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Saturday night, Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver, Santonio Holmes hung out at Kitchen 305 with rapper T-Pain, who drank shots of Nuvo shawty, made famous by his “Blame It On,” hit song with Jamie Foxx.   

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco bowled and watched the playoffs at Lucky Strike on Sunday.  

Dwyane Wade celebrated his 28^th birthday with friends and family at W South Beach this weekend.  The Miami Heat superstar, who helped raise over $800,000 to help earthquake victims in Haiti, sipped cocktails provided by Atlantico Rum and jammed to music by his favorite DJ and close friend, DJ Irie.  Hip Hop producers, Cool and Dre, along with his teammate, Quentin Richardson, were on-hand to help him celebrate.

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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 is a rarity for a sports-related event to be featured in The Fix unless, of course, said event draws, say… an A-list crowd of VIPs and celebrities, an “orange” (team color) carpet and access to a swank lounge, such as the Ocean Drive Club, as did Monday night’s Dolphins Season Opener at Landshark Stadium.Celebrity arrivals were televised via the “jumbo-tron,” which was visible from the highway. Once inside, guests were escorted to the posh Ocean Drive Club, which was, well, characteristically “Ocean Drive.” From the lighting and cozy couches right down to the oddly interesting astro-turf upholstered ottomans.  Barton G. provided light-fare and there was free-flowing Landshark beer and the uncharacteristic, yet popular, champagne. Champagne at a football game? Talk about “swankified” SoBe tailgating! Celebs in attendance included: Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Venus and Serena Williams and Gloria and Emilio Estefan, who were all there showing support for their newly acquired Fins, along with Dan Marino, Tiger Woods, Steve Young, Stewart Scott and Lili Estefan. During the arrivals, Jimmy Buffet and his band played a short pre-game concert for “Parrot Heads” and Fins fans.

Earlier in the week, former “Mr. Ocean Drive,” (insert sarcasm font here) the shy subdued, Rich Santelises, celebrated his birthday at the upstairs lounge at Buzzy’s Burger and Beer Joint. Ultra-hip guests in attendance included: Jerry and Jacquelynn Powers, Lisa Pliner, Chapman Ducote, Michael Comras, David Resnick, Eric and CC Levin, Michael Capponi, Zoltan (who took the party photos) and Dan Goodstadt, to name a few. With his 1000-watt personality, Santelises, stood on a pedestal (o.k. coffee table) and ebulliently thanked each and every one of his friends individually then stated, “A mans riches (no pun intended) are defined by the quality of their friendships. The attendees here tonight illustrate that I am wealthy beyond means or need.”

Almost as cool as the guest list, is the laid-back atmosphere of Burger & Beer Joint. Reminiscent of Purdy Lounge a decade ago, (with better lighting) B &B boasts tasteful “garage sale décor,” a retro-chic vibe, great music, friendly staff and reasonably priced drinks. An added plus is the delicious food at great prices. Of course, the fact that you can “add truffles to anything” is a reason to visit all on its own. Downstairs there’s a casual restaurant with an extensive menu that even includes a 10 lb. burger (Don’t ask.), huge beer selection and plasmas for watching all your favorite teams this season.

Groove is in the Art

The brand-spanking new, Urbanite Bistro, a quaint, cozy resto-bar which looks like a typical, underground SoHo spot, invites you to embrace your inner “boho, artistic child” thanks to its rotating exhibits of local artwork, which are for sale and decorate its trendy, plum colored walls. Urbanite offers eclectic bistro fare, of which we recommend the shrimp corn dogs (how can you go wrong?), Pad Thai, and alligator egg-rolls (if you dare). How’s that for “eclectic? Of course, there are your usual meat and potatoes dishes and a variety of sandwiches and burgers. The place also features two stylish and well-appointed bars, perfect for a few cocktails before hitting neighboring clubs, Vagabond and Karu & Y. If you crave a little nosh during clubbing, return to Urbanite- the kitchen closes at 3:00.

To show its support of the local art scene, The Urbanite Bistro invites guests to a public arts reception on Tuesday, October 6 from 7:00- 9:00 p.m. This month this “rotating gallery” hosts provocative artwork by Latin American artists, Gabriela Sanchez-Vegas and Rudolf Kohn. Guests will receive an Urbanite VIP card, redeemable for a complimentary specialty cocktail during the reception. The Urbanite Bistro is located at 62 NE 14th Street. Reservations may be made by calling 305.374.0662 or visiting www.urbanitebistro.com. Valet parking is free.

Coming Up:

Cutest Boy Bands this side of Liverpool

Adorable New York City-based, foursome, The Postelles, will perform their latest hits, including the single produced by The Strokes guitarist, Albert Hammond Jr., at Club 50 at Viceroy, on Friday, September 25, presented by Jose Cuervo Platino and Novel. Guests are invited to enjoy an open bar hosted by the premium tequila line, from 8:00-10:00 p.m. and drink specials throughout the evening. The Postelles, combine a unique blend of “feel good” retro and modern alternative pop. Viceroy Miami is located at 485 Brickell Avenue. Entrance is free. Please RSVP to info@novelcomm.com.

Another cute, young boy-band, the Heavy Pets will be performing at Tobacco Road on October 2 at 9:00 p.m. Word on the street is that they are “by far, the best local band!” The Heavy Pets just wrapped up concerts at Bonnaroo, Moe.Down and several other festivals this summer and they are starting a winter tour right after next week’s show. No RSVP required. Admission is only $6 at the door.

Something to Wine About

“Uncork the fun” at the 8th Annual Miami International Wine Fair this weekend at the Miami Beach Convention Center, where nearly 500 wine producers will be on-hand to showcase more than 1,500 wines from 20 different countries, making this event one of the largest wine fairs in America, and featuring wine tastings and seminars for oenophiles 21 and over.  Tickets are priced at $75 per person, with the proceeds going to benefit Educate Tomorrow, and include unlimited wine tasting and food sampling from Miami’s finest restaurants.  The fun starts Saturday, September, 25. For more information, visit http://www.miamiwinefair.com.

About Last Night

On Tuesday, September 29, acclaimed restaurant, Pacific Time, in the Design District, will be partnering with Thrillist.com to launch its weekly dinner party called, “About Last Night.” Chef Brian Bell will prepare small plates for guests as “paparazzi” snap their photos which will be uploaded to the Pacific Time Facebook page. Throughout the night Twitter followers can “tweet” about the place and Facebook fans can then check the “Morning After” albums to tag themselves and reconnect with friends they made the night before, ergo the name.  

In Fashion

The award-winning Venezuelan designer, Carolina Herrera, along with Maria Celeste Arraras and Lourdes Fanjul will celebrate the opening of the Carolina Herrera Bal Harbour Shops boutique and toast Herrera’s spring 2010 Collection on Wednesday, September 30, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

The day after her boutique opening, Herrera will present a full runway fashion show of her spring 2010 Collection in conjunction with Jackson Memorial Foundation’s 11^th Annual Guardian Luncheon benefitting Holtz Children’s Hospital, along with Shirley K. Fletcher, this year’s luncheon’s Honorary Chair to celebrate fashion n’ fun.  The luncheon starts at 11:00 a.m. at the InterContinental Hotel, 100 Chopin Plaza, Downtown Miami. Space is limited. To buy tickets contact: 305.355.4999, or visit www.jmf.org.

Celebrity Sightings:

Latin Grammy award nominee, Cucu Diamantes, surprised guests at Viceroy’s Club 50 on Thursday night with an impromptu performance. Bad boy, Joe Francis, best known for creating “Girls Gone Wild” partied at LIV both Friday and Saturday nights with a bevy of beautiful girls who weren’t as “wild” as you’d expect, or hope for that matter. On Saturday night, at Mansion, musician, Scott Weiland, debuted his clothing line, Weiland for English Laundry and performed a set of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver songs to a packed crowd. Across town on Saturday, at Fort Lauderdale’s Dive Bar, NBA/ reality TV star, Dennis Rodman, was spotted getting down to Shak Nasti.

By: Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

As recent history has proven, the best way to create interest in and excitement over an establishment in this town is to shut it down, make some changes and reopen with a bit of fanfare. Just ask the owners of the Fontainebleau, Eden Roc, Smith & Wollensky, Karu & Y and Mynt (which seems to shut down and reopen every year or two) to name a few. Now we can add the Clevelander and Forge to that successful list.

The Clevelander, which has undergone an extreme makeover and an augmentation or two over the last year and a half, will celebrate its rebirth this Thursday with four days chock full of concerts, libations, and entertainment. Despite its roomier and glitzier revamp, the Ocean Drive staple remains the casual, wildly spirited hang-out that has made it the premier stomping ground for spring breakers of all ages for the past 70 years. Now the place where Spring Break springs eternal features over a dozen spaces to party, including the infamous pool and patio and a new, state-of- the art sports bar, complete with wall to wall High Def plasmas, where many a sports fan can cheer the Heat and Dolphins to victory, just steps from the ocean. The new Cleve also houses 1020 Music Boxx, a bonafide dance club (minus the velvet rope and snooty attitude) and the upgraded Clevelander Café, with renowned chef, Robbin Haas, at its helm. Fret not, you can still get your extra-greasy with a side of greasy chicken tenders and fries, but Chef Haas has added some sophisticated bites as well. The Clevelander’s augmentation also includes the addition of the SPF 4 Sun Deck, where we’re pretty sure a babe or two will be showing off augmentations of her own, and a rooftop terrace. The hotel’s 60 rooms have also gotten a facelift. While rooms are a bargain, starting at just $179.00, to really party like a Rock star, stay in one of the Rock- star Suites, where you’ll have your own butler to cater to your every outlandish whim! For more info or to buy tickets for the weekend celebrations, including concerts by Gym Class Heroes and Inner Circle and DJ sets by DJ Irie, Sky Nellor, Jazzy Jeff and Z Trip, visit www.clevelander.com.

After celebrating 40 years in business, and being honored by Miami Beach Mayor Matti Herrera Bower on Monday, Shareef Malnik announced that his iconic restaurant, The Forge, would be closing this week to undergo renovations, overdue since its last remodeling in 1991, which was the result of a fire. Malnik, whose family has owned the 1920s storied venue since 1968, proudly declared that the revamp would include radical changes to the Forge’s menu and interior design, stating, “When we re-open in the fall of 2009, our loyal clientele will be blown away by the exciting enhancements and changes that will have been completed. Like the fine wines in our famous cellar, The Forge only improves with age. Here’s to the next 40 years.” To be honest, we kind of love the place as is, with its old world style and gorgeous chandeliers and stained glass ceiling and accents. To the dismay of many a Sugar Daddy and the girls who, ahem, love them, who flock to the Forge religiously on Wednesday nights, the culinary bastion will remain closed until next season. Perhaps the Clevelander can fill in as resident meat market in the meantime!