This week’s events included tasting our way through the wines of Portugal, a trip to Clematis Street for a taste of Cuba and a visit to a hidden gem in South Beach. You can never have too much of a good thing and during this week, we had some great wines at the top of our list.
Photo from Savannah online
To kick things off, we visited Smith & Wollensky – home to the 1st Annual Fenadegas’ Annual Miami Wine Tasting. Attendees tasted from the 100+ wines from Portugals, mingled with the winemakers and discovered some new favorites.
On Wednesday, we met upstairs at Don Ramon Restaurant on Clematis Street, to satisfy our cravings for Cuban food. We enjoyed some favorite Cuban specialties like plantain chips, rice & beans and chicken croquettes. These paired nicely with one of Don Ramon’s specialty drinks — sangria. This was a nice beginning for another party just moments away at the new waterfront in downtown West Palm Beach where Pucci fashions, body painted models and upbeat energy added a nice vibe to our Wednesday night. We managed to snap a few shots of the group.
On Friday, we braved the wonderful Florida weather to find a hidden gem in Miami Beach. Located at the Angler’s Resort on Washington Avenue, this cozy lounge and restaurant was a welcome escape from the normal bustle of South Beach. Quiet enough to have a conversation, yet still having enough of that South Beach charm, we felt that we discovered a hidden gem in the middle of South Beach. It also helped that we were spoiled with some scrumptious gourmet treats from Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli like the Porcini Mushroom Croquetas, and you can’t forget the Prickly Pear Margaritas. Take a look at some of the pictures of our night out.
(and those Prickly Pear Margaritas) made for some happy Dine Club members.
We are back to our Tuesday night events and this week we’ll be at Cafe Sci Sci at Brickell. Combining traditional Southern Italian fine dining with a swanky lounge-type atmosphere, you are sure to enjoy the chic setting, the gourmet cuisine and the outdoor patio. Perfect for the after-work business crowd, yet still evoking a trendy feel, we thought it would be a perfect destination for one of our Dine Magazine events.
Where: Cafe Sci Sci, 1053 Brickell Plaza, Miami
When: Tuesday, March 16
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Cost: $10 in advance, $15 at the door – guests will receive 1 glass of wine and a selection of complimentary hors d’oeuvres including Fried Risotto, Meatballs and Fiocci (Pear and Cheese filled purses).
Everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, so come on out and join Dine Magazine for a happy hour St. Patrick’s Day style. Secrets, one of our favorite gathering spots, has created a fantastic buffet of traditional Irish specialties with a modern twist. For this event, we thought we’d kick things up a notch — so it’s green all-around — enjoy a contemporary version of a Blarney Stone cocktail, green decor, and of course, green costumes, if you choose. Prizes will be awarded for best costume, so start planning now and get in that festive spirit.
When: March 17
Time: 5:30-7:30 pm
Where: Secrets Piano Bar at Windsor Gardens Hotel, 11360 US Hwy 1, Palm Beach Gardens
Cost: $10 – includes 1 Blarney Stone cocktail and a selection of complimentary hors d’oeuvres
Menu:
Scottish Quail Eggs
County Cork Smoked Chicken “Corn Dogs”
Sheppard’s Pie Tartlets
Braised Guinness Beef
Traditional Soda Bread
Don Julio Margaritas, Sexy Nibbles, Fresh Salsa — all added a spice to our weekly DINE events. On Wednesday evening, we returned to PGA Boulevard for a taste of Mexico at Cantina Laredo. Nothing could compare to the high-quality Don Julio margaritas that we were served. We savored every last sip and paired these tasty beverages with some cheese quesadillas, chips & salsa, and chicken flautas. No more house margaritas, as our group was converted to Don Julio.
The evening brought in a combination of regular attendees and new faces — who all enjoyed in the night of activities. As always, we snapped some photos, and you can see all of the photos here.
We switched things up in Miami a bit this week. Instead of our weekly Tuesday night event, we gathered together on Thursday evening. With the space heaters in full force, we gathered at Grass Restaurant and Lounge to experience the sexy nibbles from Top Chef alum Micah Edelstein and a glass of wine.
Chef Micah Edelstein and daughter
Known for presenting a perfect combination of flavors and textures in every bite, Chef Micah dazzled our taste buds with her delicious offerings like the Caramelized Shallot Focaccia with Hibiscus Rosemary Mascarpone, Black Lava Sea Salt and Truffle Honey & Campari Tomatoes with Ciliegine Mozzarella and Ricotta Salata with Cashew Pesto finished in the finest unfiltered EVOO.
Guests cozied up to each other, sipped some fine wine and enjoyed the beautiful outdoor setting of Grass Restaurant & Lounge in the Design District. You can see some photos from our night out here.
If you live and die for food and wine, you are sure to love this upcoming week. It’s filled with everything delicious.
Key Lime Pie from The Green Gourmet, photo by Joe Woolf
Sunday, March 7: Chef Joey Giannuzzi, formerly of Henry’s in Boca Raton, created much buzz back in November when he opened up The Green Gourmet, a popular organic eatery. He is shaking things up again as he just launched the brand new West Delray Organic Green Market. Located in the parking lot outside The Green Gourmet on Sundays from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm, this green market will include all of your favorite organic products to one place. The Green Gourmet is located at 16950 Jog Road (in Shoppes of Addison Place), Delray Beach. 561-455-2466
Monday, March 8: The Fenadegas’ 1st Annual Miami Wine Tasting will take place on Monday at Smith & Wollensky. This event is open to the public and will introduce guests to over 100 from Fenadegas, the national association of wine cooperatives in Portugal, as they enjoy an unlimited sampling of wines from this region. The event takes place at Smith & Wollensky on Monday, March 8 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Cost is $25 or $20 when you use the code WINE. Buy your tickets today.
Tuesday, March 9: El Scorpion launched their Taco Tequila Tuesdays recently and this will fulfill all your taco and margarita cravings. Located in the old Tuscan Steak location, El Scorpion offers fabulous discounts on Tuesday evenings from 7:30 – 11:00 pm such as 2-for-1 house margaritas, $30 pitchers, mini tacos for $1 and $9 ceviche. El Scorpion is located at 433 Washington Ave; South Beach, 305.532.4544.
Wednesday, March 10: We are hosting one of our weekly happy hour events at Don Ramon Restaurant on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach from 5:30-7:30 pm. Enjoy a glass of sangria and a selection of complimentary hors d’oeuvres for just $10, while you mix and mingle. Don Ramon is located at 300 Clematis St., West Palm Beach.
Thursday, March 11: It might be a good time to check out SUGARCANE Raw Bar Grill. From 4:00-7:00 pm, Monday – Friday, kick back and enjoy their happy hour specials like the $5 signature cocktails, $18 pitchers of beer or sangria and a selection of small bites discounts. SUGARCANE Raw Bar Grill is located at 3250 NE First Ave, Miami. (786) 369-0353
Friday, March 12: Dine switched things up this week, as we moved our Tuesday night happy hour to Friday night. We will be at 660 at The Anglers on Miami Beach. Guests will enjoy a glass of wine and a selection of Mediterranean-inspired hors d’oeuvres from Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli. Cost is $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Buy your tickets today.
Saturday, March 13: We’ve been looking forward to the American Fine Wine Competition Gala for quite some time now, and finally the time has come where we will be able to enjoy a sumptuous menu created by the area’s top chefs like Oliver Saucy (Cafe Maxx), Cindy Hutson (Ortanique), Michael Wagner (Lola’s on Harrison) and Johnny V (Johnny V on Las Olas) and the 500+ wines entered into the competition at Lincoln Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach. Cost is $195, and proceeds from this event go to benefit the American Red Cross and the Quantum House. More information.