Ecoist Bag Sale

Ecoist's shiny, earth-friendly purses and accessories are on sale. They are cleaning house and selling loads of inventory at huge discounts. Bargains include the fetish-worthy Coca Cola small clutch (marked down to $40) to the roomy large portfolio (now $118) made from blue Luna Bar wrappers. Bonus: they plant a tree for every bag sold.

Ikea Food Fun

Went on an Ikea shopping spree this weekend. They had a couch sale; we caved in to consumer pressure and are now the proud owners of a Tysoland sectional. The best thing about leaving Ikea (aside from knowing that you've just squandered 6 hours of your life walking through a gargantuan Scandinavian furniture behemoth) is the nifty food store at the exit. We stocked up on herring, anchovies, crispy bread, fizzy pear cider and smoked salmon. I was inspired when I spotted the "Rosti" potato pancakes, sort of like Norwegian latkes. We got home and unpacked our Nordic bounty, fried a few rosti, topped them with the smoked salmon and sour cream (could've used a dollop of caviar, alas) and sat back to enjoy our hearty snack.

Miami.com Lookin Good

Miami.com has launched its beta site and it is a treasure chest of content. This is exactly the site I wish existed when I first moved down here years ago. I am loving the different themed guides and stellar photography. I even have a few articles in there. Kudos to the editor for hiring local bloggers like Paula from MangoandLime to spread some original and fantastic writing on the web.

Food Gang Does Brunch

The Food Gang's new brunch menu sounds pretty good. A nice bonus: your first mimosa or bloody Mary cocktail is on the house. The menu, consisting of omelets, poached, fried and scrambled eggs, is priced from $5-$9, (with the exception of a 4.38 ounce Petrossian ossetra caviar service at $1,000 and black truffle dishes at $25). Items include an American omelet (cheddar, ham, bacon or turkey bacon), Greek (egg whites, Kalamata olives, oven cured tomato, spinach, feta cheese, and basil), and Catalan (Manchego cheese, chorizo, tomato and fried egg).

The brunch menu is being offered Tuesday – Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Jerusalem: Masaryk Restaurant

I've got a carb craving today. If only I still lived in Jerusalem's German Colony - I'd mosey on down to Masaryk for their ridiculously rich egglplant ravioli with mushroom cream sauce. Ahhh yeah...

A Glass of Miami's Finest

I'm one of those people who never orders bottled water at restaurants. Not only do I dislike the practice because it inflates the bill, but it's also ridiculously wasteful. So I'm always "Yep, Miami's finest for me." And I'm starting to really get annoyed with that "_______'s finest" euphemism. Lets be honest people, we live in a place where the water is pretty safe to drink. That's one of the perks of living in America. Thankfully local restaurants are catching on to the bottle-banishing trend.
In an effort to minimize their environmental impact, Jaguar Ceviche Spoon Bar and Restaurant has begun its own water program. Rather than offering still or sparkling, Jaguar offers a carafe of specially filtered local water with its compliments. Around the neck of the carafe is information regarding “The Facts.” This information is below.

The facts:
· 166 bottles of water are consumed by the average American each year.
· 8 out of 10: number of un-recycled plastic water bottles that wind up in landfills or incinerators.
· 1,000: Estimated number of years required for a plastic water bottle to decompose.
· Local water: What’s in most popular water brands.

Art & Wine Lecture January 25

ART & WINE LECTURE-FRIDAY, January 25
7-9PM @ 800 LINCOLN RD GALLERY
Lecturer: Armando Droulers
JOHN HEARTFIELD & GERMAN PHOTO MONTAGE, 1920–1938
John Heartfield was a pioneer of modern photo montage and helped transform it into a powerful form of mass communication. Working in Germany and Czechoslovakia between the two world wars, he developed a unique method of appropriating and reusing photo graphs to powerful political effect. At a time of great uncertainty, Heartfield's agitated images forecasted and reflected the chaos Germany experienced in the 1920s and '30s as it slipped toward social and political catastrophe.
$20 per Person
To register or RSVP Call 305.674.8278, Ext. 15

Odds and Ends

• Beijing's Rem Koolhaas-designed CCTV building is nearing completion.
• Oh, and so is Norman Foster's massive Beijing airport.
• Wine tastes better the more it costs.
• A brief synopsis of Iran's Islamic revolution.
• Venezuelan Jews stand up to Chavez.
• A Heeb-tastic essay.
• A fascinating profile of filmmaker Michael Winterbottom, one of my faves.
• The story of stuff.
  

Shakespeare in the Park

Went to the outdoor performance of Shakespeare in the Park Miami's Much Ado About Nothing the other night and had a great time. Sunday is the last performance and though it's a bit nippy outside I highly recommend it. Grab a blanket and a picnic basket, a bottle of wine and you've got a great evening. The acting was pretty good, too.

House of Diehl @ Stoli Hotel

The Stoli Hotel

The Stoli Hotel, the future of marketing. I wish they had played up the Russian billionaire thing more. You know, with leggy Eastern Block women in furry jackets proffering frosty cocktails, mountains of caviar and smoked fish, that kind of thing. The vodka was definitely flowing and it seemed that everyone was having a Stoli-tastic time tasting all the different infused vodkas. My new fave is the blueberry, which, thankfully, is not blue. You know there's a food lackage when people start pouncing on waitresses with trays of tiny grilled cheese sammies. The color-themed rooms created an aura of exclusivity whereby you could only enter with a matching wrist band but the space was so big no one seemed aching to get into the hotel-suite lounges. The space will be up for another two weeks with various parties and buzz-worthy DJ's holding forth.

Segafredo on Brickell

The skyscraper canyon that is Brickell has been a bit lax in satisfying the social needs of its office refugees. With the opening of Euro-influenced Segafredo, the professional set now have reason to stick around from day to night. The futuristic coffee house aesthetic and delicate, unpretentious Italian eats of the global brand have been transplanted to Miami's financial district. Taking multi-tasking to its stylish extreme, this outpost effortlessly melds several destinations into one: it's a restaurant, a casual cafe (or caffe, for you Italianos) and a boutique nightclub. Daytime idlers can linger over well-executed cappuccinos, flaky croissants and at lunchtime, crusty panini oozing with mozzarella and basil. The coffee bar with barstools, plush red leather couches and free internet attracts laptop toters galore.

Spazio Nero, the on-premise club whose name is Italian for black space, takes its thematic credo seriously. Think vampy black leather couches with silver buttons, black-tinted mirrors throughout, and fleur-de-lis textured black-on-black wallpaper. At 2,000 square feet, there's ample space to get your dance on as local spinning talent hold forth from the elevated DJ booth.

Because this is Miami, you know the eclectic antique furniture in the outdoor living room lounge will be packed round the clock. Better claim your couch.

New Miami Restos

The food gods have smiled upon our Magic City. All of a sudden, Miami is abuzz with restaurant openings. Must be the influx of all those European tourists brandishing their superior currency. Or maybe people need ways to spend the piles of cash accumulated during the real estate boom. At least we food fiends get to benefit. Here are few places you should get excited about.
And I want to welcome all you readers from Eater. Glad to have you, park your keister at the bar and throw back a few.

• The Ritz South Beach has changed their in-house Americana into Bistro One LR. The menu's online: Polenta onion rings, monkfish osso buco, grapefruit glazed duck. I like what I'm seeing.
• Philippe Chow's new shrine to Chinese cooking at the Gansevoort South (above).
  
• Gerdy Rodriguez will helm 1 Bleu at the shiny new Regent Bal Harbour.
• John Suley of Boca's Cafe Joley just opened a Joley at the Hotel Astor. Interior design by Michelle Bernstein's sister.

Procastination Junction

• When in Mumbai, the seven best places to spot Bollywood stars.
• Cookie magazine thinks Miami is a great kid-friendly destination.
• Daily Candy endorses glass water bottles. I agree but I prefer to reuse Voss bottles, they're a bit cheaper than the ones DC recommends.
• Borges was an internet prophet. And a brain-twisting storyteller.

Wolf Pack Design Night

Vine Wine Shop Tasting Wednesday

Wednesday, January 16 th -- 7-9pm (No Charge!)
Vine "Swirl & Sip" Happy Hour
Join the weekly wine tasting, tasting the newest addition of amazing wines from Vine Wine Shop's collection -- 4-5 wines.
(10% off all wine purchases this evening)
7657 Biscayne Boulevard • 305-759-8463

Shanghai Tang, Mandarin Oriental

Trendy boutiques and trucker hats are great but sometimes you need a little class to go along with your Ed Hardy t-shirts. Shanghai Tang, purveyor of posh Asian designs, opened a boutique at the Mandarin Oriental hotel earlier this year. Make room in your closet for Chinese silk, Mongolian cashmere or the most refined shearling in the form of ready-to-wear for men, women and children. The store also sells housewares and accessories like hand bags, pouches and cases adorned with jade. Must-haves include the massive "Silk Road" Doctor's Bag purse adorned with Jade tassels and silver-plated cuff links emblazoned with "Double Happiness" characters.

Shanghai Tang
500 Brickell Key Drive
305.913. 8288

Table 8's Sweet Corn Soup Recipe

It's winter time and thus soup season. Even though our winter lasted about 3 days, it's still a great excuse to cozy up with a bowl of warm, hearty goodness. The sweet corn soup at Table 8 offers an elegant option for the warm food craving. Not as heavy as it sounds, due to a generous slug of white wine, the ethereal yellow broth balances the sweetness of the corn with the savory addition of leeks and celery. This is one of Table 8's seasonal offerings so it may not be around for long.
Recipe:
6 onions. 3 leeks, 6 celery stalks, 15 cloves garlic, bottle white wine, 6 quarts corn stock, 4 quarts heavy cream, 10 quarts of corn, salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: roasted shiitake mushrooms, roasted corn, green peas
To Make: Sweat onions, leeks, garlic and celery over med heat till translucent, add corn, add white wine, and corn stock – let cook for 1hr. In separate pot reduce heavy cream until 2/3rds.
Combine cream and soup mix, puree mixture in vita prep and pass through chinois, season to taste.

Tom Wolfe's Magic City

A peek inside Tom Wolfe's $7 million Miami book proposal.
“Our story begins,” Wolfe’s proposal opens, “inside the mind of a young Cuban policeman.” This policeman is Angel, a second-generation Cuban who’s no longer that invested in his heritage. Angel’s beautiful sister, Lourdes, has angered her family by marrying Dr. Michael Grubman, a famous (and Jewish) Miami sexologist who’s playing at high society without actually having the money to do so. While avoiding her creep of a husband by attending art functions (like “Miami’s annual freaknik for the newly, wildly, rich, the Art Basel show in December”), she befriends a mysteriously wealthy Russian émigré named Boris Korolev, who soon falls for her and urges her to run away with him. Angel, on the other hand, falls for Camille Duroy, a second-generation Haitian “mulat” passing as French.

Umm, gag me with a spoon? Someone. Please?

The Florida Room

Lenny Kravitz's new Delano basement drinkery is the new Mokai is the new Suite is the new go-to destination for style svengalis. A mix between a 1950's Cuban-style lounge and grandma's living room (complete with a Lucite grand piano), the teeny bar kicked off the year with a Basel shindig that had hundreds throttling to enter. Look forward to appearances from the owner himself, and pals like Lance Armstrong and Michael Bay.
1685 collins ave between 16th and 17th streets. 305.672.2000