taste of broward thursday february 25 7pm - 10pm Come celebrate the Broward / Palm Beach New Times - Taste of Broward issue launch with some of the great restaurants available at Westfield Broward. Each of our restaurants will be showcasing their food in 45 min increments throughout the night with two open bars with related beer pairings.

Tickets are $5 and all proceeds will be donated to local food bank LifeNet4Families.

tickets AvAilAble At BiT.Ly/TasTEoFBroWard

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browardpalmbeach.com TASTE 2016 3 very year, the Taste Guide aims to give readers just that: a taste of the ever-evolving edible scene in South Florida. This year, we’re getting down to business. We’re tracking trends, like the barbe- E cue craze that is filling the area with the aroma of smoked meats and house-made sauces. South Florida also benefits from our Caribbean proximity, so we’ve put together a list of the best Jamaican restaurants in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Local brewers reveal the reality of what it takes to turn your homebrewing hobby into a commercial concern. And chef Louie Bossi tells the tale of how he went from tossing pizzas to curing his own salumi in the restaurant that shares his name. Meanwhile, local activists hope to save our food chain by saving the bees with urban apiaries. From bees to beer, from counter service to white tablecloths, it’s a good time to be eating in South Florida.

► BEE READY...... 6

SMOKED...... 8 ► OLD-WORLD COOKING...... 12

STIRRING THINGS UP...... 14 ► WILL BREW FOR MONEY...... 18

ISLAND TO PENINSULA...... 20

► LEE’S PICKS...... 22

BIG EVENTS AT THE FEST...... 24

► YOUNG GUNS...... 27

AT A TENDER AGE...... 28

► TASTE TEST...... 30

4 4 TASTETASTE 2016 2016 browardpalmbeach.commiaminewtimes.com browardpalmbeach.com TASTE 2016 5 Taste BEE READY Public land may save Broward’s dwindling apiaries.

more disappeared. We lost approxi- Albee. “And the city said, ‘Sure.’ ” mately 36 percent. The direct cause is It then went to the state, which still up for debate. Many blame sub- eventually sent out an inspector to lethal effects of pesticides, but there advise and sign off, certifying that were also pathogens, parasites (like the hives qualify under Florida’s the nasty varroa), and nutrition issues. best management practices. Much of the food we eat relies To avoid direct contact between on pollinators like ants, bats, birds, bees and the public, the apiary is and butterflies. Among the products surrounded by a six-foot fence. Cold- they help produce are almonds, well, who makes a living as a general apples, plums, pears, cherries, rasp- contractor, installed windows so berries, blackberries, and strawber- people could see the action. The ries. Bees are the workhorses of the chance of coming into direct contact lot. Without them, the human food with a bee is minuscule with this supply would be in critical danger. setup. When apis leave the hive, they Because of this, Apidae have be- fly vertically, usually four or five feet come a huge topic of conversation. in the air. With a tall fence, their flight The State of Florida, Department of path is forced even higher. They Agriculture & Consumer Services, then forage two to six miles from the and the University of Florida are try- hive, so they’re not concentrated in Because every bee ing to increase bee populations. “Ev- a small area. Regardless, bees are not needs a home. erybody wants the best for bees,” says aggressive when looking for food. Photo by John Coldwell of Urban Farming Institute Coldwell. “What we want is nice bees, Albee and Coldwell check the ten BY SARA VENTIERA everywhere, and a way to educate hives multiple times per week, far people so they’re not afraid of them.” more often than most beekeepers. he Broward Beekeepers Starting in spring of 2015, Lewis, To make it happen, Lewis helped They are maintaining the neces- Association was worried Albee, and Coldwell went down a secure a $5,000 grant sary logs to develop when the possibility arose path that recently culminated with through BRHPC. “Their information, acquire that it would lose the the grand opening of Florida’s first emphasis is to better the WITHOUT data, and obtain sup- north-central Broward microapiary on public land. The health of the commu- BEES, THE port for more grants. CountyT tract where community Discovery Farm and Gardens at nity at large in Broward In addition to other HUMAN apiaries are located. Some used it to Jaco Pastorius Park is the proto- County,” says Coldwell. FOOD SUPPLY agriculture-related temporarily house bees rescued from type for a countywide effort to save “That covers hospitals, courses and cooking unwanted locations. If the association declining honeybee populations food programs, farm- WOULD BE lessons, the Urban lost the plot, it would be harder find through rescue efforts, sustain- ing, and other areas. IN CRITICAL Farming Institute is new homes for rescued hives. That able management, and research. Bees fit right into that.” DANGER. now offering classes could potentially open the door to Bee populations in Florida have The apiary was not on beekeeping. Every chemical pest control and declining been hit hard over the past two de- the first garden program funded Saturday, whether there is a specific populations of the most important cades. In the early-aughts, there was by the council. BRHPC helped get class or not, someone will be onsite pollinator of fruits and vegetables. fear of invading aggressive African- Dania Beach People’s Access to to answer questions about the bees. But BBA member Daniel Lewis, ized bees. So the state took action, Community Horticulture (PATCH) Albee is also in talks with Broward an at-large board member of the killing off large numbers of Apidae, $35,000 for start-up costs. College about initiating certificate Broward Regional Health Planning good and bad. By 2006-07, it was Lewis hit stumbling blocks with programs in apiary management. Council (BRHPC), had a solution obvious those measures were not the city. Coincidentally, someone from “We want to have a vigorous con- brewing: What if microapiaries were working. Africanized bees bred with the PATCH program called Coldwell versation about turning this [urban established on public land on a num- western honeybees, creating health- for a beehive, and he just happened to beekeeping] into jobs and what ber of venues across Broward County? ier, calmer mixed-breed populations be rescuing one from a location close this would look like,” adds Albee. His idea had been around in the that are resistant to disease like pesky to the garden. That’s when he met Since Oakland Park put its name beekeeping community for about four varroa mites, a deadly apis parasite. Lewis. Within several days, Coldwell on the program and it’s now up and or five years, BBA member/Urban Even so, bee populations contin- introduced Lewis to Albee, knowing running, other municipalities have Farming Institute apiary director John ued to be attacked. In the mid-’00s, the Dania Beach apiary. Given Albee’s reached out to the team. “The idea Coldwell says. But Lewis used his Colony Collapse Disorder was discov- relationship with the city, through of apiary on public venues has been political know-how and connections ered. That’s a phenomenon in which the Urban Farming Institute, they around for a while,” says Coldwell. to make it happen. “Jon Albee [Urban bees abandon hives and eventually decided to try Oakland Park instead. “They [other cities] ran away politi- Farming Institute founder] and I get a perish. During the 2006-07 winter, Albee and Coldwell took over from cally, because when you talk about lot of credit related to this,” Coldwell commercial apiarists reported hive there. Together, they went through bees, you talk about getting stung. It adds. “I want to give credit where losses near 32 percent. (Losses of 18.9 presentations at parks & recreation, was the City of Oakland Park who had credit is due — the entire concept on percent are considered economically zoning, and the building department. the courage to say yes, to allow Jon public land was Dan Lewis’ idea.” sustainable.) The following year, even “It took about five minutes,” says Albee to put it on a public park.”◆

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browardpalmbeach.com TASTE 2016 7 Taste SMOKED Florida might not have its own style of ’cue, but we do have options.

the iconic, Florida-born Blue Front WHERE TO GET Bar-B-Que sauce company in 2011 SMOKED CHICKEN... from Annie Nelson, widow of the Smoke BBQ company’s founder, Norris Nelson. As 3351 NE 32nd St., Fort Lau- the story goes, Nelson began his bar- derdale. Call 954-530-5334, becue operation in 1964 at the corner or visit eatbbqnow.com. of 15th Street and Tamarind Avenue Rather than the Kansas City-style in West Palm Beach. Growing up in ’cue Smoke Delray Beach has become Eastman, Georgia, he learned to cook known for, Smoke Fort Lauderdale from his father — ribs and chicken offers an expanded variety of meats. slathered in a spicy BBQ sauce that Each is smoked in-house daily — quickly became a hit, beloved by all anywhere from five to 16 hours, the locals who frequented his shop. It depending on the cut — and served in became so popular, Norris began sell- a variety of regional styles. Some of it ing his sauce in empty soda bottles. doesn’t even adhere to any particular Later, in 1979, he patented the name region at all but instead offers the Blue Front Bar-B-Que Inc. and began chef’s unique blend of many. With marketing his sauce to the public in all the rib and beef goodness going many stores throughout the country. on, it might be easy to overlook the Now, more than 40 years later, you smoked chicken, but don’t. There’s can even get a potent cocktail during something exceptionally good about happy hour, a side or two of live mu- this bird, smoked in half-portions for sic to go along with your meal, and a six hours, emerging from the kitchen to-go bottle of that famous barbecue with moist white meat beneath a thin Pulled- pork sandwich from t he Georgia Pig. sauce for savoring the flavor at home. shell of golden, crackled skin. Pile it onto a platter or stuff it between Photo By Nicole Danna WHERE TO GO FOR two slices of potato bread and you’ve BY NICOLE DANNA SPARE RIBS... got yourself one of the best damned Carousel BBQ chicken sandwiches you’ll ever taste. ere’s a quick lesson Here in South Florida — the only 204 S. Powerline Road, Deer- for you: According to state in the South without its own field Beach. Call 754-212-4535. WHERE TO GO FOR the Oxford English brand of BBQ — Southern influence Here, chef-owner Leroy Jones TEXAS BRISKET... Dictionary, the world can still be felt even hundreds of has been cooking his Memphis- and Blue Willy’s Barbecue “barbecue” derives miles from the ’cue belt of the na- Georgia-style eats and Southern soul 1386 S. Federal Highway, Pom- fromH the Spanish word “barbacoa,” tion; pig and cow lovers can brag and food in the former Lil’ Ole Caboose pano Beach. Call 954-224-6120. which in turn is said to have derived say we have a little bit of everything space. The restaurant, once a food Blue Willy’s Barbecue in Pom- from “barbracot,” a word from the when it comes to authentic regional truck based in West Palm Beach, pano Beach is an authentic re- Haitian-Carib dialect used to de- barbecue staples. And in case you got its start with Dora McElhaney, a creation of the 1950s Texas butcher scribe the green sticks that formed haven’t noticed lately, it’s a good Georgia native known for many years shop turned eatery where owner the grill islanders would configure time to love barbecue in South Flor- across the region for her Southern- Will Banks grew up, a place where to cook meats. That Caribbean ida, because it is officially “on trend.” style dishes like collard greens, he smokes and slices meat to go method of slow smoking over a bed green beans, and candied yams. Her rather than selling it raw by the of hot coals dates back as far as the WHERE TO GO FOR specialty, however, was barbecued pound. If beef brisket is the king 1600s, when African slaves brought BBQ SAUCE... ribs. In 1997, McElhaney partnered of Texas barbecue, consider Banks their knowledge stateside, birthing Blue Front Bar & Grill with current owner Leroy Jones, the king of the style here in South the many variations of Southern- 1132 N. Dixie Highway, Lake whose simple and straightforward Florida. It’s one of his most popular style barbecue we know today. Worth. Call 561-833-6651, or menu today includes barbecued picks, fat slivers carved from a whole Today, barbecue is everywhere. visit mybluefront.com. meats, fried seafood, and sides packer that balances the rib-eye- From North to South — and the East Don’t let the quasi-art-deco that can be mixed and matched in like tender meat along the fat cap Coast to the West — there are literally building that once housed Jetset- lunch- or dinner-sized portions. That with the tender, juicy sirloin-like dozens of regional styles to consider, ters Lounge fool you: Blue Front Bar includes racks of spare ribs, cooked cut from the flat. Banks’ low and including Memphis and Carolina’s & Grill is as good as it gets in Palm low and slow for hours at a time in slow smoking process renders the famed pulled pork, St. Louis-style Beach County when it comes to the restaurant’s new propane and meat moist and incredibly flavorful. spare ribs, Alabama’s white-barbe- barbecue. The menu is a mashup of wood-fired smoker out back. Thick That same cut is used to make the cue-smothered chicken, Kansas City’s all-American soul classics, everything and meaty ribs are long and flat, smoked pastrami too, prepared 200 burnt ends, and Texas brisket. Spare from ribs, pulled pork, and collard marbled with fat that helps hold in pounds at a time after a five-week ribs. Pulled pork. You name a cut of greens to some killer cornbread and the smoky flavor. They arrive dry and smoking and curing process. It’s so meat and there’s a state or region macaroni and cheese. Owner David are perfect with or without Jones’ labor-intensive, Banks sells the stuff that specializes in slow-smoking it. Paladino and his family purchased tangy St. Louis-style barbecue sauce. only on Thursday. Thick-cut >> p10

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browardpalmbeach.com TASTE 2016 9 Smoked from p8

and stacked sky-high, it’s served on the restaurant’s signature onion bun (or plain rye bread, if you prefer) with a dollop of house coleslaw.

WHERE TO GO FOR A PULLED-PORK SANDWICH... The Georgia Pig 1285 S. State Road 7, Da- vie. Call 954-587-4420. Across much of the South, pork is considered the ultimate barbecue meat. That’s certainly the case at 62-year-old Georgia Pig, a place that does the pork up right and has been serving it for more than a few decades. Things haven’t changed much since founding owner Linton Anderson opened it off State Road 7 at Davie Boulevard in the early 1950s. It’s still cash only, and its chopped-pork sandwich is still the best around. Today, after a string of owners, the Georgia Pig is oper- ated by Robert and Luke Moorman, brothers who have been dining at the Pig since their high school days at St. Thomas Aquinas and learned to make the restaurant’s iconic ’cue from former pit master Dan Fitzgerald. They’re still serv- ing traditional Southern-style pork specialties barbecued on an open, live-oak-fired pit. From there, all you need is a bottle of the restaurant’s signature sauce — a thin, tangy, mustardy, red-orange concoction that doesn’t have the tomatoey flavor of many barbecue sauces.

WHERE TO GO FOR BABY BACK RIBS... Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q 1236 S. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-522-5046, or visit tomjenkinsbbq.net. Today a Fort Lauderdale institu- tion, Tom Jenkins has been smoking up the neighborhood since 1990. Originally a traveling barbecue trailer, it became a 40-seat restaurant back in 1996, and while it may have BRUNCH. IT’S NOT JUST moved up in terms of location, the cooks here still use the same slow, oak-fired cooking process to churn FOR WEEKENDS ANYMORE. out the restaurant’s beloved South- ern-style pork specialties — food BRUNCH NOW ON FRIDAYS | 11 am – 2:30 pm that’s garnered high praise as one of Join us for Friday brunch and savor our new seasonal brunch 500 best places to eat by the online menu paired with unlimited bloody mary’s and mimosas. Great Florida Restaurant Guide. That includes baby back ribs, or loin So whether you are away from work, on vacation or just back ribs, the cut that sits closest to playing hookie...we got you covered. the hog’s back loins for a fat stack of meat atop the curved bone. At Tom Jenkins, they’re cooked to perfec- 169 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach tion. That’s not fall off the bone but maxsharvest.com I 561.381.9970 instead so that the meat is firm and juicy with just a touch of pink. ◆ 10miaminewtimes.comTASTE 2016 browardpalmbeach.com 1635 N. Federal Hwy. 1095 S. University Dr. 800 N. Federal Hwy. Ft. Lauderdale Plantation Pompano Beach WWW.ZONAFRESCA.COM 954.566.1777 954.370.3332 954-781-0030

244 Biscayne Blvd 1751 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd 1410 N. University Drive 1705 S. Federal Hwy Delray Miami West Palm Beach Coral Springs Beach 305-415-9662 561-688-1295 954-227-2828 561-901-9662

browardpalmbeach.com TASTE 2016 11 Taste OLD-WORLD COOKING Every dish is a labor of love for restaurateur and chef Louie Bossi.

came into dinner with her mother, were doing. “San Francisco who was from Italy. I was making blew me away. I went into a bakery a pizza, and I happened to notice that was five generations old. That’s her sitting there. I started to talk what Florida doesn’t have. It doesn’t to her, and she didn’t want noth- have that old-world food culture. We ing to do with me.” With some don’t have the butcher shop where persistence — and time — Bossi you get your meat. We have Publix.” managed to persuade his bride- Bossi also took inspiration from to-be to give him a chance. Eataly, the Italian culinary wonder- “It took about five months of pur- land by founder Oscar Farinetti that suing her,” Bossi says. “I did manage partners Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, to get her number from a friend. and Lidia Bastianich brought to New Then one day, about six York City and Chicago. months later, I walked With that inspiration in out to my car and she was “WHEN I GOT mind, the chef decided standing there. She was SOBER, I that nearly everything kinda ready, I guess.” To- FOUND OUT would be made in-house. day, Toni works as maitre “You’re not going to d’ at the restaurant, and WHO I WAS go to any other restau- they have two sons. AND HOW rant in South Florida “When I got sober, PASSIONATE and see salumi dry- I found out who I was I WAS ing in the case. Every and how passionate I ABOUT THE pasta on the menu is was about the industry. INDUSTRY.” from scratch. All the I was able to start learn- bread is baked daily. ing.” Though Bossi took a job about We dry-age our own steaks.” The 16 years ago with the Big Time chef/restaurateur also wanted to Restaurant Group — the company give diners a more authentic experi- Louie Bossi behind Rocco’s Tacos and City Cel- ence than the usual red sauce and lar — his dream was always to have chicken parm (although the restau- Photo courtesy of Big Time Restaurant Group his own restaurant. “I’d be at Bed, rant serves the dish on Sundays). BY LAINE DOSS Bath, and Beyond with my wife Bossi admits these deci- and I’d look at dishes, thinking they sions could have backfired. f you cut Louie Bossi’s finger, “I liked the fast pace of the res- would look great in my restaurant.” “There’s a great opportunity but you just might find marinara taurant scene and the pleasure of His dream came true about two also a great risk. People that aren’t running through his veins. people eating my food,” he says. and a half years ago. After telling the foodies don’t get it. They don’t care The self-taught chef at the “When I worked in my first profes- partners at Big Time for years that that you’re using a prosciutto that’s eponymous Italian restaurant sional kitchen, I fell in love with they didn’t have an Italian restau- $18 a pound or that the tomatoes inI downtown Fort Lauderdale it. It’s sort of like the military, in rant in their stable, Bossi was sum- cost $34 a case.” Bossi, however, has made the kitchen his home that it’s precise and rough. I like to moned to a meeting with his bosses. did care. “My philosophy is that it since the tender age of 8, when say that the industry chose me.” “I called my wife and said I all starts with the ingredients. You he began helping his mother, a There were hurdles in the young didn’t know what was going on,” buy the best and you call it a day.” single parent who juggled three chef’s way in the form of drugs and he remembers. “I thought some- Thankfully, Fort Lauderdale’s jobs to put food on the table. alcohol. “Being in the pizza busi- thing was wrong.” But instead of food scene does recognize quality Bossi grew up in the Astoria sec- ness, that went hand in hand.” getting fired, something even more and flavor, with patrons waiting tion of Queens in the 1970s, moving Bossi said that before he shocking happened. His bosses said for a table sometimes for hours to New Jersey when he was 10. knew it, he was deep into a de- they wanted to help Bossi with his on a weekend. The journey from When he was 11, he was offered structive cycle, and he decided dream by partnering with the chef. pizza maker to restaurateur has his first job, at the local pizzeria. to make a change and start a With the backing to open his own been a good one for Bossi. “I was playing videogames, new life in Florida in 2000. restaurant, Bossi knew he had to “If I didn’t have bills to pay, I and the owner wanted me to It didn’t take long, however, stand out in the competitive field that would do this for free,” he says. help him out,” Bossi recalls. “I before Bossi found himself in the is the Fort Lauderdale dining scene. “My wife hates when I say that.” ◆ cut pizzas and boxed them. Then same old patterns — drinking and “It’s a big risk,” he says. “There’s I started coming back, and he partying. He decided to break from a restaurant every 200 feet on the Louie Bossi’s Ristorante taught me how to make pizza.” working in pizzerias and found a job main strips.” Bossi did his due dili- 1032 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Although the family busi- at a full-service restaurant. That’s gence. He got certified in the art of Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. ness was printing, Bossi was where his life turned around. making authentic Neapolitan pizzas. Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to mid- hooked on the smells and “I met my wife, and I got sober,” He ate his way around the country night Sunday. Call 954-356-6699, sounds of the pizzeria. says Bossi of his wife, Toni. “She to see what chefs in New York and or visit louiebossi.com.

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browardpalmbeach.com TASTE 2016 13 Taste STIRRING THINGS UP Two Miami mixologists are shaking up the Broward County cocktail scene.

Mixology takes a walk on the wild side.

Photo by Gabriel Gutierrez BY NICOLE DANNA

ver the past few de- moved to Miami and began work- These days, Acevedo and Fuentes it also means remembering your cades, to be a bartender ing at the Sagamore Hotel off South are hoping to lead the same revolu- guest’s name, taking the time to un- in South Florida meant Beach’s famed Collins Avenue. tion in Broward County and are derstand their likes and dislikes, and nothing more than Several years later, he worked his bringing a taste of the Magic City’s creating a memorable interaction to literally tend bar. way up the hospitality ladder, land- cocktail culture north to Fort Lau- while they’re at your bar. You can’t OYou’d find bartenders whipping up ing a job as a bartender — and later derdale’s Rhythm & Vine. Here, the teach someone to have a personal- frozen piña coladas for the tourists, beverage program director — for pair are the talent and passion be- ity and be genuinely friendly.” rum and Coke for the regulars, or Fontainebleau Miami Beach. hind the city’s popular beer garden On a busy night at Rhythm & Vine, pouring a fine wine or popping the Miami-born and -raised, Fuentes and outdoor/indoor cocktail lounge, the crowd will gather both indoors top off a cheap beer for the rest. originally went to school which opened last spring or out, but the drinks at each bar At Rhythm & Vine Biergar- for banking and began on the south end of the will be the same, served from plastic ten in Fort Lauderdale, Hec- his professional career “SOME OF Flagler Village complex. cups. No fancy glassware here, says tor Acevedo and Eddie Fuentes as a credit analyst. When THE BEST At Rhythm & Vine, Fuentes, but a style that reflects the don’t call themselves bartenders. the market crashed in MEMORIES the duo are creating a space’s unique, hippie-chic vibe. They aren’t mixologists either. 2008, he went straight to rotating list of seasonal Inside, a dark and cavernous “We don’t really have a name for the hospitality industry, PEOPLE HAVE cocktails that help space features a red-lit bar and an what we do,” says Fuentes. “But we’ll working as a server at OF DRINKING breathe life into Broward industrial-artsy lounge; outside, make you one hell of a drink, and I Miami’s Astor Hotel. ARE OUT OF A County’s bar scene. It’s you sit Indian-style in flip-flops guarantee you’ll be back for more.” At the time, he didn’t PLASTIC CUP.” an effort that started on the turf-covered faux lawn and While many of us who’ve never know much about the as a consulting gig last order beer or drinks from a con- worked behind a bar know very business but was willing to learn, summer and has grown into a cre- verted Airstream. Both backdrops little about the finer points of mix- working his way from bar back to ative project of sorts, everything are perfect spots to take in what ing and serving drinks, these Miami bartender in less than three months. from assisting in the design of the will become the rhythm of the imports — also founders of a Miami- Together, both men are among indoor lounge space and creating night: the hum of many conversa- based hospitality consultation the founding members of the Miami a seasonal drink menu to helping tions punctuated with the pulse company they’ve dubbed Cocktail cocktail culture scene. While Acev- organize events and educate staff. of house music and the distinct Cartel — stand as some of the South edo was revolutionizing Fontaineb- “Today, being a good bartender timbre of shaking cocktails. Florida industry’s greatest crafters. leau’s offerings, Fuentes says he was means a lot of different things to a As for the drinks: They’re creat- Born in Puerto Rico, Acevedo lucky enough to work alongside the lot of different people,” says Acev- ing quite a stir. With their more began bartending at a small surf Broken Shaker’s founding “dream edo. “To us, it means making a drink progressive style, Acevedo and town on the island’s north coast, team,” helping to relaunch the pop- with care and knowledge, using the Fuentes are in a never-ending serving beer and rum. In 2006, he up’s now-permanent concept in 2012. best and freshest ingredients. And cycle of crafting and creat- >> p16

1414 TASTETASTE 2016 2016 browardpalmbeach.commiaminewtimes.com browardpalmbeach.com TASTE 2016 15 Stirring Things Up from p14

ing. Their cocktail menu features everything from “crib-made” drams and bitters to house-made infusions, hand-squeezed juices, and New Age tinctures. Small-batch, high-quality spirits are now in use. And fresh herbs make pretty, flavor-packed garnishes. There’s even a homemade Fireball-style cinnamon whiskey. The presentation is a little more casual, however. “We didn’t want to bring in any fancy glassware for these drinks,” adds Fuentes. “Some of the best memories people have of drinking are out of a plastic cup. It’s a giant garden party here, and we didn’t want to change that. It’s still going to be like you’re in your backyard with your friends.” Rhythm & Vine now offers several new specialty cocktails. There’s the Sage by the Bell, a combination of Beefeater gin with homemade limon- cello, lemon and lime juice, and pear cider and garnished with fresh sage. Or try the Watermelon Vine, a lemon- grass-infused New Amsterdam vodka made with fresh-pressed citrus, lo- cally grown watermelon, and mint. The best of them all, the Colada Old-Fashioned, is the menu high- light — a partnership with nearby Flagler Village eatery Colada House, which provides a strong Cuban cof- fee as the base for this clever take on a traditional old-fashioned. Fuentes and Acevedo say it’s the perfect way of sharing their Cuban heritage, a potent drink made with a blend of Old Forester bourbon and 101 Rittenhouse rye whiskey, bitters, and a bold reduction syrup made from Colada’s specialty sourced coffee. The result is one hell of a cocktail, served the same way you’d get a Cuban coffee: from a styrofoam container, lid and all. They even deliver it with a few thimble-sized cups that make the drink perfect for sharing — a portable shot, if you will. It’s a bold twist on an old classic, and it’s one of the few bars in Broward County do- ing such creative work. “Fort Lauderdale is a great city, but as far as the cocktail scene goes, it still has a long way to go,” says Acevedo. “At the end of the day, our biggest reward is knowing that we’ve made someone’s night unforgettable. That’s what this busi- ness is all about, and we’re lucky to be getting in on the ground floor of change here in Broward County.” Rhythm & Vine is located at 401 NE Fifth Terrace, Fort Lau- derdale. Call 954-533-3734, or visit rhythm-vine.com. ◆ 16miaminewtimes.comTASTE 2016 browardpalmbeach.com ROOFTOP BAR OPENING SPRING 2016 MODERN MEXICAN I ROOFTOP BAR I HAND CRAFTED MARGARITAS

browardpalmbeach.com TASTE 2016 17 Taste WILL BREW FOR MONEY How to become a professional brewer in four “easy” steps.

Fran Andrewlevich, who ful tools that help to show a level cofounded both Tequesta Brew- of professionalism to the world. ing Co. and Twisted Trunk Chris Cohen, certified cicerone, Brewing Co., believes it’s best certified Beer Judge Certification to learn from your elders. Program judge, and contributing beer “When I started tasting beers, writer for SeriousEats.com and SF there was nobody knowledgeable Weekly, believes that “being a certified around. So you go, ‘OK, it’s a little cicerone really does give you know- roasty,’ and that was it... I met a guy how and the authority to tell someone who used to judge at the Great Ameri- without reservation: ‘I’m an expert.’ ” can Beer Festival and some other guys Andrewlevich, our local font of that I knew [who] knew beer, and I’d beer knowledge, believes a practi- just drink beer with them. Just drink cal approach is useful as well. beer with them… and say, ‘What are “I think educationwise, if you’re you tasting?’ Just surround yourself not a brewer and trying to get your with people that are knowledgeable palate better, you go to tastings, you go in it and share the same passion.” to beer pairings, you’re making that commitment, financially, mentally.” STUDY IT Did you think you were done with BREW IT There’s more to it than study hall, exams, and late-night Finally, after all of that re- pulling taps. cram sessions when you left college? search, it’s time to make beer. Beer has such a wide-open pal- Brewing beer at home can be the Photo by Doug Fairall ette of colors, flavors, styles, and easiest and simplest process or one BY DOUG FAIRALL history that it’s easy to get lost once that evolves into an ever-expanding you’ve opened the Pandora’s box collection of equipment and gadgets. xplosive growth has been right now. Just do it more. of craft beer. After you’ve refined Whichever way you proceed (and the trademark of craft Seek out beer styles you haven’t your taste buds a bit, it’s important you will eventually start expanding beer in South Florida for had before. If you are a self-de- to supplement the subjective with your collection), you will end up with the past five years. From scribed hophead, go over to the the quantitative, and it all boils beer. It’s a fairly simple beverage to a low of just a few brew- other side and start delving into the down to one simple act: reading. create. The true art is in the craft. Epubs and small breweries dotting wild world of sour beers, or seek Pick up books; there Brunner, who has the landscape here or there to the out a strong Scotch ale or English are so many around now, been brewing since now-expansive list of newly opened barleywine to really stretch your but the standards still “TODAY’S about 2011, believes breweries, ranging from tiny multi- malt-responsive taste buds. Ex- apply. Read Tasting Beer: BREWER MUST the best mantra is barrel houses to large production perience is the greatest teacher. An Insider’s Guide to the BE EVER- “Sanitation, sanita- facilities, there’s been a paradigm “It’s crucial to develop your World’s Greatest Drink EVOLVING AND tion, sanitation.” shift in the way beer has been per- palate,” says Russ Brunner, 2013 by Randy Mosher, writer “Keep it clean, and ceived in our neck of the swamp. Sam Adams LongShot winner and and faculty member CONNECTED provide the best envi- It’s now easier than ever to gold-medal homebrewer at the at the Siebel Institute, TO THE ronment for the yeast find something to suit your palate. 35th-annual National Homebrewers America’s oldest brew- CONSUMER.” to make a phenomenal Thanks to the internet and social Conference. “Trying a world-class ing school. Pick up the beer,” he says. “Brew- media, it’s easier to seek out knowl- example of a beer style in the proper New World Guide to Beer by the late ers make wort; yeast makes beer.” edge and meet educated folk in the glassware and environment can lit- Michael Jackson, arguably the most After that, he continues, become field. It’s easier to find ingredients erally change your beer-drinking life. influential beer writer, who helped educated on yeast management to make beer yourself at brew sup- “I was a Miller Lite drinker. kick-start beer interest in the 1970s. and fermentation control. Both ply shops, many with the same When I first tried a St. Bernar- Sit down with former Middle East of these processes are incredibly ingredients that big brewers get. dus Abt 12 served to me by local AP correspondent and important — and often overlooked But how easy is it to be a brewer? beer-tending legend Ian Hunter at Brewery cofounder Steve Hindy’s The — aspects of creating something If you have the will, there’s a way. We Brother Tucker’s, it was the catalyst Craft Beer Revolution: How a Band worthwhile. Don’t get caught up in talked to several industry veterans, for me to start brewing. I tasted of Microbrewers Is Transforming the the hops and the malts, though that newcomers, and up-and-comers about caramelized dark sugar and notes World’s Favorite Drink. All of these can be an exciting area to dwell. what it takes to make beer for a living. of dark stone fruit and figs. I didn’t and many more will fill you with a Soon you may move from It distills down to four basic steps. believe my server that all of these wealth of knowledge about where beginner’s malt syrup kits to amazing flavors and aromas simply beer comes from and where it is going. basically making it yourself by DRINK IT came just from a perfect balance There are also certifications to mashing your own grains. The first steps are always the of malt, hops, and yeast. I bought acquire as well, such as the various “You go from the all-extract to the easiest. It’s probably some- [John Palmer’s] How to Brew the levels of cicerone, beer’s answer all-grain and get a real nice [brew- thing you’re already doing next day, and the rest is history.” to the sommelier. These are use- ing] system” Andrewlevich says. “So

1818 TASTETASTE 2016 2016 browardpalmbeach.commiaminewtimes.com you’re actually making the commit- ment, making the financial commit- ment, and doing it. You’re going to make better beer. Once you see the grains going in, smell the hops, that re- ally ties it together for a lot of people.”

BREW IT PROFESSIONALLY At this step, it’s all about taking everything to the next level: You’re familiar with beer styles, you know the ins and outs of what makes beer really beer, you’ve made some killer brews that have won a homebrew award or two, and now you’re look- ing to open your own place. Luckily, there are a few people who know a thing or two about that, such as Mike Halker, founder and brewer at Due South Brewing in Boynton Beach. He opened his brewery in 2012. “Sure, it’s a business, and whether you open a brewery or a bookstore, you’re going to have to navigate the traditional waters getting things off the ground,” he says, speaking about the differences between brewing at home and brewing commercially. “Opening a business isn’t easy, but honestly, as difficult as it is, it’s the easiest part of owning a brewery. “Today’s brewer must be ever- evolving and connected to the con- sumer. It’s going to take more than a good IPA. And with the diversity in the market, you’ve got one chance. 6 Time Winner of “The Best If they don’t like what you’ve pro- Inexpensive Italian duced, they’re going elsewhere. “It’s back-breaking work,” he Restaurant” continues, “in a building that feels Readers Poll - Miami New Times like an oven for hours and hours, so “Multi-Year Best Pizza” if your heart’s not in it, it’s hard to South Florida Parenting Magazine stay the course. But if it’s your pas- “Best Pizza in MIami” sion and you truly care about the CitySearch liquid, none of that matters. It’s all Many 5 out of 5 star reviews about the beer. And that’s integ- on Yelp rity. And the people will know.” Bangin’ Banjo Brewery co-owner Adam Feingold says just the action of taking your hobby and turning it into a business is a challenge. “Now when you screw up a batch, it costs you a lot of money,” he says. As for the more physical issues on going professional, such as build- ings and permits, Feingold says it varies from person to person. “Everyone has it different. We had ITALIAN RESTAURANTS it fairly easy. Do your homework and • Pizza the old-fashioned way due diligence. Our biggest complica- • Garlic rolls dripping with garlic tion was getting the plans drawn.” • Fantastic pasta dishes: Finally, it’s all about being specific: Spaghetti, Lasagna, Ziti, specific in your mission and your Alfredo & more budget, specific in your knowledge SOUTH MIAMI and your passion. “Figure out pre- cisely what you want to do,” Feingold 8080 SW 67th Ave • 305.662.6855 emphasizes, “which concept and Check us out on which path to follow. It’s a lot more Check our website for value coupons than serving beer out of a bar… You bigcheesemiami.com have to make beer that inspires.” ◆ browardpalmbeach.com TASTEmiaminewtimes.com 2016 19 Taste ISLAND TO PENINSULA Where to fi nd the best Jamaican food in South Florida.

But you’ll also need patience for the and saltfish, or curry goat. Despite ackee and saltfish, a dish that blends the warm weather, Jamaicans have yellow-fleshed ackee into a hearty a penchant for hearty, hot soups, and sauté with salt cod, resulting in a dish owner Ryan “Curly” Golaub does with a delicate, buttery flavor and a several. The menu has more hard-to- soft, fluffy texture. The jerk is the best find options like cow foot, a velvety, dish here, however, tender pieces of beefy mess rich with bone marrow. whole chicken submerged in a rich If the gelatinous texture is too much sauce as thick as gravy with enough for you to finish a whole plate, use the heat to flush your cheeks a slow burn leftovers in a soup to get an amazingly but not burn away your taste buds. rich broth, or just order the cow’s- foot soup. There are also several other CHELLY’S JAMAICAN soups, a new one made each day. On RESTAURANT Monday and Thursday, it’s chicken 9160 W. Commercial Blvd., flavored with pumpkin; on Tuesday, Sunrise. Call 954-586-5077. it’s beef; and Wednesday, you’ll get a Chelly’s in Sunrise serves Jamai- chowder-like conch. But come Friday, can comfort food at it’s a traditional mannish its best. All the staples water, or goat head soup, a — from oxtail and THIS IS ONE favorite of Curly’s Jamaican escovitch snapper to CULTURE customers. Last, no culi- jerk chicken, cow foot, WHERE YOU nary escapade of Jamaica and stew peas — are CAN TRULY is complete without a co- Jerk chicken all solid. The country’s conut water or Caribbean from Kersmon famous brown-stew TASTE THE fruit juice, here made lo- chicken — an entry- COUNTRY’S cally by Da Jus Mon. Don’t Photo by Nicole Danna level dish that’s easy on HISTORY IN leave without a taste of the BY NICOLE DANNA the spice and heat index ITS FOOD. rum cake: chewy-dense, for the uninitiated — is the color of molasses, and t seems fitting that Jamaica’s selection of this nation’s food, so we one of the best in the area, served in the consistency of fudgy brownies. official motto, “Out of many, scoured both counties in search of a deep puddle of gravy-like brown one people,” serves equally the best Jamaican restaurants and sauce along with a side of stewed THE DUTCH POT well to describe the nation’s found these gems scattered across cabbage. It comes in a conch version 6029 Kimberly Blvd., North Lau- melting-pot cuisine. This is neighborhoods including Lauderhill too if you’re looking for something derdale. Call 954-979-1915, or oneI culture where you can truly and Pembroke Pines in Broward a bit more exotic. Be sure to try the visit dutchpotjamaican.com. taste the country’s history in its County and Greenacres and Delray gungo soup; you’ll be hard-pressed At the Dutch Pot Jamaican, food, from jerk chicken and curry Beach in Palm Beach County. to find this hearty pigeon pea stew it’s all about the “pot.” According goat to stew peas and rum cake. flavored with pimento, peppers, to the restaurant’s owners, it’s a Today, the island nation’s KERSMON thyme, and salted pig’s tail anywhere necessary part of Jamaican cuisine population has been distilled into a CARIBBEAN CUISINE else in South Florida. It’s served with and culture and the only way to single cuisine flavored with plenty 4622 Jog Road, Greena- a side of fresh dumplings that, while produce authentic Jamaican cook- of indigenous culture. There’s a cres. Call 561-968-5656. often an overcooked afterthought ing. The pot heats up at an even Latin flare in the escovitch, a dish This long-standing Jamaican at other eateries, are salty-sweet, temperature, meaning it’s always of poached or fried fish in a citrus restaurant also serves harder-to- deep-fried balls that offer a balance consistent. And so is the food. marinade reminiscent of the Span- find traditional dishes like fish-tea of satisfying crunchy exterior and Since 2000, this North Lauderdale ish colonizers’ escabeche, while soup and, on occasion, a Rastafarian gummy interior. That makes them restaurant has been feeding its beef patties are an island-style vegetable dish known as Ital stew. perfect for mopping up the last of fans some of the best Jamaican empanada. Jamaican curries feature The vegetables are sautéed without that soup — or even the juices in your cooking in Broward County. What Indian spices and are often served salt or meat but taste as though they ackee and saltfish and jerk chicken. started as a single-burner oven in with roti bread or a sweet, coconut- have both, arriving tender and fra- the backyard has morphed into based dough. Steamed callaloo, grant, submerged in a buttery-rich CURLY’S CARIBBEAN FLAVA four locations from Plantation to ackee, and breadfruit are said to sauce. Rather than the boring cab- 1892 Abbey Road, West Palm Lauderhill. Each location offers have roots in West African cuisine. bage side you’ll get at most Jamaican Beach. Call 561-434-7077. lunch specials for less than $10, Luckily, Jamaican ex-pats look- restaurants, chef-owner Althea The restaurant does a brisk take- served as a platter of spicy jerk ing for tastes of home have plenty Drummond’s vegetables are sautéed out business, but there’s a table and chicken or pork alongside a pile to keep them satiated in South to tender perfection. Be sure to call a short counter at the window to of rice, peas, and plantains. If jerk Florida. Here, you won’t find a con- ahead to order dishes like whole eat in if you’re so inclined. The most isn’t your thing, there’s also curry centrated Caribbean corridor or escovitch snapper, also prepared popular items here are standard goat, ackee and saltfish, liver and “Little Jamaica” for a neighborhood curried or in a brown-stew sauce. Jamaican dishes: jerk chicken, ackee onions, and callaloo. Caribbean-

2020 TASTETASTE 2016 2016 browardpalmbeach.commiaminewtimes.com style sides offer a taste of something beach in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. with one of several milkshakes — list of daily changing specials. The different, from fritters and boiled This family-owned eatery has no thick, creamy, and fruit-studded chef-owner, a smiling Jamaican bananas to “bammy” — a tradi- exterior sign, so keep an eye out for Caribbean-themed concoctions woman by the name of Ivet “Sweets” tional Jamaican cassava flatbread. the Jamaican flag above the door in flavors like passionfruit-mango, Henry, specializes in homemade instead. The restaurant offers all piña colada, or pineapple. patties, baked daily. They’re noth- CHARLIE’S PASTRIES the standard Jamaican fare, from ing like those greasy bright-yellow 4261 W. Commercial Blvd., oxtail to curried goat, everything SWEET’S SENSATIONAL things gas stations try to pass off as Tamarac. Call 954-739-9109. homemade by chef-owner Sandra 25 SW Fifth Ave., Delray real food. Available in mild or spicy, This unpretentious bakery is the Garrick. If you like jerk, you’ll be Beach. Call 561-865-7086. each fragrant beef patty is encased perfect spot to find a full assortment happy to hear you can order this In Delray Beach, not too far from in a golden, flaky pocket. We sug- of the Caribbean nation’s plethora sweet-and-spicy marinade served downtown and the Atlantic Avenue gest you grab a fresh-baked coco of sweet and savory treats, including several ways: as a sandwich, wrap, strip, you’ll find Sweet’s Sensational. bread too: The soft dough can be beef patties, coco bread, and rum cake. salad, ribs, and wings — all cooked This low-key restaurant caters to split in half, just the right size to stuff Most Americans will be familiar with on a charcoal grill out back by the nearby neighborhood, offering a whole patty inside for an authen- the iconic Jamaican beef patties; you Sandra’s husband, Paul. If you’re affordable lunch prices for many of tic Jamaican twist on this popular can find a version of them at 7-Eleven, feeling thirsty, wash it all down Jamaica’s best dishes, as well as a hand-held, on-the-go meal. ◆ the neighborhood gas station food counter, or an ethnic market here and there. But in Jamaica, it’s not uncom- mon to eat those same beef patties in- side a folded hunk of coco bread, much like a sandwich. The coco bread and patties at Charlie’s Pastries are made fresh each day, a soft, white, spongy bread sweetened with coconut milk that sells as fast as doughnuts on a Sun- day. Use the fluffy rolls to make the ul- timate beef-patty sandwich. If you feel putting bread around a pastry-shell- encased meat patty seems unneces- sary, think again. The result is nothing short of fantastic, biting through soft coco bread to get to the crunchy NEW MENU, NEW DRINKS, pastry shell. Wash it down with a freshly made sorrel juice, a traditional Caribbean drink made from pressed sorrel flowers flavored with dried SAME KICK ASS PLACE. orange peel, ginger, and cinnamon.

JERK MACHINE 317 SW Sixth St., Fort Lau- derdale. Call 954-440-4556, or visit jerkmachine.com. Where can you find the best jerk in town? At Jerk Machine, of course, a humble eatery specializing in the Jamaican-style barbecue dish. Here, owners Desmond and Catherine Malcolm — both Jamaican natives who relocated to South Florida in the 1980s — have created a strong following for their jerk-focused fare. What began as a catering gig (their own wedding in 1982) has . LUNCH, HAPPY HOUR, DINNER AND SUNDAY BRUNCH since grown to four locations from WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED - the Lauderhill original to Miami’s COME SEE WHY WE’RE VOTED ONE OF THE BEST BRUNCHES IN PALM BEACH COUNTY! Sun Life Stadium. Today, the restau- rant is famous for its smoky, spicy jerk chicken — as well as jerk pork and oxtail. Of course, you haven’t lived until you try Jerk Machine’s kapownoodlebar.com specialty: the jerk stew peas. 431 PLAZA REAL | MIZNER PARK | BOCA RATON, FL | 561-347-7322

@KAPOWNOODLEBAR ALEXSANDRA’S /KAPOWNOODLEBAR CARIBBEAN CAFE FACEBOOK.COM 235 E. Commercial Blvd., Lauderdale- by-the-Sea. Call 954-530-8909, or visit alexsandrascafe.com. Alexsandra’s Caribbean Cafe of- fers a taste of irie — right near the

browardpalmbeach.commiaminewtimes.com TASTE 2016 TASTE 2016 21 Taste LEE’S PICKS The founder of SOBEWFF recommends this year’s must-see events.

rounded up cooks from firehouses points or higher by Wine Spectator. around Miami-Dade to present Add live entertainment and a lav- sweet and savory breakfast dishes. ish dessert buffet, and you’ve got These local heroes will serve their the recipe for a decadent evening. favorite meals, including French 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, Feb- toast cupcakes and smoked chicken ruary 26, at the Fontainebleau ’n’ corn waffles. Model-turned- Miami Beach, 4441 Collins Ave., author Chrissy Teigen will get in Miami Beach. Tickets cost $350. on the action by making yellow- Bloody Mary Brunch, hosted cake baked oatmeal from her new by the Cast of Chopped cookbook, Cravings. Everyone’s favor- 11:59 p.m. to 2 a.m. ite weekend activity Friday, February 26, BEST OF — the bloody mary at the National Hotel, THE BEST brunch — gets a jolt of 1677 Collins Ave., Miami FEATURES steroids when the cast Beach. Tickets cost $95. MORE THAN of Chopped hosts this Tribute Dinner, New York transplant. honoring Jonathan 65 WINERIES More than a dozen of Waxman, Rob Sands, AND 50-PLUS South Florida’s favorite and Richard Sands CHEFS. chefs will present their will be favorite breakfast items master of ceremonies for this year’s — each paired with a unique take on Tribute Dinner, honoring venerable the bloody mary. Bring your camera, chef Jonathan Waxman. The chef, because you’ll want a selfie with the who did everything from play trom- group, which includes Geoffrey Za- bone to sell Ferraris before he set- karian, Scott Conant, Aarón Sánchez, tled on a career in the culinary arts, , , and will be joined by Richard Sands and others. If you’re a fan of the competi- Lee Schrager Rob Sands of Constellation Brands. tion series, Schrager says this is one A cadre of the world’s finest chefs — not to miss. “The cast of Chopped is Photo by Melanie Dunea including Frederic Delaire, Bobby so much fun, and the chefs at this BY LAINE DOSS Flay, Tyler Florence, , event have gotten really creative Marcus Samuelsson, Aarón Sán- with their take on classic brunch he South Beach Wine Hour, the latter hosted by Rachael chez, and Nancy Silverton —will col- dishes. It’s going to be delicious!” & Food Festival returns Ray and allowing festivalgoers to laborate on the menu. Says Schrager: Noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, February February 24 through 28 enjoy an afternoon with their mutts. “There’s an incredible group of 28, at the Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauder- with more than 75 sig- By the time the last drop of Cab- chefs cooking courses paired with dale, 1 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., nature events, tastings, ernet is finished Sunday evening, specially selected wines from Robert Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $175. Tparties, seminars, and dinners. The about 60,000 fans will have experi- Mondavi Winery, in celebration of One&Only Resorts presents annual bash, which has raised more enced the festival’s food, drinks, and the winery’s 50th anniversary.” Croquetas and Champagne, hosted than $22 million to date for Florida entertainment. If the mere thought 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Febru- by Jean-Georges Vongerichten International University, is bigger of where to begin your culinary ary 27, at the Loews Miami Beach Taking a page straight from than ever this year — expanding journey overwhelms you, take tips Hotel, 1601 Collins Ave., Miami Romeo and Juliet, Miami’s favorite from Miami Beach to include main- from the founder. “Don’t forget the Beach. Tickets cost $500. snack, the croqueta, has become land Miami and Fort Lauderdale. sunscreen at the signature Miami Fontainebleau Miami Beach hopelessly smitten with cham- Founder and organizer Lee Beach events, drink lots of water presents Wine Spectator’s pagne. This pairing, however, has Brian Schrager says the festival has in between samplings, and plan Best of the Best a distinctly happier ending than become a place where foodies and ahead. Use social media to spread Schrager calls this annual fete Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers industry professionals can connect. the word about your experience!” “an evening geared toward a so- when the snack and bubbly marry And as Miami’s dining scene contin- If you want an insider’s view, phisticated palate.” Best of the Best at the Design District’s Palm Court ues to evolve, more local chefs are here are the events the festival ma- features more than 65 wineries and Plaza, accompanied by music from being featured. That’s no surprise ven is most looking forward to this 50-plus chefs from some of the fin- Miami band Suenalo. There will be when you consider that many Mi- year (visit sobefest.com for tickets): est kitchens in the world. Weigh the free-flowing Champagne Henriot ami toques have appeared on na- Fireman Derek’s Midnight $350 admission price against the to go with croquetas from Miami tional television shows like Chopped Breakfast, hosted by Chrissy Teigen time and cost it would take to dine institutions Islas Canarias, El Mago and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. In “I’m so excited about this event,” at New York’s Gramercy Tavern, de las Fritas, and Gilbert’s Bakery. the past few years, the festival has Schrager says. For this after-hours Savannah’s the Grey, and Emeril’s 10 p.m. to midnight Saturday, added exciting events to its lineup, party, South Florida’s own Derek flagship New Orleans eatery. Each February 27, at Palm Court, 140 NE including Meatopia and Yappie Kaplan, AKA Fireman Derek, has wine poured must be rated 90 39th St., Miami. Tickets cost $95. ◆

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browardpalmbeach.com TASTE 2016 23 Taste BIG EVENTS AT THE FEST From bites to burgers to the future of food, interesting times are ahead.

to the coast of Miami through Ba- patty. And the aroma of sizzling rilla’s Italian Bites on the Beach. meat plastered across your body Considered the queen of Italian (and countless Instagram posts) cuisine, she, along with more than will be the only proof you survived 30 chefs, will serve dishes native to Miami’s annual burger binge. various parts of Italy. Move from Amstel Light Burger Bash, pre- Piedmont to Tuscany and then Sar- sented by Schweid & Sons, hosted dinia, Campania, and even Sicily by by Rachael Ray: 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. walking through dozens of tasting Friday, February 26, beachside at the stations while smelling the aroma Ritz-Carlton South Beach, 1 Lincoln of freshly made breads and pastas. Rd., Miami Beach. Tickets cost $250. Expect to nibble on an abun- dance of cheeses and salads, pastas FUTURE OF FOOD DINNER and risottos, and cooked fish and Organic, health-conscious dining meat. Gourmet pizzas and desserts has made considerable headway in like tiramisu, parfaits, and panna Miami over the past few years. New cotta will probably be seen as well. plant-based eateries and farm-to-table Remember: Calories don’t count at techniques have sprouted throughout SOBEWFF, so bring on the carbs. our city’s culinary scene, leaving most Barilla’s Italian Bites on the to wonder if this is the future of cui- Beach, Giada De Laurentiis: 7 to 10 sine — where every restaurant has a p.m. Thursday, February 25, beach- personal garden growing vegetables, side at the Delano, 1 Lincoln Rd., herbs, and fruits to cook the day’s eats. Miami Beach. Tickets cost $150. Veggie guru Matthew Kenney, who founded a raw-food culinary BURGER BASH school in Venice, California, along There’s something to be said with chef Jamie Bissonnette, will about kicking back with a burger host a vegan dinner at Plant Food in one hand and a beer in the + Wine in Wynwood. The duo will other. Now multiply that by 30. explore the versatility of vegetables It’s the tenth anniversary of the and grains and demonstrate vari- Michell Sanchez Amstel Light Burger ous flavor and texture at Burger Bash Bash, where the coun- combinations that try’s top burger chefs BASICALLY can be created out of a Photo by Aaron Davidson / Getty Images For SBWFF will beef it out to win THE BEST simple backyard garden. BY CLARISSA BUCH the hotly sought-after 96 HOURS OF From plant-heavy People’s Choice Award. gourmet-style dishes to he who’s who of gas- ment, will host seminars, trade More than 30 chefs A DIE-HARD plates that can be made tronomy are nearing their shows, and a bevy of parties too. will serve variations FOODIE’S using simple organic Miami takeover once With more than 60,000 guests of the patty sandwich, YEAR. ingredients found at a again for the 15th-annual anticipated during the eats- and and a ticket will get you local farmers’ market, South Beach Wine & Food drink-filled weekend, grab a a taste of each one — or as many Kenney and Bissonnette will cover TFestival. Hundreds of chefs will friend and reserve tickets through as you can fit in your stomach. it all. Though you won’t walk out of serve their best creations as more sobefest.com. If you’re not sure There have been pizza burg- dinner with your own garden, you’ll than 80 events sprout up across where to start, here are some of ers, Nutella-infused sandwiches, have learned the art of making vegan South Florida — basically the best our favorite events to get your Coca-Cola-caramelized onions, and raw food approachable and 96 hours of a die-hard foodie’s year. journey through this food and and ramen buns. We can only appealing. And you’ll have saved a From an overabundance of burg- booze wonderland started. wonder what burger connoisseurs few extra calories to splurge tomor- ers at Burger Bash to sit-down din- will bring this year, but it’s safe row, during SOBEWFF’s last day. ners, vegan and raw-food tutorials, BARILLA’S ITALIAN to assume it will be indulgent. Future of Food Dinner, hosted by and themed bite nights at various BITES ON THE BEACH And what better way to cel- Matthew Kenney and Jamie Bisson- beachside locations, SOBEWFF Begin the four-day food bash with ebrate a birthday than by adding nette: 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, February offers something for every type bites from one of the tastiest coun- more food? Make room for mac 27, at Plant Food + Wine, 105 NE of eater. But there’s more than tries in the world: Italy. Giada De ’n’ cheese as restaurants will offer 24th St., Miami. Tickets cost $200. food to be eaten at this year’s star- Laurentiis, who hosts multiple Food their most glutinous versions of the studded event. The festival, which Network shows, including Giada age-old side, in addition to their TRIBUTE DINNER benefits Florida International in Italy and , is traditional burger-and-fries combo. There’s a lot someone can do University’s Chaplin School of bringing her namesake Vegas strip By the end of the night, you’ll with $500 — spend the week- Hospitality & Tourism Manage- restaurant, Giada at the Cromwell, have eaten your way to the winning end in NYC, book a quick >> p26

2424 TASTETASTE 2016 2016 browardpalmbeach.commiaminewtimes.com browardpalmbeach.com TASTE 2016 25 Big Events at the Fest from p24

three-day cruise, or buy a ticket to SOBEWFF’s annual Tribute Din- ner. It’s pricey, but it’s worth it. Master of Ceremonies Tom Col- icchio will host the soiree, which will celebrate the lives of chef and Stay restaurateur Jonathan Waxman and Constellation Brands’ Richard Sands and Rob Sands, who are behind names like Robert Mondavi, Simi, Plugged Clos du Bois, and Franciscan Estates wines and spirits like Svedka Vodka, Paul Masson Grande Amber Brandy, and Black Velvet Canadian Whisky. In. Chefs cooking at the tribute dinner include Bobby Flay, Mar- cus Samuelsson, Aarón Sánchez, Marc Forgione, Nancy Silverton, Tyler Florence, and Frederic De- laire. The swanky jazz band Potash Twins — hand-selected by Wax- man — will be the live entertain- ment throughout the evening. Tribute Dinner honoring Jona- than Waxman, Rob Sands, and All our ads, Richard Sands, presented by Bank of America — Part of the NYT Cooking Dinner Series, hosted by Master of Ceremonies Tom Colicchio: 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, February 27, at the Loews all the time, Miami Beach Hotel, 1601 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Tickets cost $500.

LUCKY CHOPSTICKS: all on-line. AN ASIAN NIGHT MARKET The only proper way to end SOBE- WFF is with a full tummy. What fills it, on the other hand, is up to you. Consider noshing away on late- night Asian-inspired bites at this year’s closing event, which will transform Miami’s beachside into an Asian market. As you munch, sip special cocktails from Southern on Wine & Spirits of Florida’s portfolio. Online Advertising Dir Hosted by Bizarre Foods’ An- drew Zimmern, sample dumplings, sushi, dim sum, and a variety of other eats crafted by some of Mi- ami’s most adored chefs. Expect bites from Gastropod’s Jeremiah N Bullfrog, Mr. Chow’s Hou Lam Dicky Fung, Talde Miami Beach’s , SoHo Bay’s Ricky Sauri, and HipPOPs’ Anthony Fellows. The menu for the night remains hush, but we can’t help but hope to see Talde’s pretzel pork and chive dumplings and Korean fried chicken, www.browardpalmbeach.com/adindex noodles from Gastropod, and Soho For Advertising Opportunities Call: 954-233-1569 Bay’s yuba veggie dumplings cov- ered in a tangy sesame sauce. Lucky Chopsticks: An Asian Night Market, hoste d by Andrew Zim- mern: 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, February 28, beachside at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach, 1 Lincoln Rd., Mi- Online Display Ads ami Beach. Tickets cost $150. ◆ 26miaminewtimes.comTASTE 2016 browardpalmbeach.com Taste YOUNG GUNS Sean Brock and Marc Vetri bring new ideas to SOBEWFF.

god Bacchus, the patron saint of Marc Vetri is similarly look- excess. On deck is an unbelievable ing for what comes next. That’s dessert from Brock’s grandmother because of his highly controversial called hillbilly fudge. “It’s a super- deal to sell most of his company, dense black-walnut fudge that actu- save for Vetri Restaurante, to re- ally has Velveeta cheese in it,” Brock tailing giant Urban Outfitters. says. “It was one of those handwrit- In the days after the deal was ten note cards my grandmother announced, both Vetri and Urban passed along when she passed away.” were lambasted. Vetri sold out, crit- Other than that, he’ll be making ics said. Urban didn’t know anything what is perhaps one of the South’s about the restaurant business, many most iconic dishes: shrimp and claimed. But according to Vetri, grits. But this being Sean Brock, the deal got him out of the complex they won’t be just any grits. and risky business of looking for “I’m going to cook the simplest new real estate for restaurants. form of shrimp and grits using “We want to stay on the East Coast this corn that I’ve saved the seed and probably open up about one to from 2007 called Jimmy Red,” he two places a year,” Vetri says. Miami says. Despite once being a staple of just may be in the offing. At the same Southern pantries, the varietal has time, he says, the marketing staff been grown only in small plots in Urban Outfitters brings to his restau- recent years. Brock is well known rant is unlike anything he would’ve for trying to restore many of those been able to assemble himself. plant species that have fallen as mass Of course, going corporate agriculture began growing most of doesn’t mean he’s going to button what we’re familiar with today. up and lie back. Vetri has long been For Jimmy Red, Brock snaked his known as one of the nation’s most way through a labyrinthine collec- outspoken chefs. He criticized Sean Brock tion of farmers and seedsmen until food media in the Huffington Post he was introduced to Ted Chewnin, in early 2015 for being “as stale as Photo by Andrea Behrends who had saved a few samples that day-old bread.” When Pope Francis BY ZACHARY FAGENSON were handed off to Brock. Farmer made a historic visit to the City of Greg Johnsman then spent nearly a Brotherly Love, Vetri chided Phila- ost young cooks dream ules and unfortunately saying no to decade sowing the seed to produce delphia for cleaning up for the Holy of achieving the kind many food and wine festivals. “You the red-flecked grits. Now they’ve See but not for its own people. of success enjoyed could do one a week for 52 weeks,” Ve- begun to appear on increasing “I have valid things to say that by Charleston’s Sean tri says. “I prefer staying in Philly, stay- numbers of Charleston menus. Late most likely everybody wants Brock and Philadel- ing at the restaurants, and working.” last year, an Eater article said the to say anyway and they don’t Mphia’s Marc Vetri. Th e pair claims a But everyone seems to make an corn is slated to reach cult status have the balls,” Vetri says. bounty of hardware, including James exception for South Beach. There’s thanks to its increasing availabil- At the same time, he’s focused on Beard Awards. They’re captains of something about escaping bitter ity. “When you smell it and taste Danny Meyer’s high-profile move burgeoning restaurant empires. winter for seaside drinking. Vetri it for the first time, you get what to end tipping at his restaurants. “I But with the glory comes the will pair with Valentino’s Giovanni all the fuss is about,” Brock says. think it might put them all out of complexity of managing it all. Just Rocchio for a sold-out dinner during This seems to be the purpose of business, but let’s let the master give being a chef in one place can be an which he’ll ply guests with pastrami his work these days. He also oversees it a whirl,” he says. “If he could figure 18-hour-per-day job. So how, then, foie gras on rye toast and his famed five restaurants that stretch from it out, that would be awesome.” ◆ are they supposed to run some lobster spaghetti. It’s an iconic dish. Nashville, where his second outpost restaurants, open new ones, write Philadelphia Inquirer restaurant of Husk is located, to Atlanta, where Dinner hosted by Marc Vetri and cookbooks, and train staff? It’s not critic Craig LaBan described it as “so his taco shop Minero has planted Giovanni Rocchio, part of the possible to be everywhere at once. intensely infused with lobster-ness its second flag. Now his time is Taste Fort Lauderdale Series 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, February 26, at And more important, when are they — the sauce enriched with tomalley dedicated to poring over old cook- Valentino, 620 S. Federal Hwy., Fort supposed to find time to toy with and roe, plus a stock fortified with books in search of long-deceased Lauderdale. Tickets cost $250. new ingredients, develop recipes, shells — that casual seafood pasta recipes to reanimate or backstop- and then test and refine them? eaters might not love it at first.” Still, ping many of his team’s creations. Dinner hosted by Sean Brock, Such a level of success seems al- it’s become impossible to resist. “I’ll guide everyone through David McMillan, Frédéric Mo- the creative process and then ad- rin, and John Kunkel, part of the most a curse for those who can’t fig- Meanwhile, Brock will partner NYT Cooking Dinner Series with David McMillan and Frédéric just if need be, but my guys have ure out a way to hold it all together. 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, February 26, at Yard- For Brock and Vetri, that often Morin from Joe Beef’s in Montreal. been with me so long they’re bet- bird Southern Table & Bar, 1600 Lennox means rigorously structured sched- The two are committed to the Greek ter cooks than I am,” Brock says. Ave., Miami Beach. Tickets cost $250.

miaminewtimes.com TASTE 2016 browardpalmbeach.com TASTE 2016 2727 Taste AT A TENDER AGE discusses making it big as a young woman.

help make the restaurant so amaz- obviously is pivotal inspiration ing. It’s been a fun ride, and we’re for the new restaurant. My days open ing another restaurant in five are never boring — there’s always weeks, and we’re just going to keep plenty of stuff going on — but I pushing and see what we can do. constantly am thinking of new Tell us about your new res- things I want to try to do, and I taurant and where that Chi- want to push myself to do as much nese influence came from. as possible and then retire early. At Little Goat, once a month, Can you give any inside details we’ll pick a country and just kind of about your SOBEWFF dinner? focus on that country. For the first This year, I’m cooking with Mi- one, two years ago in December, we chelle Bernstein, who’s become one did Chinese food, and we of my close friends made more Americanized in the culinary world favorites, but it was tasty, “WE’RE and somebody I look and I got home from the OPENING up to. She’s someone dinner and brought my ANOTHER I admire for many husband some leftovers. I RESTAURANT reasons, and I just was like, “Wow, this dish see her as someone is so much better than the IN FIVE very like-minded. Chinese takeout that we WEEKS, It’s actually a always get that’s greasy AND WE’RE whiskey-paired din- and, you know, like we JUST GOING ner, which is cool. don’t know where that TO KEEP We’re both doing chicken came from.” So some hors d’oeuvres, I went to my partners PUSHING.” and then I’m going a couple of weeks later to do a couple of and I was like, “Hey, I know I said courses, and Michelle is going to do I wasn’t going to open any more an entrée and a dessert. But we’re Stephanie Izard restaurants, but do you guys want to bringing a little bit of Chinese flair open a Chinese restaurant?” We’re to our dishes. We’re serving scal- Photo by Jonathan Robert Willis going to be making I think ten or 12 lops with XO sauce. It’s a Chinese BY JULIE HARANS kinds of dumplings, and they all have condiment that’s got a bunch of different fresh-made wrappers, and dried fish in it. We infuse it into a tephanie Izard is not one Stephanie Izard: The first seven different kinds of noodles, so rich goat, and it’s just this really to turn down a challenge. time I think I ever hopped in the we’re definitely pushing ourselves deep flavor that’ll go with the scal- She opened her own res- kitchen and made something to make it as challenging as possible. lops and I think will taste really taurant when she was 27 myself was after a trip down to Do you think there are still good with whiskey. Well, everything years old and became the Florida. We were in Orlando at challenges associated with be- will taste good with whiskey. firstS woman to win in 2008. Epcot in the [World Showcase]… ing a woman in the industry? Do you have an ulti- She even earned a Best New Res- When I was 8 in “France,” I had I haven’t broken this out yet, but mate career goal? taurant nomination from the James these ham and mushroom crepes, I’m actually pregnant at the mo- I don’t know. I look at other Beard Foundation for her fearless and I just went home after the ment, and I know that people have chefs, and I see all the things that fare at Chicago’s Girl & the Goat and trip and kind of hopped in the been writing about that maybe the they do, and my husband says, “Well, a Beard Award for Best Chef Great kitchen and re-created them, and reason there aren’t a lot of female Stephanie, they’re like 15 years Lakes. Food & Wine also deemed her my parents were like, “What?” chefs is because it’s hard to have a older than you.” And I forget that one of the best new chefs in 2010. In the years 2010 to 2013, you baby and work in a kitchen at the sometimes, so I just kind of want to The 39-year-old is now preparing opened Girl & the Goat, were same time, so I’m just going to test keep going and pushing and keep for the debut of her latest Chi-town named one of Food & Wine’s best that little theory and see what hap- everything I’ve done so far great concept, Chinese eatery Duck Duck new chefs, and garnered both a pens. But we have a lot of women and not let it slip when I start doing Goat, which will open its doors to James Beard nomination and an in our kitchen, and I think, being more things. There are so many op- the public the first week of March. award. What’s it like to have all of a woman chef, I hope to inspire portunities that I don’t know where During the South Beach Wine & that success in such a short time? them and make them comfortable the world is going to take me, but I Food Festival, she and Michelle Ber- It was amazing. I think Chicago and confident in the kitchen. want to try to do as much as I can. ◆ nstein will host a dinner with whis- has definitely been a great home What inspires you? Dinner hosted by Michelle Ber- key pairings and some showcasing for me... We are in a great neighbor- Traveling is awesome, and I wish nstein and Stephanie Izard of Izard’s Asian-inspired cuisine. hood where people just want to I got to do it more, but definitely 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, February 25, at Miami New Times: What was come here and eat, so I think that some of our bigger adventures, Cena by Michy, 6927 Biscayne Blvd., Mi- the first dish you ever made? and the people who work with me like going to China and Taiwan, ami. Tickets cost $250. Visit sobefest.com.

2828 TASTETASTE 2016 2016 browardpalmbeach.commiaminewtimes.com browardpalmbeach.com TASTE 2016 29 Taste TASTE TEST Chef Todd Erickson’s tips for conquering the Grand Tasting Village.

Don’t park close to Ocean Drive: South Beach parking can be a nightmare on the weekends. Add hundreds of additional cars to narrow streets and you get a double whammy of traffic and garages charging sometimes $30 — or more — for the day. Do be creative with transpor- tation choices: Take advantage of the festival’s free park-and-ride shuttle, exclusively available for GTV ticketholders. Simply park at the festival parking lot at North Miami Avenue and NE Eighth Street in downtown Miami and hop on a shuttle. The shuttles run continuously from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and will drop off and pick up beachside at 13th Street and Collins Avenue. If you’re feeling especially ad- venturesome, rent a Deco Bike bicycle, available throughout South Beach, and get some exercise. Don’t wear stilettos: This goes for men and women — no stilet- tos, high heels, or uncomfortable Guy Fieri footwear. Trust me: When they say the Grand Tasting Village is on Photo by Getty Images for SOBEWFF the beach, they’re not kidding. The BY LAINE DOSS activities are on soft sand that’s not packed enough to support tiny he South Beach Wine let’s not forget figuring out how Don’t go hungry: The tastiest heels. Wedges are almost OK, but & Food Festival (SOBE- to balance a glass of Cabernet dishes at the Grand Tasting Vil- be forewarned that the sand is a WFF) comprises doz- in one hand and a plate of food lage are usually accompanied by lot softer than you think. When ens of fabulous parties, in the other while trying to take lines. If you arrive starving and you remember that alcohol is also informative seminars, a selfie with . start drinking, the afternoon prob- involved, well, just don’t go there. Tand intimate dinners, but the event As always, it’s best to turn to ably won’t be the best experience Do wear comfortable shoes: most closely identified with the a pro for advice. Todd Erickson, for you. The days are historically Now is the time to break out your five-day celebration of food and executive chef and partner at Ha- warm, and plenty of people end cutest Havaianas. The sand is drink is the Grand Tasting Village. ven Hospitality Concepts (Haven up with Bambi legs, abrasive (and gets ev- Each year, the sands of Miami South Beach, Huahua’s Taqueria, caused from hitting erywhere) and you’ll be Beach are transformed into a and Haven Fort Myers), is a SOBE- the wine tent without NOW IS on your feet for hours. culinary wonderland, with hun- WFF veteran, having participated food in their stomachs. THE TIME Wear flats or flip-flops dreds of wineries, restaurants, and in events such as Best of the Best Do have a pre-festival TO BREAK and save yourself. distillers sharing their finest with and the Grand Tasting Village. bite: It might seem coun- OUT YOUR Don’t get dehy- thousands of foodies. Add a liberal This year, Erickson will par- terintuitive to eat before drated: The Grand dose of celebrity chef demonstra- ticipate in Tacos After Dark, tak- you go to a food festival, CUTEST Tasting Village is a tions by luminaries such as Rachael ing place Thursday, February 25, but it’s the smartest HAVAIANAS. veritable wonderland Ray, Rick Bayless, and Geoffrey from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.; the Grand thing you can do. Grab of drink, and you can’t Zakarian, plus a pinch of nonstop Tasting Village Saturday, Febru- something nearby — Le Sandwiche- take a step without someone of- music and entertainment, and you ary 27, from noon to 5 p.m.; and at rie and BLT are two great choices fering you a fabulous cocktail, a have the recipe for a perfect party. Fun and Fit as a Family Sunday, within walking distance of the tents. rare vintage, or a sip of a new spirit. Of course, you must pace February 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 You’ll still want to leave room for There’s no way you can drink your yourself. The Grand Tasting Vil- p.m. Chef Erickson was happy to all the delicious food at the festival, way through everything, so don’t lage (GTV) poses its own set of share his festival dos and don’ts but a small nosh will make all the even try. Don’t drink fast and furious. challenges, from fickle weather to ensure you make the most difference between enjoying the Do hydrate: Pace yourself. Seek out to tricky-to-navigate sand. And of your epicurean adventure. day and suffering from hunger. wineries and distilleries you ap->> p16

3030 TASTETASTE 2016 2016 browardpalmbeach.commiaminewtimes.com preciate, and discover ones that you’re Don’t stick to the wine and Don’t get caught up by every- to take business cards for restau- not familiar with but suit your palate. food tents: Take a break from the thing right at the main entrance: rants and wineries you’ve enjoyed Most important, take advantage of the winetastings and head to the north All of that wine and food will and follow them on social media. water sponsors and enjoy the nonalco- part of the village, where you can still be there when you leave. Don’t drink and drive: holic beverages as well. While you’re play games, have your favorite Do walk to the very back Call a taxi, Uber, or a friend if at it, make sure you wear sunscreen. cookbook signed by the author, tent and work your way for- you’ve had one too many. Don’t cut in line for food: Ev- and watch celebrity chef demos. ward: It works at Disney World, Don’t try to ride Paula Deen: eryone else is as hungry as you, Do say hello to your favorite and it works just as well here. That’s Robert Irvin e’s job. ◆ and we’re all in this together. chefs: If you see your fave celebrity Don’t try to take bottles of booze: Do plan ahead before you queue chefs walking around, feel free to ap- This is a big no-no at the festival, and Goya Foods Grand Tasting Village up: Fill your wine glass before you proach them for photos and conver- security will find you and stop you. Featuring MasterCard Grand Tasting Tents and KitchenAid Culinary Dem- wait in line. Strike up a conversation sation. We like talking to people. But Do take home as much swag as onstrations. Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, with the people in front of you. If if we’re in a hurry or we’ve got a big you like: Fill your bag with fun give- February 27, and Sunday, February 28, at you’re with someone, separate the knife in our hands, understand that aways that vendors provide. In the the Grand Tasting Village, 13th Street and duties and have your friend wait for while we love meeting you, we’re also past, we’ve nabbed sunglasses, sun- Ocean Drive, Miami Beach. Tickets cost $225. A special “3-5 p.m. on Ocean Drive” the ceviche while you grab a slider; here to work. Just catch us another screen, cocktail-flavored lip balm, T- ticket (good for admission Sunday, Febru- then share your combined bounty. time and we’ll be happy to chat. shirts, and other fun items. Be sure ary 28, from 3 to 5 p.m. only) costs $100.

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