Foodies Rev Up Your Appetites

South Beach Wine and Food Festival

The 10^th Annual South Beach Wine and Food Festival is upon us once again.  To our fellow foodies who wish to attend and purchase tickets to events, visit www.sobefest.com for a complete line up of available tickets still available.  If your desired event is sold out, fear not- we will have a full recap with photos next week. To read all about last year’s SBWFF fun, visit: miamisocialholic.com.

Sweet Street Desserts Hits Lincoln Road

Join the sugar rush on Friday, February 25, as Sweet Street Desserts presents “The Sweet Ride” a mobile dessert truck that will be giving out their famous sweet treats including assorted cupcakes, Chewy Marshmallow Squares, Lemon Crumb Bars, Fabulous Chocolate Chunk Brownies and Toffee Crunch Blondies.  The sugar rush begins at 9:30 p.m. , and will be located at 1111 Lincoln Road. The Sweet Ride will also be touring Miami Beach over the weekend.  Sweet Street will also be donating 15% of its sales online at www.sweetstreet.com to the University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Customers simply enter “FIU” when prompted at check out.  The promotion runs until March 13, 2011.

Please note that the “Sweet Ride” will only be passing out samples to ticketed guests at Let Them Eat Cake. HOWEVER, it will be touring Miami Beach and passing out it’s luscious desserts, including the newest creation  Pipeable® Mousses, on Saturday from 12  to 2 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.. Catch them if you can on Collins, Washington, Ocean Drive, and Lincoln Road.

STK and The Forge Restaurant | Wine Bar

On Saturday, February 26,   The One Group’s STK Miami and Shareef Malnik’s award-winning The Forge Restaurant | Wine Bar will host two of the most sought-after events during the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. 

STK welcomes celebrity chef and “Top Chef Master” Rick Moonen to team up with STK’s executive chef, and “Hell’s Kitchen” alum, Ralph Pagano, to present a highly-anticipated “Surf & Turf” dinner.  The evening will begin with a cocktail reception at 8:00 p.m., followed by a private dinner at 9:00 p.m. Guests will enjoy Moonen’s signature, sustainable seafood dishes with a side of Pagano’s decadent prime cuts. The four-course dinner, priced at $150, will be perfectly paired with wines and spirits including Chambord vodka, Herradura tequila, Collingwood whiskey and a selection of wines from organic Bonterra Vineyards. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of America. For more information call 305.604.6988.

The Forge Restaurant | Wine Bar, will present a second installment of its Wine Dinner Series along with original host partner Joseph Phelps Vineyards to lead diners through the six-course dinner and provide the perfect pairing for each dish. The Wine Dinner Series began in New York’s Greenwich Village during the restaurant’s “Fall in the North and South”-themed dinner at the James Beard House in October 2010.  Using the same menu, but with a few seasonal ingredient changes, executive chef Dewey LoSasso  teams up with the prestigious Joseph Phelps to create an outstanding dining experience. For more information visit www.theforge.com.

South Beach Comedy Festival

The South Beach Comedy Festival Local All-Stars kickoff this year’s festival on Thursday, February 24 at Buck 15 (above Miss Yip Chinese Café), located at 1661 Meridian Avenue on Miami Beach and is free to the public with a 2 menu item minimum. Doors open at 7p.m. The comedian lineup features previous winners from South Beach Comedy Festival’s “Best New Comedian Contest”, national touring headliners and even an Emmy winner. These local all-stars include: Lisa Corrao, Wendi Starling, Johnny Trabs, Gene Harding and Dave Williamson. The event is hosted by Miami New Times “Best Club Comic 2010” Jessica Gross and features sounds by DJ V2.  For more information on The South Beach Comedy Festival Local All-Stars visit www.SouthBeachComedyFestival.com or www.HaveNotsComedy.com

Angel Squads WANTS YOU!

The new Miami Beach-based promotional agency will host an open casting call for Massage Angels at Pics Boutique on Thursday, February 24 and Friday, February 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The first company to utilize the European concept of incorporating massage into nightlife, Angel Squads’ team of trained Massage Angels (read: genetically blessed ladies in white corsets, white feathered wings, black leggings and black stilettos) can be found at high-end nightclubs and restaurants in South Beach, and offer patrons 10 minute relaxing chill neck, shoulder and Indian head massages. For more information, go to www.angelsquads.com.

Oscar Night^® America

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has selected the Miami Beach Film Society to host and be the beneficiary of the official celebration in Miami for the Oscar Night^® America (ONA) party.  Oscar Night^® America viewing parties are the official nationwide celebrations of the Oscars^®. ONA Miami Beach 2011’s cocktail soirée will also act as a grand opening event hosted at the film society’s yet to be unveiled cinematheque, located inside the historic Miami Beach City Hall, on Oscar^® Sunday,    February 27 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets to the 2011 Oscar Night America Miami Beach are available for $125 or $110 for Miami Beach Film Society & Cinematheque and MIFF members. Ticket prices include food and beverages, tax and gratuity, a $25 Escopazzo gift certificate, the official 83rd Annual Academy Awards^® program booklet and other event memorabilia. For more information, visit www.MBCinema.com.

Fashion Rules at Neiman Marcus Bal Harbour 

On Thursday, March 3, at 6 p.m., join Haute Living’s Fashion Director, Jilian Sanz along with Neiman Marcus Bal Harbour,   as they celebrate the world’s top designers and their creations at THE FASHION RULES! Party.  Dress in your spring best  for  Haute Living’s “Be on the Cover” photo shoot followed by a fashion show displaying the latest spring trends.  For reservations call  305.993.4612 or rsvpbalharbour@neimanmarcus.com

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The Webster drew quite the VIP crowd to its grand opening on Monday.  With a caviar café and three floors of stunning clothes and accessories for women and men, the Webster inaugurated its permanent locale with a soiree that was more bash than boutique opening.  It seemed everyone we’ve ever met anywhere (with the exception of those traveling abroad) braved the elements to celebrate and marvel at the pricey designer duds. Guests experienced the first tastes of Caviar Kaspia, with passed hors d ‘oeuvres including Bilinis with Taram and Chives, Mini Creamer Twice Baked Potato, Crème Fraiche, Caviar, Foie Gras on Toast and Guerande Salt and Salmon Balik Lillipop, Lemon and Chive Aioli provided by the renowned Parisian institution located on the ground floor of The Webster.   The party was only supposed to go until nine, but was still hopping after ten o’clock, due perhaps to the free flowing Grey Goose and the “Webster Cocktails” (a mix of vodka, champagne, and Remy Cointreau violets and pearls), and the fact that it was actually indoors, where temperatures are actually bearable. Among the many notable guests at the Webster grand opening: Lennox Louis, Aaron Young, Louis Morais, Danny Santiago, Nathan Browning & Rebecca de Ravenel, Red Carter, Markus Ketty, Craig Robins, Iran Issa Khan, Sam Robin, Louis Aguirre, Michy & Leticia Grendene, Jonathan & Criselda Breene, Shareef Malnik, Ugo Colombo, Gary & Dana Shear, Robert Wennet & Mario Cader-Frech, Nicole Lozano, Michelle Areces-Zandy, Ariel Stein, Hernan Arriaga, Gigi Ganatra & Alex Duff, Tommy & Michelle Pooch, Donald & Lisa Pliner, Jillian Jacobsen-Altit, Alejandro Chaban, Cynthia Olavaria, Kevin & Rebecca Bruk, Tony Goldman, Mehmet Bayraktar, Ricardo Dunin & Stefanie de la O, Juan Carlos Arcila-Duque, Walid & Susie Wahab, Brooke Soffer, Andrea Aberegg,  Laura Bucellati, Alison & Mark Zhuk, Sanford Ziff, Hello Campos, Dr. Julio Gallo, and Kelly Gold.[smooth=id:26;]

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!

Kim Kardashian served as the gorgeous and gracious hostess for Russell and Danny Simmons’ Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation‘s star-studded Art For Life Miami Beach gala to benefit art programs for disadvantaged youths at the Fontainebleau on Saturday. Despite Kardashian’s inability to pronounce the word, “philanthropic,” the reality star has demonstrated her commitment to the organization by answering, “Yes,” time and time again when asked for support, explained Danny Simmons. This year, Kardashian auctioned off the dress she wore when she met Prince Albert of Monaco. No word on what happened while she was in the dress or if there’s any incriminating evidence on it, (ala Monica Lewinski’s infamous blue Gap dress). Kardashian’s dress is still on the auction block, in case you’d like to run some tests on it before you get it dry cleaned. Other items up for bid at http://www.charitybuzz.com through March 24, include VIP passes to Beyonce’s upcoming tour; a meet and greet with Kanye West; portraits of Will Smith and Morgan Freeman by celebrated photographer Robert G. Zuckerman; a trip to Four Seasons Great Exuma; and a roundtrip seaplane excursion for eight courtesy of V1 Jets.

Honorees at this year’s gala, which was chaired by Forge owner, Shareef Malnik, included Anheuser-Busch, Inc., the Rubell Family Collection and Jeffrey Soffer, Chairman of Fontainebleau Resorts. A visibly surprised Alonzo Mourning, was given a congratulatory tribute on the retirement of his Miami Heat jersey and an award for his numerous philanthropic endeavors through Alonzo Mourning Charities. Celebrity attendees included, charming actress Vivica Fox, who assured us that the upcoming Curb Your Enthusiasm season will be the funniest yet; extra crispy actor-turned-author, George Hamilton; New Orleans Saint/Kim Kardashian-beau, Reggie Bush; Miami Dolphin, Brandon London; former Mexican President Vicente Fox and his wife Marta (no relation to Vivica); Miss Africa USA 2008-2009, Nyasha Zimucha and legendary soul singer Betty Wright.

Upstairs at the Fontainebleau, in the Glimmer Ballroom, the Wellness Community held its 8^th annual Heart & Star gala, co- chaired by real estate developer/hospitality entrepreneur/ nightlife impresario, Michael Capponi. What the event lacked in celebrity muscle, it made up for in elegance and glamour. Over 400 VIPs gathered to support the Wellness Community, which provides services and support to families living with cancer. Among the A-listers in attendance: CBS-TV’s chief weathercaster Lonnie Quinn; Alan and Diane Lieberman; South Beach publishing magnate, Jerry Powers; CEO and founder of Niche Media, Jason Binn; attorney Danny Weiss and his wife, arts activist Merle; Brazilian neo-pop artist, painter and sculptor, Romero Britto; and Rock Band, founder, Lee Dahlberg. Among the top-selling items in the live auction were: a custom painting by Romero Britto, a chance for a young basketball fan to be a “ball manager” on the court during a home Miami Heat game and a full day aboard Capponi’s yacht, complete with gas, food and drinks. Because two of the most well-respected nightlife impresarios, Shareef Malnik and Michael Capponi, chaired galas on the same night at the same time, a number of socialites were forced to shuttle between the two, much like Katherine Heigl’s character in 27 Dresses. Leaving them to wonder, “Doesn’t anybody own a calendar around here?”

The official Art for Life Miami Beach after-party took place the next night at the Forge’s Soul Kitchen, where guests Queen Latifah, Indianapolis Colt, Dwight Freeney, Kansas City Chief, Larry Johnson, San Francisco 49er, Vernon Davis, Arizona Cardinal, Darnell Dockett, Dallas Cowboy, Marion Barber, Tampa Bay Buccaneer, Antonio Bryant, and congressman, Kendrick Meek feasted on traditional Southern cuisine. Hosted by, you guessed it, Russell Simmons and Shareef Malnik, the event raised additional awareness and funding for the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation.

“Bone Crusher, Grace and Michael Bay, not necessarily in that order. Photo by Mary Jo Almeida-Shore”

If you are reading this right now, congratulations! You have survived New Year’s. Now it’s time to start breaking all those silly resolutions you made in your drunken stupor. We found that while we were still in recovery from Art Basel, which was just a few weeks ago, New Year’s week dragged us out just about every night, with something fun and fabulous to do, testing our stamina, sanity and livers, and leaving us begging for more … more eye cream, more espresso and more Tylenol.

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