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Need a place to get a drink tonight? Try the Hilton Ft Lauderdale Beach Resort, where cocktails will be two for the price of one from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. tonight. The polls on the west coast won't even be closed by then, so you'll have plenty of time to get home and watch the results come in. Oh, and there are free tapas too, each one inspired by the presidential and vice presidential candidates. Can you guess which dish belongs to whom?

A) Sour milk biscuits and poached chicken
B) Soft flour tacos with sauteed beef tenderloin
C) Braised pork belly and cranberries
D) Seared halibut with snow peas, crab and ginger

And over at Sushi Samba Dromo, appetizer-sized specials are $2-4 all day long. Vote for your preferred candidate with your drink choice; there's the Obamarama (lemon, blueberries, sugar, blueberry vodka, Blue Curacao, club soda) and the Maverick (raspberries, sugar, raspberry rum, Triple sec, Grenadine, unsweetened white tea). Honestly, both drinks sound good, so I imagine there will be more crossing of party lines than usual.

For more parties, check the Election Party Guide at Miami.com.

Sushi Samba Dromo [MenuPages]
Sushi Samba Dromo [Official Site]
Hilton Ft Lauderdale Beach Resort [Official Site]
Election Party Guide [Miami.com]

*Answers: A) Joe Biden, B) John McCain, C) Barack Obama, D) Sarah Palin

Andu Restaurant & Lounge [MenuPages]
Andu Restaurant & Lounge [Official Site]

Beginning this Sunday, October 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Sunday Brunch is back at The Bar at Level 25 at The Conrad Miami. The price is $65 for adults and $35 for children.

The Bar at Level 25 [MenuPages]
The Bar at Level 25 [Official Site]

Tonight is the first night of Altamar Restaurant's Pairings & Pours wine series. Every Monday in October and November owner Claudio Giordano invites foodies and wine lovers into his restaurant to experience a five-course menu paired with excellent wine. The experiences will be intimate: the restaurant will be closed to the general public and only 30 reservations will be accepted.

Sample Menu after the jump.

Continue reading "AltaMar Restaurant Pairings & Pours" »

Don't know your Bordeaux glass from your Chardonnay glass? In a clever marketing effort, wine-glass maker Riedel is hosting a Riedel Wine Tasting tonight at Morton's in Coral Gables, during which the company intends to show "the profound difference a wine glass can make on how wines taste." (Hey, the critics at Wine Spectator say it's true..) If you're more interested in the wines, these are the ones that will be sampled tonight:
"Erath Pinot Noir with fresh fruit aromas of cherry, raspberry, and blueberry; Chateau Ste. Michelle Canoe Ridge Chardonnay with fresh apple, ripe pear and spice aromas and flavors; Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Cabernet with dense aromas of boysenberry and brown sugar spice with layers of fruit, nicely integrated, yet very age-worthy, tannins; Domaine Ste. Michelle Luxe, and Chateau Ste. Michelle Eroica Riesling."
The wines will be poured in Riedel “Flow” series wine glasses, and guests will take home a case of four (a retail value of $60). The wine tasting is paired with Morton’s signature hors d’oeuvres, including petite filet mignon sandwiches, chicken goujonettes, broiled sea scallops, and miniature key lime tarts. T
he cost of attendance is $70. The event is tonight, September 25, from 6-7:30pm at Morton's in Coral Gables.

If beer is more your speed, downtown's Bin No. 18 is hosting a complimentary tasting of Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar, St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale and Unibroue Apple Ephemere, from 6:30-8:30pm. No word on the glasses they'll use...

Morton's [MenuPages]
Morton's [Official Site]
Bin No. 18 [MenuPages]

It's going to be another food-filled weekend. Here's the rundown.

Friday, September 12: Riedel Wine Tasting at Morton's, The Steakhouse in North Miami Beach, 7pm - 8:30pm. Red and white wines will be paired with Morton’s signature hors d’oeuvres (petite filet mignon sandwiches, chicken goujonettes, broiled sea scallops, and miniature key lime tarts), and guests will take home a box of four Riedel “Flow” series wine glasses. Cost to attend the event is $70 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 305-945-3131.

Saturday, September 13: Interactive Cooking Classes at Ortanique, 12pm-2pm.
Learn the secrets behind Chef Cindy Hutson's "Cuisine of the Sun!" Guests will be teamed up in groups of 6 with a chef from the Ortanique kitchen at each table to guide them through their lesson. Each table elects a head chef to prepare each course and the sous chefs at the table assist in the prep and plating. Courses will be complemented with wine, and everyone will take home a goodie bag along with a recipe booklet of what they prepared that day.

Sunday, September 14: Wok Star Eleanor Hoh is at it again, sharing her stir-fry secrets at the Naked Grape, 1pm-4pm. Participate in making the dishes (rainbow lettuce appetizer with ground turkey, hoisin sauce & crunchy pumpkin seeds; easy stir fry veggies with an Asian twist; shrimp with asparagus, carrot & topped with cashews; and tilapia with zucchini, squash & bell peppers), which will be paired with wines selected and sponsored by Naked Grape. Woh will also explain the importance of the right wok and high heat essential for a successful stir fry. $65 per person. For reservations, call 305-865-9297.

Morton's, The Steakhouse [MenuPages]
Morton's, The Steakhouse [Official Site]
Ortanique on the Mile [MenuPages]
Ortanique on the Mile [Official Site]
Eleanor Hoh [Official Site]
Naked Grape Wine Bar [Official Site]

Our stay-cation last weekend was extremely slow, but it looks like we'll be able to make up for it this week with several fun foodie activities.

On Friday starting at 6 p.m., The Oceanaire Seafood Room will present a five-course dinner featuring Robert Mondavi Wines. The cost is $65 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Just to get your juices flowing, we'll tell you that the first course will be “A Study in Oysters” paired with Mondavi Fume Blanc, Napa Valley ’06. Call 305-372-8862 (TUNA) for reservations.

On Saturday, the Historical Museum of South Florida will host its annual fundraiser: the Bark Brunch at the Oasis at the Raleigh Hotel (pictured), which will take place from 10 a.m. until noon. While you fill up on brunch and mimosas, your furry friend can enter a canine competition or get a doggie massage. Tickets for non-HMSF members are $55.

On Sunday, Sushi Samba Dromo is celebrating Brazilian Independence Day with a specialty cocktail, one-night-only dishes and a show featuring famed performer Gil Santos, dancers and Brazilian drummers. The live shows are scheduled for 8-9:30 p.m. Special menu items include a bandeira cocktail ($12), a mix of pinot grigio and cachaca; the lobster and palmito salad ($18), served with a coco-mango emulsion and cashew powder; and the roasted poussion com batata ($25), served with broccolini and port sauce.

The Oceanaire Seafood Room [MenuPages]
The Oceanaire Seafood Room [Official Site]
Historical Museum of South Florida [Official Site]
Raleigh Hotel [Official Site]
Sushi Samba Dromo [MenuPages]
Sushi Samba Dromo [Official Site]

Celebrate the haps at the DNC this week, or prep for John McCain's turn, with election-themed cocktails at RUMBAR at The Ritz-Carlton in Key Biscayne.

Margarita on Baracks
Whether you consider Obama’s speeches sweet or sour, the combination of the two certainly works for a margarita. RUMBAR nods to this emotive candidate with a little extra passion fruit juice.

Ingredients:
Herradurra Silver Tequila
Cointreau
Fresh lime juice
Passion fruit Juice
Cranberry juice
Grand Marnier

Over ice, combine 1 1/4 oz of Herredurra Silver Tequila, 1/8 oz Cointreau, 1/8 oz of Passion fruit juice and 1/8 oz of Lime juice. In a Hurricane glass, add ice to the top and 1/8 oz of Cranberry juice then pour the contents of the shaker tin on top. Add 1/8 oz floater of Grand Marnier. Garnish with a slice of Lime and a half wheel of Orange. Can be served with or without Salt.

Mc(Sugar)Cain Mojito
As platforms and stances get muddled during the upcoming election, seek this special signature drink to clear your head of the political banter. As the oldest Presidential Candidate, McCain has been dubbed a “maverick” for his party dissentions. As Cuba’s oldest drink, the Mojito’s history lies in a pirate’s lore, making these two veterans a perfect match.

Ingredients:
Mint Leaves
Fresh Limes
Fresh Raspberries
Simple Syrup
Bacardi Razz
Bacardi Superior
Club Soda

Combine Limes, Mint, Simple Syrup and Raspberries and Muddle. Add Ice 1/4 oz of Bacardi Razz and a 1/4 oz Bacardi Superior....Shake and pour into a Hurricane glass and top off with Club Soda and a sugar cane stick.

The Ritz-Carlton [Official Site]

Check out 12-21 at the new Morton's in Coral Gables. From 5:30pm-7pm, there will be complimentary cocktails and bar bites to celebrate the inauguration.

Morton's [MenuPages]
Morton's [Official Site]

Forget the traditional Miami Spice menu. The Oceanaire Seafood Room is mixing things up with New England Clam Bake Sundays. Available until the end of September, the New England clam bake dinner special includes a choice of soup or salad appetizer, a one-and-a-half pound lobster, mussels, clams, corn on the cob, roasted potatoes and choice of dessert, for $36 a person. A glass of house wine can be added for only $5. After all, if Monday must come around, Sunday night might as well be your last supper.

The Oceanaire Seafood Room [MenuPages]
The Oceanaire Seafood Room [Official Site]

Hungry for something to do tonight? Check out the Thirsty Thursdays event at Jaguar, which features South American wines and fresh ceviches, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Owner Lalo Durazo and wine consultant Barry Alberts present up-and-coming South American wines from boutique vineyards in an informal yet educational style wine tasting. With over 31 years in the wine industry, wine connoisseur Barry Alberts hand selects and pours three white and three red wines from Chile, Brazil, Argentina and/or Uruguay, and answers any questions guests may have about the featured wines. The wines are then paired with a selection of fresh ceviches and chicken and steak skewers with a variety of Jaguar’s specialty sauces. The part where it gets even better? It's only $15 a person.

Jaguar [MenuPages]
Jaguar [Official Site]