Happy Hour at the Pelican

Catch South Beach hipsters reveling in the ocean breeze and enjoying bargain-priced cocktails at the Pelican Hotel's new weekday happy hour. Italian apertivos, Martinis, and tropical drinks are 50 percent off. A $7 bites menu sweetens the deal. Monday-Friday, 4PM-8PM. The Pelican Hotel, 826 Ocean Dr., South Beach, 305.673.3373.

The Brunch at the Setai

Nasi goreng for breakfast? You betcha. Banal brunch fare gets an upgrade from the Orient with The Restaurant at The Setai's brunch service. James Beard-endorsed Executive Chef Jonathan Wright oversees a feast including Chinese, Thai and Indian chef stations producing pad Thai, Hainanese chicken rice, curries, naan breads, dim sum and dishes from the Tandoor oven. Lox-loving epicureans need not fret: Classics like roast beef, pancakes, omelets and pastries are also be available. As a bonus, the fixed price includes a glass of Veuve Clicquot or a Bloody Mary. Sundays 11:30AM-3PM; $48.
2001 Collins Ave.
South Beach
305.520.6000

Restaurants with blogs

It's nice when restaurants do this (and actually update semi-regularly).
Here's Maino Churrascaria and Shing Wang.

Gen Art's SHOP Miami @ The Moore Building

Gen Art's SHOP Miami event was three floors of fashion madness last night. Lots of style mavens in the house trying on little dresses over their jeans and fighting for mirror space behind flimsy makeshift curtain dressing rooms. Once again the Moore Building proved to be a great venue for these types of events (even Shecky's crappy sale bonanza worked well in the space) with the elastic Zaha Hadid installation providing a welcome wackiness. The biggest traffic jam was in the front of the Toff Miami booth where one friend snagged 2 Ana Sui dresses for $140. Now that's a sample sale. The open bars kept the trend crusaders lubricated with Baileys, Peroni and 10 Can rum (although the only mixers were Vitamin Energy drinks, no rum and diet for you, skinny jeans lovers!). Local Miami designers were out in force including Krelwear, Ecoist, Nazly Villamizar and the subject of my latest fashion profile in 944, Tricia Fix, looking happy to be selling.

Indies Night @ Circa 28

After Hours with Daniel

Totally addicted to After Hours with Daniel Boulud. All the episodes are here, including his five shows in Miami. In this epi he gets Michael Schwartz to de-feather fresh game (and Schwartz admits it's his first time). Love how DB is so unapologetically old school.

Get Your 'Cue on at Johhny V's

Thursday June 26: Barbequlooza – a celebration of American BBQ served family-style at Johnny V Las Olas. Priced at $35 per person (plus tax and gratuity). The festivities begin at 7 p.m. with summery cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres followed by a decadent spread sure to please. Seats are limited to 40 attendees and must be reserved in advance. Menu items include Chipotle Barbequed Baby Back Ribs and Southern Style Fried Chicken with “White Trash” Gravy.
625 East Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.
(954) 761-7920

Thursday Night: Shop-tastic

Thursday night is consumption junction with THREE shopping events sure to attract all the usual hoi polloi. First up, the mammoth SHOP Miami at the Moore Building. Open bar, beauty treatments and lots of local designer goodness. Tix are $20. Miami.com has a nifty guide to the sample sale madness.
Over on Lincoln Road, the GUESS store is opening (in the old Cafeteria space) with Ingrid Casares hosting and DJ Tracy Young making sure you groove while snapping up skinny Italian jeans.
A few blocks away 944 mag is hosting a soiree a the Miss Sixty store with a live performance by Lady Gaga. Print out this invite for an additional 10%.

Free Drinks!

My Open Bar, the NYC-based free drink event website has just started a Miami edition. Thanky, thanky liquor-sponsor gods!

Roofies

This past week in New York it was all about the rooftop venues for drinks. The weather was fanstastic so I happily obliged and there were plenty of new skyscraper-grazing outposts to sample. There's the Peninsula Hotel's new Salon de Ning, the Empire Hotel's got a Jefferey Chodorow-run pool deck and there are a plethora more. I even managed to haul ass to Park Slope for a laid-back bbq in honor of a college friend's recent wedding. So on Sunday afternoon we wandered around the Meat Packing district and found ourselves at the Hotel Gansevoort rooftop, chock full of tourists and local cougars doing the drinks at 1pm thing. The pool is tiny by Miami standards, but that didn't stop the hordes of bikini-clad post-sorrority girls from cavorting like it was Ibiza. The best part? The view of the Soho House's rooftop scene.

Breakfast!

Oh sweet joy. Is there any better way to start the day than with an almond croissant? Especially when it is courtesy of Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery at the Time Warner Center. The bakery is the high-end chef's stab at plebeian dining; no $350 tasting menu here. Simple sandies and baked goods. We opted for the takeout counter, no need to sit under the giant Samsung sign in the mall. Apparently their homemade donuts are legendary but I just couldn't handle paying $4.50 for a donut. Instead we grabbed a few demi baguettes, almond and raspberry croissants ($3 each) and walked to Central Park. Loverly.

Weekend Goodness

I may be in New York this week but my inbox wouldn't know it. Check out these events this weekend.
Saturday June 21st at Mokai:
BELVEDERE VODKA
Invites You To Celebrate Summer
With Cool Cocktails & Special Host
MOLLY SIMS
sounds provided by Tom Laroc
RSVP 305.534.4166 or RSVP@Mokaimiami.com
and

Coffee and Chocolate

Been running around the city flitting from meeting to lunch date to meeting to coffee date like a mad hatter. Lots of fun stuff to report. Been drinking coffee like a fiend and found possibly the best cuppa at Roasting Plant Coffee on the Lower East Side (above). The place is set-up like with Willy Wonka-esque coffee shoots where you get to choose your beans - all organic with titles like Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, etc. - and they roast those bad boys right there on the spot and spark up the freshest brew ever.
Stopped by Israeli import Max Brenner's chocolate emporium in Union Square where a gaggle of Asian tourists were enamored of the Willy Wonka-ness on display there. Sampled some chocolate-covered pecans, pronounced them bittersweet-tastic and was on the move.

Miami Spice Preview

Zyr Vodka Dinner at Ortanique

There's more to vodka than cocktails, you know. Find out when Ortanique on the Mile hosts a Zyr Vodka maker's dinner today. See how the crystal-clear liquor compliments Hawaiian Kampachi ceviche and roasted stuffed quail. Zyr owner David Katz hosts the spirit-soaked repast. June 19, 7PM, $75. 278 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables, 305.446.7710

Chow Down

Philippe opens at the Gansy tonight. Take a wok on the wild side.

New York State of Mind

Sorry about the lack of bloggage friends, I'm in New York for the week, catching up with old friends, new friends and interacting with all sorts of humanity. Was the city always this crowded? Damn there are a lot of people here.
Tried blogging from Bryant Park yesterday which was idyllic and quiet and beautiful except for one thing: no outlets. They definitely need to get on that. I've been eating my way through the city of course, with a fantastic Greek feast at Avra (thanks again Greta and Allison!), pickles on the Lower East Side, a stop at my fave falafel shack Mamoun's, and drinks at my old college haunt, The Heights, where I found myself thinking was this place always so...sticky?
More pics and updates on the way. In the meantime you Miamians should read this First Look of Fratelli Lyon.

Y-3 Temp Store

Love the futuristic apparel at Miami's adidas and Yohji Yamamoto Y-3 store but too lazy to hop over to the Design District? Fret not, beach bums, the Japanese-influenced fashions have migrated over the causeway with a temporary store in South Beach. You'll spot everyone from bauble-clad socialites to trendsetting fashion junkies snapping up the space-age gear, featuring highlights from the summer ‘08 collection like the funky gold metallic "Honja" hightops. Through June 23.
1655 Meridian Ave.
South Beach
305.573.1603

Sat. Night Gallery Haps

If you have yet to attend one of Miami's "Second Saturdays" gallery walks then here's the perfect opportunity for you. Not only is there stellar art to be seen, commented on and perhaps be perplexed by, complimentary Belvedere Vodka cocktails abound while scoping the scene at PanAmerican ArtsProjects, Diana Lowenstein Fine Arts, and Kevin Bruk Gallery. June 14, 7PM-10PM.
PanAmerican ArtsProjects
2450 NW 2nd Ave.
Wynwood
305.573.2400

Diana Lowenstein Fine Arts
2043 N. Miami Ave.
305.576.1804

Kevin Bruk Gallery
2249 NW 1st Place
305.576.2000

Also, Milou Gallery celebrates Second Saturday on June 14, 2008 with the opening of ART FIX @ 36th Street exhibition. The reception is free and open to the public from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. with complimentary wine. The exhibition runs through July 11, 2008 at Milou Gallery 17 NW 36th Street, Miami, FL 33127. For information please call (305) 573-8450 or visit www.perrymilou.com.

Fridays at Level 25

Friday night happy hour just got an upgrade. Join Brickell power players as they sip $6 cocktails at Level 25's end-of-the-week fest, Elevated Fridays. Nestled in the posh 25th floor lounge of the Conrad Miami, the icing on this cake are chef Michael Gilligan's complimentary hors d'oeuvres served from 6PM-7PM. Fridays, 5PM-8PM. Conrad Miami, 1395 Brickell Ave., Downtown, 305.503.6529.