Downtown Miami from sea.
This time of year in Miami, everyone’s favorite thing to do is complain about how busy we are. We talk of that thing called “season” and how we haven’t had a moment’s rest since Art Basel. And it seems February has reached the fever pitch. Within about two weeks time, we’ve had the Miami International Boat Show, Art Wynwood, Social Media Week, and The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival.
We find ourselves saying ridiculous things like, “OMG, I was out until 4am dancing at Rec Room with Curtis Stone last night. I barely made it to Bal Harbour in time for my luncheon at Makoto. And I totally overbooked my afternoon because I had to rush back to Miami Beach Marina to go out on a million dollar yacht with prospective buyers from the Boat Show. Oy vey!” Yes, these are South Beach problems.
This was the first year I really participated in the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, and boy was it a gluttonous weekend. I’m so over eating and drinking! Is it possible to just drink water, go to yoga, and run on the beach for a week? Or maybe it’s time to try juicing. Of course, it’s silly to complain because it was an incredibly fun weekend, starting with Thursday night at Moët-Hennesy’s The Q hosted by Paula and Bobby Deen.
Thursday- The Q, The Q After Dark, The James Hotel, The Gale Hotel
Curtis Stone popping bottles at The Q After Dark. Photo courtesy World Red Eye.
I went with my partner in crime, cocktail writer for Miami.com, Galena Mosovich, and we beelined to the bar for, what else, Belvedere and rosé Chandon. My primary objective for the evening underneath the tent on the beach was to find my friend Al Roker, and I spotted him right away serving up lamb ribs at his booth. There was plenty of taste testing to be done, but a dish I tried early on in the night at Paula Deen’s booth was head and shoulders above the competition. She was serving barbecue chicken that was so tender and juicy, it melted off the bone, along with a side of smoked pulled pork and beans, and piping hot, creamy jalapeño grits. It hit such a spot that I immediately went back for a second helping.
Strange things happened that evening, like when Paula Deen crowned Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto the Kingsford Charcoal King of The Q with a red cape, crown, and spatula staff. That’s good news for me, as I’ll be dining at his restaurant for my birthday dinner in New York this weekend. Next, the party shifted gear to The Q After Dark as performers from Mansion’s Cirque de Mansion Wednesday night party took center stage with DJ Konflict on the turntables. The party ended in a crescendo of champagne showers administered by Aussie Chef Curtis Stone, my personal definition of a bonafide hunk.
We made our way to an after party at The James Hotel where Chef Kris Wessel was holding court, serving up all sorts of fresh fish, goat (yes, goat!), and of course, plenty of fancy cocktails. Other chefs spotted at the party included Andrew Zimmern, as well as Spike Mendelsohn from Top Chef. Because sometimes two after parties just aren’t enough, we stumbled into The Gale Hotel for a nightcap at The Regent Cocktail Club, which devolved into dancing until dawn at Rec Room where Curtis Stone was having his own after party. And, yes, I danced with him. For at least one minute.
Friday- Makoto Luncheon, Sailing, Garden to Glass, SLS Chef’s Party
Chef’s choice sushi & sashimi at Makoto Bal Harbour.
I woke up Friday morning and immediately turned on the Today Show where Savannah, Natalie, Willie, and Al were broadcasting down the beach at the Loews Hotel. I was just in time to catch local fashionistas Annie Vazquez, Ginger Harris, and Maria Tettamanti sharing their take on Miami style with the nation. Then, it was time for me to get my act together. Off to Bal Harbour for lunch at Makoto, sponsored by Moët-Chandon!
Yes, what I needed at that moment was a tropical cocktail and more Champagne, as well as a decadent sushi and robata spread guided by Chef Makoto, himself. I sat with Sara Liss and Fred Gonzalez of Miami.com. The menu included such whimsical and mouth-watering entrees as tuna air bread with caesar foam, tomato, and red onion, kobe beef carpaccio, and frosty kobe fried rice with foie gras, shichimi, and a jidori egg. But there’s no rest for the weary, as I had to rush down to the Miami Beach Marina to help a friend crew a Benetau 55 sailing yacht–the only in North America–for prospective buyers.
Garden to Glass at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens.
In the evening, it was time for Galena and me to mixologize with the guys from Bar Lab, as well as Emeril Lagasse at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens for the Garden to Glass party. The setting was absolutely majestic, and my favorite cocktail was the Rum Old Fashioned, made with Botran rum, Nocello walnut liqeuer, walnut bitters, and root beer leaves. For snacks, My Ceviche was on hand serving all sorts of fresh fish bites.
Still not completely exhausted, we charged onto the SLS Hotel for Chef José Andrés’ Chef After Party. There, amidst all the Philippe Starck splendor, were Chefs Daniel Boulud and Marcus Samuelsson. Local superstars, like Michael Schwartz of Michael’s Genuine, Jose Mendin and Andreas Schreiner of the Pubbelly Group, and Todd Erickson of Haven, were also out and about. Was this a party that my guy Curtis Stone could pass up? Of course not, he was there, as well as Spike Mendelsohn. We even spotted the much-skewered as of late Guy Fieri make a serious entrance poolside towards Hyde Beach. The highlight of the night, though? Jamon Iberico sliced right off the pig with a dollop of caviar. Decadence to the extreme!
Saturday- Stocking Your Home Bar
Since I’d had more than a full weekend by the time Saturday rolled around, I kept my calendar light and attended a Lifestyle Seminar with Vegas-based mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim, Stocking and Tending Your Home Bar at The Shelborne. He mixed up everything from Mojitos, Manhattans, and Dry Martinis, to his favorite, the Negroni with the verve of a true Vegas showman. The audience sampled his recipe for the Margarita and an original cocktail, dubbed the Sunsplash.
Sunday- Trucks on Midtown’s Tracks
Rhonda, Christina, & Shayne at Trucks on Midtown’s Tracks.
As a grand finale to it all, I headed to Trucks on Midtown’s Tracks hosted by Andrew Zimmern with my pals Rhonda Flores and Christina Biscardi. Underneath a tent in the heart of Midtown was a smorgasbord of food trucks dishing up their grub, as well as free-flowing wine, beer, and bubbly from Brazil. We made the circuit, noshing to our hearts’ desire, and in the end, two of our favorites took home the prizes.
Slow Food Truck won Zimmern’s Choice with their Beef Shorty Slider served with queso fresco, arugula, and crispy shallots. The crowd favorite went to Miami’s beloved Ms. Cheezious for their South in Your Mouth Melt with smoked BBQ pulled pork, fried pickles, and cheddar cheese on buttery Texas toast. Yum! We couldn’t resist hanging with Zimmern at his AZ Canteen truck and sampling his hot dog and hibiscus punch, and Contenti Cupcakes proved to be a sweet finish with their raspberry lemonade and red velvet cupcakes.
