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what's
Up
in
South
Beach
by Stephanie Wilson
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August is the time of year that most people escape
from Miami. Our sweltering heat is suffocating and there needs to be a
good reason for those of us left here to venture away
from the wonders of air conditioning. Even a simple walk to the
car leaves you dripping in sweat with crazy-frizzy hair, looking
not-so-hot.
Unfortunately, the local restaurants feel the toll of the heat as well,
as they sit almost empty night after night… Or, should I say, USED to
sit empty...
Thanks to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) and
Campo Viejo Wines, during the summer months we are free to celebrate
what it means to be a true Miamian, one who doesn’t run for the Hamptons
when the thermometer
reaches 90 degrees. During August and September, the GMCVB teams
up with over 50 of our area’s top restaurants to bring you “Miami
Spice.” During this unique program, the finest restaurants in all of
Miami invite those of us lucky enough to be in Miami during off-season
to enjoy their delights. Three-course pre-fixed menus are available at
all participating locations for an extremely
reasonable $30.05 per person for dinner ($20.05 for lunch where
available), saving you 25-60 percent off the normal in-season bill.
These menus include an appetizer, entrée and dessert, and are sure to
send you and your wallet home full.
So if you have been holding out trying out the area's
best eateries, now is your chance—there are no
more excuses. The in-season crowds have subsided, and the prices are
right. Our area’s restaurants have opened their doors and dropped their
prices as a way to say “Thank You” to the locals for standing by them,
year round. So if you haven’t yet gotten the around to sampling
Emeril’s southern cuisine, now is your chance. If you have always
wanted to dine at Blue Door at the
Delano, there is no time like the
present. Whatever your tastes, Miami Spice has a restaurant to satisfy
your cravings. For a complete list of participating restaurants, go to MiamiRestaurantMonth.com.
Listen up ladies: For a real treat, head over to the Mandarin
Oriental and check out the eye-candy that is cooking the delectable
cuisine. Lucky for us, Azul has an open kitchen, but be sure to
pretend you are drooling over the food, not the amazingly HOT chefs
whipping up the Moroccan lamb. Head Chef Clay Conley is
unfortunately taken (you can look, just don’t touch!) but his sidekick
doesn’t seem to have a ring on his finger. Azul is participating in the
lunch portion of the Miami Spice program, so you won’t feel guilty about
indulging your taste-buds and your eyes.
And speaking of Miami Restaurants, the opening of Afterglo (12th
and Washington, same owner as Tantra) was a hit last Thursday
night. Although the interior lacked the flair that Tantra is known for
(no wheat-grass floor, no waterfall wall, no hammock swinging above
VIP), The “International Beauty Cuisine” (yeah, I know—what?) was
delectable, and the “Who’s Who” of scenesters
were mingling and paying their respects to
owner Tim Hogle along with his drop-dead gorgeous wife
Irina.
And for those of you looking for something to mix your scene up a bit,
head on up to Madame’s Restaurant and Cabaret Lounge where the
pretty… ladies… are celebrating their anniversary next week with
multiple seatings on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The party is sure to
be a unique blast, and well worth the drive up to Sunny Isles Beach.
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