of different International influences. The tapa style portioning of many of the menu items use top quality ingredients, while still offering incredible value to dining patrons. The warm, cozy and fun surroundings are reminiscent of a bustling Italian Cafe of the 1950’s Dolce Vita era. It showcases a spectacular sidewalk Cafe, lushly landscaped and appointed with fountains and outdoor movie theater; ideal to enjoy a weekday Happy Hour with 2 for 1 Martinis. Located right on the strip, La Gazzetta offers some of the best people watching in Miami, and with their fabulous resident DJs as well as high-energy and very friendly staff; for more information visit:www.lagazzettamiami.com.

Eden Roc Miami Beach: ‘Everlasting Summer’ Package

For those who aren’t ready to say goodbye to summer just yet, the beautiful and family-friendly, beachfront property, Eden Roc Miami Beach is offering their ‘Everlasting Summer’ package to local Florida residents which offers rates up to 30% off for travel through September 30. The perfect way to make the most of their summer with special savings and perks, this package also includes valet parking and a daily breakfast for two.  Enjoy a day by one of the hotel’s four pools or on the beach. Be sure to try out one of the signature treatments at the state-of-the-art, Elle Spa- we recommend the signature facial- which includes a reflexology massage. Don’t miss a perfect dinner at 15 steps, the Eden Roc’s restaurant, which serves one of the best ribeye steaks in town.*Offer is subject to availability and cannot be combined with other offers, discounts or  promotions; Does not apply to existing reservations. Not valid for groups; Complimentary room upgrade at time of check in. Restrictions may apply. Package inclusions have no monetary value; Must show Florida ID; For Reservations visit: www.edenrocmiami.com.

FringeArts announces the fifth annual Audi FEASTIVAL will be held on Thursday, September 18. The 2014 Audi FEASTIVAL will expose the region’s most influential business leaders and tastemakers to FringeArts by uniting dynamic and cutting edge artistic performances with world-class restaurants. This year’s event will be held at Penn’s Landing, 1 North Delaware Avenue on the Delaware River waterfront between Market and Chestnut Streets from 7:00-10:00 p.m. More than eight hundred attendees are expected for what promises to be the cultural event of the year. Tickets are now on sale at www.phillyfeastival.com and are $250 for General Admission or $350 for a VIP ticket that allows early access at 6:00 PM as well as admission to the Audi VIP Lounge. Read the rest of this entry »

By: Maryanne Salvat 

Batch Gastropub  

Batch Gastropub celebrates their new brunch with a bang sure to please foodies and brunch connoisseurs from all over. Guests can indulge with $20 Bottomless Mimosas, Sangria, Bellinis & a delectable Brunch Menu Saturday through Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Standing by their “Quality vs. Quantity” motto, Batch Gastropub patiently perfected selections before releasing their full brunch menu. Brunch-goers will savor the new additions, such as the Batch Hash ‘n’ Egg which features pork belly and short rib served with potato, red onion, and a sunny side up egg. Another new dish is the Belgium Waffle & Country Fried Chicken made with maple butter, powdered sugar, and sticky honey chicken served on top of a finger-liking-good Belgium waffle. Sugar fiends can turn to Homer’s Doh’nut Waffles, made with donut batter, cinnamon-sugar, and a donut glaze.

The Restaurant at the Setai Wine Dinner Series  

The Restaurant at the Setai continues its monthly Wine Dinner series on Thursday, August 28 at 7:30 pm. Guests are invited for an intimate evening to enjoy a four-course menu designed by Executive Chef, Mathias Gervais, paired with guest winery, Bodega El Porvenir de Cafayate. Tickets can be purchased for $105 and can be reserved by contacting 305.520.6400 or dining@thesetaihotel.com. On Saturday, August 30 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Chef Mathias will be hosting an interactive cooking class where guests will have the opportunity to learn to prepare The Restaurant’s Langoustine and Hamachi. After the demonstration, guests will have a chance to taste the dishes with drink pairings. Tickets can be purchased for $50 per person and can be reserved by contacting 305.520.6400 or dining@thesetaihotel.com.

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IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today announced that when its first Miami-Dade store opens in Sweetwater, FL on August 27, it will recognize loyal, enthusiastic customers by giving away thousands of dollars in gift cards and merchandise – including an iconic EKTORP sofa for each of the first 39 adults in line, and a POANG armchair for the next 100 visitors.  Other highlights include a free mattress for the first 39 on Thursday, August 28 and free weekly meatball meals for the year to the first 39 on Friday, August 29.   (Customers may begin lining up on 9 a.m. EDT on Monday, August 25 – 48 hours before the store’s opening at 9 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, August 27.)  Also, Sweetwater Mayor Jose M. Diaz and IKEA U.S. CFO Rob Olson will join store manager Selwyn Crittendon in the official opening of the new store.

IKEA Miami is the Swedish company’s 2^nd store and restaurant destination in South Florida, 4^th in the state, 39^th in the United States, and 361^st worldwide.  (Florida’s first IKEA store opened in the Broward County city of Sunrise in 2007, followed by one store each in Orlando and Tampa.)  The 416,000-square-foot IKEA Miami was built on 14.6 acres adjacent to Dolphin Mall, near both the Dolphin Expressway (SR 836) and Florida’s Turnpike, in the City of Sweetwater.  The store employs more than 350 coworkers and features 10,000 exclusively-designed items, a 600-seat IKEA Restaurant, 44 inspirational room settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area and approximately 1,500 parking spaces.  Reflecting the company’s solar presence atop 90% of its U.S. locations, IKEA installed South Florida’s largest rooftop solar array at IKEA Miami.  Read the rest of this entry »

By: Maryanne Salvat

Miami Spice  showcases the very best of Miami cuisine. From August 1 through September 30, restaurants offer three-course meals featuring signature dishes created by world-renowned chefs at reduced prices: Lunch $23 and Dinner $39. Below are a few signature restaurants that we have had the pleasure of previewing.

Azul, the Five-Star restaurant at Mandarin Oriental, Miami announces the appointment of William Crandall as chef de cuisine. Chef Crandall brings his sophisticated, eclectic cuisine of French flavors with Asian influences to the new menu at the 120-seat waterfront restaurant. The delightful Miami Spice Menu includes: Scallop “Poke” trout roe, fingerling potato, sorrel, Kurobuta Pork Belly tenderloin, pumpernickel, braised cabbage, rainbow carrot; Caramelized Banana Cake – Dominican milk chocolate cream, chai tea ice cream. Diners at Azul will also enjoy a refreshed design, which was unveiled in 2014 and includes a new private chef’s table overlooking the restaurant’s open white marble kitchen, accommodating parties up to 12. Reservations are suggested at 305.913.8358 or momia-restaurants@mohg.com. Valet parking; all major credit cards accepted. Read the rest of this entry »