By Sherri Balefsky | Online Editor
Happy April everyone! While we’ve already covered the top Easter brunches in Miami for this weekend, there are plenty of other must-attend food and wine events to look forward to this month. Here, we round up the best of the best April events:
Passover Seder at IKRA
Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4 at 8:30pm
For 17 years, Chabad of Sunny Isles Beach has been hosting traditional Pesach Seders on the first two nights of Passover, engaging community meals designed for those with or without religious experience. Hosted by Rabbi Yisrael Baron, this year’s Seder will take place at IKRA Restaurant & Lounge {16850 Collins Avenue, 106-A, Sunny Isles; 305.974.0081}. Participants will enjoy a six-course certified kosher meal, complete with shmura matzo, a complete Seder plate, and premium wines. Reservations are required and space is limited, so RSVP today!
BleauLive Presents Heart at Fontainebleau
Saturday, April 11 at 6pm (dinner); 8pm concert
This month’s BleauLive, Fontainebleau’s monthly concert series, presents the American rock duo and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Heart. With chart-topping hits such as “Alone,” “Barracuda,” and “Crazy On You,” Heart has and continues to shape the world of music. Witness as sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson capture Miami Beach with their distinguished sound at LIV nightclub. Packages start at just $125, and include entrance to the performance and a two-hour open bar. The best part: for just $25 more, you can add a pre-show prix-fixe dinner at your choice of Fontainebleau’s award-winning restaurants, Scarpetta, StripSteak (sold out), or Michael Mina 74. Click here for tickets.
Sunday Book Club “Read and Eat” at Ortanique
Sunday, April 12 at 6pm
Join Ortanique on the Mile {278 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables; 305.446.7710} for a special book club event in honor of resident Chef Cindy Hutson’s new cookbook, “From the Tip of My Tongue.” Chef Hutson will be in attendance, discussing her culinary journey and going through some of the stories in the book. Cost is $70 per person and includes a welcome reception, a signed copy of the cookbook, and a delicious three-course meal of Vanilla Bean Marinated Grilled Pineapple Salad, a choice of Pan-Roasted Atlantic Swordfish or Braised Beef Cheeks Pappardelle, and Heath Bar Bread Pudding for dessert (all of which are featured in the cookbook).
Veritage Miami
Wednesday, April 15 through Saturday, April 18
Formerly the United Way Miami Wine and Food Festival, Veritage Miami is a four-day foodie celebration featuring local sommeliers, chefs, wineries, and breweries. For its 20th anniversary in 2015, events will include craft beer tastings at Wynwood Walls; wine tastings at the Village of Merrick Park; a celebrity chefs’ dinner at the InterContinental Miami; and an auction at Marlins Park. All proceeds go to United Way, a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming people’s lives through various educational, financial, and health programs. Purchase tickets here.
Slow Food Miami’s “Snail of Approval” Tasting Party
Friday, April 24, 7-10pm
Slow Food Miami, a nonprofit organization dedicated to “planting a fresher future for our children,” will hold its fourth-annual “Snail of Approval” event at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. Attendees will join the evening’s ambassador, Emmy Award-winning journalist Belkys Nerey, along with celebrity guest judges for Miami’s “Freshest Night Out,” featuring bites from some of South Florida’s best farm-to-table eateries. Participants include Meat Market Miami Beach, Lido Restaurant & Bayside Grill at The Standard Spa, and Siena Tavern, among many others. Main event tickets are $85 and can be purchased here.
The dimly lit 7,800-square-foot, two-story dining area seats up to 150 guests and features sleek black and red leather couches with mirrored accents, evoking a Moulin Rouge meets Chicago meets South Beach glamour. The space also has two private dining rooms: the State Room (up to 20 guests) and the Crystal Chandelier Room (up to 60 guests).