Social Hour at Pizza & Burger by Michael Mina

Here is this week’s Miami food news:

Tuesday, March 13: Taco Tuesday
Brickell City Centre’s newest gourmet taco spot, Tacology {701 South Miami Avenue, Brickell; 786.347.5368} has everything you need for a solid Taco Tuesday—from good food and good drinks, to fun vibes and big-screen TVs playing the latest sports games. From Monday through Thursday, you can get half-priced beer, wine, and classic margaritas from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on Tuesdays, you can get two tacos for $5 on top of that. This deal is available every Tuesday.

Thursday, March 15: Thursday Cibo Sociale
If you live near the Mile, saunter on over to Cibo Wine Bar Coral Gables {45 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables; 305.442.4925}, and you’ll get half-off wine, beer, and cocktails from 4 to 7 p.m. In addition to that, there will be a a live DJ and free drinks for all ladies from 6 to 8 p.m. This deal is available every Thursday.

Friday, March 16: Steamed Lobster Friday
Catholic diners, rejoice! In honor of Lent 2018, Morton’s The Steakhouse {1200 Brickell Avenue, Brickell; 305.400.9990} will offer Steamed Twin Lobster Tails for just $35. This deal is available every Friday during Lent.

All Week Long: Social Hour
Go to Pizza & Burger by Michael Mina {4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.674.4636} any day of the week, and you can experience Social Hour! Offered daily from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., you’ll get buy-one, get-one-for-$1 cocktails, half-priced beers, and $5 wine specials.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

When it comes to hospitality, the talented team at Matador Bar at the Miami Beach EDITION {2901 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 786.257.4600} knows one thing for sure: Everyone loves pizza. And taking that fact to heart, they’re once again hosting their monthly pizza and cocktail party, Pineapples & Pizza, on Thursday March 15.
Like it does every month, the third installment of this event in 2018 will combine one, rotating off-menu pizza with a boozy Pineapple-inspired cocktail for a savory night your taste buds won’t forget. Admission is free, and guests are always invited to bring a friend, share a pizza, and sip a cocktail (or five) as they jam out to whatever live band is playing that night. On March 15, the special pizza will be Kale Pizza topped with Spicy Sausage, the cocktail will be Absolut Elyx Pineapple, and the live music will be provided by South Florida native and alt-sounds guru, Brika, who will rock out the house from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. that night.
This event is open to the public. The price for one special pizza and one Absolut Elyx Pineapple combined is $35 per person.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

Calling all wine and steak lovers! On Monday, March 19, StripSteak by Michael Mina {4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 877.326.7412} will host another installment of its Cellar 1954 dinner series. Designed to highlight and pair the world’s best wines and spirits with the restaurant’s award-winning cuisine, this next dinner will feature selections from none other than Napa Valley’s Quintessa Winery. Hosted by Quintessa’s winemaker, Rebekah Wineburg—with the food prepared by StripSteak’s Chef de Cuisine, William Crandall—this five-course dinner certainly won’t disappoint.
Here’s what you can expect to find on the event’s one-night-only, prix-fixe menu:
Hamachi Crudo with green apple, grapefruit, and hazelnut
Wine Pairing: Illumination Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2016
Broiled King Crab with tangerine sabayon, shiso, and clove
Wine Pairing: Flowers Sonoma Coast Rosé of Pinot Noir 2016
Roasted Squab Breast with huckleberry, dark chocolate bourguignon, and confit shallot
Wine Pairing: Duet of Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2015 and Flowers Sea View Ridge Pinot Noir 2014
Wagyu Strip Loin with bay leaf-scented beurre rouge and golden potatoes
Wine Pairing: Duet of Faust Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 and the Iconic Quintessa Napa Valley 2014
Chocolate Mousse with Valrhona Equatoriale, pepper meringue, and blackberry cabernet sorbet
This dinner will start promptly at 7 p.m. Dinner is priced at $250 per person, including tax and gratuity. Reservations are required, as seating is limited.  
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

Here is this week’s Miami food news:

Every Tuesday: Lobster Night at Cibo Wine Bar South Beach
Lobster Tuesdays at Cibo Wine Bar South Beach {200 South Pointe Drive, Miami Beach; 305.987.6060} are not to be missed! Every Tuesday, enjoy $25 Linguini With Whole Lobster, Grilled Whole Lobster, Lobster Thermidor, or Lobster Risotto.
Every Thursday: 50%-Off Wine at Sawa Restaurant & Lounge
Had a rough day? Looking for an excuse to start the weekend early? Head to Sawa Restaurant & Lounge {360 San Lorenzo Avenue, Coral Gables; 305.447.6555} every Thursday night, from 7 p.m. to Midnight, and you can get 50% off all bottles of wine.
Every Sunday: Asado Brunch at Los Fuegos
Head to Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann {3201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 786.655.5610} every Sunday, from Noon to 4 p.m., and experience a major social event in Argentina: the asado, or an open-fire barbecue typically shared by family and friends. During this weekly Asado Brunch, expect a four-course feast of family-style plates like Empanadas stuffed with hand-cut prime filet mignon and llajua sauce, Pink Grapefruit Salad with avocado, Chorizo with garlic aioli and potato salad, Dulce de Leche Pancakes, and more. Sunday Asado Brunch runs from Noon to 4 p.m. every week. Brunch is priced at $75 per adult and $35 per child. Bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys are available for an additional $25 per adult.
Everyday: “Beat the Clock” Happy Hour at R House Wynwood
Happy hour is a must in the Magic City, and R House Wynwood {2727 NW 2 Avenue, Wynwood; 305.576.0201} does it right. Go between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. daily, and you can “beat the clock” with bar bites, beer, wine, and well drinks for just $3 at 3 p.m., $4 at 4 p.m., and so on and so forth.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

The Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival is undeniably South Florida’s tastiest week of the year. That said, while everything we ate at the 2018 festival was delicious, there were some bites (and restaurants!) that stood out from the competition.

Here were our favorite bites from SOBEWFF 2018:

The Pizza & Burger Juicy Lucy (P.B.J.L.)
Topped with pepperoni, tomato confit, lettuce, and smoked mozzarella, and served on a crispy garlic bun
Where it’s from: Pizza & Burger by Michael Mina {4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.674.4636}
Where we found it: Heineken Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons

Short Rib Bolognese with Fresh Ricotta
Where it’s from: R House Wynwood {2727 NW 2 Avenue, Wynwood; 305.576.0201}
Where we found it: Barilla’s Italian Bites on the Beach

2 Mikes Burger
A blackened all-beef cheeseburger with applewood bacon jam, jalapeño, and sunchoke relish
Where it’s from: BUTTER
Where we found it: Heineken Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons

Orecchiette
With rapini and spicy Italian sausage
Where it’s from: Cibo Wine Bar South Beach{200 South Pointe Drive, Miami Beach; 305.987.6060}
Where we found it: Barilla’s Italian Bites on the Beach

Oxtail Brioche
With Silver Dollar mushrooms, kale, and oxtail aioli
Where it’s from: The Strand Bar & Grill {6801 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.514.7474}
Where we found it: BACARDÍ Rum & Bass Beach Party
Meat Lovers Cavatelli
Where it’s from: Dolce Italian {1690 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 786.975.2550}
Where we found it: Barilla’s Italian Bites on the Beach

Lobster Rolls
With Nova Scotia Lobster, celery, and Tarragon Mayo, and served on Old Bay Air Bread
Where it’s from: Lobster Bar Sea Grille {404 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.377.2675}
Where we found it: BACARDÍ Rum & Bass Beach Party

During SOBEWFF, more that 60,000 locals and visitors alike attend hundreds of walk-around-tastings, signature events, celebrity chef dinners, late-night parties, workshops, dessert events, food competitions, and more. Some fan favorite events include: Fontainebleau Miami Beach presents Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best, Heineken Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons hosted by Guy Fieri, Goya Foods’ Grand Tasting Village, BACARDÍ presents Walshy Fire’s Rum & Bass Beach Party, and Southern Kitchen Brunch hosted by Trisha Yearwood. The 2018 event saw celebrities, celebrity chefs, and event hosts like José Andrés, Giada De Laurentiis, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Duff Goldman, Anne Burrell, Robert Irvine, Scott Conant, Emeril Lagasse, Michael Schwartz, Jonathan “Foodgod” Cheban, Katie Lee, Marcus Samuelsson, Guy Fieri, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, to name a few.
Happy SOBEWFF!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

Rocking our South Beach shores until late Saturday night, the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival once again welcomed back BACARDÍ Beach Party! And while last year’s inaugural event was hosted by Run DMC’s “Rev Run” and DJ Ruckus, the 2018 edition revamped itself slightly to become the BACARDÍ Rum & Bass Beach Party, featuring none other than Miami’s very own Walshy Fire and DJ IRIE.
Taking place under the festival tents, throngs of locals and visitors alike packed the sand to eat, drink, mingle, and of course, dance the night away at this Bacardi bash. While cups and coconuts alike overflowed with rum-filled concoctions, party goers feasted on bites like Oxtail Brioche with Silver Dollar mushrooms, kale, and oxtail aioli from The Strand Bar & Grill {6801 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.514.7474}, Lobster Rolls with Nova Scotia Lobster, celery, and Tarragon Mayo on Old Bay Air Bread from Lobster Bar Sea Grille {404 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.377.2675}, and so much more.
And of course, food and drink aside, this beach bash was nothing if not a party. Running until Midnight (when Miami Beach shut off the music, much to everyone’s chagrin), hundreds of party goers danced on the sand to Walshy Fire and DJ IRIE’s latest playlist—which included everything from reggae, Motown and Reggaeton, to Drake, Will Smith, Whitney Houston, and Cardi B.
During SOBEWFF, more that 60,000 locals and visitors alike attend hundreds of walk-around-tastings, signature events, celebrity chef dinners, late-night parties, workshops, dessert events, food competitions, and more. Some fan favorite events include: Fontainebleau Miami Beach presents Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best, Heineken Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons hosted by Guy Fieri, Goya Foods’ Grand Tasting Village, BACARDÍ presents Walshy Fire’s Rum & Bass Beach Party, and Southern Kitchen Brunch hosted by Trisha Yearwood. The 2018 event saw celebrities, celebrity chefs, and event hosts like José Andrés, Giada De Laurentiis, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Duff Goldman, Anne Burrell, Robert Irvine, Scott Conant, Emeril Lagasse, Michael Schwartz, Jonathan “Foodgod” Cheban, Katie Lee, Marcus Samuelsson, Guy Fieri, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, to name a few.
Happy SOBEWFF!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

Last night, the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival continued with inarguably its hottest event of the year: the Heineken Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons, hosted by Guy Fieri! Taking place under the festival tents behind The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, this event welcomed thousands of food lovers to enjoy 40+ restaurants and chefs, an A-list judges panel, and of course, mouthwatering burgers.
After Rachael Ray’s 11-year reign as hostess, this year’s Burger BashⓇ welcomed Food Network rockstar, Guy Fieri, as its host. As guests mingled, drank Heineken beer, jammed out to live music, ate tons of burgers, and of course, cast their vote for the “Heineken Light People’s Choice Award,” Guy Fieri and the celebrity panel of judges—Bravo TV’s Andy Cohen, @foodgod Jonathan Cheban, Miami nightlife guru David Grutman, renowned fashion designer and cookbook author Zac Posen, Food Network personality Marc Murphy and actress Lele Pons—cast their vote for the best bun. 
Competing for either title were burgers from across the nation and some of South Florida’s most standout spots, like Quality Meats Miami Beach {1501 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.340.3333}, Swine Southern Table & Bar, Pincho Factory, Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen & Bar, and Pinch Kitchen, to name a few. While every burger was great, our favorite bite of the night was the The Pizza & Burger Juicy Lucy (P.B.J.L.) with pepperoni, tomato confit, lettuce, and smoked mozzarella on a crispy garlic bun from Pizza & Burger by Michael Mina {4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.674.4636}.
By the end of the night, the winners were chosen and stomachs were full. Coral Gables favorite Swine Southern Table & Bar took home the Heineken Light People’s Choice Award, PLANTA took home the award for the Best Plant-Based Burger, Kendall’s very own Barley Miami took home Red Robin’s Best of the Bash Award, and Alex Guarnaschelli’s BUTTER took home the Schweid & Sons The Very Best Burger Award.
During SOBEWFF, more that 60,000 locals and visitors alike attend hundreds of walk-around-tastings, signature events, celebrity chef dinners, late-night parties, workshops, dessert events, food competitions, and more. Some fan favorite events include: Fontainebleau Miami Beach presents Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best, Heineken Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons hosted by Guy Fieri, Goya Foods’ Grand Tasting Village, BACARDÍ presents Walshy Fire’s Rum & Bass Beach Party, and Southern Kitchen Brunch hosted by Trisha Yearwood. The 2018 event saw celebrities, celebrity chefs, and event hosts like José Andrés, Giada De Laurentiis, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Duff Goldman, Anne Burrell, Robert Irvine, Scott Conant, Emeril Lagasse, Michael Schwartz, Jonathan “Foodgod” Cheban, Katie Lee, Marcus Samuelsson, Guy Fieri, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, to name a few.
Happy SOBEWFF!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor