On Tuesday, Cindy Crawford took a break to show passersby the latest collections from ICE-Watch during a commercial shoot taking place in Downtown Miami.

Saturday evening after casting a slew of models for Abercrombie’s upcoming campaign, famed photographer Bruce Weber, along with a group of 19, enjoyed dinner at STK.  Also at STK on Saturday was Real Housewife of NYC, Bethenny Frankel who dined with a friend and later tweeted about it.  Fellow “tweeter” JLO was spotted on Lincoln Road on Friday.

Armani minus the Sticker Shock

Armani Exchange, which for 17 years has brought “Affordable Armani” (not an oxymoron) to South Beach, celebrated its facelift and expansion last week with a bit of fanfare. If you’ll recall, 17 years ago most of Lincoln Road was condemned by the city and Ocean Drive was a retirement community. Yet Armani Exchange set up shop to bring hip and stylish clothes to the pioneers of the SoBe we’ve come to know and love (most of the time). President & CEO Harlan Bratcher told the 411 “AIX was the first designer flagship store on South Beach, and Giorgio Armani was the first designer to offer a ‘diffusion line’ (that’s a fancy way to say cheap, chic designer duds). The average price for a designer piece is just $50, but it’s not a ‘one-time-wear.’ Affordable Armani is still Armani.” Other designers following in Armani’s footsteps by creating diffusion lines include Donna Karan, Oscar de la Renta and Marc Jacobs.

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year…Art Basel, the “Carnaval” of the art world. A time when we wish those experiments with human cloning had yielded positive results. It seems that the world’s largest and most important art show gets bigger every year, especially since in addition to Art Basel itself, Vanguard, Scope, Verge, Art Miami, Art Viceroy, Design Miami and countless other satellite fairs have set up camp all over town, not to mention the requisite parties being thrown nightly and club transplants from Paris and New York. This week, the 411 brings you South Beach locals and Art Basel insiders’ top picks of not-to-be missed events during this week- in which having fun (and surviving) is its own art form. Read the rest of this entry »

To say “Halloweekend” was outlandish, crowded, overstated, raunchy and wickedly fun is an understatement.  The weekend started on Thursday night, with a prelude/kick-off event for “All Hallows Eve” at the Setai, which featured great music by Paul Sevigny, DJ Crystal and Johnny The Boy, in addition to cool tricks, such as a special show by designer, Liquid Metal and treats, such as candied apples (not necessary a good mix  with alcoholic beverages).  Liquid Metal pulled out all the stops.  We’re talking vampires, blood, models being carried around in coffins and half naked dancers- kind of reminded us of the antics which took place at Warsaw on any given night, back in the day. Read the rest of this entry »

SUSHISAMBA dromo

 The menu at SUSHISAMBA dromo offers inventive fare that unites precise Japanese technique, bold Brazilian flavors and exquisite Peruvian culinary traditions on one plate. SUSHISAMBA dromo’s signature Sashimi Seviches are excellent examples of this cultural union. 

 A traditional dish of Peru, seviche is created when fish enzymatically cooks by sitting in an acid, such as lemon or lime juice.  After about twenty minutes, the acid “cooks” the fish, giving the same effect that heat has on proteins.  At SUSHISAMBA dromo, sashimi seviche is a twist on the concept of traditional seviche.  However, instead of letting the fish marinate for hours, it marinates for mere minutes — maintaining the integrity of Japanese sashimi while being prepared with Peruvian flavor and technique.  Examples of sashimi seviche at SUSHISAMBA dromo include Tuna Sashimi Seviche with orange, jalapeño, yuzu and white soy, while the Yellowtail Sashimi Seviche brings ginger, garlic and soy.

 600 Lincoln Road

Miami Beach, FL 33139

Tel: 305.673.5337

Website: www.sushisamba.com

 Cuisine: Japanese, Brazilian & Peruvian

Corporate Chef: Michael Cressotti

Corporate Sushi Chef:     Koji Kagawa

Corporate Pastry Chef: Sergio Navarro  

Restaurant Hours:

Sunday – Thursday 12:00 p.m. – 12 a.m.

Friday & Saturday 12:00 p.m. – 2 a.m.

SAMBABRUNCH: Sun.:  11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m

Price Points:

Small Plates:                             $4.50 – $18.00

Sashimi Seviches:                      $8.00 – $13.50

Samba and Sushi Rolls:            $4.00 – $24.00

Large Plates:                             $17.00 – $26.00

Maya Tapas & Grill

 Located along the famed Lincoln Road walkway in Miami Beach, Maya Tapas and Grill serves Spanish-style tapas and Argentinean inspired dishes.  Its central location makes it the ideal spot to grab a delicious dinner before a big night out, but its ambiance is relaxing enough to spend an entire evening enjoying the food while reveling in the South Beach scene.

 Maya’s signature feature is its large selection of Spanish tapas, small plates that can be shared among groups of diners.  There are over thirty options including Chorizo & Garbanzo ($7.95), garbanzo beans and Spanish sausage, Morcilla Argentina ($8.95), Argentinean blood sausage with marinated onions and Beef Carpaccio ($10.95) – thin layers of beef with baby arugola, manchego, smoked sea salt and truffle oil.

 809 Lincoln Road

Miami Beach, FL 33139

Phone: 305.538.0058                                        

Website:  www.mayatapasandgrill.com

 Cuisine: International fare with Argentinean influences and specialty in grilled meats and tapas

 Restaurant Hours: Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.

(1:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays)