Detours on our easy-come, easy-go road
18.10.2009, 05:13
Milestones were celebrated last week and we're not talking about the opening of the lovely new minimart at the gas station on Alton Road and 15th Street.
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The Hotel Astor celebrated its 10th anniversary with a stylish affair that only made us misty with nostalgia for the hotel's opening party a decade ago featuring a closed-off section of Washington Avenue and a live performance by Sister Sledge, who at that time was still not passé enough to be featured on one of those '70s, '80s and today radio stations. How time flies.
It's nice to see that unlike your recent Botox shot, things in this town really can last. Not as considerable but still worthy of mention was the two-year marker for the Sunday Soiree party at the Raleigh Hotel on Feb. 12.
B.E.D.'s wildly popular Monday night party, Secret Society, celebrated its fifth birthday on Monday. B.E.D. also debuted a new Tuesday party called Funkalicious! -- the brainchild of DJ JP Rigaud and his friends, DJs Alex Campili and K-2, who spin new funk, breakbeats and house music all night long, say what? To add to the Tuesday night excitement, B.E.D. chef Jay Daigle is offering a three-course prix fixe dinner for $40 and owner Oliver Hoyos has declared the official drink of the evening the Pussy Galore. Don't ask, just drink.
And speaking of drinking, although festival regular Al Roker won't be at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival this year because he's busy checking out the Olympics in Italy, everyone else and their mother will be out stuffing and swilling this weekend at the festival's fifth showing -- that is, if they were lucky enough to score tickets to any of the events. If not, you're outta luck. Every single event is sold out. But that doesn't mean you can't try to peek through the fence at tonight's Bubble Q party at the Delano, where chefs barbecue and everyone else makes sure to drink as much champagne as humanly possible.
You can also check out the Food Network Challenge's Bartending Battle at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. Top bartenders will compete and channel their best Tom Cruise circa Cocktail impression for a $10,000 prize. For those who are more impressed by the skills of, say, Food Network star Rachel Ray as opposed to those of say, Paris Hilton, this weekend is your dream come true. Chef spotting is a popular sport -- especially when all the dinners are over and the likes of Anthony Bourdain and friends hit Club Deuce for some down-and-dirty drinking.
Speaking of, if you happen to be in the area of the Improv at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino this weekend, check out the big launch of Femme Fatale-X Rated Vodka -- the first vodka ''created to delight women,'' the launchers claim -- featuring choreographer Roger Lee, best known for the coordination of the likes of Gwen Stefani, a pre-Federlined Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. Lee, you see, has developed a routine that ''exemplifies the personality of'' the subtly named vodka. All proceeds from the $20 cover charge go to Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS. Best of all, you can get your drink on early so you have the rest of the night to see what all this X-rated business is: The party starts at 6:30 p.m.
For something a little more PG: gleaming disco balls and '70s and '80s music for those who were around when Peaches and Herb and McFadden and Whitehead were the Pussycat Dolls and Jamie Foxx and Kanye Wests of their day at Feverish Fridays, beginning tonight at Louie's Brick Oven in North Miami Beach.
The disco divas who are throwing that weekly party, Diane Heller and Susan Scott, have a new ritual on Thursday nights with a party at Nikki Marina in Hollywood evoking the days when Satine at the Diplomat was the place to be even if you had to schlep a bit to get there.
And finally, if you've ever needed a real reason to drink, Vino Miami is giving it to you at 8 p.m. Saturday in the form of Wine for Wishes, a fundraiser benefiting the Make a Wish Foundation. The chichi wine tasting will feature 16 boutique wines, many of which typically go for up to $50 a glass, for a ticket price of $75 per person -- that comes out to less than $5 per glass with free refills until the booze runs out. Half of that ticket price goes to the charity. There's also a live wine and silent auction from which all proceeds go to the foundation. For more info, 786-207-VINO or go to vinomiami.com.
At The Mark, the new South of Fifth street hot spot, it's the Wine Down Social Club on Thursdays -- ''something to do on a Thursday night that allows for networking, yet does not require an hour in line and a $20 cover,'' says publicist John Mark Strahan. Even better, the club kicks off every Thursday with a happy hour from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. and goes until 2 a.m. for those, according to Strahan, 'who prefer to down the wine as opposed to the `wine' down.'' Touché! Hopefully we'll all still be doing just that for many years to come.