By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

The “M” in WMC could easily stand for Madness or Mayhem on any given year, however, this year the “M” took on new meaning, as Madonna released her new CD, MDNA and made a surprise appearance at Ultra during a set by Avicii. 

On Friday night, several hundred Madonna fans danced by the pool bar enjoying the ocean breeze at the Delano for the exclusive release party for MDNA, Madonna’s latest album which officially launched on Monday and is already number 1 on the Billboard charts in over 35 countries. Read the rest of this entry »

Paul James, Marco Selva, Diane Kruger and Frits van Paasschen

By:  Mary Jo Almeida- Shore

Nothing says “We’ve arrived!” like a lavish, celeb-studded, gala opening bash for several hundred of Miami’s finest – especially when you throw in miles of decadent gourmet food, a live full-piece orchestra, champagne sabering, ten-minute fireworks display, and late night dance party.   Such was the case on Saturday night for the glitzy grand opening of the Yabu Pushelberg designed St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, “the most anticipated hotel opening of 2012” according to Forbes magazine.  Touted as a
“peerless” (as in 24 hour butler service) “haven” (as in 1,000 feet of pristine beach) the resort’s opening bash heralded its debut in grandiose style.  Upon arrival, the chic guests admired the hotel’s posh lobby and bar area and followed the “yellow lit road” to a 1,000 foot seaside wonderland lined with food, cocktails, live music and fabulous people. All along the way- about every foot or so, there was a St. Regis staff member to greet and welcome guests to the property- who needs daily affirmations with that kind of love around?  Read the rest of this entry »

Lisa Hochstein, Alexia Echevarria, Karent Sierra, & Friend

By:  Mary Jo Almeida Shore

Tis the season:  to get dolled up in the name of charity.   Amid the club and restaurant openings, snowbirds and spring breakers, Miami socials are triple booked with galas.  Here’s a short list of some of our favorites so far.

Hearts and Stars Gala

On Saturday night, more than 1,000 guests gathered at George Wallner and Malinka Max’s gorgeous waterfront estate, Shangri La on Hibiscus Island for the Little Lighthouse Foundation’s Third Annual Hearts and Stars Gala– which was more of a swank South Beach bash than a traditional gala.  Co-founders Robert Sena, Aaron Resnick, Charlie Venturi and Aracibo Quintana and 20 co-hosts created a club-like atmosphere that included mini-lounges with white leather couches and cocktail tables, multiple bars and terrific dance music by DJ Louis Dee. Read the rest of this entry »

Emeril Lagasse at The Q

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

The annual Bacchanal/gorge-fest otherwise known as the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF) blew into town last weekend for a four day eating/drinking marathon, leaving our scale shaking its head and asking, “What have you done?” come Monday morning. SOBEWFF kicked off with Moët Hennessy’s barbecue bash named The Q on Thursday night hosted by larger-than-life personalities:  Emeril Lagasse and Guy Fieri.  Other festival highlights included Party Impossible, the Chefs’ After-party at the Dream Hotel, Diamond Dishes at the yet-to-be opened Marlins Park, Best Thing I Ever Ate Late Night Bites & Sweets and the festival’s closing party, Trucks on the Beach.  So now we fast and purge, after acting like Ms. Pac-Man with a tape worm for four straight days; and apologize to the liver, if we can find it- we are guessing it may have left the building. 

The Q

Hosted by Guy Fieri and Emeril Lagasse, The Q started the weekend revelry on Thursday night, a fitting replacement to the beloved, marquee event Bubble Q which was retired last year.  Just as much fun as Bubble Q, this party was our first SOBEWFF experience of 2012 and served as a reunion of local and national foodies and chefs, who imbibed in champagne and cocktails and filled up on enough barbecued meats to stumble out of the enormous tent with Gout. Read the rest of this entry »

Models with Russian Standard Vodka on the Carpe Diem

By: Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

Anyone stuck in gridlock traffic while attempting to navigate Collins Avenue in any direction over the weekend, or being forced to pay the staggering $50 parking charges soon realized that the International Yacht Show was in town- of course the multitude of multi-million dollar floating vessels stationed along the Indian Creek waterway should have been a dead giveaway.  As with any show, festival, event, holiday, climate change, building announcement…on Miami Beach, the Yacht Show brought with it its fair share of fabulous parties and party people.  Below were our favorites.

Scarlett Sails Night

We joined over 150 VIP guests who staggered barefoot onto the 60 million dollar, 191 foot Carpe Diem yacht on Wednesday, February 15, for the glamorous, Russian-themed Scarlett Sails party to get a sneak-peek of the magnificent yacht prior to its display at the Miami Beach International Boat Show. 

Guests were given a boarding pass and asked to check their shoes upon arrival, before walking the steep incline to board the Carpe Diem.  Once aboard, beautiful Russian dancers, dressed in traditional, albeit skimpy, Russian costumes, right down to their furry ushankas, served signature Russian Standard shots and cocktails to help the otherwise uncomfortably barefoot guests forget that their designer footwear was somewhere other than on their feet to perfectly compliment their stylish outfits.  We were also distracted by the haute cuisine, which included caviar canapés, George Stone Crabs and oysters courtesy of Edge steakhouse- and informal modeling by Saks Bal Harbour, all of which served to spotlight the grandeur of the mega yacht luxury lifestyle. Read the rest of this entry »

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore 

If Jeannie from the old I Dream of Jeannie series had an ornate little bar in that fabulous bottle of hers, we imagine it would resemble The Broken Shaker, the new pop-up bar at the quaint Indian Creek Hotel.  We are also fairly certain that she would never want to leave that bar, in fact, she would probably drag in Major Nelson, her evil brunette cousin and those nosy neighbors and they’d want to stay there too.  

The Broken Shaker is a collaborative effort between the Sydell Group’s Roy Alpert, formerly a consultant for the One Group and Ian Schrager’s Edition Brand, and Elad Svi and Gabriel Orta of the Bar Lab, who brought you masterfully created cocktails at the W South Beach Hotel’s Living Room. The trio physically created the Broken Shaker with their bare hands, designing and building the bar at back of the hotel.  Read the rest of this entry »