Sunday, June 16, 11am-3pm – 3330 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale

On Father’s Day the Thasos Greek Taverna, an indoor/outdoor contemporary Greek restaurant in Fort Lauderdale launched their brand new Sunday Brunch. Thasos reminiscent of the hospitality and spirit of the Greek islands with the service and style of a modern restaurant & lounge.
Main feature of the new Sunday Brunch is ‘create your own cocktails’ for unlimited Mimosas, Bloody Mary’s, and Sangria for just $15. New executive Chef of Thasos, Chef Brian Cantrell created unique innovative brunch menu items like:
Nutella French Toast (cinnamon egg batter, Nutella, strawberries, maple syrup) $12
Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict (smoked salmon, tzatziki, caper hollandaise, with rosemary potatoes and fresh fruits) $14
Several “mezedes” tapas to share ranging from $8-$18, such as Greek Spreads All (tzatziki, taramosalata, eggplant, whipped feta, green chick peas), flame-broiled shrimp Saganaki, crab fritters, fire-grilled octopus and spit-roasted lamb flat bread with tzatziki.

Sunday, June 15, 11pm - BAMBOO Miami Beach, 550 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach

Bamboo Miami Beach celebrated its one Year Anniversary with DJ Showtek rocking the house, as well as a special hologram set performance by the Well Done Team.
Showtek brothers Wouter and Sjoerd Janssen are called world dominators leaving their mark wherever they go. They are selling out big shows on all continents, command the charts worldwide and work together with top DJ’s and producers from all corners of the EDM scene. With their praised musical talent and distinctive sound they have broken through all ceilings and just keep on rising to extreme heights.
Pictures by: photoActiva

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Thursday, June 13, 7pm-11pm – The Garden Building, 175 NE 40th Street, Miami Design District

The new Heineken Star Bottle, the brand’s first packaging change in almost two decades, has officially arrived to South Florida. To mark the occasion, Heineken USA invited hundreds of South Floridians to an #arrivebig themed launch party with sounds of DJ Jessica Who, special surprises and of course, lots of Heineken.

The new Star Bottle design represents a more modern take on the brand’s iconic green bottle that will further reinforce the brand’s upscale status and set it apart as the innovative and relevant upscale choice for today’s adult consumers, 21 and older.

The Star Bottle packaging, available in 12 oz. and 22 oz. sizes, features strong shoulders and a taller, slimmer neck that elongates the look of the bottle giving it a more modern air of confident masculinity and pride. The new design also features a curved embossment, inspired by the iconic racetrack label, and thumb groove that improves bottle grip and encourages drinkers to hold the bottle at a lower point, keeping the beer colder. While the package is new, the liquid inside is the same high quality taste that is legendary around the world.

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Monday, June 10, 4pm-8pm – Epic Hotel, 270 Biscayne Blvd. Way, Miami

The Wedding Salon inspired brides from all over South Florida featuring over 40 vendors dishing out the latest and greatest in the wedding realm from a variety of areas such as photography, honeymoons, couture gowns, fantasy reception tables, beauty makeovers, and more. Wedding Salon CEO & Founder and celebrity wedding planner, Tatiana Byron, was  onsite to revile top trends and local wedding gems. Over 500 brides-to-be gathered to discover resources for their wedding planning needs. Guests enjoyed cake tastings by Ana Paz Cakes, beauty makeovers with Dior from Neiman Marcus and local favorite Sean Donaldson Hair, fitness regimens for brides by Exhale Spa, couture gown collections, and dozens of vendors to meet with to assist with their wedding planning.

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Every Wednesday, 6:30pm – Mancini Modern Italian, 401 E. Las Olas Blvd. #150, Fort Lauderdale

Mancini Modern Italian is located on the emerging west end of the downtown business district of Las Olas Boulevard, in the Bank of American Building. Mancini Modern Italian is a new restaurant by restaurateur Jack Mancini. The restaurant is full of warm wood and soft lighting make the feeling very relaxing and comforting. Mancini Modern Italian offers a hands-on mozzarella making experience every Wednesday for $30.

Executive Chef Claudio Sandri was the one to introduce us to art of making Mozzarella cheese. We started the evening with a glass of champagne and putting on gloves. Executive Chef Claudio instructed us to crumble the milk curds into the hot salted water. Claudio explained the process of making cheese. The curds are melted in the hot water once they are melted we pulled and kneeded the cheese into a huge ball of fresh warm and very delicous mozzarella. They served our cheese with heirloom tomatos and pesto with toasted bread and amazing bread sticks.

After we sampled our cheese, we decided to stay for dinner. We ordered the Chef’s sampling, not on the menu but since we could not decide what we wanted, our waiter suggested a sampling menu. We started with the Lobster Crudo – raw lobster served with baby arugula, lemon olive oil, tomalley vinaigrette. Next we sampled Tuna Crudo served with fennel, frisee, capers, anchovy-garlic vinaigrette, was one of my favorites. The saltiness of the capers and the fresh tuna were amazing flavors. Lastly we sampled Red Snapper marinated citrus segments, celery, herb pistou, chili-lime vinaigrette, the citrus segments and the Red Snapper along with the celery crunchiness was a great unexpected combination of flavors.

Next in classic Italian style we moved on a trio of Pastas. Starting with Paccheria alla Bolognese served with veal, pork and beef with tomato. The trio of meats added depth of flavor and highlighted the fresh pasta noddles. We moved on the Mezzalune similiar to a ravoli with Maine lobster, tomato tartar, tarragon, capers, shallots, lobster consommé. The Ravoli is delicate and the lobster in the ravoli was wonderful. The last pasta was the Pappardelle served with rabbit sugo, truffle espuma was full flavored with light truffle balanced the richness of the rabbit sugo.

Lastly, we could not skip dessert. Bomboloni Italian – Italian beignets served with sweet espresso panna cotta. The beignets were sugar coated and warm and very yummy. The panna cotta added a little sharpness to the warm beignets and the combination was an incredible finish to a wonderful meal.

For reservations please call, 754-200-8602.

Saturday, June 1, 4pm-10pm – Hilton Miami Airport Hotel, 5101 Blue Lagoon Dr., Miami

Latin Taste Fest at at Hilton Miami Airport Hotel as hotel sponsor, was not only a high-end celebration of Latin culture, but also an alleviation of hunger through exclusive charity partner Feeding South Florid.

Presented by the event planning and management company Latin Events Network, Latin Taste Fest is promoting the importance of the Latin community, which has purchasing power of over $1 billion in the U.S. The food, wine and spirits extravaganza featured cuisine sampling, wines, beers, brand liquors testing, plus an eclectic variety of live Latin musical entertainment, exhibits and activities. A variety of top local Latin restaurants offered a taste of their specialty dishes. VIP guests had additional access to a special casino-themed area with select restaurants, wine and spirits exhibitors.

“Fresh, homemade meals are an important part of bringing family together in Latin culture,” said Feeding South Florida CEO Paco Vélez. “What a wonderful idea for an event to incorporate the celebration of food, music, and art in Latin culture to benefit Feeding South Florida, which helps bring families together by setting the table for the 1 million individuals who are food insecure in South Florida.”

A portion of ticket sales proceeds and all food overages from the event will be donated to Feeding South Florid, the leading domestic organization working to end hunger in South Florida. Through a local network of approximately 400 Partner Agencies, Feeding South Florida strives to serve the almost 1 million individuals in need, including more than 300,000 children, the elderly and the working poor, in Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties.

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Sunday, May 5, 11:30am - Joe’s Stone Crab, 11 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach

Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade hosted 2nd Annual “Claws for Kids” fundraising brunch at Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach, as the last call before stone crab season ends. Guests enjoyed delicious stone crabs, cole slaw, hash brown potatoes, creamed spinach and Key Lime Pie. For those who don’t eat stone crabs, main course options were also available. Committee members include Judy Kramer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade former Board President Olga Guilarte, Lana DeSimone, Irene Korge, Susan Geiger, Eris Thomas, Connie & Fred Rebozo, Rae Stein, Raul Marmol, Andres Guilarte and Mark Walker. All event proceeds to benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade’s state-of-the-art South Beach location.

After having served the children of Miami Beach for 27 years, the prior 2,500-sq.-ft. South Beach Club on the existing site was demolished in September 2011 to make way for construction of the new facility, which will open early summer 2013 during a celebratory ribbon-cutting party. The new South Beach Club will feature a teen center, state-of-the-art computer lab, teaching kitchen for children, homework rooms, games rooms and a creative arts room, and will serve approximately 400 children from the local area.

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Saturday, May 4, 6:30 p.m. - JW Marriott Marquis, 255 Biscayne Boulevard Way, Miami

Baptist Health Foundation has recruited Beth Rosenstein, General Manager of Bloomingdale’s at The Falls, as the chair of the 6th Annual Pineapple Sauté and Sip interactive dinner. Guests at the interactive dinner cooked alongside Chef Norman Van Aken, who is “considered South Florida’s most gifted chef” by The New York Times.

The theme this year was inspired by celebrity Chef Norman Van Aken’s new cookbook, “My Key West Kitchen.” John Richards and the culinary students of the Miami Culinary Institute was also on hand to assist guests in whipping up the night’s delicious courses.

Funds raised will benefit Baptist Health Breast Center’s CareCoach and Genetic Testing Programs, which provide compassionate support and individualized attention to breast cancer patients and their families during and after treatment. The center’s genetic testing program also educates patients as to whether they carry genes linked to an increased breast cancer risk.
Pictures by: photoActiva

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Tuesday, April 30 – Love is Blind Restaurant, 225 Altara Avenue, Coral Gables

The new concept launched by dynamic-duo Carlos Galan and Joaquin Chamizo, Love is Blind is the team’s third venue in Miami. Sister of the popular “Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita” and “Crazy About You” both located in the Brickell area, this new location is nestled in the heart of “The City Beautiful” or Coral Gables. The corner location is conveniently across from The Village of Merrick Park inside The Collection Building.

Boasting a unique menu of “world cuisine” created by Chef Jose Liriano, patrons can travel the map without ever leaving their seats. From Asian-inspired spring rolls, to a spin on an Italian caprese salad all the way to plates such as short rib and other delights, there is something for every palate. If you’re looking for cocktails and desert, they have a delectable array of sweets. Love is Blind offers an extensive wine list for those wine enthusiasts looking for a great bottle to pair with their meal.

Warm inviting décor including candles all around the venue, high ceilings, unique fixtures and sculptures and an open kitchen will await you at South Florida’s newest spot, Love is Blind.
Venue opens to the public next week.
Pictures by: photoActiva

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If you want to have some fun, and satisfy your taste buds with variety of new and unknown flavors, bring friends to the Miami Culinary Food Tours. You can choose between South Beach or Little Havana tours for$59 per person (includes tax, all food and beverage). There are also several group tour options available for a slightly higher price.

The tour started in an art gallery in the Little Havana, a family filled fun, very lively neighborhood of Miami.  We visited family-owned restaurants, admired the works of art local artists from Cuba, watched Master Cigar rollers hand-rolled cigars, listen to traditional Cuban music and learn about spiritual beliefs including Santeria.

After meeting and introducing ourselves, we began our walking guided tour through one of Miami’s oldest neighborhoods. We stopped in art galleries and met the artists and discussed their work and traditions in Miami as they have changed from Cuba. We ate our way through the area, stopping at El Pub for the traditional rustic Cuban cuisine. Our tastings were chicken stuffed plantains and picadillo stuffed empanadas along with Colodas – the traditional Cuban Coffee –super sweet, strong coffee as thick it is almost dessert. Next up, we visited the Cigar store. We watched Master Cigar rollers at work; they were drying leaves and rolling cigars. Educating us on the darker the cigar leaves the stronger the flavor of the cigar and the proper way to clip and light a cigar. Afterwards, we stopped at Exquisito Restaurant. Here we sampled the sandwiches. They were the classic Cuban sandwiches served with the crispy potato sticks.  As we continued our walk, we checked out the Tower Theater, this was the first theater many Cubans came to and watched and learned about American Culture. We stopped at Domino Park to watch the domino games. We tasted fresh iced guarapo juice at a local institution fruteria – which is the fruit store. The juice went well with our hot out of the oven guava pastelito from a little family bakery. We went into a place that serves coffee by day and a nightclub by evening. They have local musicians play. You never know who shows to play that evening! Our last stop was the Cuban Homemade Ice Store. They have flavors such as mamey, flan, guava and cream cheese and many more.

This is a fantastic way to spend an afternoon.  Touring an unusual neighborhood with lots of interesting galleries stores and of course, lots of fabulous food!

Our tour guide provided lots of interesting information about the culture and restaurants in the area.