You all know that the Mango Festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is happening this weekend, right? We went last year and had a lovely time, although unfortunately this year we won't be able to make it. It's worth the entrance fee just to see the vast collection of mangos on display, despite the fact that it was difficult fighting the temptation to grab one, peel it and dig right in.

This year's festival theme is "Mangos of Africa," and among the curator's choice selections are two cultivars from South Africa and one from Egypt. There will be different varieties of mango to sample, mango trees to buy for your own backyard, and all sorts of dishes made with mangos by local chefs.

And in honor of the mango festival, we present Chef Allen Susser demonstrating how to best cut a mango:

Mango Festival at Fairchild [Official Site]
Mangos Mangos Everywhere! [MP: South Florida]
Chef Allen's [MenuPages]
Chef Allen's [Official Site]

Deborah Hartz-Seeley over at the Sun-Sentinel's food blog Chew on This let us know about an interesting deal at Coal Mine Pizza in Boca Raton: spend $25 or more per table and get a free gallon of gas. Or rather, a reimbursement in the amount of the day's average cost of a regular gallon of gas. The program continues until the end of August. It's an interesting idea, and one that might actually bring in crowds during the slow summer months.

Will eat pizza for gas/ Coal Mine Pizza pay you for a gallon of gas [Chew on This]
Coal Mine Pizza [Official Site]

Gigi and Liza Meoli, the owners of Ouzo's Mediterranean Bistro, likely need a shot of the Greek liqueur after which their Mediterranean dining spot is named. Last September, the couple traded a locale on 71st Street on Miami Beach for a new space in Sunset Harbour—a piece of prime real estate that came with a hefty $30,000 lease. But this spring, Florida Power & Light erected construction fences that virtually block access to the restaurant, as the company works on the electrical transmission lines between Overtown and West Avenue.

Liza Meoli told the Miami SunPost that restaurant activity dropped from an average Friday-night revenue of $8,000 from 150 customers, to a meager $2,000 from 40 customers. Meoli also told the paper that they had to borrow money from friends to make rent one month, and that they were late on their lease payment the following month.

But who better than restaurateurs to make lemonade (or rather, a lemonade stand) out of lemons? In order to boost business, the Meolis created Mystery Mondays: an undisclosed five-course menu served on that day and which will change every week. With executive chef Pablo Cittadini at the helm and signature dishes that range from grilled octopus to a whole Mediterranean dorada, we can’t wait to be surprised.

Collateral Damage [Miami SunPost]
Ouzo's Mediterranean Bistro [MenuPages]
Ouzo's Mediterranean Bistro [Official Site]

We've failed to mention the Miami Spice preview until now, mainly because we've been poring over the menus, comparing them to regular menus, trying to find the best deals. We did find lots of variations on pan-seared red snapper and grilled mahi-mahi, in addition to a number of versions of panna cotta. We were also pleased to note quite a few chilled dessert fruit soups, of which we're fond. Also common: an entree of organic/free-range roasted chicken. We'd probably steer away from it, since we've found it's very easy and inexpensive to roast a chicken at home.

For highlights from this year's Spice preview, click on the jump. Keep in mind that the [lunch] and [dinner] links at the end of each item are .pdf files of the restaurant's Miami Spice tasting menu.

Continue reading "Your Unofficial Guide To The Miami Spice Preview" »

The Coral Gables Restaurant Week is almost upon us, so now is a good time to peruse menus and start making dinner reservations. There are quite a few restaurants participating, so in order to save you a little time, we went through each and every one of the menus and picked out the ones we found most interesting and provided the best bang for your buck. (Note: The menu links following each entry are .pdf files.)

• Caramelo: This, in our opinion, is one of the better deals. The $20 lunch menu only offers one option for each of the three courses, but it's $20 and it comes with a glass of wine. That's especially good considering the entree includes Florida grouper. Dinner, which is $35, also comes with wine included. [menu]

• California Pizza Kitchen: Lots of choices here. For $25, you get a half-portion of your choice of three salads, plus any of the pizzas on the menu and any of the desserts. [menu]

• Caffe Abbracci: The restaurant week menus don't give you too many choices, but at $24 (lunch) and $35 (dinner), they're good deals, considering the prices on the regular menu. Still, we weren't terribly excited about the offerings. [menu]

• Fleming's Prime Steakhouse: Three courses, $33.95. The first and third courses don't sound all that exciting, but those mains look good: tempura shrimp in chile aioli and pineapple mango salsa; bleu cheese-glazed filet mignon with cabernet butter sauce; and beef short ribs with herbs, spices and pan juices. [menu]

• Fritz & Franz Bierhaus is offering the same options for lunch and dinner, both for $25. Our choices would be goulash for appetizer, sausage sampler for the main, and definitely the sacher torte for dessert. [menu]

• Le Provencal definitely wins in the "most choices for entree" category. Eight entrees for lunch, ranging from the traditional Caesar salad ($9.50) to the couscous with lamb shank, lamb sausage and vegetables ($15.95). No competition there — we'll have the lamb. Appetizer options are soup of the day, salad with homemade dressing, or salmon terrine, and the dessert is whatever the kitchen has decided to make that day. [menu]

• Given the regular prices at Ortanique on the Mile, the $35 restaurant week dinner menu is a steal. Appetizer options are soup, mango salad (yes please!), or curried crab cake. For entrees, choose from jerked chicken penne pasta, butterflied spiced pork chop, or curried shrimp and diver scallops. As for dessert, there's rum cake, mango sorbet or guava cheese cake. [menu]

• When it came to the Por Fin menu, all we wanted to know was whether or not the "eggs at Por Fin" were on it. They are: only on Mondays on the lunch menu, but always on the dinner menu. That short ribs entree sounds good too. The dinner menu is $38. [menu]

• You can get mango risotto (arroz con mango!) at Two Sisters as a lunch appetizer. Entree options are skirt steak, with chimichurri of course, seared mahi mahi and roast chicken, all for $24. [menu]

Coral Gables Restaurant Week [Official Site]

It's Cinco de Mayo. We hear it's not a huge holiday in Mexico, but on this side of the border, you're pretty much obligated to consume Mexican fare and drink as much beer as possible on this day. It's a Monday this year, so it's probably best to not overdo it on the beer front, since the office is not the best place to nurse a hangover. Here, we offer a few good places to get your fill of Mexican food tonight:

• Don Burrito in Kendall serves up some great taquitos and fajitas, and tonight they've got mariachis after 8:30 p.m. and a special on the Coronas: six for $15.

• Rosa Mexicano in Palm Beach Gardens is doing a special Cinco de Mayo menu that will have eight choices of appetizers, 10 entrees and a handful of desserts, all a la carte. The regular margaritas will be available, but tonight you can get them prepared tableside, just like the guacamole.

• The party starts at 5 p.m. at Cantina Laredo in Plantation. There will be a tent, a deejay, lots of food and plenty of drinks: $7 margaritas and $2 beers.

• Cheen Huaye is also hosting a party outside with a mariachi band after 8 p.m. and plenty of beer. They're also featuring a special menu with tuna shrimp ceviche, homemade chicken tamales and carne asada, among other things.

Photo, of the pomegranate margarita at Rosa Mexicano: yummyinthetummyblog [Flickr]

That's pretty much all of you, no? Does anyone really dislike olive oil? Perhaps not everyone is so fanatic about it that they'd go to the International Olive Oil Fest this weekend in Fort Lauderdale. We're not sure how large the event is, but we imagine that it's a good opportunity to sample some interesting olive oils from small producers around the world. The website also promises wine tastings and food samples.

In terms of entertainment, it sounds like there will be plenty, from flamenco guitars to belly dancers to opera singers. If you prefer dancing, the Havana Soul Orchestra will be there also to play some mambo, salsa and big band. Several movies will also be shown as part of the event inside Cinema Paradiso. We're intrigued by the olive pit spitting contest, in which Italian rules apply. If anyone can shed light on what exactly these Italian rules are, we'd very much appreciate it.

Tickets are $15 per day in advance or $20 on the day of the event. Children under 12 are free; teenagers will cost you $5.

International Olive Oil Fest [Official Site]

Photo: sweaty photos [Flickr]

Eat out on Thursday, May 1 and without spending an extra penny, help raise money for those in the local community affected by HIV/AIDS through Dining Out for Life. Almost 50 restaurants in Miami-Dade and Broward counties are participating in the event; each is donating either a set amount of money or a percentage of the revenue from that night — for most, it'll be 25 percent. So check out the list of participating restaurants and make reservations!

Dining Out For Life South Florida [Official Site]

The Business Improvement District of Coral Gables is launching a restaurant week beginning Monday, June 2. We don't have too many details yet, but we do know that the following restaurants are participating: Cacao Restaurant, Caffe Abbracci, California Pizza Kitchen, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse, La Cofradia, La Dorada, Ortanique on the Mile, Caramelo, Tarpon Bend, Sushi Maki, Benihana, Artfish on the Mile, Two Sisters, Fritz & Franz Bierhaus, Hoja Nueva, John Martin's and Por Fin Restaurant.

We also learned that the Morton's that's coming to Miracle Mile will be opening sometime during restaurant week, although the restaurant won't be participating.

Business Improvement District of Coral Gables [Official Site]
Morton's [Official Site]

Adding wine to your meal is the easiest way to run up the tab quickly. So these Monday and Tuesday deals at Cacao are sure to please the penny-pinchers. On Mondays, or "Loco Lunes," the restaurant offers a list of wines by the bottle that are 50 percent off. On "Tuesdays Uncorked," you can bring your own wine — up to two bottles per tables — and there's no corkage fee.

Cacao Restaurant [MenuPages]
Cacao Restaurant [Official Site]

Photo: c00lmarie [Flickr]

Jerry Greenfield, one of the founders of Ben & Jerry's, will be at the Coral Gables ice cream shop (80 Aragon Ave, 305-442-1800) for just one hour on Sunday, April 13, from 3 to 4 p.m., for photos with fans. Kids get free toppings on their ice cream.

Also, don't forget free cone day is coming up! Stop by from noon to 8 p.m. on April 29 for a free cup or cone of ice cream. The chain will also be unveiling its new flavors on that day.

Ben & Jerry's [Official Site]

Photo: Dodger Chick [Flickr]

We were perusing the daily drink specials over at Hooligan's Pub & Oyster Bar in South Miami when our eyes caught "$1 pitchers." Initial reaction: WOW. Then we saw: 12 a.m. to 2 a.m. Unfortunately, that's a little past our bedtime, especially on a Tuesday night. But hey, if you're up at that hour, that's a pretty awesome deal. There's also a beer pong tournament at midnight. Makes sense, of course, since it's college night.

If you're like us (i.e. not a night owl), Hooligan's has happy hour every day from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m., when 20-ounce drafts are $4.75-$6.75. Show up after 5 p.m. and the oysters are $4.95 per dozen.

Hooligan's Pub & Oyster Bar [MenuPages]
Hooligan's Pub & Oyster Bar [Official Site]

Photo: minntyfresh [Flickr]

It's World Water Week, when participating restaurants will ask diners to donate $1 for the tap water they drink with their meal to UNICEF's Tap Project, which works to get clean water to children around the globe.

Quite a few South Florida restaurants are participating in the program this week, so many in fact that we gave up trying to list all of them. So if you want to know which nearby restaurants are participating, just type in your zip code and find out. A few restaurants of note that are involved in the project: Tap Tap Haitian Restaurant (with a name like that, how could they not participate?), Sushi Samba Dromo, Spris Pizzeria, Jaguar, and Touch.

Drink water in Miami Beach, save lives [Miami Herald]
Tap Project [Official Site]

Who doesn't love free pizza? Even bad pizza is still pizza, which is inherently awesome. We've never tried the pizza at Grotto in Palm Beach, but it does have something going for it: it's free during happy hour. The chef makes thin-crust pizzas with different toppings, and the slices are then handed out to those enjoying the drink specials: $2.50 draught beer (Moretti and Peroni), $5 house wines (a cabernet, a chianti, a pinot grigio and a chardonnay), and half-priced well drinks. And this happens every day between 3 and 7 p.m.

Grotto [MenuPages]
Grotto [Official Site]

Photo: Grotto Restaurants

Oh my goodness, how awesome is this?! We love this idea, and if we had kids, we'd totally be up for this.

Tuscan Steak [MenuPages]

If you have a valid voter registration card, Hurricane Grill & Wings has some free wings for you. Five free wings, in fact. The restaurant's Florida locations are serving registered voters a free appetizer portion of wings in support of re-holding the Democratic presidential primary in this state.

"We just want to do our part to show our fellow Floridians that their vote counts with us," Lori Cuonze, a spokesperson for the company, told the Jacksonville Business Journal. Which is a noble idea, really, but ... this isn't the general election, right? If the Democratic Party wants to re-hold the Florida primary, that's the party's prerogative; there is, unfortunately, no inalienable right to vote for a party's nominee. The whole idea behind this promotion strikes us as odd.

Anyway, hooray for free wings!

Hurricane Grill offers free wings to voters [Jacksonville Business Journal]
Hurricane Grill & Wings [Official Site]

Photo: Flickr

In case you didn't drink enough at last weekend's South Beach Wine & Food Festival, there are two more wine events this weekend. Ready?

• The Boca Bacchanal begins today and continues until Sunday. It's like the South Beach festival but without the celebrities: wine seminars, a grand tasting, vintner dinners and a cooking demonstration. And like the other more well-known festival, these tickets won't come cheap; the grand tasting is $85 at the door, the cooking demonstration is $125, and everything else starts at $250.

• The second annual Dan Marino Weston Wine and Food Festival is a much smaller event. It's only on Sunday, from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m., and while they'll take your money ($40 general admission/$50 at the door/$1,000 for VIP access), at least it's going to a good cause; 100 percent of the proceeds go directly to the Dan Marino Foundation.

Photo: Flickr

There were spit cups everywhere. Did we use them? Of course not. Why waste perfectly good wine, right? We also made the mistake of not availing ourselves of enough food samples. Sure, we had a few good bites, but it was so hot, and we felt sticky and the last thing we wanted to do was eat. So let's review: lots of wine + not enough food + hot sun = one very drunk blogger. Our only consolation is that almost everyone else at the festival was in a similarly tipsy state.

OK, we'll start from the beginning. We had a ticket to "He Says, She Says: The Sexes on Wine" at 11 a.m. So yes, we got an early start on the drinking. When we first got the ticket, we hadn't really paid attention to the name on it: Andrea Robinson. Only when we got there did we realize that it was Andrea Immer; Robinson is her married name. That's when we got all excited -- we were going to a class given by a Master Sommelier!

We initially thought the class would discuss any differences in how men and women taste wine. That definitely wasn't the case, although we did learn that women, on average, tend to be better tasters than men. There was a reason given, although that's one of the many details that we cannot remember. (Did we mention we drank a lot?) The seminar was actually a competition between Andrea and her husband John. We loved both of them. They were fun, witty and incredibly down to earth. And she's not the only wine expert in the family -- he can hold his own pretty well.

Continue reading "Sunday At The South Beach Wine & Food Festival, Part 1" »

Looks like Dunkin' Donuts is taking advantage of the fact that the competition is closing down for a few hours today. From 1 p.m. until 10 p.m., Dunkin' Donuts stores will be offering 99-cent lattes. It could save you a couple bucks on that regular 4 o'clock pick-me-up.

Starbucks Closing For Three Hours On Feb. 26 [MP: South Florida]
Get Dunkin Donuts latte for 99 cents on Tuesday February 26 [Slashfood]

LaBelle is a world away from the Florida with which we're familiar, which is perhaps why we were so intrigued by the Swamp Cabbage Festival. We've also got a soft spot for country festivals replete with interesting foods, and this certainly fit the bill.

Never heard of swamp cabbage? Neither had we. It's the heart of the sabal palm, which also happens to be the state tree of Florida. This designation means that you can't just cut down a sabal palm to cut out the heart; there are all sorts of permissions to get and administrative hoops to go through. It's nice that the festival organizers took care of all of that stuff for us.

A full account, with photos, is after the jump.

Continue reading "Saturday At The Swamp Cabbage Festival" »

It was a long, fun weekend for us. We spent Saturday at the Swamp Cabbage Festival in LaBelle, and Sunday at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. We regret not buying more mangrove honey at the former, and we regret drinking all of the wine, instead of just tasting it, at the latter festival.

We're working on posts with lots of details and photos; expect them over the next two days or so. In the meantime, check out some other posts about the South Beach festival:

• Sara at All Purpose Dark got to go on trade day. We've got to figure out how to get in on that.
• A chowhound was not happy with Tyler Florence and his Kidz Kitchen event.
• Danny at Daily Cocaine reports that Anthony Bourdain appeared very tanned and rested at the festival. He provides video evidence as well.

• The South Beach Wine & Food Festival. But you already knew about that.

• If you're up for a drive, there's the annual Swamp Cabbage Festival over in LaBelle on Saturday and Sunday. There will be fried gator tails, swamp cabbage salsa (swamp cabbage is the heart of the sabal palmetto), arts and crafts and armadillo races. For those of us who can't afford the Food Network-sponsored bash on the beach.

• And on Saturday, if you happen to have $90 burning a hole in your pocket, you might want to use it towards the Wish Culinary Night of Magic, a rooftop pool party with dinner prepared by Wish chef Michael Bloise. There will be sausage, Thai basil crostini, paella and beer-barbecue chicken.

You're probably sick of hearing/reading constantly about the South Beach Wine & Food Festival already. (Did we mention it's on? This weekend?) It's especially difficult to read about all of this when prices for the different events start at around $150. That's a lot of money, and it won't even get you into the big parties.

We managed to get tickets to two events on Sunday, so we'll be sure to give you all a detailed account. In the meantime, check out Paula's take on the 2004 and 2006 festivals over at mango&lime. And the Miami Herald has a pretty good guide to the festival.

South Beach Wine & Food Festival [Official Site]
Should I stay or should I go? [mango&lime]
Insiders' guide to the South Beach Wine & Food Festival [Miami Herald]

We're assuming Padma Lakshmi is really in town for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, but she cleared enough time in her schedule to stop by Books & Books in Bal Harbour on Friday for a bit of champagne and some signing of her latest cookbook, Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet. The event starts at 1 p.m. and is at 9700 Collins Avenue.

Books & Books [Official Site]
Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet [Amazon]
Padma Lakshmi [Official Site]

If you've got the day off today, you can still catch the last of the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, which ends today at 6 p.m. There will be works from artists who use all sorts of different media: clay, sculpture, paint, wood, metal and jewelry. There's also a Culinary Pavilion, which, of course, is what we're most interested in. Today there are presentations from Oscar del Rivero from Jaguar and Eleanor Hoh of The Wok Star. We also hear that there are chicken chili and wine tastings.

Coconut Grove Arts Festival [Official Site]
Greetings from Coconut Grove Arts Festival [Miami Herald]

Photo, of last year's festival food offerings: Flickr

We prefer to stay home on Valentine's Day and cook a lovely meal for our sweetie (on the menu this year: coffee-marinated bison short ribs). But if you prefer to head out on the town, here are a few good options for treating your valentine:

• Blue Door at Delano is having a four-course dinner for $95 per person between 7 and 11 p.m.

• If you're going the vegan route, there's Sublime of course. Their dinner is $59 per person and includes three courses; for the entree, you can choose between artichoke tofu quiche or seitan steak wellington. There's also a champagne and sea caviar supplement for an extra $20.

• At Kavanagh & Morrissey's, they'll be serving fresh oysters, three special entrees, and a special dessert of a frozen heart-shaped mousse topped with cherries and white chocolate truffle. YUM.

• If you're in the mood for steak, Morton's has a $69 per person menu that includes a salad and an entree of filet mignon and Alaskan king crab or filet mignon and Australian lobster tail.

• The price is a little higher, $150 per person, at 3030 Ocean, but the menu looks really good. Oh, and that includes one glass of champagne. You get oysters or shrimp, bison tenderloin carpaccio or Maryland crab, Tasmanian salmon or Hawaiian mero, grilled beef tenderloin or roasted rack of lamb, and if you're still not full, you can choose a cheese plate, a winter lemon tart or chocolate fondue.

• If you'd rather stay at home but not cook, L & L Market Bistro will do the cooking for you for $50 per person. You get beef, lamb chops or Chilean sea bass with polenta 'hearts' (awww) and chocolate-covered strawberries.

• Social Miami at Sagamore is offering a special tasting menu in addition to its regular menu for $75 per person. That gets you three courses; the entree options include pan-seared duck breast with candied pecans and butter poached rock lobster tail with jumbo lump crab gremolata.

• And finally, Andu Restaurant & Lounge, which just opened yesterday, will also be offering a Valentine's Day menu that will include four courses, an amuse and a glass of champagne, all for $80 per person. The goat-cheese crusted lamb loin caught our eye. Sounds good.

If you like pancakes, you'll want to make sure to schedule breakfast at IHOP on Tuesday, when the chain is giving out free short stacks in celebration of National Pancake Day, despite the fact that it's a week late. See National Pancake Day was last Tuesday, aka Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday. But it also happened to be Super Tuesday, so IHOP decided to move its promotion, so that the promotion wouldn't be overshadowed by the democratic process.

The event is part of a fundraising effort for Children's Miracle Network; the idea is that you'll be so happy to have received free pancakes that you'll be motivated to make a donation.

So, let's recap. Free pancakes. Tuesday, February 12 between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Need to find one? Here's a list of IHOPs nationwide.

Restaurant Chain To Stack Up Hotcakes For Free [CBS4]
IHOP [Official Site]

Ready for this weekend's Garlic Fest in Delray Beach? We have never been to a garlic festival (we've always thought it would be fun to visit Gilroy, Calif. during garlic festival time), but we are huge fans of the odiferous bulb, so festivals that celebrate garlic are all right in our book. There will be cooking demonstrations and even a Garlic Chef Competition featuring some local chefs. Add tribute bands, games for the kids and, of course, lots of garlicky dishes. It sounds like fun on paper (or rather, on the computer screen), but the chowhounds didn't seem too enthusiastic about it; there are complaints about underwhelming food, expensive food and a $2 charge per kid per ride in the bounce house. So go, but understand that it might strain the wallet a bit.

Delray Beach Garlic Fest [Official Site]
Garlic Festival, Delray 2/8-10 [Chowhound]

• We have to mention the Moveable Feast fundraiser tonight, as it benefits Best Buddies, an organization that's near and dear to us. (Our mom is very involved in it.) It starts at 7 p.m. at Britto Central on Lincoln Road, where there will be samples from Emeril's, Emeril's Miami Beach, Rosinella and Yuca. Then the party moves to The Courtyard on Lincoln Road for desserts from La Gelateria and Ghirardelli. The cost is $100 at the door.

• Whole Foods in Coral Springs is hosting a "beer-off:" a tasting competition with eight microbrews. The first 50 customers (those who are of age, of course) to sign up get to taste the beer. It's tomorrow at 6 p.m.

• Florida City is hosting its 14th annual Super Chili Bowl Cook Off, which will also feature a jalapeño eating contest, an outhouse race (what is this?!) and a tomato race (also?!). The event is Saturday from noon until 4 p.m. at the Prime Outlets.

• The menu for the Super Bowl Brunch at North One 10 looks awesome. There are so many options, we wouldn't know where to begin. Both New York and New England food choices are represented, but mostly, everything sounds really good. Brunch will be served on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m., and it's $42 per person, including one mango mimosa. Check out the menu at the restaurant's website.

Busy weekend for foodies! Not only is there the International Chocolate Festival, but there's also a stone crab picnic on Saturday at the Coral Gables Farmers Market hosted by Slow Food Miami. Here's what Paula, of mango&lime, wrote about the even in the SunPost:

The picnic starts at noon, but you may want to arrive early to watch Chef Roberto Ferrer, of Cohiba Brasserie in Coral Gables, demonstrate how to prepare a stone crab and avocado dish, from 10 to 11 a.m. And while you await your stone crabs, you can check out booths with organic produce, local honey, French pastries, spices and fragrant tea blends.

At the picnic, you pay for what you eat. Stone crabs will be sold for $10 per pound and provided by Judy the “stone crab lady,” who has been bringing seafood from Everglades City to the market for several years. Pick up some healthy sides from Whisk Gourmet Food & Catering at an adjacent booth. Then head over to the picnic tables and join your neighbors for seafood and wine. Reno recommends a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, but it’s up to you. Oh, and don’t forget your crab tools. The stone crabs will be cracked, but you’ll need some utensils to eat the yummy crustaceans.

International Chocolate Festival Is This Weekend [MP: South Florida]
Slow Food Miami [Official Site]
Come On, Get Crabby! [SunPost]

Did you know that cacao's scientific name, Theobroma cacao, means "food of the gods?" So very apt, don't you think? There's lots more interesting trivia to learn at the second annual International Chocolate Festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. There's a screening of Like Water for Chocolate tomorrow evening, and over the weekend there will be tours of Fairchild's rainforest, plant sales, cooking demonstrations, and lectures on the history of chocolate and how to make it. If you're a member of the garden, the event is free. If not, it's $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, and $10 for kids 6-17 (under 5 enter for free).

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden [Official Site]
Chocolate festival program [pdf file]

Photo: Flickr

When we first read that the Conch Tour Train in Key West was giving out free key lime cupcakes to celebrate its 50th anniversary, we thought it was free cupcakes for everyone. Then we read more closely (this is what happens when you monitor dozens of sites each day -- you scan and misinterpret things easily) and learned that the cupcakes are only for the passengers. So if you want that cupcake, you're going to have to pay for the $25 tour, which will take you to all of the usual touristy spots (aquarium, shipwreck museum, Hemingway house,