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4 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
52<br />
66<br />
76<br />
ON THE COVER:<br />
Ralph Lauren classic camel high<br />
neck sweater and full leg camel<br />
trouser, available at Bloomingdale’s,<br />
Aventura Mall; Michael Kors classic<br />
camel fur vest, available at Saks<br />
Fifth Avenue, Bal Harbour Shops;<br />
Gold fringe necklace, available at<br />
Macy’s, Aventura Mall.<br />
Cover Photo by: Gio Alma<br />
Model: Emilia Jarvela • Mega Models<br />
ConTEnTS<br />
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2010<br />
72<br />
FEATURES<br />
52 CASIno CHIC:<br />
BET on GREAT<br />
FALL FASHIon<br />
66 CLASS ACT<br />
Fun ways to learn in and out<br />
of the classroom.<br />
72 BEST nIGHTS<br />
FoR BEST DEALS<br />
Drink & eat spots light on the<br />
wallet -- help to put happy in<br />
happy hour.<br />
by Elizabeth Newman<br />
76 REALITY CHECK<br />
Miami’s top chefs.<br />
by Vanessa Garcia
Some people think any Real Estate Agent will do... Others expect more<br />
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most beautiful ocean and city views!<br />
A masterpiece. $3,999,999<br />
POrtO VIta<br />
Featured in “Florida Design” as one of<br />
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Private Elevator entry to over<br />
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furnishings. Direct ocean and city views<br />
from huge wrap-around balcony. A true<br />
work of art. $5,300,000<br />
Denise Rubin #1 Realtor #1 Company<br />
Denise Rubin is the winner of 22 “BEST” awards from the Builder’s<br />
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Known internationally as well as throughout Florida for her incredible<br />
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Fabulous 2 story tower suite with<br />
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A dream home. $750,000
12 Crave<br />
Info on What’s Hot, What’s New &<br />
What’s Worth Knowing About<br />
20 People of Interest<br />
Interviews & Profiles of<br />
People Worth Knowing<br />
Poseidon of the Tropics:<br />
Bill Read 20<br />
by Vanessa Garcia<br />
Listen Up:<br />
Dan LeBatard 22<br />
by Stacy Scott<br />
24 off The Field<br />
Updates & Info On South Florida Sports<br />
2010/2011 Season Preview:<br />
Miami Dolphins<br />
by Andy Kent<br />
28 Ticket Please<br />
Details On Trips & Traveling<br />
Europe of The South: Curaçao<br />
by Jennifer Aranoff<br />
32 Local Flair<br />
An Area Worth Visiting<br />
All About Mary:<br />
A Fun Place To Live & Play<br />
by Marlene Sholod<br />
6 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
28<br />
88<br />
24<br />
DEPARTMEnTS<br />
34 F Y I<br />
Information For You<br />
Make Your Claim: Working With<br />
Your Insurance Company<br />
36 Feel Good<br />
A Look At What’s New and<br />
What To Know in Health,<br />
Beauty & Wellness<br />
What the Pros Know 39<br />
Answers to your health,<br />
beauty & wellness questions<br />
Beauty of The Season 40<br />
Uncover the Newest Trends<br />
& Products<br />
Beauty Goes High Tech<br />
by Courtney Markofsky<br />
50 Perimeter<br />
Info On Design & Décor<br />
Shanghai Surprise:<br />
A Chinese City Shares Miami<br />
Beach’s Art Deco Heritage<br />
by Marlene Sholod<br />
CORRECTION:<br />
In the June/July issue<br />
the cover model and agency<br />
were misidentified.<br />
The model on the cover is<br />
Fernanda Uesler • 301 Models<br />
301models.com<br />
ConTEnTS<br />
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2010<br />
75 At The Table<br />
Hot Plate 78<br />
What’s New & Newsworthy<br />
On The Food Scene<br />
Lunch Counters:<br />
A Taste Of History<br />
by Rebecca Kleinman<br />
Room Service 82<br />
Fine Dining Hotel Style<br />
by Jennifer Aranoff<br />
off the Menu 86<br />
Get Your Fixe<br />
by Vanessa Garcia<br />
Toque Talk 88<br />
Get To Know A Local Chef<br />
Barton G: Party Extraordinaire<br />
by Marlene Sholod<br />
Restaurant Listings 90<br />
on THE WATERFRonT<br />
96 Wishlist<br />
The Ultimate Item<br />
To Crave & Covet<br />
Membership definitely<br />
has its privileges<br />
In EVERY ISSUE<br />
8 Letter from the<br />
Editor-in-Chief<br />
42 Wish You Were Here<br />
Parties, Events & Festivities<br />
94 Mark The Date<br />
Highlights Of Events<br />
Not To Be Missed<br />
95 Fine Print<br />
In this Issue Details & Ad Index<br />
We crave to make every issue of Cravings<br />
SOuTH FlORida magazine a must read.<br />
We want to hear from you. Please send your<br />
comments, opinions and ideas to us. Feel free<br />
to contact the editor, Sara Fiedelholtz, at<br />
sara@cravingssouthflorida.com
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF<br />
Photo by Joanna Gazzaneo<br />
Education of<br />
the Masses<br />
Warm temperatures, extended<br />
vacations, baseball, and barbecues<br />
tend to sway the masses to believe<br />
summer is their favorite time of year. Not I. I look<br />
forward to the end of summer and getting the kids<br />
back to school. It is why the August/September<br />
back-to-school issue of Cravings is dear to me.<br />
Unfortunately for teachers back-to-school means<br />
being grossly under-compensated for the amount<br />
of aggravation they endure.<br />
If only it were that simple. Teachers receive<br />
babysitter-type wages; and despite this, they are<br />
expected to educate and perform miracles. Sure,<br />
there are all sorts of contentions over education<br />
reform and the idea of paying for performance.<br />
We all know that there are very good teachers,<br />
but there are also very bad teachers. Yes, change<br />
needs to happen. But, as we have learned from our<br />
current Washington administration change strictly<br />
for the sake of change is not always good.<br />
I will admit, I hold a bias in favor of teachers. My<br />
mother was a teacher. My mother-in-law was a<br />
teacher, and her mother was a principal. However,<br />
I have to admit, that eventhough my mother was<br />
a great teacher; I was not a great student. By the<br />
8 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
fourth grade, I had managed to get into more than<br />
my fair share of trouble. I was caught climbing out<br />
of the window of a classroom onto the roof of an<br />
adjacent building. I was caught breaking into the<br />
school. On a field trip, I was caught throwing paper<br />
airplanes from the balcony of the Field Museum<br />
-- one of the planes got lodged in the bones of a<br />
dinosaur fossil.<br />
Aside from these extracurricular activities, I<br />
was not exactly a teacher’s favorite. I often<br />
tortured teachers with my misbehavior and lack<br />
of classroom etiquette. And teachers were not<br />
exactly my favorite people. At the teachers' union<br />
my mugshot is included in an FBI 10 Most Wanted<br />
poster hanging on the wall. You may ask, how I<br />
became such an advocate for the arch nemeses of<br />
my youth.<br />
My days as a student were many years behind<br />
me, but my years as a parent (at the time) only<br />
numbered 11. Like most parents of the modern<br />
era, my child could do no wrong. While my son<br />
was a good student, should there be a problem<br />
at school, it was surely the teacher’s fault. The<br />
teachers and I had an unspoken truce. I wouldn’t<br />
bother them, if they didn’t bother me. The truce<br />
came to an end when they crossed the line. I was<br />
asked by my son’s school to teach a weekly class<br />
for Junior Achievement. At first, I thought this<br />
was some kind of mistake. Didn’t these people<br />
know about my history as a student? Weren’t they<br />
aware of the Most Wanted poster? Don’t they do<br />
background checks?<br />
I was made to feel guilty if I didn’t sign up. So with<br />
another dad who had connections with Junior<br />
Achievement I agreed. I then received a short speech<br />
about what to do, a small plastic brief case with<br />
materials, and what seemed to me as an insincere<br />
wish of good luck. Then it was off to the trenches.<br />
Like most new recruits, I knew immediately that I<br />
was no match for the enemy. Before my first class, I<br />
studied the course outline, wrote out a lesson plan,<br />
and prepared my materials. Despite knowing the<br />
subject matter, business, I was extremely nervous.<br />
But why? I know business. I have a degree in finance<br />
and run my own business. Yet, I knew the enemy<br />
even better. I used to be one. I knew that all it took<br />
was one smart aleck in the back of the room and the<br />
whole class would be up for grabs.<br />
/Cravings-of-South-florida-magazine<br />
/cravingssouthfl<br />
My battle strategy was to use the always successful<br />
technique… bribery. And with Krispy Kremes in<br />
hand I would subdue the enemy.<br />
But as they say “the best laid plans…” due to the<br />
sugar rush caused by my battle strategy, my first<br />
class was a disaster. Fueled by a sugar high, the<br />
enemy became a pack of lions and I was their kill.<br />
Girls were talking, paper wads were flying, and<br />
nobody was paying attention to my frantic pleas<br />
for order.<br />
Somehow, despite my odds, I did manage to get<br />
through half of the material and then mercifully<br />
the bell rang. My son, who happened to be in the<br />
class, just shook his head in shame as he exited<br />
the classroom. I left the classroom dishevled and<br />
drenched with sweat. Teaching this class was<br />
one of the most mentally draining and physically<br />
exhausting hours of my life.<br />
Badly in need of rest, I returned to my office. My<br />
throat was sore from the endless screaming. Every<br />
bone in my body ached. There was no question<br />
that I was getting paid back tenfold for all of the<br />
teachers I tormented.<br />
Never again would I disparage a teacher. From that<br />
day on I had nothing but ultimate esteem for this<br />
noble profession. I did eventually get the hang of<br />
teaching and was able to gain control of the class<br />
-- with a little additional manpower, a.k.a. the<br />
school’s vice principal. There is absolutely no doubt<br />
that teaching is a much tougher profession than<br />
you could possibly ever imagine.<br />
So, with this back-to-school issue, I would like to<br />
honor our nation’s teachers and to wish them safe<br />
passage as they return to the classroom and continue<br />
the never ending fight we refer to as "education."<br />
andrew Stern<br />
Editor-in-Chief<br />
If you have a BaCK To SChooL experIenCe,<br />
you wouLd LIKe To Share, emaIL<br />
info@cravingssouthflorida.com<br />
or poST IT on our BLog<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com/magazine
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10 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
President / Editor-in-Chief:<br />
Andrew Stern<br />
Publisher:<br />
Benji Dayan<br />
Associate Publisher / Managing Director<br />
Todd A. Guthrie<br />
Editor:<br />
Sara Fiedelholtz<br />
art director/Photo Editor:<br />
Joanna Gazzaneo<br />
Contributing Writers:<br />
Jennifer Aranoff, Vanessa Garcia, Andy Kent, Rebecca Kleinman<br />
Elizabeth Newman, Stacy Scott, Marlene Sholod<br />
Fashion Photographer:<br />
Gio Alma<br />
Contributing Photographers:<br />
Irwin Cadenas, Lukas Seadi<br />
Editorial interns:<br />
Laurie Charles, Michael Fern<br />
director of Customer Relations:<br />
Michael Press<br />
Senior advertising Executives:<br />
Courtney Markofsky<br />
advertising account Executives:<br />
Nayeli Jaramillo, Aleks Krasner<br />
Circulation & distribution:<br />
Baron Express Inc.<br />
baronexpressinc@yahoo.com<br />
Printed by<br />
Angstrom Graphics<br />
© 2010 Cravings SOuTH FlORida is published six times per year. Periodicals postage paid<br />
at Aventura, FL and additional mailing offices. All rights reserved. The entire content of<br />
Cravings SOuTH FlORida may not be reproduced without the express written consent of<br />
the publisher. Cravings SOuTH FlORida accepts no responsibility for the return of unsolicited<br />
manuscripts and/or photographs and assumes no liability for products and services<br />
advertised herein. Cravings SOuTH FlORida reserves the right to edit, rewrite or refuse material.<br />
Postmaster: Send address changes to Cravings SOuTH FlORida magazine, 2999 NE 191 st Street,<br />
Suite 608A, Aventura, FL 33180.<br />
www.cravingssouthflorida.com<br />
/Cravings-of-South-Florida-Magazine /cravingssouthfl<br />
(305) 749.0340
CRAVE<br />
a look at what's hot, what's new<br />
& what's worth knowing about<br />
SO MUCH TO SAY<br />
They may be temporary but they can create a lasting impression.<br />
Think of them as personal (very personal) greeting cards.<br />
Ta•ta•toos are temporary tattoos worn on your “ta•tas” to relay<br />
a sentiment in an intimate way. The messages go from the nice<br />
“Happy Birthday” to the more risqué “Special Delivery” and “I’m<br />
Yours Be Mine.” It will never feel so good to get something off<br />
your chest. Ta•ta•toos are $9.95 per message and are available at<br />
gBS, The Beauty Store and ta-ta-toos.com<br />
12 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
CHIC CHILDREN<br />
Gone are the days when a dollhouse or a Justin<br />
Timberlake poster were the coveted girl’s bedroom<br />
decor. Nowadays, even the under 12 set want more style<br />
in their space. lucky for parents, Wink, an online store<br />
with the keenest of kid appealing decor, has opened a<br />
retail boutique. Offering a variety of unique children's<br />
and tween furniture and accessories, Wink specializes<br />
in one-of-a-kind design that your savvy spawn will<br />
flip over. wink located at 2570 ne miami gardens drive,<br />
305.793.0180, givewink.com<br />
SPECIALTY DRINK<br />
Sometimes you want something cool but you don’t want ice cream.<br />
Now you can quench your thirst with bubble tea. Originally developed<br />
in China as a children’s drink it is a mixture of green tea, fruit flavor<br />
and tapioca pearls at the bottom of the glass. at Bubbles ‘n Ice the<br />
hardest thing to decide is which fruit flavor to add. in the mood for<br />
something cool and light, try one of the 60 homemade fruit flavored<br />
italian-ice. The flavors range from pineapple and coconut to apple pie,<br />
peanut butter and jelly and pink lemonade.<br />
Bubble ‘n Ice is located at 3061 ne 163 rd Street, north miami Beach,<br />
305.940.5001, bubblesnice.com
2010 CONCERTS<br />
Sean “Diddy” Combs<br />
JULY 24<br />
AFTER A FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR!<br />
TICKETS START AT $12<br />
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7:10 PM<br />
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CRAVE<br />
ARTS & CRAFT<br />
Master carpenter Michael Simon<br />
wanted to apply an artistic approach to<br />
his love of form. The result – sculpture<br />
furniture. With an understanding<br />
that function must dictate design,<br />
Simon has produced a series of chairs,<br />
couches, chaise and table-seats in a<br />
variety of materials including concrete,<br />
twigs and stainless steel mesh.<br />
But knowing Simon’s emphasis on<br />
practicality and importance of use, be<br />
rest assured that these artistic pieces<br />
are all comfortable places to park your<br />
behind. Commissioned pieces start<br />
at $500. for more information visit<br />
MichaelSimonSculptureFurniture.com<br />
PIZZA PLEASER<br />
Craving for a bit more than a traditional slice, then head to the recently opened<br />
American Pie Pizzeria located in The Village at Gulfstream and order up one<br />
of its new specialty pizzas ($18.95). The offering includes one for meat lovers,<br />
another for vegetarians and a pie for those who can never get enough cheese.<br />
if you want to try something different, take a bite of the Hawaiian pizza made<br />
with fresh chunks of pineapple, honey glazed ham smothered in mozzarella<br />
and pecorino romano cheese. american pie pizzeria is located in The village at<br />
gulfstream park, 801 Silks run, hallandale, 954.454.5205<br />
14 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
© Joanna Gazzaneo<br />
Sandra<br />
Solch<br />
FASHION THERAPY<br />
it is always tough to know what looks good on you, what to keep and<br />
what to toss and how to put outfits together with what is in your<br />
closet. There is no need to dread getting dressed. Fashion therapist<br />
Sandra Solch is ready to step in to help you develop your perfect<br />
wardrobe. Sessions with the Fashion Therapist (yourfashiontherapist.<br />
com) begin at $100 per hour with a two-hour minimum required. Here<br />
are some of the therapists quick tips for approaching the trends for<br />
fall based on your body type.<br />
FALL FASHION TREND BODY TYPE IT IS GOOD FOR<br />
• Fitted jackets with skinny pants All Body Types<br />
• Tights are still very much present and All Body Types<br />
are topped with satin, chiffon and<br />
brocade tunics as well as luxurious<br />
sweaters in lightweight knits.<br />
• Trousers that are full before the Tall/Average<br />
knee and then taper down<br />
• Lots and lots of belts in leather, fur and fabrics All Body Types<br />
• Military pants Tall/Average<br />
Solch’s best fashion tip: if there is any doubt…don’t do it.<br />
ENTER<br />
TO<br />
a Free<br />
two-hour private session<br />
WINWin<br />
with the Fashion Therapist,<br />
Sandra Solch<br />
Solch will come to your house<br />
and analyze your closet. She will<br />
determine how best to assist<br />
you and your attire. She will<br />
provide wardrobe insights and<br />
suggestions dependent on your<br />
everyday needs and lifestyle..<br />
TO ENTER: Send your name, address, email, phone<br />
and 50 words about why you are in need of a session with<br />
the Fashion Therapist.<br />
Email your Entry to: editor@cravingssouthflorida.com<br />
All entries MUST be submitted by August 23, 2010.
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bar, heated pool, summer kitchen, generator ready<br />
and 50’ boat slip included. $4,650,000<br />
Porto-Vita Waterfront, 3750 NE 199 Terrace<br />
3-story townhome with beautiful courtyard entry, 60’<br />
deeded boat dock, 4/4.5, impact windows, family room,<br />
day kitchen, pool, summer kitchen, large master suite<br />
w/sitting area, elevator & 2 car garage. $1,950,000<br />
One Island Place Condo<br />
3802 NE 207th Street #1901<br />
Exceptional Ocean & Intracoastal views, private elevator,<br />
Professionally decorated with finest exotic woodwork,<br />
white oak floors, custom lighting, granite counters in<br />
kitchen, sub-zero appliances, 2 wine coolers. Master<br />
suite & bath is virtually a spa retreat. $849,000<br />
Visit my Website & Blog:<br />
www.scottpattersonblog.com<br />
www.scottpatterson.com<br />
scott@scottpatterson.com<br />
305.466.3070 Miami-Dade<br />
954.661.8871 Broward<br />
efax: 305.960.5290<br />
2750 Miami Gardens Drive, Suite 101<br />
Aventura, Florida 33180<br />
Golden Isles, 318 Holiday Drive<br />
2-story, 6/6.5, 7,000+ sq.ft. on deep waterfront. 2<br />
masters, soaring ceilings, saturnia marblewood floors,<br />
gourmet kitchen, extensive landscaping, large terrace,<br />
heated pool, spa and boat dockage. $2,997,000<br />
Williams Island Penthouse<br />
2-story, 4,200+ sq.ft.of open, sun filled living space,<br />
pass through design takes advantage of beautiful<br />
views.4/5, trimmed with expansive terraces showcasing<br />
panoramic views of the ocean and city. $1,495,000<br />
Atlantic II At the Point #2402<br />
High floor residence, views of Ocean, Intracoastal &<br />
City. 2/2.5, living/dining, breakfast area, custom built-in<br />
closets, master suite w/private terrace, granite counters<br />
& Hunter Douglas shades. $624,000<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 15<br />
,
CRAVE<br />
oPEnHoUSe<br />
Many new home stores are<br />
putting out the welcome mat<br />
Is there a more design-conscious city than<br />
Miami? Residents who strive to decorate<br />
their homes would argue not. Now even<br />
the budget-conscious do not need to feel<br />
stymied: high-styled, modern home design<br />
can be found at very affordable prices in<br />
and around the city thanks to the recent<br />
opening of several home design stores.<br />
RETAIL MECCA: IT<br />
TAKES A VILLAGE<br />
it’s a sure bet that<br />
you’ll find the<br />
home furnishings<br />
or housewares you<br />
crave at The Village<br />
at Gulfstream<br />
pottery Barn<br />
Park. adjacent to<br />
Gulfstream Park<br />
Racetrack and <strong>Casino</strong> in Hallandale, this $200<br />
million dollar, outdoor, tree-lined, streetscape<br />
open-air mall has something for just about every<br />
homebody. Crate & Barrel showcases its full<br />
furniture and houseware collections here and<br />
is joined by other uber chains including Pottery<br />
Barn, West Elm, William Sonoma, and The<br />
Container Store. Weary shoppers can recharge<br />
at more than twenty-five restaurants, bars and<br />
The Container Store<br />
nightclubs. - Marlene Sholod<br />
16 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
EQ3 Core<br />
HIP SISTER STORE, HITS THE BEACH<br />
The sixth store in Crate and Barrel’s new CB2<br />
chain and the first in the Southeast, opened<br />
earlier this year in a newly-designed, loft-like<br />
showroom on Jefferson avenue, just off lincoln<br />
Road in Miami Beach. Like kids at a candy store,<br />
shoppers can peer through windows at enticing<br />
orange, green, and vanilla home furnishings.<br />
Their appetite for home design is further<br />
whetted by what’s inside, including the elegant<br />
darjeeling dining table made of rare saal wood<br />
reclaimed from old indian rail lines and the<br />
quirky lime green, hand-knit “pouf” to be used<br />
as a seat or ottoman. A $1,299 sofa is the most<br />
expensive piece in the store; most items are<br />
considerably less.<br />
FROM THE GREAT WHITE NORTH<br />
TO MIDTOWN MIAMI<br />
EQ3 promotes itself as Canada’s leading<br />
lifestyle concept for innovative and affordable<br />
furnishings, opened a mega-retail showroom<br />
in Miami’s Midtown shopping district in March.<br />
The colorful, 10,000 square foot space houses<br />
a huge selection of EQ3 furniture collections.<br />
Shoppers can mix and match from 20 distinctive,<br />
globally influenced design collections and more<br />
than 150 options consisting of sofas, loveseats,<br />
chairs, sleepers and ottomans. They can also<br />
customize frames from more than 130 fabric and<br />
leather choices as well as leg options. EQ3 Core,<br />
the company’s new a la carte casegood program<br />
offers three best-selling lines. Furnishings<br />
from this line include a four-post bed starting<br />
at $399; a low, modern Bento upholstered bed<br />
for $449; a mid century Byrd sofa starting at<br />
$899; and a classic, retro Lola sectional sofa<br />
at $1,899. Accessories include hand tufted,<br />
wool/cotton shag rugs, custom floor lamps and<br />
housewares. Gratification is immediate: because<br />
EQ3 manufactures its own products, there are no<br />
delays or back orders.<br />
eQ3<br />
FROM SWEDEN WITH LOVE<br />
if the afore-mentioned stores can be described<br />
as mega, then Ikea Sunrise, the third ikea in<br />
Florida, must be called a behemoth. The 293,000<br />
square foot store boasts a "natural path" leading<br />
shoppers past fifty room settings, three model<br />
homes, and an in-store restaurant. Young home<br />
decorators love that collections are named<br />
for their designers; their older counterparts<br />
appreciate the variety and value.<br />
Eclectic, local, boutique home design<br />
stores have their niches and devotees. Bigger<br />
may not always be better, but it does offer<br />
advantages. Whether they are fledgling<br />
home owners, snow birds, or empty nesters,<br />
South Florida shoppers of all ages can find<br />
plenty of pretty feathers for their nests at<br />
newly-opened, home design stores.
<strong>Chic</strong> & Contemporary Childhood<br />
it used to be when getting stuff for a baby, be it bedding, furniture or toys, your choice was either<br />
pink, blue or baby ducks. But now, thanks to contemporary and well-known designers everything<br />
from cribs to diaper bags are chic, sleek and contemporary.<br />
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Dresser with decorative panel $1,125<br />
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Metallic Leather Bookends $65 each<br />
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Aviator Backpack $45<br />
JuST STROlliN' alONG<br />
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HORTON WOuld BE PROud<br />
Red Eames Elephant $290<br />
personalized gifts bedding & baby gear<br />
furniture & room decor educational TM toys & games<br />
2570 NE Miami Gardens Drive, North Miami Beach, FL 33180 • 305.793.0180<br />
TM<br />
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CRAVE / SEW YOU SHOULD KNOW<br />
Christopher Lowell<br />
Man on a Mission:<br />
ChristopherLoWeLL<br />
Christopher Lowell’s passion<br />
for design is undeniable<br />
and, for his legions of fans,<br />
irresistible. One of America’s most<br />
recognized home improvement<br />
gurus, the effusive entrepreneur<br />
demonstrates how to live now<br />
and in the future. His awardwinning<br />
TV shows, bestselling<br />
books, and multi-media company<br />
disseminate his design gospel.<br />
His branded furnishings and<br />
accessories provide decorating<br />
acolytes with the tools and<br />
courage they need to create<br />
their dream environments.<br />
His signature Seven Layer<br />
organization and design system<br />
is Oprah-approved.<br />
Born in Anchorage, Alaska,<br />
Lowell has been a classical<br />
pianist, artist, and corporate<br />
executive, responsible for awardwinning<br />
television and print ad<br />
campaigns. In 1992, he opened<br />
his first home arts center in Ohio<br />
and followed it with ten years of<br />
18 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
programming for the Discovery<br />
Channel, including Interior<br />
Motives with Christopher Lowell,<br />
Wall to Wall, and the Emmywinning<br />
Christopher Lowell<br />
Show. His current show “Work that<br />
Room with Christopher Lowell”<br />
airs on the Fine Living Network.<br />
Christopher Lowell also has a<br />
company which designs, licenses<br />
and markets his consumer<br />
products. His retail partners<br />
include Jo-Ann Stores, Smith<br />
& Noble, Klausser, and Office<br />
Depot. Lowell’s first collection<br />
for the latter was the most<br />
successful branded design line<br />
of office furniture in the history<br />
of the retailer. His new collection<br />
for Office Depot boasts 10 pieces<br />
that can do the job of 700;<br />
storage bins, which he was the<br />
first to introduce on TV, include<br />
raw silk and leather coverings.<br />
Apparently, for both home and<br />
office, Lowell designs things to<br />
be, “Luxurious enough for her,<br />
tailored enough for him.”<br />
According to Lowell, “Your home<br />
is a reflection of you: your mental<br />
and physical interiors should<br />
always match…We are how we<br />
live.” Asked about South Florida<br />
Lowell's furniture at Office Depot<br />
living, Lowell, who has designed<br />
homes in Naples, still sees a lot<br />
of Tuscan European style but it is<br />
more streamlined and is texturedriven.<br />
Replacing overall prints<br />
and tropical colors are organic<br />
earth tones - deeper, saturated<br />
colors, such as putty gray and<br />
slate, reflecting the trend toward<br />
greater male participation in<br />
design.<br />
When Lowell introduced the use<br />
of bamboo in the ‘90s, he says,<br />
“People thought Gilligan’s Island.”<br />
Now he says home design is<br />
taking cues from day spas, resorts<br />
and other public spaces and that<br />
public spaces and homes are<br />
converging. For Lowell, it’s not<br />
how big the space is, but “…how<br />
we appropriate it.” His favorite<br />
local public space is the W Hotel<br />
on South Beach because “People<br />
can understand it.” Lowell sees<br />
a new global romantic aesthetic<br />
with outdoor fabrics and Asian<br />
influences but less hip and more<br />
adult and timeless.<br />
Lowell frequently uses “classic”<br />
to describe his design aesthetic;<br />
at the same time, he embraces<br />
the new mobility. He points to<br />
the media as another source of<br />
contemporary design inspiration.<br />
He highlights the use of minimal<br />
window treatments, uncluttered<br />
surfaces, the return of built ins<br />
and grouping of smaller, floating<br />
furniture, such as moveable club<br />
chairs, replacing large sofas.<br />
Lowell also sees the demise of<br />
living and dining rooms. Home<br />
design now starts with private<br />
spaces rather than public ones, the<br />
two most important spaces being<br />
the master bedroom suite and open<br />
kitchens because, “Men want to be<br />
rock star chefs,” says Lowell.<br />
Next on Lowell’s agenda is a<br />
lifestyle show for the internet, Ask<br />
Christopher. He believes that today’s<br />
designers are limited to using what’s<br />
available, not necessarily what they<br />
want. His new show won’t have<br />
those constraints.<br />
Lowell’s mantra, “You Can Do It.”<br />
And he definitely practices what<br />
he preaches.<br />
- Marlene Sholod
PEOPLE OF INTEREST<br />
Poseidon of the Tropics:<br />
BILLReAD<br />
Bill read research and even dealing with budgetary<br />
Bill Read grew up in Delaware,<br />
fascinated by snowstorms. In<br />
elementary school, he used to<br />
cut out the weather predictions<br />
from the newspaper everyday and paste<br />
them in his notebook. He’d then proceed<br />
to predict his own weather patterns.<br />
Today, he is the Director of the NOAA<br />
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric<br />
Administration) National Hurricane center,<br />
based in Miami. He’s responsible for the<br />
operational tropical weather forecasts for<br />
the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and<br />
Eastern Pacific Ocean. In other words, he’s<br />
sort of like the Poseidon of the tropics.<br />
Read has come a long way since his cut out<br />
days. He earned his bachelors and masters<br />
degrees in meteorology from Texas A&M<br />
University. Later, he joined the Navy, where<br />
he was a Navy Hurricane Hunter and flew<br />
storms – following patterns and flying into<br />
the eyes of storms.<br />
20 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
Ask him what that was<br />
like and he’ll tell you,<br />
with a typical, quiet<br />
humility, “Have you<br />
ever had turbulence<br />
on an airplane? Well,<br />
it’s kind of like that. Like<br />
approaching for landing<br />
in a thunderstorm.”<br />
Somehow, it seems<br />
a little more dramatic<br />
than that. Ask him if he<br />
misses the adrenaline<br />
rush of the ride, and he’ll<br />
answer, “The way [he]<br />
sees it, when you are 23<br />
you’re too young to be a<br />
director, and when you<br />
are 60 you’re too old to<br />
fly a hurricane. Some do,<br />
don’t get me wrong, just<br />
not me.”<br />
“Plan for the<br />
worst, hope for<br />
the best,<br />
and always be<br />
ready.”<br />
When he retires, he says he’ll still be making<br />
his own forecasts. “In my free time, I can<br />
spend hours on the internet predicting<br />
weather patterns, even if I don’t have to.<br />
My wife looks at me like I’m crazy but I can’t<br />
help it; I love it,” says Read. He’s gotten<br />
better at it, no doubt, from his school days.<br />
On the day Read spoke to Cravings, he was<br />
getting ready a number of preparedness<br />
campaigns around the country. He’s in<br />
charge, among other things, of hurricane<br />
awareness. Read was also doing some<br />
issues. Fast forward to June, however, and<br />
things take on a whole new speed -- literally.<br />
“A day in August, I could be briefing elected<br />
officials on the most up to date information<br />
on a particular storm; I could also be giving<br />
a number of media briefings,” says Read.<br />
Meanwhile outside, hurricane winds might<br />
be building speed, getting ready to hit<br />
land, citizens rising to a pitch of hysteria.<br />
One of the greatest challenges of his job,<br />
says Read, is taking a relatively complex<br />
science and making it simple, making it so<br />
people can understand what is going on.<br />
And then there’s making sure people are<br />
ready for the storm. “Mostly there are<br />
simple things you can do to keep from<br />
getting overwhelmed,” says Read. He<br />
goes on to list some of these: Keep three<br />
days supply of food and water and make<br />
sure you understand what non-perishable<br />
means. “You’ll be surprised how little you<br />
have to add to the pantry to go without<br />
power and light,” he says.<br />
Another good idea: saving old jugs, filling<br />
them with water, and freezing them prestorm.<br />
Get your car checked and make sure<br />
your important papers are in a water- and<br />
fire-proof container. Make sure you know<br />
what you would take if you had to run<br />
out of your house in an instant. There’s<br />
also a new device Read calls a bathtub<br />
bladder, which allows you to safely fill your<br />
bathtub with water. The prevention tactics<br />
just continue to roll off his tongue.<br />
In short, Read says: “Plan for the worst,<br />
hope for the best, and always be ready.”<br />
Sounds like a life lesson. Goes to show how<br />
much you really can learn from the weather<br />
man.<br />
- Vanessa Garcia
PEOPLE OF INTEREST<br />
Listen Up:<br />
DAnLebATARD<br />
Bonds is the greatest player<br />
of our lifetime, with or without<br />
"Barry<br />
steroids. Fans don’t care. They<br />
want to see home runs,” shouts radio host Dan<br />
LeBatard on his daily show The Ticket 790 AM.<br />
He is unafraid of having his voice heard. He is<br />
always pushing the envelope. You either love<br />
him or hate him. Either way, you’re going to<br />
listen. It’s entertainment.<br />
Dan LeBatard, 41, relishes his role as the rebel<br />
rouser. He has been causing trouble since his<br />
days as a student at the University of Miami.<br />
As a reporter for the school newspaper he<br />
printed the coach of Notre Dame, Lou Holtz’s<br />
personal phone number; because, LeBatard<br />
wanted the fans to call and distract Holtz<br />
the week before the Hurricanes' big game<br />
against Notre Dame. Holtz received hundreds<br />
of annoying phone calls.<br />
And things haven’t changed. Weekdays from<br />
3pm - 7pm, LeBatard and his crew take to the<br />
airways to have at it with not only sports figures<br />
but anyone else who is willing to be engaged in<br />
a LeBatard-style conversation. Believe it or not,<br />
Lou Holtz can even be heard every so often.<br />
On a recent show, LeBatard gets things<br />
started by jumping into the fray over the<br />
controversy of singer/songwriter John Mayer<br />
using the “N” word in a song.<br />
22 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
LE BATARD'S<br />
FAVORITES:<br />
Restaurants:<br />
Café Martorano-<br />
Fort Lauderdale<br />
or Prime 112 in<br />
South Beach<br />
Bar:<br />
Anywhere on<br />
Lincoln Road<br />
Watching<br />
Sports:<br />
B & B (Burgers<br />
and Beer)<br />
on the Beach<br />
“John Mayer used the word and I was really<br />
disturbed by it,” said LeBatard. Callers were<br />
asked to phone in their opinions. Immediately<br />
the phone board lit up. But first LeBatard<br />
chose to speak with Marcellus Wiley, an<br />
athlete and sports analyst, to find out about<br />
the protocol for using the word.<br />
For 20 minutes, Wiley offered his opinion<br />
on the pros and cons of the word. LeBatard<br />
pushed and asked if it was ok for a white<br />
person to use this type of slang. LeBatard<br />
continued his probe, “You’re saying that a<br />
black person can use it and a white person<br />
can’t?” Despite the lights on the phone board<br />
indicating listeners wanted to get in on the<br />
conversation they didn’t have a chance.<br />
This serious segment is followed by Stump the<br />
Host. For this weekly game, callers are invited<br />
to ask inane and insanely difficult questions<br />
to baffle LeBatard. The producer’s booth was<br />
highly energized and laughing at LeBatard<br />
when he did not know an answer.<br />
“I don’t mind embarrassing myself especially<br />
in this medium as long as the audience is<br />
entertained,” LeBatard said with a mischievous<br />
grin. Executive Producer Marc Hochman<br />
egged him on while producer Mike Ryan<br />
furiously searched the internet to find the<br />
answer to how many Killer B’s were on the<br />
72 Dolphins Championship<br />
team? LeBatard’s selfdeprecating<br />
humor yielded<br />
bellylaughs. The audience<br />
loved that LeBatard couldn’t<br />
tell them who were the eight<br />
Killer B’s – what LeBatard<br />
won’t do for entertainment.<br />
According to the local<br />
Arbitron ratings, with South<br />
Florida men over 18 yearsof-age,<br />
LeBatard’s show has<br />
been number one since its<br />
inception in 2004.<br />
“We try to talk to all kinds of people, not just<br />
athletes. Hollywood, reality stars, authors and<br />
when we do talk to an athlete, we talk about<br />
subjects guys like to talk about: movies, video<br />
games, even life lessons,” said Hoffman.<br />
LeBatard won’t go out of his way to say the<br />
opposite of the popular opinion. However, if his<br />
opinion is something he believes in, you can<br />
bet he will stick to his guns. Recently, when the<br />
good ol’ boys network were ranting and raving<br />
about firing Heat Coach Eric Spoelstra because<br />
the team was on a downward spiral, LeBatard<br />
asked his audience if this is a valid reason to be<br />
fired. The phones went crazy. LeBatard excited<br />
his audience. Against popular opinion, he sticks<br />
with Spoelstra.<br />
When asked about his favorite guests, LeBatard<br />
said it is guys like Charles Barkley because they<br />
really tell it like it is. “The Holy Trinity for me on<br />
interviews is smart, honest and unafraid. Give<br />
me anyone with those three values and I’ll<br />
come up with a great interview,” he said.<br />
And when it comes to his dream guests<br />
LeBatard says, without hesitation, Fidel Castro<br />
and Jesus Christ. And his first question for<br />
Jesus, “Can you tell me all the secrets? But then<br />
he (Jesus) could just say, ‘No.’ This would make<br />
me feel really dumb and a bad interviewer.”<br />
- Stacy Scott<br />
dan and Stugotz<br />
talk sports at<br />
a broadcast
OFF THE FIELD<br />
2010/2011 Season Preview :<br />
Miami Dolphins<br />
Expectations for how good the Miami<br />
Dolphins can be haven’t been this<br />
high heading into a season since<br />
the Dan Marino era – and the fact<br />
that this is only year three of the trifecta<br />
regime (Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland and Tony<br />
Sparano) adds to the intrigue.<br />
Ever since Wayne Huizenga successfully<br />
lured Parcells out of retirement a little over<br />
36 months ago and made him executive<br />
vice president of football operations, South<br />
Florida fans have been dreaming of a return to<br />
the glory days under Hall of Fame head coach<br />
Don Shula. The sting of a gut-wrenching 1-15<br />
season 2007 was quickly washed away by the<br />
record-setting turnaround in Sparano’s first<br />
year as an NFL head coach and Ireland’s first<br />
as a general manager during which Miami<br />
went 11-5 and won the AFC East for the first<br />
time since 2000.<br />
Chad henne<br />
Despite that success, Parcells, Ireland and<br />
Sparano preached patience and emphasized<br />
how they were rebuilding the Dolphins for<br />
the long haul in order to be competitive for<br />
years to come and make reaching the playoffs<br />
and vying for another Super Bowl the norm<br />
as opposed to the exception. That’s why<br />
24 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
Brandon marshall<br />
Parcells signed a four-year contract and kept<br />
his nose to the grindstone after Huizenga<br />
sold his majority stake in the team and Sun<br />
Life Stadium to multi-billionaire real estate<br />
mogul Stephen M. Ross in January of 2009.<br />
Fast forward to this past March and April, as<br />
Miami was coming off a rough 7-9 campaign<br />
that revealed some cracks in the armor and<br />
took a toll on the medical and training staff;<br />
and, fans got to see a bit of a new approach<br />
from the trifecta. In addition to going after<br />
big, solid and proven players in the NFL Draft,<br />
the Dolphins made a splash in free agency<br />
and the trade market on both sides of the<br />
ball. First they picked up one of the most<br />
attractive defensive players on the market,<br />
former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Karlos<br />
Dansby, and then set hearts racing a week<br />
before the draft by acquiring top-flight wide<br />
receiver Brandon Marshall from the Denver<br />
Broncos for two second-round picks.<br />
All of a sudden, Miami’s offense has the<br />
potential to be almost as explosive as when<br />
Marino was shattering passing records on<br />
his way to the Hall of Fame and connecting<br />
with the Marks Brothers (wide receivers Mark<br />
Clayton and Mark Duper). Chad Henne is just<br />
entering his third season in the league and<br />
first as a starting quarterback, but he showed<br />
off his cannon arm during 13 starts in relief of<br />
veteran Chad Pennington after Pennington<br />
suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. By<br />
season’s end Henne had gone 7-6 as a starter<br />
and completed 247-of-451 passes for 2,878<br />
yards, 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.<br />
Marshall has caught over 100 passes in each<br />
of the last three seasons.<br />
“I think it’s going to be exciting. You’re<br />
going to get a lot more double coverage on<br />
Brandon and that’ll give us some access to<br />
our other receivers and let them work,” said<br />
Henne, who got married on July 3rd to his<br />
fiancée of 10 years, Brittany. “So overall for<br />
our receiving corps I think a lot of guys are<br />
going to get some more balls because the<br />
attention is going to Brandon. In the run<br />
game he’s a great run blocker and is going to<br />
open up some holes and give us more Cover<br />
2 safeties so we can open it up and we’ll get<br />
fewer men in the box for the running game.”<br />
The only thing missing on the offense in the<br />
Marino years was a quality running game,<br />
and these Dolphins have that in Ronnie<br />
Brown and Ricky Williams, who is poised
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State-Of-The-Art Collision Center<br />
Biscayne Boulevard at Northeast 141 st Street<br />
1-866- 405-1289<br />
LexusofNorthMiami.com<br />
Elite of Lexus Award-Winning<br />
Service Department
26 Cravings | August / September 2010
OFF THE FIELD<br />
to become the franchise’s all-time leading<br />
rusher. Brown made his first Pro Bowl in 2008<br />
after revolutionizing the Wildcat offense, and<br />
Williams set an NFL record for the longest<br />
stretch between 1,000-yard seasons as he<br />
passed the mark last year for the first time<br />
since 2003. Young wide receivers Davone Bess,<br />
Greg Camarillo and Brian Hartline will be the<br />
beneficiaries of the attention being paid to<br />
Karlos dansby<br />
Break Down: The 2010/2011 Miami Dolphins<br />
Brandon marshall<br />
with Tony Sparano<br />
COACHING: Tony Sparano was runner-up<br />
for Associated Press Coach of the Year in<br />
2008 after leading Miami to the greatest<br />
single-season turnaround in NFL history as<br />
a rookie head coach and he won the honor<br />
from the NFL and from Pro Football Weekly/<br />
Professional Football Writers of America. He<br />
is 18-14 in his first two seasons and garnered<br />
the respect of his own players and those on<br />
opposing teams as well because of how he<br />
relates to players and his knowledge of the<br />
trenches having been an offensive line coach.<br />
KEY HOME GAMES: They don’t get much<br />
bigger than the first two on the slate at Sun<br />
Life Stadium – versus the New York Jets on<br />
NBC’s Sunday Night Football September 26 th<br />
and versus the New England Patriots the<br />
Marshall, as will tight ends Anthony Fasano<br />
and Joey Haynos, while Pro Bowl left tackle<br />
Jake Long will anchor a stout offensive line.<br />
Dansby brings his playmaking ability to a<br />
defense that will be put in position to make<br />
big plays under new defensive coordinator<br />
Mike Nolan. He and middle linebacker<br />
Channing Crowder, along with converted<br />
nose tackle Randy Starks and rookie firstround<br />
pick Jared Odrick hope to open up pass<br />
rushing lanes for rookie outside linebacker<br />
and second-round pick Koa Misi and secondyear<br />
outside linebacker Cameron Wake. Pro<br />
Bowl strong safety Yeremiah Bell anchors a<br />
young and talented secondary with secondyear<br />
cornerbacks Vontae Davis and Sean<br />
Smith and young safeties Chris Clemons,<br />
Tyrone Culver and rookie Reshad Jones.<br />
“They went out there and they got some<br />
players, with Karlos Dansby being the key on<br />
defense and Brandon Marshall on offense,”<br />
said Crowder. ‘We’re excited and this now<br />
being my sixth year knowing the game and<br />
seeing how Super Bowl and championship<br />
teams are built, I think that Jeff, Tony and Bill<br />
are starting to build a championship team.”<br />
- Andy Kent<br />
following Monday night on ESPN October<br />
4 th . There is an intense rivalry with both<br />
division opponents in the AFC East as Miami<br />
swept the Jets last year and split with the<br />
Patriots, and the national television audience<br />
combined with the game being played under<br />
the lights will make these a tough ticket.<br />
On October 24 th , Miami hosts the Pittsburgh<br />
Steelers, which always draws a large crowd,<br />
and six days before Christmas the Buffalo<br />
Bills come to town. That game could have<br />
playoff implications because it is within the<br />
division.<br />
KEY ROAD GAMES: The Dolphins open<br />
with back-to-back road games at Buffalo<br />
and Minnesota on September 12th and 19th with the trip to the Metrodome to likely<br />
face Brett Favre and the Vikings being the<br />
more intriguing of the two. A trip to historic<br />
Lambeau Field in Green Bay on October 17th is special in any season, but the last two<br />
road games will draw the most interest.<br />
Miami visits the brand new Meadowlands<br />
on December 12th and then ends the regular<br />
season at New England on January 2nd .<br />
- Andy Kent<br />
• Levels: Beginner - Advanced<br />
• Full & Mini Fitness Screenings:<br />
Reformer Safety Setup<br />
• Private Sessions:<br />
Pilates - Gyrotonic - Prenatal -<br />
Duets - Ballroom<br />
• Group Classes: Reformer - Mat -<br />
Jump Board Sport - Traditional<br />
Ballet - Core Fusion - Power Ball -<br />
Ballet Barre - Ballroom -<br />
Gyrokensis<br />
• Comprehensive Teacher Training<br />
Certification Programs<br />
• Continuing Educational Workshops<br />
• Gift Certificates<br />
• Pilates Clothing & Accessories<br />
18143 Biscayne Blvd • Aventura, FL 33160<br />
Tel: 305.466.6611 • Fax: 305.466.6612<br />
Email: rricca@bellsouth.net<br />
www.riccapilates.com<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 27
TICKET PLEASE<br />
Curaçao<br />
Europe of the South<br />
aerial view of Curaçao<br />
28 Cravings | August / September 2010
Curaçao Streets Crystal clear water<br />
and pristine beaches<br />
Each of the so-called ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire and<br />
Curaçao) has a wildly different flair and feel. In Aruba<br />
tourists are primarily American and the focus is fun in<br />
the sun. Bonaire is a Mecca for divers the world over.<br />
And Curaçao could easily be scooped up, dumped anywhere<br />
in Holland and be right at home. Curaçao may well be renamed<br />
“Netherlands South.” It’s Europe but with better weather and a<br />
lot closer to home – and of course with more iguanas.<br />
Curacao’s Europe-of-the-<br />
South feel is most commonly<br />
present in the historic area of<br />
Willemstad, the capital city. The<br />
historic architecture and the<br />
narrow streets are so Euro that<br />
it is only the brightly painted<br />
buildings (which are repainted<br />
annually due to the amount of<br />
salt in the air) and occasional<br />
cactuses that remind you that<br />
you aren’t in Europe.<br />
Indian marble<br />
garden at hotel<br />
Kura hulanda<br />
There’s a lot to take in while<br />
wandering the streets (and<br />
shopping); the floating market (more shopping), the oldest<br />
synagogue in the Western Hemisphere and the Governor’s<br />
Mansion all add to the old world charm. An absolute can’t miss<br />
is the Queen Emma Bridge, a permanent pontoon pedestrian<br />
bridge sitting on the St. Anna Bay. Also known as the Swinging<br />
Old Lady, this bridge swings open to allow for passing boats<br />
30-35 times a day. If you hear a bell while strolling across either<br />
start running or pull over, hold on and enjoy the (gentle) ride.<br />
Another bridge worth<br />
checking out may be visited<br />
easily by car. The top of the<br />
Juliana Bridge, what the locals<br />
call the High Bridge, offers a<br />
sweeping view of the massive<br />
port which frequently plays<br />
host to enormous cruise ships.<br />
Culture and sightseeing (and<br />
shopping), are integral parts<br />
of the Curaçao experience,<br />
but let’s face it, most of us<br />
go to the Caribbean for the<br />
crystal clear water and pristine<br />
Jaipur<br />
restaurant<br />
at hotel<br />
Kura hulanda<br />
beaches. Divers find their bliss at Mushroom Forest, which has<br />
an impressive grouping of star coral. Amazing snorkeling and<br />
swimming locations abound including the remarkable Blue<br />
Room, a sea cave only accessible by boat and then swimming<br />
inside. Most hotels have private beaches and pools to ensure<br />
maximum sun worship.<br />
Curaçao offers a staggering number of activities above and<br />
beyond sightseeing and snorkeling. Those still wishing to take<br />
advantage of the water can jetski, fish, swim with dolphins and<br />
ride in a glass-bottom boat. Landlubbers may prefer to rent<br />
ATV’s, go horseback riding, play golf and hit the casinos. For<br />
those getting exhausted just thinking about all of the possible<br />
activities, take a necessary day (or two, or three…) just to enjoy<br />
the sunshine where the most tiring action is ordering another<br />
beverage, ideally one containing Blue Curaçao and topped with<br />
a little paper umbrella.<br />
- Jennifer Aranoff<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 29
TICKET PLEASE / CURAÇAO<br />
Where To Stay<br />
AVILA HOTEL<br />
130 Penstraat<br />
PO Box 791<br />
Willemstad, Curaçao,<br />
Netherlands Antilles<br />
800.747.8162<br />
avilahotel.com<br />
Avila boasts two private beaches,<br />
three restaurants, tennis courts<br />
and a blues jazz club. Most of<br />
the guest rooms offer panoramic<br />
views of the water, some with a<br />
small window located at perfect<br />
eye level from the bed, just one<br />
of the many thoughtful touches.<br />
CHECK<br />
OUT<br />
ALOE VERA PLANTATION<br />
Curaçao Ecocity Projects<br />
Groot St. Joris West z/n<br />
Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles<br />
+599.9.767.5577<br />
aloecuracao.com<br />
See, touch, smell and even taste aloe.<br />
30 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
BAOASE LUxURY<br />
RESORT<br />
Winterswijkstraat 2<br />
Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles<br />
888.409.3506<br />
baoase.com<br />
The newest resort in Curaçao,<br />
Baoase has several private and<br />
semi-private pools and gardens,<br />
a private beach (complete with a<br />
small island accessible by bridge),<br />
villas with full and modern<br />
kitchens and all of the amenities<br />
expected from a five-star resort.<br />
pool at the avila hotel<br />
HOTEL KURA HULANDA SPA<br />
AND CASINO<br />
Langestraat 8<br />
Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands<br />
Antilles<br />
877.264.3106<br />
kurahulanda.com<br />
Made up of 65 restored structures,<br />
the Kura Hulanda Hotel is<br />
practically a small town unto<br />
itself. Winding pathways connect<br />
the different guest rooms (each<br />
thoughtfully appointed with<br />
unique antiques), courtyards,<br />
pools and restaurants. Shuttles to<br />
the beach are complimentary.<br />
CURAçAO LIqUEUR FACTORY<br />
Landhuis Chobolobo Salina<br />
Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles<br />
+599.9.461.3526<br />
curacaoliqueur.com<br />
Witness firsthand how the famous<br />
liqueurs are made.<br />
What To Do<br />
Beach bar dinner<br />
ANGELICA’S KITCHEN<br />
Hoogstraat 49 Otrobanda<br />
Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles<br />
+599.9.510.3699<br />
angelicas-kitchen.com<br />
Angelica’s Kitchen is less cooking class<br />
more Caribbean food experience. Start out<br />
a group of strangers taking notes around a<br />
large kitchen island and end up best friends,<br />
dancing and eating together as the wine<br />
flows and the music blares. Reservations are<br />
necessary to ensure proper class size.<br />
KURA HULANDA MUSEUM<br />
Langestraat 8<br />
Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles<br />
877.264.3106<br />
kurahulanda.com<br />
This museum is located inside the Kura<br />
Hulanda Hotel and contains the largest<br />
private collection of African art outside<br />
of Africa. Exhibit rooms take you across<br />
the continent and into the New World,<br />
graphically illustrating the difficult and<br />
painful lives of slaves. Don’t miss the<br />
reproduction of a cargo hold of a slave ship,<br />
both eerie and beautifully done.<br />
HATO CAVES<br />
Rooseveldweg z/n<br />
Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles<br />
+599.9.868.0379<br />
curacao-travelguide.com<br />
Take a guided tour through the caves<br />
that sheltered Arawak Indians and<br />
escaped slaves. Full of stalactites,<br />
stalagmites and bats, these caves are<br />
an impressive and quiet illustration of<br />
Mother Nature at her best.<br />
- Jennifer Aranoff
Curaçao<br />
Common Questions About<br />
• How do I get there?<br />
There are nonstop<br />
flights daily from Miami<br />
International Airport on<br />
American Airlines and<br />
Insel Air. Flight time is<br />
almost exactly three<br />
hours.<br />
American Airlines<br />
800.433.7300<br />
aa.com<br />
Insel Air<br />
800.386.4800<br />
fly-inselair.com<br />
• How do you<br />
pronounce Curaçao?<br />
There are two popular<br />
pronunciations. The<br />
Dutch pronounce it<br />
cure’-uh-sao (think<br />
“heal a pig”) and<br />
the Papiamento<br />
pronunciation is kure’uh-sao<br />
(also rhymes<br />
with cow).<br />
village square<br />
• What is<br />
Papiamento?<br />
It's the official and<br />
most common<br />
language of the<br />
ABC Islands - Aruba,<br />
Bonaire, Curaçao (along<br />
with Dutch, English and<br />
Spanish). Papiamento<br />
is commonly described<br />
as a mix of seven other<br />
languages: Dutch,<br />
Spanish, Portuguese,<br />
English, French, Arawak<br />
Indian and Guinea.<br />
• Why does Curaçao<br />
have similarities to<br />
Netherlands?<br />
Prior to Aruba<br />
becoming<br />
autonomous, the<br />
ABC Islands, along<br />
with the SSS Islands<br />
(Saba, St. Eustatius, St.<br />
Maarten), made up the<br />
Netherlands Antilles.<br />
• Is iguana really<br />
found on local menus?<br />
Yes, popularly found in<br />
soups. It’s also believed<br />
to be an aphrodisiac,<br />
likely because male<br />
iguanas are blessed with<br />
double genitalia. And<br />
yes, it really does taste<br />
like chicken.<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 31
LOCAL FLAIR<br />
Along Came Mary:<br />
A Fun Place to Live & Play<br />
Just behind downtown Miami’s<br />
financial district, is a dynamic,<br />
new neighborhood Mary<br />
Brickell Village. Young professionals,<br />
whose recreational venues had once<br />
been limited to Brickell Avenue, usually<br />
in the same buildings in which they<br />
worked, can now drink and dine in<br />
venues often located in buildings in<br />
which they live. In recent years, several<br />
new high rises along South Miami<br />
Avenue with street level retail plus<br />
The Shops at Mary Brickell Village<br />
have helped carve out a community<br />
where there once was none.<br />
In 1870, Mary and William Brickell<br />
opened a trading post on the banks of<br />
the South Miami River. When William<br />
died in 1908, Mary built “millionaire’s<br />
row” along the bay and developed<br />
Brickell Avenue three years later.<br />
Today, office buildings, luxury hotels,<br />
32 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
and upscale condos have replaced the<br />
mansions, and retail offerings are a lot<br />
more diverse than the ones frequented<br />
by Seminole Indians. But, the area<br />
behind Brickell did not gentrify as<br />
quickly.<br />
In 1996 when Steven Perricone opened<br />
his marketplace and restaurant on<br />
Southeast 10 th Street, he joined a small<br />
coterie of unique venues. Across the<br />
street on South Miami Avenue was<br />
Firehouse 4, a picturesque restaurant<br />
with live music and dancing housed in<br />
a historic firehouse. A few blocks north<br />
of the firehouse was Tobacco Road,<br />
a restaurant and sometimes raucus<br />
music venue (now celebrating its 97 th<br />
anniversary).<br />
Flash forward to 2010. Perricone’s<br />
Marketplace, has morphed beyond<br />
its rustic, farm-house style building<br />
crafted from an old Vermont barn.<br />
There’s now a bar on the front porch,<br />
beyond the marketplace and indoor<br />
dining room there is a treetop dining<br />
deck, and more al fresco dining is<br />
available in an adjacent vest-pocket<br />
park. Another tree-draped rusticlooking<br />
restaurant, now known as Baru<br />
urbano is right across the street and<br />
features a Caribbean flavor, wooden<br />
deck, and busy outdoor bar. Firehouse<br />
4 now houses two restaurants,<br />
Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita<br />
has both indoor dining, a romantic<br />
Delano-esque 2 nd floor terrace, and<br />
classic Mediterranean decor. Sushi<br />
Maki, distinguished by its bright color<br />
palette, is now renting 1,200 square<br />
feet of the space, which includes<br />
alfresco sidewalk dining. Just down<br />
from the firehouse is a cluster of small<br />
Italian venues including Rosinella’s,<br />
the original one a long-time fixture on<br />
South Beach’s Lincoln Road.<br />
rosa mexicano<br />
And, across from these restaurants,<br />
on Southeast 1 st Avenue is la lupita,<br />
featuring real Mexican tacos, and soonto-open<br />
Mint Leaf Indian Brasserie,<br />
already a highly-reviewed restaurant in<br />
Coral Gables.<br />
The Shops at Mary Brickell Village<br />
are east and west of South Miami<br />
Avenue, just north of the firehouse and<br />
Perricone’s. They consist of 195,000<br />
square feet of retail space anchored<br />
by a 2,900 square foot Publix and<br />
a 31,000 square foot l.a. Fitness<br />
Signature Club. An 800 space garage<br />
supplements on-the-street parking.<br />
The “village-like”setting has two public<br />
plazas with fountains and mature oak<br />
and mahogany trees. National chains<br />
on the west side include sophisticated<br />
Oceanaire Seafood Room; Rosa<br />
Mexicano with its Acapulco waterfall<br />
wall dotted with numerous tiny<br />
divers; Blue Martini, boasting three
dolores But you<br />
Can Call me Lolita<br />
bars; and the anticipated Fado<br />
irish Pub. Smaller restaurants<br />
include abokado Sushi with its<br />
pan-Latino cuisine, which will<br />
soon be neighbored by a Beer<br />
& Burger Joint, which debuted<br />
recently on Miami Beach. There are<br />
a wide variety of jewelry, accessory,<br />
apparel, art galleries, home décor,<br />
and gift shops, including the quirky<br />
Frida Kahlo-Pasion por la Vida.<br />
Joining Publix and Starbucks<br />
across the street are Balans, an<br />
international chain with an eclectic<br />
menu, which first opened on South<br />
Beach’s Lincoln Road, and Roma<br />
Organic Gelato. Bi-level Grimpa<br />
Steakhouse’s menu includes<br />
Brazilian Rodizio and a salad bar/<br />
hot buffet. Its sleek, contemporary<br />
décor has spice colors, crisp white<br />
linens, and wood floors. P.F.<br />
Chang’s Chinese Bistro is another<br />
huge space, big enough to display<br />
twin life-size statues of horses.<br />
Some smaller restaurants have<br />
cropped up around The Shops<br />
at Mary Brickell. These include<br />
SuViche, a loftlike black, white and<br />
stainless steel Peruvian/Japanese<br />
restaurant at 49 SW 11 th Street. At<br />
50 SW 10 th St., is SuViche's gourmet<br />
Grimpa<br />
pizza place. A South American chain<br />
has opened Brix 46, a neighborhood<br />
burger/bar/lounge with DJs,<br />
dancing, and Salsa lessons.<br />
The retail growth jumpstarted by<br />
Mary Brickell Village now extends<br />
down South Miami Avenue, housed<br />
in various newly-built condos.<br />
Within 1250 is an eclectic clutch of<br />
restaurants including JB Kitchen<br />
& Bar, formerly a Swiss restaurant<br />
but now serving dishes like Peruvian<br />
lobster mac and cheese, Piola,<br />
and soon-to-open le Kabob, Zen<br />
Sushi, and Kosta Seafood offering<br />
make your own ceviche. At 1450<br />
are the wildly popular Segafredo<br />
and Brickell irish Pub. These<br />
two, large, lofty restaurants are a<br />
Segafredo<br />
study in contrasts. Segafredo, a hip<br />
restaurant/lounge, is modern with<br />
lots of glass windows, concrete<br />
floors, and a huge terrace that<br />
seats about 350. Walking past beer<br />
barrel tables, and through big,<br />
dark wood double doors at Brickell<br />
Irish Pub, patrons are greeted by<br />
servers wearing unisex kilts and a<br />
décor that boasts a Cheers-style bar,<br />
colorfully upholstered banquettes,<br />
and distressed mirrors; a stage<br />
for DJs and live music (offered<br />
Wednesday through Saturday) is<br />
framed by bookshelves with real<br />
books. Another spacious venue,<br />
the 9,500 square foot Argentine<br />
Puerto Madero, will be opening at<br />
Southwest 15 th Road.<br />
Commenting on how his business<br />
has been affected by the recent<br />
development, Perricone says that<br />
he had a destination restaurant but<br />
now he's in a destination area.<br />
-- Marlene Sholod<br />
Perricone’s Marketplace<br />
305.374.9449<br />
perricones.com<br />
Dolores But You<br />
Can Call Me Lolita<br />
305.403.3101<br />
doloreslolita.com<br />
Sushi Maki<br />
305.415.9779<br />
sushimakirestaurant.com<br />
Rosinella Downtown<br />
305.372.5756<br />
rosinella.net<br />
La Lupita<br />
305.373.5406<br />
lalupita.mx<br />
Oceanaire Seafood Room<br />
305.372.8862<br />
theoceanaire.com<br />
Rosa Mexicano<br />
786.425.1001<br />
rosamexicano.com<br />
Blue Martini<br />
305.481.2583<br />
bluemartini.com<br />
Abokado Sushi<br />
305.347.3700<br />
abocadosushi.com<br />
Frida Kahlo<br />
fridkahlonaturals.com<br />
Balans<br />
305.534.9196<br />
balans.co.uk<br />
Roma Organic Gelato<br />
786.252.5276<br />
romagelato.com<br />
Grimpa<br />
305.455.4757<br />
grimpa.com<br />
P.F. Chang’s Chinese Bistro<br />
305.358.0732<br />
pfchangs.com<br />
SuViche<br />
305.960.7097<br />
suviche.com<br />
Brix 46<br />
305.715.9596<br />
brix46.com<br />
JB Kitchen & Bar<br />
305.415.0070<br />
jbkitchenandbar.com<br />
Piola<br />
305.674.1660<br />
piola.it<br />
Segafredo<br />
305.577.9809<br />
segafredo-brickell.com<br />
Brickell Irish Pub<br />
305.381.6651<br />
brickellirishpub.com<br />
FOR MORE INFORMATION:<br />
marybrickellvillage.com<br />
downtownmiami.com<br />
dda.com<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 33
F Y I<br />
Make Your Claim<br />
Working With Your Insurance Company<br />
It is expected that after a hurricane, law firms would<br />
be inundated with people who are unhappy with their<br />
insurance companies. Most likely these people put in a<br />
claim to collect for the damages sustained to their homes;<br />
but the amount they received was not a satisfactory amount<br />
to cover their losses.<br />
But, the difficulty with insurance companies is not only<br />
related to claims associated with natural disasters. “The<br />
bottom line is insurance companies like to save money, and<br />
the less they pay out, the more can go to the bottom line,”<br />
said Todd Stabinski, a managing partner in the Miami-based<br />
law firm Stabinski & Funt PA.<br />
For Ziva Allen, it was extremely difficult to get her insurance<br />
company to pay for the damages to her home. In Allen’s<br />
master bathroom, there was a leak; but she couldn’t figure<br />
out where the water damage was coming from. All she<br />
knew was that the leak caused the hardwood floors in her<br />
living room to get discolored from water damage. When<br />
she contacted her insurance company to put in a claim, an<br />
adjuster was sent out to evaluate the situation. But when<br />
he couldn’t find the cause of the problem, Allen’s claim was<br />
denied.<br />
Even after a plumber uncovered that it was a failed shower<br />
pan; and Allen immediately contacted her insurance<br />
company, the claim was again denied. Not knowing where<br />
Florida law allows a policy-holder to file a lawsuit against its insurance company for up to five years<br />
after the date of loss. In the case of Hurricane Wilma, the deadline to file suit is October 24, 2010. If<br />
the damage sustained is from Hurricane Katrina, the deadline to file suit is August 23, 2010.<br />
34 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
to turn, Allen hired a public adjuster to assess the situation<br />
and to speak to the insurance company about her claim.<br />
But when the public adjuster found the insurance company<br />
uncooperative, he suggested Allen get an attorney.<br />
Allen contacted Dan Caine an attorney in the law firm<br />
Stabinski & Funt, P.A. The first thing he told her was that<br />
the insurance company shouldn’t have left her hanging<br />
when it couldn’t figure out where the leak was coming from.<br />
According to Caine, it is the insurance company’s job to find<br />
out the cause of the problem.<br />
The process of getting the insurance company to settle took<br />
a lot of time through depositions, mediation and ultimately<br />
securing a trial date. But right before the trial was to begin,<br />
the insurance company agreed to a settlement.<br />
“With the help of my attorney, I got more than double what I<br />
would have taken as a settlement,” said Allen.<br />
In addition, Allen did not have to pay any of the attorney’s<br />
fees as Caine negotiated that settlement directly with the<br />
insurance company.<br />
“The only way to get the insurance company to do the right<br />
thing and pay for my damages was to litigate, and you need<br />
an attorney to do this on your behalf,” said Allen. “The truth<br />
is if I didn’t file the suit, I would have been left with the<br />
insurance company denying my claim and me having to pay<br />
for all of the repairs which would have been very expensive.”
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FEEL GOOD<br />
FANCY FOOT WORK<br />
When it comes to picking out a pair of athletic<br />
shoes, you can’t just go by the color and style<br />
you like best.<br />
According to Corey Sokolow, manager of the New<br />
Balance store in the Aventura Mall and a certified<br />
pedorthist, you must consider the size and width<br />
of your feet as well as the type of arch you have<br />
and the activity you are going to do.<br />
“Besides selecting a shoe on looks, the biggest<br />
mistake people make is having the wrong size,”<br />
said Sokolow. “Most adults haven’t had their feet<br />
measured in a very long time; despite the fact<br />
that feet change as we age.<br />
PILATES:<br />
YOGA:<br />
STRENGTH<br />
TRAINING:<br />
HIT<br />
Leaves you<br />
feeling light<br />
toned, and<br />
strong all at the<br />
same time.<br />
36 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
People also don’t realize that everyone has a foot<br />
that is bigger than the other, and it is important<br />
to size shoes to correctly fit the bigger foot.”<br />
Sokolow also points out that it is critical to think<br />
about the activity you are going to do when<br />
selecting a shoe. “You really do need different<br />
shoes for different activities,” he said. “The only<br />
shoe that is built for a variety of activities is<br />
the cross trainer; it allows you to move side<br />
to side when doing aerobics or playing tennis<br />
and has enough cushion to allow you to run<br />
short distances and is stiff enough for walking.”<br />
However, if you know your sport of choice, you<br />
may want to consider getting a specific type<br />
of shoe.<br />
For instance in a tennis shoe there is<br />
extra durability at the toe of the shoe<br />
to handle toe drag caused when a player<br />
serves. A running shoe must be flexible, provide<br />
cushion and have a higher heel; but, because<br />
this shoe is designed to move you forward, it is<br />
not good to wear for a sport that requires you to<br />
move sideways, i.e. tennis.<br />
“It really is not good to wear the wrong shoe<br />
for a sport. Wearing a walking shoe to run a<br />
marathon will cause a tremendous amount of<br />
pain, because the shoe isn’t built with enough<br />
cushion. If you do aerobics in a running shoe you<br />
will move too easily side-to-side which will likely<br />
cause your ankle to twist,” said Sokolow.<br />
ExERCISE PERSONALITY<br />
Trying to figure out which exercise is for you – yoga, Pilates or strength training, the owners<br />
of the Pilates room Liza Carmona and Michele LaVire have put together a cheat sheet.<br />
Feel Good<br />
Factor<br />
HIT<br />
Leaves you<br />
feeling<br />
centered.<br />
FALLS SHORT<br />
Upside: Endorphin<br />
rush. Downside:<br />
increases muscle<br />
tension.<br />
Six Pack<br />
Savvy<br />
HIT<br />
Works on all<br />
4 layers of abs<br />
and gives a<br />
super sleek<br />
midrift.<br />
MISS<br />
Core<br />
contraction<br />
is not the<br />
focus.<br />
FALLS<br />
SHORT<br />
Mostly works<br />
the outer layers<br />
of abdomen.<br />
Enhances<br />
Sex Life<br />
HIT<br />
Strengthens<br />
pelvic floor<br />
muscles increasing<br />
intensity of<br />
orgasm.<br />
HIT<br />
Some techniques<br />
have been<br />
known to make<br />
men last longer.<br />
FALLS SHORT<br />
Increases testosterone.<br />
But if over do it will<br />
have opposite effect.<br />
Improves<br />
Posture<br />
HIT<br />
Aligns spine<br />
giving a taller<br />
and more elegant<br />
presentation.<br />
HIT<br />
Opens the<br />
tightness in<br />
shoulders and<br />
chest giving a less<br />
tense appearance.<br />
MISS<br />
Easy to overwork<br />
upper trapezius<br />
and chest giving<br />
a rounded look.<br />
Easily<br />
Accessible<br />
HIT<br />
Can be done<br />
anywhere, even<br />
in small corner<br />
of a studio<br />
apartment!<br />
HIT<br />
All you need<br />
is a mat<br />
and a great<br />
mindset.<br />
MISS<br />
Really can't be<br />
done without<br />
finding a gym.<br />
Injury<br />
Prevention<br />
HIT<br />
Provides body<br />
awareness to<br />
isolate specific<br />
muscles.<br />
FALLS<br />
SHORT<br />
Easy to<br />
overstress<br />
joints.<br />
FALLS<br />
SHORT<br />
Can cause muscle<br />
strain to joints if<br />
not careful.<br />
All Age<br />
Appropriate<br />
HIT<br />
Kids as young<br />
as 4 and adults<br />
in their 90s can<br />
do Pilates.<br />
HIT<br />
Develops<br />
balance.<br />
Easy to find<br />
classes.<br />
FALLS<br />
SHORT<br />
Great for<br />
avoiding<br />
osteoporosis.
PICK YOUR PRODUCE<br />
If you choose to buy conventional produce, stick<br />
to the fruits and vegetables with the lowest<br />
amounts of pesticide residue. This group,<br />
dubbed “the clean 15” by the Environmental<br />
Working Group (EWG) includes: onions •<br />
avocados • corn • pineapples • mangoes •<br />
eggplants • papayas • asparagus • sweet peas •<br />
kiwi fruits • cabbages • watermelons • broccoli •<br />
tomatoes • sweet potatoes.
FEEL GOOD / WHAT THE PROS KNOW<br />
Why are hormones important?<br />
Q. What are bio-identical hormones?<br />
MICHELLE BARNES, M.D.<br />
If I do cardiovascular workouts on a regular basis,<br />
Q. why do I need to worry about flexibility and exercises<br />
to strengthen my abdominal core?<br />
RENEE RICCA<br />
Hormones determine everything<br />
A. in the body from turning on and<br />
off its thermostat to inducing sexual<br />
desire to establishing the firmness of<br />
the skin. “As we age we lose the natural<br />
hormone levels we had when we were<br />
younger. We want to test for hormonal<br />
deficiencies and restore hormones to<br />
optimal levels to improve health, provide<br />
disease prevention and increase general<br />
quality of life,” said Dr. Michelle Barnes, medical director at AgeMedix.<br />
“Once the hormone levels are measured and analyzed, we work with<br />
the patient to create a proper treatment plan.” Although no medical<br />
treatment is completely risk free, it has been found that natural hormone<br />
replacement is safe. Agemedix only uses bio-identical hormones in its<br />
therapy treatments. Bio-identical hormones mean it is an exact duplicate<br />
to the ones found naturally in the body. “We can naturally replenish and<br />
restore what has been lost in the aging process and return hormones to<br />
their optimal levels,” said Dr. Barnes.<br />
As a professional dancer,<br />
A. Renee Ricca understands<br />
the importance of moving. With<br />
her studio just celebrating its first<br />
anniversary, Ricca teaches Pilates as<br />
a way to increase flexibility, elongate<br />
and strengthen muscles and improve<br />
posture. Ricca emphasizes the use of<br />
proper mechanics, pelvic stabilization,<br />
coordinated breathing and muscle<br />
contraction to strengthen the<br />
abdominal core. It is crucial to have a<br />
strong core because it is actually these muscles that effect posture. “With<br />
a strong core you are able to correct your posture and protect your body<br />
against future injury,” says Renee Ricca, founder of Renee Ricca Pilates<br />
Center. In her belief that movement is the key to a healthy body, Ricca<br />
recently introduced Gyrotonics to her studio. “It gets the body moving in<br />
a new way,” she said. With a specially created workout bench and pulley<br />
tower with rotating wheels, the body is able to do circular movements<br />
as opposed to the more traditional linear exercises. As the first studio in<br />
Aventura to offer Gyrotonics, Ricca understands the importance of having<br />
joint mobility and how circular movements are essential to strengthening<br />
joints. “Gyrotonics is able to improve the hips range of motion in a golf<br />
swing and to increase the shoulder rotation necessary for playing tennis,”<br />
she explained. “Gyrotonics can also do incredible things to improve back<br />
and knee injuries.” Ricca works to provide her students with a program<br />
that ensures they will get the best out of their bodies.<br />
Have health, beauty & wellness questions you would like our team<br />
of experts to answer, send them to the editor of Cravings South<br />
Florida magazine: sara@cravingssouthflorida.com.<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 39
BEAUTY OF THE SEASON<br />
Beauty knows no bounds. The latest technologies of infrared lights, lasers, sonic waves and thermal<br />
energy have come to beauty gadgets and gizmos. These technologically advanced tools work to clear your<br />
skin, make your teeth whiter and give your hair damage-free heat. So don’t be afraid to bring your beauty<br />
regimen into the 21 st century; you are sure to see that technology really is beautiful.<br />
BLOW SOME HOT AIR<br />
Don't let your wet hair slow you down.<br />
The SuperSolano 3700 Moda Dryer<br />
($220) will get your hair out-thedoor<br />
ready in no time. Its heating<br />
mechanisms won't hurt your hair,<br />
helping to keep it healthy and shiny.<br />
solanopower.com<br />
LOCK OF LOVE<br />
The Sleekheat 450<br />
Flat iron ($199) heats<br />
up in just 60 seconds.<br />
The ceramic beveled<br />
plates easily glide<br />
through hair causing<br />
less damage -- doing<br />
its jobs while keeping<br />
your locks healthy<br />
and shiny.<br />
solanopower.com<br />
40 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
TOOLS OF THE TRADE<br />
Beauty Gadgets Go High Tech<br />
By Courtney Markofsky<br />
SPOT ON<br />
Try the Zeno Hot<br />
Spot ($39.99) to clear<br />
blemishes. The heated<br />
tip is placed directly on<br />
the problem area killing<br />
acne causing bacteria.<br />
myZENO.com<br />
PORE IT OUT<br />
Give your skin a spa-like treatment<br />
at home with the Clarisonic Plus<br />
($195). The moving head is able to<br />
get out the deepest of dirt from<br />
your pores. Any esthetician would<br />
be proud of your clean afterglow.<br />
clarisonic.com
PROS KNOW BEST <br />
Do what the pros do and<br />
use the iwata Silver Jet<br />
Compressor ($341) for<br />
the perfect application<br />
of foundation and<br />
self-tanners. This<br />
airbrushing machine has<br />
a compact compressor<br />
making it easy to take<br />
anywhere. Never again<br />
will you have to face<br />
caked on foundation or<br />
an uneven tan.<br />
iwata-medea.com<br />
SHINE A LITTLE LIGHT<br />
Photo rejuvenation fights the<br />
aging skin battle by reducing<br />
fine lines and wrinkles, building<br />
collagen, increasing circulation<br />
and restoring the skin. Turn on<br />
the light and treat your skin to a<br />
therapeutic session with the Baby<br />
Quasar ($349).<br />
babyquasar.com<br />
SHOW YOUR PEARLY WHITES<br />
Give yourself a one hour professional whitening and<br />
brightening treatment with Luster 1 Hour White ($39.99)<br />
while wearing your pajamas and fuzzy slippers.<br />
lusterPremiumWhite.com<br />
HAIR TODAY GONE TOMORROW<br />
With its thermicon technology,<br />
the No!No!8800 ($250) eliminates<br />
unwanted hair, reducing re-growth<br />
by up to 94%.<br />
my-no-no.com<br />
THE EYES HAVE IT<br />
See an immediate<br />
reduction of fine lines<br />
and wrinkles around<br />
the eye area with the<br />
use of the Clarisonic<br />
Opal Sonic infusion<br />
($245). Its circular<br />
motion works to make<br />
the eye appear brighter,<br />
firmer and more<br />
hydrated.<br />
clarisonic.com<br />
HairTalkStudio@Gmail.com<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 41
WISH YOU WERE HERE<br />
MIAMI dOlPHINs FInSWEEKEnD ToURnAMenT<br />
When it comes to hosting a fundraiser the Miami Dolphins Foundation knew how to do it up. For three days, current players and alumni, fans<br />
and distinguished guests gathered for FinsWeekend. With no football insight, the days and nights were filled with golf, fishing and partying.<br />
All proceeds from the weekend go to the foundation’s initiatives of supporting South Florida’s youth.<br />
1. Donald Thomas, Pat White. 2. 2010 Members of the Dolphins Honor Roll: Bill Stanfill, Owner Stephen Ross, Jake Scott. 3. Lousaka Polite.<br />
4. Jake Grove. 5. Rick Horrow, Tony Segreto, Eddie Carbone. 6. Mayor of Aventura Susan Gottlieb, Chad Henne.<br />
7. Brandon & Katie Fields. 8. Lousaka Polite. 9. O.J. McDuffie. 10. Jake Long. 11. Drew Wickstrom, Channing Crowder.<br />
12. Dick Boever (Golf Trick Shot Artist), Mike Dee, Jorge Perez.<br />
42 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
1<br />
6<br />
7<br />
2<br />
4<br />
3<br />
5<br />
8
9<br />
10<br />
11<br />
12<br />
305 933•1151<br />
2999 NE 191st Street • Penthouse One<br />
Aventura Florida • 33180<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 43
WISH YOU WERE HERE<br />
An EVENING oF ElITE ELEGAnCE<br />
Although the attire was black-tie and fancy dresses and the locale a waterfront Fort Lauderdale mansion, the annual fundraiser for the Elite<br />
Women’s Foundation was seriously working to address the needs of women. Established by Elite Obstetrics & Gynecology director Dr. Lanalee<br />
Araba Sam, the foundation strives to assist women experience optimal physical health, emotional wellness and personal success. The more than<br />
350 guests were entertained with an exotic Bollywood dance performance and a swimwear fashion show. With the funds raised, the foundation<br />
works with well-established charitable institutions that address the needs of women.<br />
44 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
1<br />
4<br />
1. Zack Schiffman and wife Lona Smith. 2. Active Doctors Consult team: David Jones, Marie Arnoux & CEO Florent Monssoh.<br />
3. Dr. Lanalee Araba Sam and her brother Garth Sam. 4. Dr. Sam with Drs. Justin & Sarah Yovino. 5. Hybrid Rhythms Bollywood<br />
Dance Company. 6. Dr. Sam with TV anchor Neki Mohan. 7. Christopher White, Vernell Roberts. 8. Model Shea McMayo.<br />
9. Dr. Sam & VIP pregnant patient Lona Smith.<br />
2<br />
5<br />
6 7 8 9<br />
3
WISH YOU WERE HERE<br />
dINING DRIVES THE CAusE<br />
The evening is about friends and first-class dinners. After one of South<br />
Florida’s great restaurants is randomly selected, guests load up in limos<br />
and are driven to their dining destinations. But the evening isn’t only<br />
about fine wines and fabulous food, this annual fundraiser for the<br />
Florida Heart Research Institute helps to allow the institute continue to<br />
pursue its mission to stop heart disease through cardiovascular research,<br />
education and prevention programs.<br />
1. At Creek 28 with Chef Kira Volz. Standing: Lynda Gordon, Terri Rosa & Steve Rosa,<br />
Taryn Bulino, Mary Young. Seated: Dr. Michael Gordon, Janet Khamsl, Frank Young.<br />
2. At Aqualina Resort & Spa on The Beach. Standing: Michael Weintraub,<br />
Sue Nichols, Barbara Weintraub, Chef Marc Debas, Carol Russo.<br />
Seated: Alan Nichols, Jackie Simkin, Henry Mangels.<br />
3. At Escopazzo with Chef Giancarla Bodoni. Standing: Bob, Jeff Smith, Andrew<br />
Jackson, Tony Robledo. Seated: Jen, Ceci Smith of BNY Mellon Wealth Management,<br />
Dr. Ana Calderon and Sandy Robledo.<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 47
F Y I<br />
People in Your<br />
Neighborhood<br />
When looking for a new place to live it isn’t only important to find a property you love, but also an area you<br />
would enjoy living. Who would know better about the ins and outs of an area than a real estate agent? So we<br />
asked. agents share their insights about an area that they feel not only has beautiful residences, but also is a<br />
great place to live.<br />
RANDY ROSE • Rose and Rose Realty, P.A.<br />
eAsteRn sHoRes<br />
q. WHY DO YOU LIKE EASTERN SHORES?<br />
A. It is convenient. It is less than one mile to the beach.<br />
It has restaurants, a grocery store and movie theater all<br />
in walking distance. Oleta State Park is just across the<br />
street; and the drive to either the Aventura Mall or the<br />
Bal Harbour Shops is just 10 minutes.<br />
q. WHAT TYPE OF PROPERTY CAN BE FOUND IN<br />
EASTERN SHORES?<br />
A. The area is known for its waterfront property with<br />
direct ocean access for boats. The houses and condos<br />
offer enough back space so it is easy to dock a large boat<br />
or yacht. There is a wide selection of condos, waterfront<br />
townhouses, single-family homes and larger estates.<br />
q. DO YOU THINK THE RESIDENCES IN EASTERN<br />
SHORES HOLD THEIR VALUE?<br />
A. They absolutely hold their values. First, the area<br />
has top-rated schools. Second, there are roughly 335<br />
homes in Eastern Shores and only three are not on the<br />
water. Being a waterfront community helps to hold the<br />
value. In the last 10 years, people have started to buy<br />
the older homes and knock them down to build larger<br />
estate homes, which easily increase the values of all the<br />
properties.<br />
48 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
SCOTT PATTERSON • EWM Realtors, P.A.<br />
HARboR isLAnD, HoLLywooD<br />
q. WHY DO YOU LIKE HARBOR ISLAND?<br />
A. Within this gated community there are eight subcommunities<br />
offering a great deal of diversity. All the streets<br />
are private, unlike say, Golden Beach where it is private but<br />
the streets are owned by the city not the community. Harbor<br />
Island also has its own private boat marina. It has a country<br />
club feel and includes all of the amenities expected at a club<br />
– clubhouse, tennis courts, running/biking trails, swimming<br />
pool.<br />
q. WHAT TYPE OF PROPERTY CAN BE FOUND<br />
IN HARBOR ISLAND?<br />
A. There are mostly homes and townhouses. There are no<br />
condos in Harbor Island. The residential property offerings<br />
include single-family zero lot homes, townhouses and large<br />
estate homes with up to seven bedrooms.<br />
q. DO YOU THINK THE RESIDENCES IN HARBOR ISLAND<br />
HOLD THEIR VALUE?<br />
A. There is not another gated waterfront community from<br />
Las Olas to Miami Beach. The private marina allows even<br />
those who don’t live on the water to keep their boat easily<br />
accessible. Obviously the closer you get to the water the more<br />
expensive it gets. In the last six months, a second-home buyer<br />
purchased a house on Hatter’s Lane for $3.2 million.
DENISE RUBIN • Prudential<br />
Florida Realty<br />
AVentuRA<br />
q. WHY DO YOU LIKE AVENTURA?<br />
A. Aventura is the City of Excellence. It is very<br />
beautiful. There is an emphasis on maintaining<br />
the city. There are parks, children’s parks, a<br />
community center and a new cultural arts<br />
center. The three-mile Don Soffer exercise path<br />
outlines the Turnberry golf course. The path is<br />
currently being renovated with resurfacing and<br />
the addition of water fountains and emergency<br />
call buttons. The area’s schools are excellent<br />
and fairly new. The biggest seller for the area is<br />
its location. It is 11 minutes to Fort Lauderdale<br />
International Airport, 20 minutes to downtown<br />
Fort Lauderdale and 20 minutes to South Beach.<br />
q. WHAT TYPE OF PROPERTY CAN BE FOUND<br />
IN AVENTURA?<br />
A. Although Aventura is mostly condos, there are<br />
a few gated communities of single family homes.<br />
Most of the residential buildings are designed<br />
with families in mind; they offer the same square<br />
footage as a house but with all the amenities of<br />
a condo.<br />
q. DO YOU THINK THE RESIDENCES IN<br />
AVENTURA HOLD THEIR VALUE?<br />
A. Aventura is holding its property values<br />
better than other areas. This is because the<br />
three-square mile area has as extremely dense<br />
wealthy population. It is also very save. Aventura<br />
has more police per-square-foot than any other<br />
city in South Florida. There have been a lot less<br />
short sales and foreclosures in Aventura, which<br />
definitely helps the real estate to hold its value.<br />
DAVID RESTAINER •<br />
Fortune International Realty,<br />
sunny isLes<br />
q. WHY DO YOU LIKE SUNNY ISLES?<br />
A. Sunny Isles has the best beaches. It is one<br />
of the best places to have a second home or<br />
vacation getaway. The condos are literally right<br />
up against the beach. There is very easy ocean<br />
access through the redeveloped Sampson<br />
Park. Sunny Isles is a small community; it only<br />
became a city in 1997. Since that time it has<br />
used the influx of property tax revenue from<br />
the new condo developments to improve<br />
the city – everything from an enhanced<br />
library, improved parks, larger police force, a<br />
community center and a newly rebuilt pier.<br />
q. WHAT TYPE OF PROPERTY CAN BE<br />
FOUND IN SUNNY ISLES?<br />
A. Sunny Isles is mostly made up of<br />
condominiums.<br />
q. DO YOU THINK THE RESIDENCES IN<br />
SUNNY ISLES HOLD THEIR VALUE?<br />
A. The residences in Sunny Isles keep their<br />
value because they are ocean front property.<br />
There is no question that these condos have<br />
a hire value than the condos located on the<br />
intercoastal.<br />
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cravingssouthflorida.com 49
PERIMETER<br />
sHANGHAI<br />
suRPRIsE:<br />
A Chinese<br />
City Shares Miami Beach’s<br />
Art Deco Heritage<br />
50 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
ART DECO IN SHANGHAI<br />
AND MIAMI BEACH<br />
By deke erh<br />
Available at: Books and Books<br />
• 927 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach<br />
• 9700 Collins Ave., Bal Harbour Shops<br />
• 265 Aragon Ave, Coral Gables<br />
booksandbooks.com
Many people associate Art Deco with Miami<br />
– more specifically with South Beach. The<br />
tropical-colored, neon-lit hotels along Ocean Drive<br />
with their “come hither” curves, thrusting spires,<br />
and flirty “eyebrows” are famous the world over.<br />
But, in fact, Art Deco, a design movement originating<br />
in Europe and inspired by the technological and<br />
industrial advances of the ‘20s, can be seen as far away<br />
as Melbourne, Australia; Napier, New Zealand; Asmara,<br />
Ethiopia, and the harbor cities of China. Christened<br />
in the ‘60s, the name, Art Decocomes from a 1925<br />
decorative arts exhibition in Paris that drew attention<br />
to the distinctive, richly detailed style.<br />
Shanghai, with more Art Deco buildings than any<br />
other city in Asia, is considered a capital of Art<br />
Deco. However, the edifices aren’t clustered as in<br />
South Beach; instead, they are scattered all over the<br />
city. This, combined with the rapid and large scale<br />
urban redevelopment that accompanied Shanghai’s<br />
economic surge, has made it exceptionally difficult<br />
for preservationists to save and maintain them.<br />
Many of the buildings have survived only because<br />
so few buildings were built in the period from<br />
the Communist takeover in 1949 to the ‘90s.<br />
Interestingly, Shanghai has looked to Miami as an<br />
inspiration for preserving its Deco heritage.<br />
BUILDING BRIDGES<br />
Don and Nina Worth, who have lived in the Art Deco<br />
historic district on Ocean Drive since 1993 are ardent<br />
preservationists involved with the successful efforts<br />
to create historic designations for the MiMo (Miami<br />
Modern) district and, more recently, for the Miami<br />
Marine Stadium (www.marinestadium.org). In 2005,<br />
they were among twelve participants in a United<br />
States - China Friendship Association trip to China.<br />
A requirement was that they develop a cultural<br />
exchange program; Art Deco in Shanghai was a<br />
natural match. A meeting was arranged with the<br />
architect Xing Tong He.<br />
Perhaps because of Asian humility, it wasn’t<br />
made clear to them that Mr. Xing is, in fact, the<br />
Chief Architect of the Shanghai Xien Dai, one of<br />
the five largest architectural firms in the world.<br />
They discussed the similarities between Miami<br />
and Shanghai – both energetic, multicultural,<br />
cosmopolitan cities with a strong design sensibility<br />
and a rapidly growing population; cities where<br />
smaller, historic buildings are often sacrificed for<br />
modern, high density ones.<br />
Miami Beach’s annual Art Deco Weekend 2007 was<br />
themed “East Meets West: Art Deco from Shanghai to<br />
Miami.” A Shanghainese delegation of government<br />
officials, urban planners, and preservationists made<br />
the cultural exchange complete, witnessing first hand<br />
how preservation of the Art Deco district has served as<br />
an economic engine attracting global tourists.<br />
Developer and preservationist Tony Goldman funded<br />
and hosted an exhibition of one hundred Art Deco<br />
photographs by Deke Erh. Half were taken in Miami<br />
Beach and half in Shanghai. In 2008, the Worths<br />
created the book Art Deco in Shanghai and Miami<br />
Beach, which features Erh’s photographs. The book<br />
was in part financed by Hutchison Whampoa, a Hong<br />
Kong-based conglomerate developing a 1,000 unit<br />
Art Deco styled condominium complex in Shanghai<br />
designed by Xing Tong He’s firm. The photography<br />
exhibition was recently reprised at the University of<br />
Miami School of Architecture.<br />
DECO-RATED<br />
In the ‘20s and ‘30s, Shanghai was a city enthralled<br />
by fashion, glamour and modernity, a Paris of the<br />
East, where an international crowd of celebrities and<br />
wannabees partied together in jazzy venues. Art<br />
Deco suited the time and the place.<br />
Shanghai’s fabulous Art Deco hotels were developed<br />
and designed by a polyglot of people. In 1929, Sir<br />
Victor Sassoon, a noted hotelier and British subject<br />
of Iraqi Jewish ancestry, opened the magnificent<br />
Cathay Hotel. Not far away, gracing an intersection,<br />
are Sassoon’s Metropole Hotel, with its family<br />
emblems featuring greyhounds and Hamilton<br />
House, its twin and originally a combination office<br />
building and apartment house. The twenty-two<br />
story Park Hotel, the tallest building in China when it<br />
opened in 1934, was designed by Hungarian Laszlo<br />
Hudec. Home-grown and European-educated Li Fan<br />
designed the famous Yangtze Hotel.<br />
The former French concession is a beautiful,<br />
residential area where plane trees, imported from<br />
France, line the streets. Along the wider boulevards<br />
are Art Deco apartment buildings with glamorous<br />
facades and high-ceilinged, terrazzo-floored lobbies<br />
inlaid with deco designs. As one might expect, some<br />
buildings are named the Gascogne, Dauphine, and<br />
Normandie. Others have British names, such as the<br />
Savoy, Grosvenor, and Cavendish. You can still find<br />
Art Deco row houses down narrow lanes and little<br />
deco villas behind walls and gardens.<br />
Farther east, in the busy, old International<br />
Settlement, are the majestic deco commercial<br />
buildings, including many of its hotels. South of<br />
the Sassoon House is the starkly white Art Moderne<br />
Bank. To the north, the aptly-named Embankment<br />
Building extends along the Suzhou Creek for a<br />
quarter of a mile.<br />
Recently, preservation has, gained ground. The<br />
Yangtze Hotel, now the five star Langham Yangtse<br />
Boutique Shanghai, completed a thirty million<br />
dollar renovation. Urged by Shanghai city officials,<br />
the state-run company that owns the Peace Hotel,<br />
formerly The Cathay, is investing millions of dollars to<br />
renovate it. When it reopens, it will be managed by<br />
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. The Park Hotel still stands<br />
tall, but the horse-racing track it once overlooked is<br />
now People’s Square. Next door, the Art Deco Grand<br />
Theater, with its dramatic lobby and staircase, has<br />
also been renovated.<br />
Deke Erh explains in Art Deco in Shanghai and Miami<br />
Beach that he intended his photographs “…to afford<br />
the residents of these two cities an opportunity<br />
to appreciate the architectural wonders of each<br />
other’s cityscape…” If Miamians find themselves<br />
homesick in Shanghai, they can find the familiar in<br />
its beautiful Art Deco buildings.<br />
-- Marlene Sholod<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 51
Dealer: damian Wieza, Hard<br />
Rock Hotel & <strong>Casino</strong>.<br />
On her (blonde): Navy with<br />
sheer cutout Masiguare<br />
trench coat, available at<br />
Sylvia Tcherassi, Merrick<br />
Park; Navy sequin and<br />
lace Liza Motte leggings,<br />
available nationwide at<br />
Custo Barcelona; Black<br />
strappy sandals, available<br />
at Charles david, aventura<br />
Mall.<br />
On him: Giorgio armani<br />
black pinstripe sport coat,<br />
available at Bloomingdale’s,<br />
Aventura Mall; Emporio<br />
armani navy stripe sweater,<br />
available at Bloomingdale’s<br />
aventura; Grey dress slacks,<br />
available at Ted Baker,<br />
Aventura Mall; Black and<br />
whit beaded dress shoe,<br />
available at donald J. Pliner,<br />
Aventura Mall.<br />
On her (brunette):<br />
Michael Kors black lace and<br />
beaded leopard pencil skirt<br />
and black lace sequin tank,<br />
available at Bloomingdale’s,<br />
Aventura Mall; Black sheer<br />
bolero with ruffle trim,<br />
available at Betsey Johnson,<br />
Aventura Mall; Ralph<br />
lauren black leather belt,<br />
Bloomingdale’s, aventura<br />
Mall; Juicy couture gold with<br />
crystal ring, available at<br />
Shooz, Seminole Paradise at<br />
Hard Rock Hotel and <strong>Casino</strong>;<br />
Sergio Zelcer bronze pumps,<br />
available at Maccimo,<br />
Seminole Paradise at Hard<br />
Rock Hotel and <strong>Casino</strong>.<br />
<strong>Casino</strong> <strong>Chic</strong><br />
PHOTOS BY Gio Alma, gioalma.com<br />
FASHION STYLIST: Lisa Cera/Ford; MAKE UP & HAIR: J.Patrick for Ford Artist using Dior Cosmetics; MAKE UP & HAIR ARTIST ASSISTANT: Cynthia Dalagelis;<br />
PHOTOGRAPHER’S PRODUCER: Marce Gaviria; PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: Ricky Louis; FASHION STYLIST INTERNS: Arriel Ginter and Abriel Bolton;<br />
MODELS: Brunette: Ivana Korab/Next Models, Blonde: Emilia Jarvela/Mega Models, Man: Nelson R/301 Model Management<br />
LOCATION: Seminole Paradise: Hard Rock Hotel and <strong>Casino</strong>, Hollywood, FL<br />
52 Cravings | August / September 2010
cravingssouthflorida.com<br />
53
Winner's<br />
Circle<br />
54 Cravings | August / September 2010
On her (brunette):<br />
Yogal azrouel hounds tooth<br />
dress, available at Saks Fifth<br />
avenue, Bal Harbour shops;<br />
Black sheer stockings,<br />
available nationwide at<br />
Wolford boutiques; Black<br />
leather boots, available at<br />
Charles david, aventura<br />
Mall; Red vintage gloves,<br />
available at Pure inspiration<br />
(by appointment only),<br />
786.586.8794.<br />
On him: Roberto Cavalli<br />
brown tie dye print<br />
dress shirt, available at<br />
Bloomingdale’s, aventura<br />
Mall; Grey slacks, available<br />
at Reiss, Aventura Mall;<br />
Black suede belt, available<br />
at Sebastian James,<br />
Aventura Mall; Brown<br />
leather dress shoes,<br />
available at Ted Baker,<br />
Aventura Mall.<br />
On her (blonde):<br />
Jean-Paul Gaultier red<br />
and black print dress with<br />
knit trim, available at Saks<br />
Fifth avenue, Bal Harbour<br />
Shops; Black leather ankle<br />
booties, available at Charles<br />
David, Aventura Mall; Fossil<br />
sunglasses, available<br />
at Resort Wear,<br />
Seminole Paradise at Hard<br />
Rock Hotel and <strong>Casino</strong>.<br />
On him (far back):<br />
Black sport coat, available<br />
at Ted Baker, aventura<br />
Mall; Tom Ford aviator<br />
sunglasses, available<br />
at Resort Wear,<br />
Seminole Paradise at Hard<br />
Rock Hotel and <strong>Casino</strong>.<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com<br />
55
High<br />
Rollers<br />
56 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
On him: Eggplant<br />
dark plum dress<br />
shirt, available at<br />
Ted Baker, aventura<br />
Mall; Versace black<br />
cotton pant, available<br />
at Bloomingdale’s,<br />
Aventura Mall;<br />
Brown leather belt,<br />
available at Reiss,<br />
Aventura Mall.<br />
On her: Roberto<br />
Cavalli print dress<br />
with ruching,<br />
available at<br />
Saks Fifth avenue,<br />
Bal Harbour Shops;<br />
Black sheer stockings,<br />
available nationwide<br />
at Wolford boutiques;<br />
Gold metallic<br />
handbag with chain,<br />
available at Sebastian<br />
James, aventura<br />
Mall; Black strappy<br />
platforms, available<br />
at Charles david,<br />
Aventura Mall.
On her: Silver beaded dress by<br />
Naheem Kalin, available at Saks<br />
Fifth avenue, Bal Harbour Shops;<br />
Black satin rose clutch, available<br />
at Shooz, Seminole Paradise at<br />
Hard Rock Hotel and <strong>Casino</strong>; Black<br />
patent leather faux-crocodile<br />
bootie, available at Maccimo,<br />
Seminole Paradise at Hard Rock<br />
Hotel and <strong>Casino</strong>.<br />
On him: atelier blue dress shirt,<br />
available at Maccimo, Seminole<br />
Paradise at Hard Rock Hotel<br />
& <strong>Casino</strong>; Pinstripe trouser,<br />
available at Reiss, Aventura Mall;<br />
Navy blazer with fuschsia trim,<br />
available at Ted Baker, aventura<br />
Mall; Black patent leather belt<br />
and black patent leather dress<br />
shoes available at donald J. Pliner,<br />
Aventura Mall .<br />
Games<br />
People Play<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com<br />
57
Lady<br />
Luck<br />
58 Cravings | August / September 2010
On her (blonde):<br />
donna Karan sheer layered<br />
nude and grey gown, available<br />
at Saks Fifth avenue,<br />
Bal Harbour Shops;<br />
Grey fur ivy in lapin handbag<br />
by laura Buccellati, available at<br />
Jennifer Boin Personal Jeweler,<br />
Coral Gables; Silver metallic<br />
platform pumps, available at<br />
Charles David, Aventura Mall.<br />
On her (brunette):<br />
Multi-colored fringe dress<br />
and bolero, both available<br />
nationwide at Custo Barcelona;<br />
Bronze strappy sandals,<br />
available at Charles david,<br />
Aventura Mall.<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 59
On her (brunette): Silver<br />
metallic dress with jeweled<br />
neckline and cuffs by Kaisa<br />
de Gelaque, available at<br />
Maccimo, Seminole Paradise<br />
at Hard Rock Hotel and<br />
<strong>Casino</strong>.<br />
On her (blonde): Ralph<br />
lauren classic camel high<br />
neck sweater, available at<br />
Bloomingdale’s, aventura<br />
Mall; Michael Kors classic<br />
camel fur vest, available<br />
at Saks Fifth avenue, Bal<br />
Harbour Shops; Gold fringe<br />
necklace, available at<br />
Macy’s, Aventura Mall.<br />
Beautiful<br />
Bluff<br />
60 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
On him: Energie grey trousers,<br />
available at Reiss, aventura<br />
Mall; Black wool sweater,<br />
available at Miss Sixty,<br />
Aventura Mall; Versace black<br />
on black swirl print blazer,<br />
available at Saks Fifth avenue,<br />
Dadeland Mall.
Spend<br />
Time In<br />
Paradise<br />
At the Seminole Paradise: Hard Rock<br />
Hotel & <strong>Casino</strong> it won’t be hard to spend<br />
your winnings. Adjacent to the hotel<br />
and casino is an outdoor complex that<br />
includes 23 retail shops, 18 restaurants<br />
and 13 bars and lounges.<br />
SHOP<br />
The Paradise Shops offers a wide variety from the<br />
more established Brookstone and White House/<br />
Black Market to boutiques that are unique to<br />
Paradise including Rock Shop where it is easy to<br />
find everything from limited edition T-shirts to funky<br />
keychains. For those looking for a bit better bauble,<br />
Koosh Jewelers offers a wide selection of diamond<br />
jewelry and watches by Rolex, Cartier and Breitling.<br />
Not to forget that this is a casino, straight from the<br />
Forum Shops in Las Vegas is Brats offering children’s<br />
clothing with lots of attitude. If by chance when<br />
packing the little black dress or snazzy sandals<br />
somehow didn’t make it, boutiques like Cache,<br />
designer Outlet and Maccimo can step in with their<br />
selections of fashionable and designer offerings. On<br />
the shoe front, there is Styletto Shoes and Shooz<br />
which carry a wide range of designers from Donald<br />
Pliner to BCBG. But be careful, it is easily possible to<br />
exit the stores having purchased several pairs.<br />
For men, there is a wide selection of stores from<br />
the gadgets and gizmos offered at Brookstone to<br />
Havana Shirt Store with its wide selection of Cuban<br />
shirts, hats and linen pants.<br />
On the more serious side there are stores like:<br />
Seminole Store offering a wide range of<br />
handcrafted Native American merchandise and<br />
Gallerit offering fine arts and collectibles.<br />
EAT<br />
In between going in and out of the shops, an<br />
appetite can certainly build. Well no matter what<br />
the desire is -- be it Italian, Asian, Mexican, BBQ,<br />
burgers or just a scoop of ice cream it is all here. No<br />
craving will go unmet. Martorano’s is an offshoot<br />
of Steve Martorano’s Philadelphia-inspired Italian<br />
flavor restaurant. For authentic Florida oak-smoked<br />
BBQ head directly to Renegade BBQ. For a mixture<br />
of everything from Cantonese to Thai, Tatu is at<br />
the ready. It also has a sushi bar and private tatami<br />
rooms. Wanting to go all out and have a no-holdsbar<br />
night of fun head to Tequila Ranch. Here<br />
margaritas are served by the yard. A mechanical bull<br />
is ready to be challenged, when the tequila kicks in<br />
and the confidence builds to believing conquering<br />
the beast is possible.<br />
DO<br />
The options are so great it will be hard to decide.<br />
For those whose tequila buzz hasn’t worn off there<br />
is 88’s Dueling Pianos where sing alongs are<br />
required. For the more subdued, the options include<br />
Knightime Billards with nine holes of trick shot pool<br />
and an arcade. If sitting back and being entertained<br />
is on the agenda there is improv Comedy Club with<br />
both local and national comic headliners and don’t<br />
miss the magic bar. To do the nightclub/lounge thing<br />
there is a choice of Pangaea a spinoff of New York’s<br />
celebrity lounge or Opium, the relocated iconic<br />
South Beach nightclub.<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 61
cravingssouthflorida.com 63
64 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
AutumnAttire<br />
after the lazy days of summer, the crisp fall air brings excitement and<br />
energy for lots of fun -- visiting a pumpkin patch, jumping in a pile of<br />
leaves, or heading off to school.<br />
BOOK SMARTS<br />
SHIRT ($93)<br />
VEST ($77)<br />
JEANS ($109)<br />
catimini.com<br />
SPRING INTO FALL<br />
DRESS ($133)<br />
RAINCOAT ($101)<br />
LEGGINGS ($49)
FALLING INTO STEP<br />
T-SHIRT ($54)<br />
JEANS ($93)<br />
AUTUMN DAY ACTIVITY<br />
CARDIGAN ($101)<br />
JEANS ($93)<br />
LET THE SCHOOLING BEGIN<br />
CARDIGAN ($109)<br />
Present this<br />
coupon at the<br />
register and<br />
receive<br />
$20 OFF<br />
with a purchase<br />
of $100 or more.<br />
Aventura Mall, FL<br />
catimini.com<br />
(305) 705.0070<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 65
Class Act<br />
The start of a new school year gives a child<br />
the opportunity to strengthen his skills,<br />
explore new talents and get assistance in<br />
subject areas where he may be struggling.<br />
Regardless of his interests, there is a class or program<br />
that will engage and enrich and provide him with the<br />
opportunity to develop to his fullest potential.<br />
SPORTS<br />
AMERICAN TAE KWON DO<br />
ACADEMY<br />
2026 NE 155 th Street, NMB<br />
305.945.4445<br />
campkarate.com<br />
Although your kids may be more<br />
familiar with mixed martial arts<br />
than with traditional karate, the<br />
basic principles are the same.<br />
Students who participate in the<br />
after-school program are expected<br />
to complete homework tasks before<br />
beginning martial arts lessons. Tae<br />
Kwon Do is known to help children<br />
with responsibility and discipline.<br />
66 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
KIROVA BALLET<br />
ACADEMYOF MIAMI<br />
1955 E. Hallandale Beach Boulevard,<br />
Hallandale Beach<br />
305.720.2484<br />
kirovaballet.com<br />
With a distinguished faculty who<br />
teaches the Vaganova Syllabus of<br />
classical Russian ballet technique<br />
(the world’s most rigorous and<br />
thorough). This academy works with<br />
young dancers, from ages three<br />
and up, to learn great technique<br />
from the beginning. Class offerings<br />
include: ballet, pointe, jazz and<br />
modern dance.<br />
master Sang's<br />
MASTER SANG’S MARTIAL ARTS<br />
ACADEMY<br />
1420 Alton Road, Miami Beach<br />
305.785.2286<br />
sangsacademy.com<br />
For the past 20 years at his five Tae<br />
Kwon Do centers throughout the<br />
area, Master Sang has developed an<br />
exclusive Black Belt Success System.<br />
The system is based on a structured<br />
curriculum that focuses on the core<br />
elements of martial arts: respect,<br />
discipline, perseverance and selfcontrol.<br />
Participating in Tae Kwon Do<br />
is known to enhance concentration<br />
and the ability to focus.<br />
KLa Schools<br />
Fun ways to<br />
learn in & out of<br />
the classroom<br />
miami gymnastic &<br />
dance academy<br />
MIAMI GYMNASTIC & DANCE<br />
ACADEMY<br />
2281 NE 164 th Street, NMB<br />
305.944.2727<br />
miamigymnasticanddance.com<br />
Through flips, tumbles and dance<br />
moves children are sure to build<br />
both their coordination and<br />
self-confidence. Classes include:<br />
tumbling, acrobatics, circus arts and<br />
trampoline. For the more advanced<br />
students, there is an intense<br />
X-Sports program that combines<br />
all of the above activities into one<br />
class. Hip-hop, ballet, jazz and break<br />
dance lessons are also available.
PENNY SUGARMAN TENNIS<br />
CENTER AT SANS SOUCI<br />
1795 Sans Souci Boulevard,<br />
North Miami<br />
305.893.7130<br />
northmiamifl.gov<br />
Even the youngest can practice<br />
their backhand with the guidance<br />
of expert coaches at the Penny<br />
Sugarman Tennis Center. Lessons<br />
for players of all levels are available,<br />
as well as private classes and free<br />
clinics. Remember, Serena Williams<br />
and Rafael Nadal had to start<br />
somewhere.<br />
red Berry's<br />
RED BERRY’S BASEBALL WORLD<br />
7455 SW 125 th Avenue, Miami<br />
305.279.2668<br />
redberry.net<br />
Making sure every youth can<br />
enjoy the great American<br />
pastime, legendary coach Red<br />
Berry continues to provide a fun<br />
opportunity for children to learn<br />
the fundamentals of baseball at his<br />
world-class training facility. With<br />
nearly half a century and counting<br />
under his belt there’s a chance for<br />
every child, from T-ball to varsity, to<br />
knock one out of the park.<br />
SWIM GYM<br />
DAVE & MARY ALPER JCC<br />
11155 SW 112 th Avenue, Kendall<br />
305.271.9000<br />
swimgym.net<br />
Ever since Michael Phelps won eight<br />
gold medals at the 2008 Summer<br />
Olympics, many more children are<br />
diving into the pool. Swim Gym<br />
has year round water sports and<br />
activities including: sailing, fishing,<br />
swimming, water polo, canoeing<br />
and snorkeling. Private swim lessons<br />
are also available.<br />
ARTS & CULTURE<br />
ART ATELIER<br />
14101 S. Dixie Highway,<br />
Palmetto Bay<br />
305.432.4034<br />
artclassesmiami.com<br />
This art studio is one of the<br />
few places in Miami to offer art<br />
instruction by locally recognized<br />
artists. There are classes available for<br />
every type of painting style including<br />
oil, acrylic and watercolor. Classes in<br />
drawing, jewelry making, sculpture<br />
and photography are also available.<br />
avenue productions<br />
AVENUE PRODUCTIONS<br />
2810 E. Oakland Park Boulevard,<br />
Fort Lauderdale<br />
954.561.1226<br />
avemodels.com<br />
This full-service model and talent<br />
agency offers upcoming stars the<br />
place to start their modeling and<br />
acting careers. With extensive<br />
experience in show business,<br />
students are offered a variety of<br />
opportunities to participate in<br />
print ads, television commercials/<br />
programs, music videos and fashion<br />
shows. Clients have found their way<br />
into well-known television shows<br />
and movies including: Burn Notice,<br />
The O.C., C.S.I. Miami, Up in the<br />
Air, Marley & Me, Daddy Day Care,<br />
Analyze This, Up Close and Personal<br />
and Confessions of a Shopaholic.<br />
BOCA RATON MUSEUM OF ART-<br />
THE ART SCHOOL<br />
801 W. Palmetto Park Road,<br />
Boca Raton<br />
561.392.2503<br />
bocamuseum.org<br />
The museum’s art school encourages<br />
creativity. In addition to offering<br />
numerous art classes, lectures and<br />
workshops for all levels, the school<br />
also has photography, fashion and<br />
caricature arts classes.<br />
KENDALL CONSERVATORY<br />
OF MUSIC<br />
7153 SW 117 th Avenue, Kendall<br />
305.274.9207<br />
kendallmusic.com<br />
With the intention of inviting<br />
students of all ages to explore the<br />
wonderful world of making music,<br />
children as young as four can begin<br />
to learn to play the piano, violin<br />
and guitar. Instructors focus on<br />
proper technique and theory. The<br />
conservatory also offers private<br />
vocal and instrument lessons.<br />
miami Children's museum<br />
MIAMI CHILDREN’S MUSEUM<br />
980 MacArthur Causeway,<br />
Miami Beach<br />
305.373.5437<br />
miamichildrensmuseum.org<br />
An ideal learning experience, the<br />
Miami Children’s Museum offers a<br />
plethora of classes and activities<br />
designed to teach kids through play<br />
and exploration with its interactive<br />
exhibits about art, science and even<br />
economics. Don’t think the kids have<br />
all the fun there are many classes<br />
that include parent and caretaker<br />
participation.<br />
THE ROxY THEATER GROUP<br />
The Roxy Performing Arts Center<br />
1645 SW 107 th Avenue, Miami<br />
305.226.0030<br />
roxyperformingartscenter.com<br />
This non-profit organization<br />
provides affordable performing<br />
arts, musical theater, improv and<br />
tap dancing classes. It is the perfect<br />
place for a child who has a desire<br />
to be in the spotlight to begin her<br />
training.<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 67
CLASS ACT<br />
morikami museum<br />
MORIKAMI MUSEUM AND<br />
JAPANESE GARDENS<br />
4000 Morikami Park Road,<br />
Delray Beach<br />
561.495.0233<br />
morikami.org<br />
Designed to create an appreciation<br />
for other cultures, the Morikami<br />
Museum produces exhibits that<br />
offer insight into Japan and its<br />
people. Its current exhibition<br />
Japan Through the Eyes of a Child<br />
transports young visitors to a<br />
distant land. From history to anime<br />
to Godzilla, youngsters will expand<br />
their horizons and gain a global<br />
perspective.<br />
ACADEMICS<br />
BABY STARS<br />
The Shops at the Waterways<br />
3565 NE 207 th Street, Aventura<br />
305.466.1886<br />
Toddlers and infants will get<br />
excited about learning, discovering<br />
and exploring. With its six unique<br />
environments: discovery room,<br />
fine motor skills, sensory and<br />
art room, gym and theater. The<br />
thematic curriculum offers agespecific<br />
activities for children from<br />
3 months to 3 years. Classes are<br />
taught in English, Spanish and<br />
bilingual formats.<br />
green Children's house<br />
68 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
GREEN CHILDREN’S HOUSE<br />
307 NE 1 st Street, Pompano Beach<br />
954.946.7215<br />
greenchildrenshouse.com<br />
This eco-friendly Montessori school<br />
strives to sustain the planet with its<br />
business practices and classroom<br />
teaching techniques. The school<br />
strives to protect and preserve the<br />
environment as well as teaching<br />
the importance of taking care of<br />
our world.<br />
THE DEBBIE SCHOOL- UNIVERSITY<br />
OF MIAMI<br />
1601 NW 12 th Avenue, Miami<br />
305.243.6961<br />
debbieschool.med.miami.edu<br />
Under the direction of the<br />
Department of Pediatrics at the<br />
UM Miller School of Medicine,<br />
The Debbie School serves the<br />
developmental needs of children<br />
with disabilities from birth to<br />
eight years of age. Therapeutic<br />
and academic programs are<br />
individualized for each child<br />
encouraging personal and<br />
intellectual growth.<br />
INSTITUTE FOR MATHEMATICS<br />
AND COMPUTER SCIENCE<br />
20445 Biscayne Boulevard, Aventura<br />
305.933.8992<br />
imacs.org<br />
This is the place for those<br />
who not only want to play with<br />
their Playstation, iPad or iPod<br />
but also want to learn how the<br />
technology works. With such<br />
courses as math enrichment and<br />
virtual robotics, young minds will<br />
definitely be challenged.<br />
KLa Schools<br />
KLA SCHOOLS<br />
20301 Biscayne Boulevard, Aventura<br />
786.422.6262<br />
klaschools.com<br />
Based on the education philosophy<br />
inspired by the Reggio Emilia<br />
approach, KLA Schools provide<br />
and exciting, enriching and childfocus<br />
programs for infants to<br />
5-year-olds. Schools based on the<br />
Reggio Emilia approach have been<br />
hailed as the best early childhood<br />
education programs. Through<br />
innovative activities, unique<br />
combinations of resources and<br />
materials and a variety of learning<br />
situations, children are encouraged<br />
to acquire critical thinking and<br />
collaboration skills.<br />
SPACE OF MIND<br />
110 SE 2 nd Street, Delray Beach<br />
877.407.1122<br />
findspaceofmind.com<br />
For parents who are tired of being<br />
the homework police, this program<br />
is designed to give parents a break.<br />
By offering innovative coaching and<br />
creative programming, students are<br />
taught how to simplify, maximize,<br />
organize the schoolwork to get it<br />
done in easy and fun ways.<br />
SYLVAN LEARNING CENTER<br />
18155 Biscayne Boulevard, Aventura<br />
888 EDUCATE (338.2283)<br />
tutoring.sylvanlearning.com<br />
Sylvan provides specialized tutoring<br />
programs in a large variety of<br />
subject matters for every grade<br />
level. Remedial tutoring and SAT<br />
preparation are also available.<br />
deering estate - richmond Cottage<br />
NATURE & SCIENCE<br />
DEERING ESTATE<br />
16701 SW 72 nd Avenue, Palmetto Bay<br />
305.235.1668<br />
deeringestate.com<br />
With its 444 acres of beautiful<br />
landscape, the historic Deering<br />
Estate is the perfect place for nature<br />
loving teens to get an introduction<br />
to photography.<br />
MIAMI SCIENCE MUSEUM<br />
3280 South Miami Avenue, Miami<br />
305.646.4200<br />
miamisci.org<br />
With an exciting line-up of<br />
exhibitions throughout the year<br />
ranging from rainforests to energy<br />
conservation, the museum is one of<br />
Miami’s most interactive places for<br />
children to discover the wonderful<br />
world of science. Different hands-on<br />
educational workshops and classes<br />
are offered to get visitors to engage<br />
in scientific activities.<br />
- additional research by michael fern<br />
Sylvan<br />
Learning<br />
Center
Birthday Wishes<br />
70 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
Do Come True<br />
Imagine if your birthday wish could come true before you even blew out the<br />
candles. When it comes to little girls, Le Petite Spa can easily make this happen.<br />
Here, birthdays are celebrated<br />
by being pampered with spa<br />
services including makeup,<br />
hairdos, manicures and pedicures; and,<br />
once the primping is complete the girls<br />
head down the runway for a mini-fashion<br />
show. There is no doubt that Le Petite Spa<br />
is truly a little girl’s fantasy come true; and,<br />
the new themed party packages are just<br />
the icing on the cake.<br />
For the little princess who likes to dress up<br />
and enjoys fairytales there is The Magical<br />
Package. The two-hour party includes<br />
manicures, hair and makeup, fashion<br />
show, pink lemonade champagne toast<br />
and the choice for the girls to make a<br />
tiara or magic wand. This party is planned<br />
(personal invitations included) for 12 girls.<br />
For the more adventurous<br />
child there is the two-hour<br />
ooh La La Package. The<br />
girls get to pick four spa<br />
services. Once pampered<br />
and prepped there is<br />
the mini-fashion show<br />
with black tutus, a pink<br />
lemonade champagne<br />
toast, a special cake and<br />
the opportunity to make<br />
their own tiaras. This party is planned<br />
(personal invitations included) for 12 girls.<br />
For the girl who likes to be in the spotlight<br />
there is the three-hour Ultimate Package.<br />
The girls get all the spa services, the<br />
chance to walk the runway and the pink<br />
lemonade champagne toast. They will<br />
also decorate their own hairpieces and<br />
enjoy a special birthday cake; for the<br />
grown-ups there is a food platter. And<br />
each girl will go home with a special party<br />
favor. This party is planned (personal<br />
invitations included) for 10 girls.<br />
If you would rather not have a theme, there<br />
is a wide selection of basic packages of two<br />
and three hour parties. There is also the<br />
opportunity to create a custom party if there<br />
are less than 10 girls attending.<br />
To make the special day really complete,<br />
the girls can be picked up in a limo and a<br />
photographer can be at the ready to capture<br />
all the special moments and catering is also<br />
available.<br />
No matter what type of party is selected,<br />
it is almost guaranteed that the birthday<br />
girl will have a great time celebrating with<br />
her friends in an environment thoughtfully<br />
designed for little girls. Isn’t it nice knowing<br />
that for another year a little girl gets to<br />
believe that wishes can happen and dreams<br />
can come true?
Biltmore hotel<br />
In South Florida there is no lack of places to go to expunge the ills of your workaday life. Highlighted<br />
here are the details of locales that offer eat & drink specials on specific days of the week.<br />
These spots are all light on the wallet and will help to put the happy in happy hour.<br />
72 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
MONDAY:<br />
Get rid of your Monday back-to-work blues at<br />
the Biltmore Hotel’s weekly happy hour. From<br />
5pm-7pm all drinks on the menu, including the<br />
signature martinis are half off. Primarily filled with<br />
suits and ties looking to wind down after the start<br />
of the workweek, the famous Coral Gables hotel<br />
also offers live music and scrumptious bites at its<br />
four distinctive restaurants and two separate bars.<br />
Appreciate the legacy and embrace the atmosphere<br />
of this historic landmark.<br />
Biltmore Hotel, 1200 Anastasia Avenue,<br />
Coral Gables, 305.445.8066<br />
TUESDAY:<br />
Opened for over 60 years, Fox’s Sherron inn is<br />
reminiscent of the 1950s with its vintage vinyl<br />
booths. The laid-back spot is known for its Shuffle<br />
Tuesdays, where anyone from the college crowd<br />
to local hipsters drop in to take advantage of the<br />
all-night two for one specials on domestic beers,<br />
vodkas, gins, rums and wines.<br />
Fox’s Sherron Inn, 6030 South Dixie Highway,<br />
South Miami, 305.666.2230<br />
Best<br />
Nights<br />
FOR BEST DEALS<br />
WEDNESDAY:<br />
Here is a way to raise your spirits in high style.<br />
Bourbon Steak is all too happy to help you<br />
chase the blues away with its Wednesday night<br />
Bourbon and Blues. Located in the Fairmont/<br />
Turnberry Isle Resort. From 5pm – 8pm this<br />
classy joint will raise your spirits with specials<br />
including half-off signature cocktails as well as<br />
select beers and wines.<br />
Bourbon Steak, 19999 West Country Club Drive,<br />
Aventura, 786.279.6600<br />
Amongst the glistening high rises of Miami’s<br />
downtown is Waxy O’Connor’s irish Pub. It’s warm<br />
atmosphere makes it easy for you to enjoy its Happy<br />
Hump Day celebration from 7pm – 12am. With<br />
the sound of live reggae getting you to relax, the<br />
pub’s riverfront patio transforms into a backyard<br />
barbecue with hot dogs, burgers and steaks with all<br />
the trimmings. Ladies take note, from 7pm-10pm<br />
the champagne is complementary.<br />
Waxy O’Connor’s on the River, Brickell,<br />
690 SW 1 st Court, Miami, 786.871.7660
THURSDAY:<br />
For those with sophisticated tastes Caviar Kaspia<br />
is sure to satisfy on a multiple of levels. This<br />
modern and elegant locale is in the uber-chic store<br />
Webster. Here, from 7pm-9pm, the usually pricey<br />
drinks are cut down to size with its offering of $8<br />
mojitos, martinis, signature cocktails, beers, house<br />
wines and champagnes. Satisfy your stomach with<br />
its plates of delectable nibbles all under $10. If you<br />
desire to keep the specials of the evening coming<br />
head up to the rooftop where the live DJ spins and<br />
the specials continue to flow until 11pm.<br />
Caviar Kaspia, 1220 Collins Avenue,<br />
Miami Beach, 305.674.7899<br />
FRIDAY:<br />
Tobacco Road is the keeper of the oldest liquor<br />
license in Miami. Knowing how its done, every<br />
night offers specials during happy hour, but<br />
Fridays are definitely the night to indulge. From<br />
6pm - 7:38pm drinks are a penny for every year<br />
the bar has been open. This year it is 98 cents<br />
-- you really can give someone your two cents.<br />
Tobacco Road, 626 South Miami Avenue,<br />
Brickell, 305.374.1198<br />
From Las Olas to downtown Fort Lauderdale,<br />
there are a wide selection of drinking haunts<br />
but for those who need to lick a few wounds<br />
from the workweek head to Tarpon Bend.<br />
With its two for one drinks from 4pm – 9pm, you<br />
are sure to get a friend or two to listen to your<br />
tales of woe. Tarpon Bend, 200 SW 2 nd Street,<br />
Fort Lauderdale, 954.523.3233<br />
SATURDAY:<br />
For a little dim sum (and then some!), pair<br />
authentic hand-rolled sushi with your cocktails<br />
at doraku. Happy hour runs from 5pm - 7pm<br />
and offers a nice selection of $3 to $7 appetizers<br />
including salmon carpaccio, rock shrimp, edamame<br />
and classic rolls. Additionally several drink<br />
offerings, margaritas and lychee martinis included,<br />
are within this price range.<br />
Doraku, 1104 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach,<br />
305.695.8383<br />
SUNDAY:<br />
For those trying to make the weekend last as long<br />
as possible, head to the Yardhouse. Here happy<br />
hour gets started at 10pm and goes until the<br />
wee hours of the morning; this is sure to give you<br />
plenty of time to try a variety of its 130 distinct<br />
brews at half price.<br />
Yardhouse, Village of Merrick Park,<br />
320 San Lorenzo Ave., Coral Gables, 305.447.9273<br />
- Elizabeth Newman<br />
Bourbon Steak<br />
Caviar Kaspia<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 73
74 Cravings | August / September 2010
at the<br />
TABLE<br />
Café abbracci<br />
HOT PLATE<br />
<br />
What’s New & Newsworthy On The Food Scene<br />
ROOM SERViCE<br />
<br />
Fine Dining Hotel Style<br />
TOQuE TALK<br />
<br />
Barton G: Party Extraordinaire<br />
RESTauRaNT LISTINGS<br />
On The Waterfront<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 75
Reality<br />
There are a lot of great things about Miami. The sea. The<br />
sunshine. The Latin vibe. The Art Basel buzz. “But it’s not<br />
what it’s all about,” says Michael Schwartz, chef/owner of<br />
the Design District’s Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink. It’s<br />
also about the foodie-fun wave that Miami is riding high on, he<br />
explains, thanks in part, to reality television and the huge success<br />
of culinary shows on channels like the Food Network.<br />
Every time you turn on the tube, it seems there’s one Miami<br />
chef or another, warming up a skillet, dishing out a new wave<br />
of cuisine, or judging top chefs on a star-studded panel. Heck,<br />
sometimes Miami chefs even show up on non-culinary reality<br />
shows. Just ask Sean Brasel chef/co-owner of Meat Market<br />
(previously of Touch Restaurant) whose adrenaline-loving self<br />
made a special appearance on The Playboy Channel’s Sex Lives<br />
and another one on Miami Ink, where he traded a tattoo with the<br />
infamous inkstress Kat for cooking lessons.<br />
There is a long list of others who are on the culinary reality show<br />
track. In 2008, Michael Jacobs, of the Miami Beach-based Strategic<br />
Hospitality Group, was filmed for the Food Network’s Big Bash<br />
Caterers Challenge. Michael Schwartz appear as a judge on<br />
Season 3 of Top Chef. Also making an appearance on Season 3 as a<br />
contestant was Howie Kleinberg from Bulldog BBQ. Most recently,<br />
on the just-started-to-air Season 7 of Top Chef, Andrea Curto-<br />
Randazzo takes up the baton in representing Miami’s cuisine. Curto-Randazzo was perhaps the most reluctant<br />
contestant of the above mentioned. She runs food<br />
operations at the recently opened Water Club in North<br />
Miami Beach; she also co-owns a catering company<br />
andrea Curto-randazzo<br />
called Creative Tastes Catering with her husband, Frank<br />
Randazzo; runs the kitchen at the Garden Café at Fairchild<br />
Tropical Gardens; and plates up savory favs at Talula<br />
restaurant in South Beach. So, it’s not as if she doesn’t<br />
have enough on her plate. “These days working hard and<br />
doing great food is not enough,” says Curto-Randazzo.<br />
“You have to be in the spotlight… the television spotlight.”<br />
76 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
Check<br />
Miami's Top Chefs<br />
howie Kleinberg<br />
Despite the initial reluctance; the fear of losing her<br />
privacy and becoming a celebrity, she has already seen<br />
a massive influx of support and emails from new fans<br />
and old schoolmates on Facebook and other social<br />
media outlet. She says, “Her cast mates (well most of<br />
them) were awesome. I have made friendships with that<br />
will last a lifetime.”
Top Chef<br />
Although she can’t tell us, because she<br />
is under a signed contract, who won the<br />
competition, she can say that her hope is that<br />
the show will stimulate business and give her<br />
career a boost. Curto-Randazzo’s career was<br />
skyrocketing before she decided to slow it<br />
down and have three little girls. “They are<br />
the focus of what [my husband and I] work so<br />
hard for, so whatever happens is for them,”<br />
says Curto-Randazzo.<br />
Meanwhile, Miami’s got its fingers crossed that<br />
Curto-Randazzo’s characteristic American with<br />
a twist cuisine shines on the television screen<br />
as much as it does on the plate.<br />
Others who have gone through the full<br />
experience already, are able to reveal more.<br />
Michael Jacobs says his experience was<br />
fun, and that it brought him probably more<br />
credibility and recognition than he even<br />
thought he wanted or needed. Jacob says he<br />
might have some irons in the fire for future<br />
reality television gigs. But, he admits that the<br />
whole pre- and post-production thing can<br />
be time consuming. “They try to put you off<br />
your game with questions and comments<br />
from the other contestants; they love drama!”<br />
says Jacobs.<br />
Brasel agrees. “Reality TV,” he says, “takes<br />
a long time to film. Not a lot of reality in<br />
reality television. Basic scenes like coming<br />
into a store or opening a door to say hello to<br />
somebody can take 7-10 takes,” he says.<br />
But it’s not all tedious takes. Definitely, having<br />
the best in the business call your cooking the<br />
best, takes the cake, so to speak. And it did<br />
just that for pastry chef Hedy Goldsmith of<br />
Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink. This past<br />
June, her desserts were featured on the Food<br />
Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate.<br />
“Though I love what I do it’s the joy my<br />
cooking brings to others that makes it all<br />
worth it. Having folks in the industry I respect<br />
sound off like this means a lot to me,” says<br />
Goldsmith.<br />
It can even change your life. In Howie<br />
Kleinberg’s case, his experience on Top Chef<br />
made him realize that although he was<br />
classically trained, he wanted to cook food<br />
that everyone could afford, which is how his<br />
restaurant Bulldog BBQ came about and the<br />
recently opened Bulldog Café. And, in the fall,<br />
he will add Bulldog Burger.<br />
“The Miami food scene gets more and more<br />
exciting every day, thanks in part to the<br />
huge food focus of shows like Top Chef,”<br />
says Kleinberg. “When all is said and done<br />
we (Miami) get high marks compared to any<br />
city. I wouldn’t want to be working and living<br />
anywhere else. This is home.”<br />
- Vanessa Garcia<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 77
©dreams Studio<br />
AT THE TABLE / HOT PLATE<br />
78 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
wagons west<br />
CLIVE’S CAFE<br />
About as hole-in-the-wall as it gets, this colorful slice<br />
of Jamaica isn’t for wimpy diners. Even foodies who<br />
can get past the oxtail, escovitch fish and goat curry<br />
may have difficulty biting into a cow foot. For everyone<br />
else, there’s jerk chicken, brown stew and American<br />
mainstays from BLT’s to mac and cheese. At least be<br />
daring enough to try a sorrel beverage.<br />
818 North Miami Avenue, Wynwood, 305.576.0277,<br />
Clivescafe.com, Mon-Fri, 8:30am-6:30pm;<br />
Sat, 9am-3pm; Closed Sunday. Cash only.<br />
lunchCounters<br />
A Taste of History<br />
Before fast food, diners who needed<br />
meals in minutes depended on<br />
automats, luncheonettes or lunch<br />
counters. The latter, which multiplied<br />
throughout the U.S. via department stores,<br />
and five and dimes, took on a whole new<br />
entity as sit-in venues during the civil rights<br />
movement.<br />
Local historian Dr. Paul George reports<br />
downtown Miami’s numerous lunch counters<br />
at Burdines, Woolworth’s and McCrory’s,<br />
among others, are often overlooked for their<br />
role during this epic transition.<br />
“A year before the famous 1960 Greensboro,<br />
North Carolina sit-in, African-Americans and<br />
Jews joined forces to hold one in Miami,”<br />
he said.<br />
©dreams Studio<br />
DONUT GALLERY<br />
This circa late 1960’s donut shop turned diner had<br />
a steady stream of construction workers during Key<br />
Biscayne’s boom has given way to snowbirds and<br />
multigenerational local families. Evolving with healthier<br />
fare like oatmeal, mixed berries, and veggie and turkey<br />
burgers over the years, the menu still lists heartclogging<br />
classics like the Ted Special, an English muffin<br />
topped with ham, bacon, cheese, egg and tomato.<br />
83 Harbor Drive, Key Biscayne, 305.361.9985,<br />
Daily, 5:30am-3pm. Cash only.<br />
Arva Moore Parks, another Miami historian,<br />
who grew up dining at downtown<br />
establishments beginning in the 1950’s,<br />
witnessed the event. “I was there when<br />
Dr. John O. Brown led the first sit-in at<br />
Woolworth’s that summer,” she said,<br />
also recalling African-Americans being<br />
turned away from Juniors restaurant on<br />
Miami Beach. “I was embarrassed when<br />
my father stood up for them, but later<br />
realized how special he was, and how lucky<br />
I was to be raised in a family that opposed<br />
segregation.”<br />
Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields, founder of<br />
The Black Archives, History and Research<br />
Foundation of South Florida, was among<br />
the customers who weren’t allowed to sit.<br />
BURGER BOB’S<br />
Long before the gourmet burger trend swept<br />
Miami, Coral Gables claimed the ultimate,<br />
sizzling beef patty served old school style at<br />
Granada Golf Course’s onsite restaurant. But<br />
namesake Bob Maguire, who bought the joint<br />
nearly 20 years ago, reports neighborhood<br />
regulars far outnumber golfers for wolfing<br />
down burgers and the also popular homemade<br />
chili. 2001 Granada Boulevard, Coral Gables,<br />
305.567.3100, Daily, 6am-3pm. Cash only.<br />
ENRIqUETA’S<br />
Policemen, construction workers and artists alike<br />
pile it on at this family-owned Cuban restaurant that<br />
opened in 1967. No place for dieters, a meal here starts<br />
with crispy, buttered Cuban bread that’s demonically<br />
irresistible, followed by oversized platters of greasy,<br />
grilled meats with salad and/or fries and lots of lime.<br />
Carefree customers slurp mamey or mango milkshakes,<br />
while the slightly saner stick to a post-repast cafecito.<br />
186 NE 29 th Street, Wynwood, 305.573.4681,<br />
Mon-Fri, 6:30am-3:45pm; Sat, 6:30am-2pm.
cravingssouthflorida.com 79
AT THE TABLE / HOT PLATE<br />
©dreams Studio<br />
On Miami shopping trips with her mother,<br />
they could either awkwardly eat a hot<br />
dog and soda water outside when hungry<br />
enough, or plan shorter excursions to be<br />
home for mealtimes.<br />
As a college student in Atlanta, Fields<br />
picketed and sat at lunch counters without<br />
being served until the early 1960’s when<br />
some students were told they could order.<br />
“They were so startled, they ate their food,<br />
and then remembered they didn’t have<br />
any money to pay for it,” said Fields.<br />
The battle was no different on Miami<br />
Beach, where Wolfie’s and Pumpernik’s<br />
were other hotspots for a quick bite. As<br />
their Jewish clientele disappeared a little<br />
more each decade in conjunction with the<br />
island’s gentrification and influx of Latin<br />
Americans, their special niche in the city’s<br />
lunch counter heyday came to a close.<br />
GARCIA’S SEAFOOD GRILLE & FISH MARKET<br />
Legend has it that lawmen and drug dealers rub elbows<br />
while chowing down simply prepared local seafood<br />
at this lunch counter. (In respect to Mr. Garcia, arrests<br />
are conducted outside after the meal.) Esteban Garcia<br />
installed the retro counter upon opening the riverfront<br />
restaurant in 1991, based on his fond boyhood<br />
memories of serving boaters at one in Cuba, according<br />
to his son Luis.<br />
398 NW North River Drive, Miami, 305.375.0765,<br />
Garciasmiami.com, Daily, 11am-10pm.<br />
80 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
WAGONS WEST<br />
When brothers Steve and Wally Muench<br />
purchased this circa mid-1950’s luncheonette<br />
in 1981, they kept its terrazzo floor and round<br />
stools, but gave it a western flair. Patrons<br />
from Pembroke Pines to Homestead drive for<br />
buttermilk pancakes with blueberries or bananas,<br />
ranch dogs with ground beef, chili and onions,<br />
and the meatloaf madness, which adds melted<br />
Swiss cheese, barbecue sauce and a BLT atop a<br />
buttered, toasted hoagie.<br />
11311 South Dixie Highway, Pinecrest,<br />
305.238.9942, Mon-Sat, 6:30am-9pm;<br />
Sun, 6:30am-4pm.<br />
S&S diner<br />
Malls replacing main street and shoppers<br />
looking for deals at then-new discount<br />
retailers like Kmart dried up lunch counters’<br />
lifelines across America.<br />
Fast food was the final blow. According<br />
to Dr. George, Miami’s famed Royal<br />
Castle chain marked the link between<br />
luncheonettes and the era of the Big<br />
Mac. Frequenting their open-air counters,<br />
Parks would score two small hamburgers<br />
and a Birch beer for 25 cents. Its last two<br />
independently-owned franchises offer this<br />
glimpse into the past.<br />
Today few bona fide lunch counters remain,<br />
but we’ve dug up a batch along with a few<br />
ethnic versions. Enjoy them while they last,<br />
especially as the latest lunch fads invade<br />
Miami—gourmet food trucks, taco stands<br />
and fast-food hand rolls.<br />
-Rebecca Kleinman<br />
ROYAL PALM GRILL<br />
Grab a grillside stool to watch owner Frank Balchan<br />
perfectly execute comfort food at an Olympian pace.<br />
Two meal-a-day diehards start with banana pancakes<br />
or Greek omelettes, only to return come lunchtime<br />
for sell-out soups like cream of potato, the fajitainspired<br />
mexican salad, and daily specials, particularly<br />
Friday’s seafood theme offerings such as shrimp<br />
creole or the captain’s platter. No wonder it’s been<br />
around since 1953.<br />
806 North Krome Avenue, Homestead,<br />
305.246.5701, royalpalmgrillfl.com.<br />
Mon-Fri, 7am-4pm; Sat, 7am-3pm; Sun, 7am-2pm.<br />
©dreams Studio<br />
S&S DINER<br />
Since taking over a dozen years ago, Simon Elbaz<br />
has been a permanent fixture at this historicallydesignated,<br />
Art Deco gem’s horseshoe counter.<br />
As an eclectic crowd with the occasional, caloriecheating<br />
celeb tucking in for French toast, eggs<br />
Benedict, and daily specials—Tuesday’s roast<br />
turkey with all the trimmings flies out fast white-<br />
35-year veteran servers remind patrons to save<br />
room for the homemade apple pie.<br />
1757 NE 2 nd Avenue Wynwood, 305.373.4291,<br />
Mon-Fri, 5:30am-5pm; Sat-Sun, 5:30am-2:30pm.<br />
SUSHI DELI<br />
Chef Michio Kushi and his wife added a small sushi bar<br />
inside their Japanese market in 2002. Many followers<br />
hold standing reservations for his well-priced omakase<br />
(chef’s choice) extravaganzas featuring items like sashimi<br />
cut from seafood flown in from Japan, savory tuna<br />
tartares topped with gooey quail eggs, sea urchin and<br />
fried shrimp heads. For rolls, there’s the authentic battera<br />
with layers of mackerel, seaweed and rice, plus the usual<br />
American standbys.<br />
1412 79 th Street Causeway, North Bay Village,<br />
305.861.0143, Sushi-market.com,<br />
Tue-Sat, 11:30am-7pm; Sun, 12-6pm; Closed Monday.
essensia<br />
Room sERVICE<br />
Hotels that house fabulous restaurants<br />
Living in a popular tourist destination has obvious drawbacks. The traffic, crowds and overabundance<br />
of tschotkes for sale can make anyone long for a plane ticket to Helena, Montana (which is actually<br />
quite lovely). However, tourism has its benefits other than just boosting the local economy and<br />
reinforcing the awesomeness of your hometown. Without tourists there would be many fewer high-end<br />
hotels in South Florida. And with high-end hotels come high-end restaurants.<br />
The result is a perfect symbiotic relationship with mass appeal to hipsters and foodies everywhere.<br />
See and be seen in the swankiest of eateries in South Florida housed in equally stunning hotels. These<br />
restaurants serve up only the best fare by the best chefs. And if you indulge a bit too much, you can<br />
always get a room for the night.<br />
82 Cravings | August / September 2010
Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center<br />
20400 NE 30th Avenue<br />
Aventura, FL 33180<br />
Tel. 305.937.1880<br />
Fax. 305.792.6072<br />
www.atjc.org<br />
rsvp@atjc.org<br />
We look forward to welcoming you and your family into our ATJC<br />
community. We hope you will share in the celebrations of our Fall<br />
festivals in our warm and inviting synagogue.<br />
List of Fall Programs<br />
and Services<br />
Please contact our office for<br />
Membership information or to reserve<br />
your spots for our upcoming holiday<br />
programs!<br />
You Belong Here<br />
August 27<br />
Friday Night Live Kick-Off 6:30pm - 8:30pm<br />
Services & Complimentary<br />
Shabbat Dinner<br />
September 4<br />
Slichot Movie & Dessert 9:00pm<br />
Choir Services<br />
11:00pm<br />
September 8<br />
Erev Rosh Hashana Services 7:00pm<br />
September 9<br />
Rosh Hashana Services 8:30am - 12:00pm<br />
Family Services<br />
10:30am<br />
September 10<br />
Rosh Hashana Services 8:30am<br />
Tashlich & Friday Night Live 5:00pm<br />
Services<br />
September 17<br />
Kol Nidre Services 6:45pm<br />
September 18<br />
Yom Kippur Services 9:00am - 2:30pm<br />
Family Services<br />
10:30am - 11:30am<br />
Ne’ilah<br />
6:00pm - 6:45pm<br />
September 19<br />
Extreme Sukkah Makeover 9:00pm - 12:00pm<br />
September 24<br />
Friday Night Live Services 6:00pm<br />
and Supper in the Sukkah<br />
September 25<br />
Shabbat Sukkah Stroll at the 12:00pm<br />
home of Rabbis Berkun<br />
September 28<br />
ATJC Brotherhood & Ya Ya 7:00pm<br />
Sisterhood’s Sushi & Sake in the<br />
Sukkah at the home of Rabbis<br />
Berkun<br />
September 30<br />
Shmini Atzeret Service 8:30am<br />
Simchat Torah Celebration 6:30pm
AT THE TABLE / ROOM SERVICE<br />
area 31 The restaurant BLT Steak<br />
The flavor of Essensia (The Palms Hotel & Spa)<br />
proves that environmentalists can still be foodies.<br />
Ingredients used are local, organic and seasonaleven<br />
the wine list is 100% sustainable, organic<br />
or biodynamic (decision-making is easier with a<br />
flight of three for an “interactive wine voyage”).<br />
The relaxing and natural vibe here whispers spa<br />
from the gardens visible from the dining room<br />
and terrace to the casual foliage accents inside.<br />
Speaking of spas, check out the menu’s spa<br />
selections for low calorie options.<br />
If views are what you crave, enjoy the sweeping<br />
overlook of the Miami River and Biscayne Bay<br />
from 16 floors up at Area 31 (EPIC Hotel), though<br />
your meal actually hails from Fishing Area 31, the<br />
Western Central Atlantic waters including the<br />
Florida coast (the name is no coincidence). Every<br />
table is afforded amazing sights, not just those<br />
seated by the 12-foot windows. The kitchen is<br />
central and open for those seated in the inside<br />
ESSENSIA<br />
The Palms Hotel & Spa<br />
3025 Collins Avenue<br />
Miami Beach<br />
305.534.0505<br />
thepalmshotel.com<br />
Chef Frank Jeannetti<br />
Cuisine: Natural Gourmet<br />
84 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
AREA 31<br />
EPIC Hotel<br />
270 Biscayne Boulevard<br />
Miami<br />
305.424.5226<br />
area31restaurant.com<br />
Chef John Critchley<br />
Cuisine: Seafood<br />
dining area, while terrace diners order poolside<br />
or in private cabanas. As the name implies, Area<br />
31’s focus is on seafood though landlubbers will<br />
find what they crave in the secondi and contorni<br />
sections of the menu.<br />
Offering similar panoramic views of the skyline<br />
and Bay but with a completely different feel, Eos<br />
(Greek for “new dawn”) (Viceroy Miami) cuisine is<br />
modern Greek with influences from Portugal, Spain<br />
and Morocco. The impressive 15 th floor views have<br />
nothing on the lavish décor, black and white glam<br />
with pops of color. Featuring a small plates menu,<br />
Eos is designed so each patron can experience,<br />
discover and share any desired flavor combination.<br />
Be sure not to skip the raw section of the menu for<br />
the perfect starter.<br />
For Mediterranean flavor in the quintessential<br />
South Florida setting, enter Wish (The Hotel). Dine<br />
al fresco in the tropic garden featuring a fountain<br />
EOS<br />
Viceroy Miami<br />
485 Brickell Avenue<br />
Miami<br />
305.503.4400<br />
viceroymiami.com<br />
Chef Michael Psilakis<br />
Cuisine: Mediterranean<br />
WISH<br />
The Hotel<br />
801 Collins Avenue<br />
Miami Beach<br />
305.531.2222<br />
wishrestaurant.com<br />
Chef Marco Ferraro<br />
Cuisine: Mediterranean<br />
or inside the dining room’s inner garden for a<br />
similar experience (complete with palm trees). The<br />
cuisine is fresh, seasonal and vibrant, as described<br />
by executive chef Marco Ferraro, who delivers<br />
the simplicity of good food combined with good<br />
technique. Fun perk: The menu itself lights up for<br />
easy reading. Double fun perk: The martini ice<br />
cubes also light up.<br />
Find a different kind of Mediterranean cuisine,<br />
one with a strong Asian influence, at azul<br />
(Mandarin Oriental). The folks here have thought<br />
of everything from the marble open kitchen with<br />
raw bar and the impressive lengthy wine table to<br />
the more personalized touches such as offering<br />
pashminas (in various colors) and reading glasses<br />
(in various strengths) for the comfort of the<br />
patrons. Waterfront views are to be admired from<br />
the terrace or through the floor-to-ceiling windows<br />
that surround three sides of the airy and chic dining<br />
area. Though most non-steak houses in the area<br />
AZUL<br />
Mandarin Oriental<br />
500 Brickell Key Drive<br />
Miami<br />
305.913.8288<br />
mandarinoriental.com<br />
Chef Clay Conley<br />
Cuisine: Mediterranean/Asian
Some hotels make it easy, playing host to multiple restaurants<br />
SOLEá MR. CHOW<br />
W South Beach<br />
2201 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach<br />
305.938.3000<br />
starwoodhotels.com<br />
wish<br />
focus on seafood, the sea and land<br />
options here are fairly balanced.<br />
The name BlT Steak (The Betsy)<br />
has nothing to do with the sandwich<br />
(which incidentally does not appear<br />
on the menu so please don’t ask);<br />
it’s simply short for Bistro Laurent<br />
Tourondel (the executive chef of BLT<br />
restaurants). The steakhouse takes<br />
steak very seriously, offering a myriad<br />
of sauces, temperatures and sides,<br />
with each of the latter in its own<br />
cast-iron pan. Enjoy these thoughtful<br />
touches while admiring the ocean<br />
from the terrace or from the vast<br />
number of windows. Those looking<br />
to recreate the evening may purchase<br />
BLT brand steaks or BBQ sauce.<br />
The more kitchen-talented patrons<br />
could be interested in one of Laurent<br />
Tourondel’s autographed cookbooks.<br />
BLT STEAK<br />
The Betsy<br />
1440 Ocean Drive,<br />
Miami Beach<br />
305.531.6100<br />
bltsteak.com<br />
Chef laurent Tourondel<br />
Chef de Cuisine<br />
Samuel Gorenstein<br />
Cuisine: Steakhouse<br />
STEAK 954<br />
W Fort Lauderdale<br />
401 North Fort<br />
lauderdale Beach Blvd.<br />
Fort lauderdale<br />
954.414.8200<br />
steak954.com<br />
Chef Jason Smith<br />
Cuisine: Steakhouse<br />
GOTHAM STEAK BLADE<br />
SCARPETTA HAKKASAN<br />
Fontainebleau Hotel<br />
4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach<br />
305.538.2000<br />
fontainebleau.com<br />
The menu and name of Steak 954<br />
(W Fort lauderdale) certainly leave<br />
no room for guessing about the<br />
focus here. (It’s steak for those of<br />
you playing along at home.) But the<br />
décor is much more boutique-sleek.<br />
Picture artistic patterns on the walls,<br />
vibrant colors and an aquarium<br />
featuring jellyfish instead of<br />
traditional steak-house-brown wood<br />
everywhere. Inside is hip, outside is<br />
quiet and candlelit. The raw bar and<br />
seafood selections are impressive,<br />
though carnivores will appreciate the<br />
variety of steak options (especially<br />
the signature Kobe Cheesesteak).<br />
Unlike many pan-Asian locations,<br />
The Restaurant (The Setai)<br />
recognizes Indian and Dim Sum in<br />
addition to the more popular fare.<br />
Food is prepared in an open kitchen<br />
so patrons may enjoy the sights in<br />
addition to the aromas of their meals,<br />
which are served family-style. Those<br />
preferring to dine outside can enjoy<br />
more peaceful courtyard seating.<br />
Each location is known for its high<br />
standards, offering the best of the<br />
best in both atmosphere and cuisine.<br />
Each offers an exciting experience<br />
in fine dining, celeb sightings aside.<br />
And each is part of a hotel.<br />
-Jennifer Aranoff<br />
THE RESTAURANT<br />
The Setai<br />
2001 Collins Avenue<br />
Miami Beach<br />
305.520.6000<br />
setai.com<br />
Chef Jonathan Wright<br />
Cuisine: asian<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 85
AT THE TABLE / OFF THE MENU<br />
Get Your<br />
Just because we’re recovering from<br />
a recession doesn’t mean we can’t<br />
go out to fine restaurants or gather<br />
around a cozy meal with friends.<br />
From the hipster to the chic and classic,<br />
restaurants all over South Florida are<br />
helping us straddle the effects of a volatile<br />
economy with pre-fixing menus to our<br />
pocket’s delight.<br />
We begin with<br />
Sunday brunch. 660<br />
at The Angler’s in<br />
South Beach knows<br />
exactly what Sunday<br />
morning breakfast<br />
means – it means<br />
the Angler-coined<br />
“grown up hangover brunch.” Instead of<br />
heading out to the local diner, think banana<br />
Nutella pancakes and steak & eggs (i.e. 10 oz.<br />
hanger steak and shallot herb home fries).<br />
Here at 660, though, it’s not the food that’s<br />
pre-fixed, it’s the drinks. The bottomless<br />
86 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
Fixe<br />
Bloody Mary bar ($14)– where guests design<br />
their own BM by choosing items from the<br />
cart that is brought to the table including<br />
Chianti cured salami, celery stalks and<br />
queen olives. There’s also a $14 bottomless<br />
champagne cart.<br />
For those who want<br />
more solids than<br />
liquids for their buck,<br />
there’s the more<br />
down to earth out<br />
of the Blue Café in<br />
Wynwood, where<br />
you can choose<br />
as many items from the brunch menu<br />
as you want for a fixed price of $19.95.<br />
Customized omelets, baguettes with egg<br />
or Swiss cheese or both; BLT’s, fruit and<br />
cereal; Belgian waffles; dulce de leche &<br />
caramelized walnut crepes; poached eggs,<br />
asparagus wrapped in prosciutto – these<br />
are just a few of the choices you’ve got.<br />
Pick one or all and the price stays the<br />
same – under twenty bucks (including one<br />
complimentary mimosa).<br />
While in Wynwood, take a turn into Joey’s<br />
for dinner, where the restaurant’s Venetian<br />
chef has created a Monday-Thursday prefixe<br />
summer dinner menu that brims with<br />
authentic Italian fare. For $14 per person,<br />
Joey’s serves a Monday night chicken and<br />
asparagus risotto with a glass of Falanghina<br />
wine. Jump to Wednesday and you have<br />
penne bolognese, radicchio and a glass of<br />
classic Chianti. Thursday it is spezzatino/beef<br />
stew over polenta with a glass of Malbec.<br />
Just a little further downtown, you have Mia<br />
at Biscayne, which also has daily executive<br />
lunch specials but kicks it to a more Latin<br />
flavor. Sit outside under the wide, shady<br />
umbrellas and enjoy arroz con pollo on<br />
Tuesday, made with confit chicken, chorizo,<br />
green peas, and creamy saffron rice; or, the<br />
Friday cochinillo: roasted suckling pig with<br />
buerre noisette potatoes. All set at $14.95<br />
per person.<br />
For the hungry execs, China Grill in South<br />
Beach now offers a $23 per guest fixed menu<br />
which allows for a choice of two appetizers;<br />
one to three entrees (depending on how<br />
many guests are at a table); your choice of<br />
accompaniments and the chef’s selection<br />
of house desserts. Appetizers range from<br />
lemongrass crusted tofu tots to spicy beef<br />
and scallion dumplings. Entrees range from<br />
sake-marinated drunken chicken to panseared<br />
spicy tuna. China Grill also offers a<br />
pre-fixe dinner menu for $36.<br />
Not too far away, on<br />
Lincoln Road, there is<br />
SushiSamba, with its<br />
bright orange décor<br />
that’s hard to miss.<br />
Also hard to miss:<br />
the Omakase menu,<br />
which translates into<br />
“chef’s menu,” through which guests can<br />
dive into the palettes and gustos of Japan,<br />
Brazil, and Peru. The menu itself is offered<br />
nightly but changes daily: five courses for<br />
$59 and seven courses for $69. What you<br />
can expect: heirloom tomato sunomono<br />
made with tomato, kyuri, white grape, and
mia at Biscayne<br />
watermelon sorbet; pulpo al oliva made<br />
with potato confit, red pepper miso, and<br />
botija olive. Or, how about SushiSamba<br />
taquitos with spicy aji panca sauce and<br />
fresh lime?<br />
For the best<br />
a m b i a n c e -<br />
meets-pre-fixe<br />
menu in Miami,<br />
try Gibraltar<br />
at Grove Isle<br />
Hotel & Spa.<br />
A view of the<br />
Miami skyline<br />
and a gentle<br />
breeze coming in from this waterfront<br />
spot makes the dining here ever romantic.<br />
In addition, for $40 per person, Monday-<br />
Thursday, you get a brasserie prix-fixe<br />
dinner menu that spans from oysters to<br />
swordfish steak nicoise to key lime pie for<br />
dessert (unless you’re more into chocolate<br />
and want to dip into the warm fudge<br />
660 AT THE ANGLER’S<br />
IN SOUTH BEACH<br />
660 Washington Ave., Miami Beach<br />
305.534.9600<br />
theanglersresort.com<br />
$$<br />
OUT OF THE BLUE CAFé<br />
2426 NE 2 nd Ave., Miami<br />
305.573.3800<br />
outofthebluecafe.net<br />
$<br />
JOEY’S<br />
2506 NW 2 nd Ave., Miami<br />
305.438.0488<br />
joeyswynwood.com<br />
$$<br />
MIA AT BISCAYNE<br />
20 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami<br />
305.642.0032<br />
miabiscayne.com<br />
$$<br />
CHINA GRILL<br />
404 Washington Ave., Miami Beach<br />
305.534.2211<br />
chinagrillmgt.com<br />
$$<br />
SUSHISAMBA<br />
600 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach<br />
305.673.5337<br />
sushisamba.com<br />
$$$<br />
brownies with frozen coconut milk and<br />
custard sauce).<br />
For higher end<br />
menus, move<br />
towards Coral<br />
Gables and join<br />
the French feast<br />
at Pascal’s. Here<br />
you’ll be met<br />
with an amuse<br />
bouche; a first course of country duck<br />
terrine, foie gras, pickled vegetables, and<br />
apricot chutney. A second course of diver<br />
sea scallops with beef braised short rib<br />
ravioli, and infused truffle fumet. A third<br />
course of milk fed veal tenderloin with<br />
parsnip puree, spring veggies and herb<br />
scented polenta. For dessert: bittersweet<br />
chocolate soufflé with chocolate ganache.<br />
$68 per person (add $50 per person for a<br />
wine pairing). For lunch, Pascal’s offers a<br />
bistro menu (two courses for $18.95 and<br />
three courses for $24.95).<br />
- Vanessa Garcia<br />
GIBRALTAR AT GROVE<br />
ISLE HOTEL & SPA<br />
4 Grove Isle Drive, Miami<br />
305.857.5007<br />
groveisle.com<br />
$$<br />
PASCAL’S<br />
2611 Ponce De Leon Blvd. Coral Gables<br />
305.444.2024<br />
pascalmiami.com<br />
$$$<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 87
AT THE TABLE / TOQUE TALK<br />
The Barton G<br />
Experience<br />
Blending Fantasy with Fine Dining<br />
When most Miamians think of giraffes, they<br />
think of Africa or more locally, Metrozoo.<br />
But, if you go to a Barton G event, you<br />
may have the opportunity to see a giraffe<br />
up close and personal. Nothing is too “over the top” for a<br />
Barton G production.<br />
Barton G. Weiss, a nationally known<br />
event concept designer, moved to<br />
Miami from New York in 1993 with<br />
vague thoughts of retirement. Those<br />
thoughts never became a reality.<br />
Instead, his business morphed into<br />
an internationally recognized, multimillion<br />
dollar event production,<br />
destination management, catering,<br />
and restaurant business. Weiss added<br />
“culinary visionary” to his accolades and, in the manner of<br />
contemporary celebrities, became known around town as<br />
Barton G.<br />
Weiss is a creative perfectionist who aims to delight, not<br />
just please, and his delighted clients include Fortune<br />
88 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
500 companies, international sporting events, socialites<br />
and philanthropists. With offices in Miami, New York and<br />
Atlanta, he has more than 450 employees.<br />
In October 2002, Weiss opened his eponymous, awardwinning<br />
restaurant, Barton G. Tucked into a residential<br />
neighborhood far from the clamor of Ocean Drive and<br />
Lincoln Road. His intimate, tree-shaded restaurant features<br />
a beautiful garden dining area. When Barton G opened,<br />
a critic declared it looked like a restaurant but ate like a<br />
show. Celebrities and locals alike flocked to experience<br />
such phantasmogorical fare as chocolate monkeys<br />
swinging from martini glasses, popcorn shrimp served<br />
in real popcorn boxes, liquid nitrogen cocktails, and the<br />
Chocolate Fun-Do, a mini chocolate dipping fountain<br />
serving four pounds of Belgian chocolate.<br />
October must be Weiss’ lucky month. In October 2009,<br />
he opened a second restaurant, Prelude by Barton G., a<br />
complete departure from his first. Prelude is a 220 seat,<br />
indoor/outdoor venue housed within the Ziff Ballet Opera<br />
House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing<br />
Arts in Miami. Open to both art patrons and the public, it
is designed to appeal to locals and tourists<br />
with its simply elegant look and updated<br />
American classics. Its new-to-Miami fixed<br />
price menu concept, Diner’s Decision, offers<br />
a choice of three dinner menu items for<br />
$39 and two lunch items for $23; diners can<br />
also order a la carte. It also boasts Florida’s<br />
most comprehensive wine by the glass list.<br />
Despite its sophistication, it is unmistakably<br />
a Barton G production with features such<br />
as incandescent “jellyfish” chandeliers,<br />
handblown glass plates, and a dessert<br />
called PB & J consisting of grape jelly gelato<br />
within a peanut butter mousse pyramid<br />
topped off with macadamia-praline glaze<br />
and chocolate ganache.<br />
Commenting on the dire economic<br />
predictions and warehouse fire that<br />
preceded the opening of Prelude, Weiss<br />
says, “With every unexpected turn comes<br />
something good. We opened Prelude the<br />
Nothing is too<br />
“over the top”<br />
for a Barton G<br />
production<br />
week after the warehouse fire to a soldout<br />
crowd and received wonderful<br />
feedback from our diners…We don’t<br />
outsource, so economic downturns<br />
are easier to weather.”<br />
Just months after opening Prelude,<br />
Weiss leased the former Versace<br />
Mansion on Ocean Drive. After<br />
a multimillion dollar renovation,<br />
he reopened it in March 2010 as a<br />
boutique hotel called The Villa by<br />
Barton G. Weiss says, “I see the<br />
concept at the Villa as an extension<br />
of what Versace started in 1992.” The<br />
new look is very much in the spirit of<br />
Versace blended with Weiss’ unique<br />
sensibility. There are ten luxurious<br />
custom suites - Versace’s former<br />
bedroom has a nine-foot double<br />
king-size bed and seven closets -<br />
and amenities range from<br />
British-trained butlers to<br />
Kindle e-readers.<br />
Guests can meander<br />
past the opulent Rococo<br />
palazzo’s columns, frescoes,<br />
fountains, and stained<br />
glass and enjoy the Pool of<br />
1,000 Mosaics, inlaid with<br />
24 carat gold. The Villa’s<br />
charming 30-seat, pebble<br />
mosaic restaurant, the<br />
Dining Room, is open to<br />
the public by reservation and serves<br />
modern European food on Versace<br />
china. Barton G’s signature is apparent<br />
in menu items such as Colorado rack<br />
of lamb with Greek yogurt jelly cubes<br />
drizzled with Harissa, and, in a holler<br />
back to his first restaurant, The villa<br />
salad has a liquid nitrogen-frozen<br />
Caesar dressing.<br />
Asked about retirement from his<br />
nearly two-decade-old business,<br />
the busy entrepreneur’s response<br />
is, “What’s that?” Weiss couldn’t say<br />
what his next project will be but<br />
promises that it will be “surprising<br />
and creative…”<br />
It seems like a safe bet that it will also<br />
be fantastic!<br />
- Marlene Sholod<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 89
AT THE TABLE / RESTAURANT LISTINGS<br />
ON THE WATERFRONT<br />
One of the benefits of living in South Florida is that<br />
waterfront dining is easy to find. There is nothing<br />
better than sitting close to the beach, embracing the<br />
spectacular water vistas and eating a great meal.<br />
Below is a selection of restaurants from South Beach<br />
to Boca that offer waterfront dining; and, the offer is<br />
plentiful -- from casual to fine, Mediterranean to Asian<br />
food, pasta to seafood.<br />
BAHIA CABANA<br />
Days Inn<br />
3001 Harbor Drive, Fort Lauderdale<br />
954.524.1555<br />
bahiacabanaresort.com/restaurant<br />
Overlooking the Southside of the Bahia<br />
Yacht Basin is Bahia Cabana. With its laid<br />
back Key West atmosphere, this dockside<br />
bar and patio restaurant is one of the best<br />
places to watch the sun set. Find a wide<br />
variety from conch fritters to baby back<br />
ribs. Entrees: $6 - $10.<br />
CANTINA BEACH<br />
The Ritz-Carlton<br />
455 Grand Bay Drive, Key Biscayne<br />
305.365.4500<br />
ritzcarlton.com<br />
Experience Cancun without leaving the city<br />
limits. A well-versed bartender will help to<br />
decipher the over 85 tequilas available. Go<br />
for the guacamole made table side or try<br />
a flight of ceviche. The weekends offer a<br />
chance to sit in the outdoor lounge by the<br />
fire pit and enjoy live music from 6pm -<br />
10pm. Entrées: $18 - $35.<br />
COSTA GRILL<br />
Acqualina<br />
17875 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles<br />
305.918.6910<br />
acqualinaresort.com/dining<br />
Adorned with tiki torches and palm<br />
trees, this Mediterranean restaurant<br />
offers a dining area that is on the beach.<br />
Reservations are necessary because Costa<br />
Grill is only open to the public on Friday<br />
and Saturday. Entrées: $28 - $52.<br />
90 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
FLAMMA BRAZILIAN STEAKHOUSE<br />
3913 NE 163 rd Street, NMB<br />
305.957.9900<br />
flammasteakhouse.com<br />
A meat experience like no other, Flamma<br />
offers an all-you-can-eat selection of 16<br />
meats. Table servers known as Brazilian<br />
cowboys are at the ready to bring the meat<br />
of your choice. Entrées: $34 - $40.<br />
GIBRALTAR<br />
Grove Isle Hotel & Resort<br />
4 Grove Isle Drive, Coconut Grove<br />
305.857.5007<br />
groveisle.com/dining.html<br />
Named after the Rock of Gibraltar, this<br />
Mediterranean-inspired restaurant with<br />
its incredible views of Biscayne Bay make<br />
it the perfect location for a romantic<br />
celebration. Try the $40 dinner special,<br />
Sunday - Thursday from 6:30pm - 10pm,<br />
which includes an appetizer, entrée, and<br />
dessert. Entrees: $27 - $44.<br />
mondrian hotel<br />
Shula's on The Beach<br />
MONTY’S STONE CRAB SEAFOOD<br />
HOUSE & RAW BAR<br />
300 Alton Road, Miami Beach<br />
305.672.1148<br />
montyssouthbeach.com<br />
There is no better reason to head over to<br />
Monty’s than its offerings of stone crabs all<br />
year round. Both the indoor and outdoor<br />
bars are sure to be filled weeknights from<br />
4pm – 8pm with a crowd getting happy.<br />
Entrees: $9 - $29.<br />
NIKKI BEACH RESTAURANT<br />
1 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach<br />
305.538.1111<br />
nikkibeach.com<br />
Sitting directly on South Beach sand, this<br />
well-known lounge and party place offers<br />
a wide selection of food from sushi to<br />
salads to seafood. Entrées: $20 - $95.<br />
RACKS ITALIAN BISTRO<br />
Intercoastal Mall<br />
3933 NE 163 rd Street, NMB<br />
305.917.7225<br />
grrestaurant.com<br />
Situated dockside along the Intercoastal,<br />
Racks offers an extensive menu of Italian<br />
favorites. But, Wednesday nights are all<br />
about burgers; starting at 5pm a 10-ounce<br />
Angus brisket burger is $5. With its large<br />
dock, feel free to arrive via boat. (Free<br />
valet boat parking is available Thursday –<br />
Sunday.) Entrées: $15 - $20.<br />
RUSTY PELICAN<br />
3201 Rickenbacker Causeway, Key Biscayne<br />
305.361.3818<br />
miami.therustypelican.com<br />
This Miami classic sits on Key Biscayne<br />
Bay. Lunch is served Monday - Saturday<br />
from 11:30am - 4pm. Brunch is served<br />
Sunday from 10:30am - 4pm. Reservations<br />
required. Entrees: $18 - $40.<br />
SCOTTY’S LANDING RESTAURANT<br />
3381 Pan American Drive,<br />
Coconut Grove<br />
305.854.2626<br />
sailmiami.com/scottys.htm<br />
If by land or by sea, Scotty’s Landing is<br />
all about classic American fare. Saturday<br />
– Sunday meals are accompanied by live<br />
music from 6pm – 10pm. Entrees: $8 - $16.<br />
SERAFINA<br />
926 NE 20 th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale<br />
954.463.2566<br />
serabythewater.com<br />
This restaurant is all about romance with<br />
its on-the-water setting and candleonly<br />
lighting. Savor the evening with a<br />
selection from its extensive wine list.<br />
Reservations Friday – Sunday evening are<br />
required. Entrées: $17 - $37.<br />
SHULA’S ON THE BEACH<br />
321 Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard,<br />
Fort Lauderdale<br />
954.355.4000<br />
donshula.com<br />
Former Miami Dolphin’s coach Don<br />
Shula definitely knows how to woo his<br />
woman. The restaurant’s specialty is<br />
the Steak Mary Anne (named after<br />
Shula’s wife). Reservations recommended.<br />
Entrées: $29 - $45.
Cravings<br />
Satisfy Your Desire For Great Living<br />
SOuTH FlORida<br />
In The Next Issue: OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2010<br />
FALL ARTS & CULTURE PREVIEW<br />
A look at the shows, concerts & events<br />
you don't want to miss this season.<br />
STIR IT UP<br />
Cooking classes for adults.<br />
CRUISE CONTROL<br />
What's new for the 2010-2011<br />
cruising season.<br />
TOQUE TALK<br />
Cream puffs & chocolate cakes at many<br />
restaurants are being baked by a new<br />
collection of female pastry chefs.<br />
OFF THE MENU<br />
Dining establishments for the vegetarian.<br />
Contact Cravings today for great advertising<br />
opportunities at (305) 749.0340<br />
Courtesy Essensia © Simon Hare<br />
On-the-Street:<br />
Mid-September 2010
92 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
AT THE TABLE / RESTAURANT LISTINGS<br />
SMITH AND WOLLENSKY<br />
South Pointe Park<br />
1 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach<br />
305.673.2800<br />
smithandwollensky.com<br />
With perfect viewing for watching<br />
the cruise ships begin and end their<br />
journeys, Smith & Wollensky is the classic<br />
steakhouse. Reservations recommended.<br />
Entrées: $20 - $45.<br />
VALENTINO SUL MARE<br />
7330 Ocean Terrace, Miami Beach<br />
305.866.8444<br />
valentinorestaurantmiamibeach.com<br />
Sit by the ocean and get a taste of Sicily.<br />
Go with a large group so can share a little<br />
bit of everything from pastas, seafood<br />
and meats. Reservations recommended.<br />
Entrées: $6.95 - $ 21.95.<br />
AZZURRO ITALIAN<br />
RESTAURANT<br />
17901 Collins Ave.,<br />
Sunny Isles Beach,<br />
305.792.5300<br />
CHIMA BRAZILIAN<br />
STEAKHOUSE<br />
2400 E. Las Olas Blvd., Ft.<br />
Lauderdale, 954.712.0580<br />
JONAS PIZZA<br />
2030 NE Miami Gardens Drive,<br />
North Miami, 305.978.8998<br />
KITCHEN 305<br />
16501 Collins Avenue, Sunny<br />
Isles Beach, 305.749.2110<br />
LA PIAZZA PASTA<br />
1885 Hollywood Blvd.,<br />
Hollywood, 954.921.0088<br />
THE WATERCLUB<br />
Intercoastal Mall<br />
3969 NE 163 rd Street, NMB<br />
305.944.8411<br />
thewaterclubmiami.com<br />
The atmosphere here is casual enough<br />
that it is easy to stay for the entire<br />
day. Although the menu changes<br />
seasonally, steaks, salads and a full<br />
raw bar are always available. Be sure<br />
to save room for dessert so you don’t<br />
miss out on the warm doughnuts<br />
with cinammon sugar and espresso<br />
cream. Entrées: $14 - $29.<br />
WATERCOLORS<br />
Boca Raton Bridge Hotel<br />
999 East Camino Real, Boca Raton<br />
561.368.9500<br />
bocaratonbridgehotel.com<br />
Somehow sitting by the water<br />
guarantees a casual and laidback<br />
mood and Watercolors is no<br />
exception. Located on the pool<br />
deck, the menu is true American.<br />
Entrées: $15 - $29.<br />
The Cravings Card<br />
is accepted at these<br />
fine restaurants:<br />
MARIO THE BAKER<br />
13695 W. Dixie Hwy.,<br />
North Miami, 305.891.7641<br />
THE MELTING POT<br />
15700 Biscayne Blvd., NMB,<br />
305.947.2228<br />
MIAMI PRIME GRILL<br />
16395 Biscayne Blvd.,<br />
305.949.5101<br />
RACKS ITALIAN<br />
BISTRO & MARKET<br />
Intracoastal Mall, 163 rd St. & NE<br />
36 th Ave., NMB, 305.917.7225<br />
SUSHI HOUSE<br />
15911 Biscayne Blvd., NMB,<br />
305.947.6002<br />
Go to cravingssouthflorida.com<br />
to sign up for your CRAVINGS CARD
?<br />
s<br />
READER<br />
SuRvEy<br />
1. Gender<br />
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2. Your Age<br />
7. How informative Under 18 and helpful did you find this<br />
publication? 19-24<br />
Very25-34<br />
Somewhat 35-44<br />
Not 45-54 Much<br />
Not over At All 55<br />
8. How 3. Where likely did are you get to pick-up this copy additional of CRAVINGS? copies<br />
of CRAVINGS? In the mail<br />
VeryAt<br />
a doctor/dentist’s office<br />
Somewhat At a store/spa/beauty salon<br />
Not At Much a restaurant<br />
None Other<br />
9. Your 4. Where household in South annual Florida income: do you live?<br />
Up to Aventura $30,000 a year<br />
$31,000 Boca to Raton $50,000 a year<br />
$51,000 Hollywood/Hallandale<br />
to $75,000 a year<br />
$76,000 Fort Lauderdale<br />
to $100,000 a year<br />
$100,000 Sunny to Isles $150,000 a year<br />
Over West $150,000 Palm Beach a year<br />
Miami<br />
10. When Miami buying Beach clothes, accessories and home<br />
accessories Other do you prefer to buy at:<br />
National chains<br />
5. Local Are stores you planning to visit any of the places<br />
mentioned Online storesin<br />
CRAVINGS?<br />
Yes<br />
11. How No often do you attend entertainments, such<br />
as concerts, plays and movies, outside your home?<br />
6. Never Your completed level of education:<br />
Twice Some a year High School<br />
Once High a month School<br />
Once College/University<br />
a week<br />
More Some than graduate once a week school<br />
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Name:<br />
address:<br />
email:<br />
Please complete and return<br />
survey. All completed surveys<br />
will be entered in a random<br />
drawing to win dinner for two<br />
and a 1 hour powerboat ride.<br />
7. How informative and helpful did you find this<br />
publication?<br />
Very<br />
Somewhat<br />
Not Much<br />
12. Not How At All often do you go away for a long weekend?<br />
Never<br />
8. How 1-4 likely times are per you year to pick-up additional copies<br />
of CRAVINGS? 5-7 times per year<br />
Very 8 or more times per year<br />
Somewhat<br />
13. Not How Much often do you go out to eat?<br />
None Never<br />
Twice a year<br />
9. Your Once household a monthannual<br />
income:<br />
Up Once to $30,000 a weeka<br />
year<br />
$31,000 More than to $50,000 once a a week year<br />
$51,000 to $75,000 a year<br />
14. $76,000 How many to $100,000 times a year do you participate in a<br />
cultural $100,000 event, to $150,000 i.e., museum, a year symphony, theatre,<br />
etc? Over $150,000 a year<br />
Never<br />
10. Do 1-3 you times ... per year<br />
Own 4-7 your times home per year<br />
Own 8 or your more condo times per year<br />
Rent your home<br />
15. Rent Do you your own condo your own home?<br />
Yes<br />
11. How Nooften<br />
do you attend entertainments, such<br />
as concerts, plays and movies, outside your home?<br />
16. Never What is your family status?<br />
Twice Single a year<br />
Once Single a month with children<br />
Once Married a week<br />
More Married than with once children a week<br />
Other<br />
12. How often do you go out to eat?<br />
17. Never Do you belong to a gym?<br />
Twice Yes a year<br />
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More than once a week<br />
Please send completed survey to:<br />
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All entries MUST be submitted by October 15, 2010.<br />
13. How many times a year do you participate<br />
in a cultural event, i.e., museum, symphony,<br />
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All completed surveys<br />
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Win a Dinner for two at<br />
racKs ItalIan KItcHen<br />
& one hour Powerboat Ride* with<br />
extreMe MarIne starting/<br />
ending from Racks’ private dock.<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 93<br />
You can also complete this survey online at cravingssouthflorida.com<br />
8/31/2009 9:20:05 AM<br />
ENTER<br />
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WIN<br />
* You need to have a strong heart to withstand the thrill of riding in a<br />
powerboat at speeds over 100 mph. Must be 18 or older for ride. Racks<br />
Italian Kitchen is located in the Intracoastal Mall NE 163 rd Street.
MARK THE DATE<br />
NO CALORIE TREATS<br />
Go ahead and treat yourself. Indulge in<br />
Miami Spa Month. Through August 31 st ,<br />
you can get signature spa treatments at<br />
the area’s best spas for $99. For example,<br />
the Biltmore Spa at the Biltmore Hotel<br />
(1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables,<br />
305.913.3187, biltmorehotel.com) is<br />
offering a 70 minute regenerating facial<br />
that deeply cleans and rejuvenates all<br />
skin types. The Spa At Grove Isle (4 Grove<br />
Isle Drive, Coconut Grove, 305.860.4308,<br />
groveisle.com) is offering the royal body<br />
treatment, 80 minutes of a tropical<br />
body polish, aromatic massage and a<br />
soaking in a tub with rose petals.<br />
For more information and a complete<br />
list of participating spas visit<br />
miamispamonth.com.<br />
STANDING OVATION<br />
The aventura arts & Cultural Center is<br />
getting ready to kick off its debut season.<br />
As a warm-up to the opening night an<br />
Evening with Patti luPone (Oct. 23,<br />
tickets are already on sale), The arts<br />
Ballet theatre of Florida will perform on<br />
on July 30 th . As part of the programming,<br />
the center will offer the Family Fun<br />
Series, performances based on classic<br />
children’s literature. The four productions<br />
for the 2010/2011 season will include:<br />
Junie B Jones (Oct. 9), Giggle, Giggle,<br />
Quack (Nov.6), The Wizard of Oz (Feb.<br />
5) and Stuart little (May 14). Family Fun<br />
subscriptions are available. Individual<br />
tickets are $14 per person with $3 lap<br />
tickets available for infants 12 months<br />
and under. Aventura Arts & Cultural<br />
Center, 3385 NE 188 th Street, Aventura,<br />
954.462.0222, AventuraCenter.org.<br />
94 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
SPICY FLAVOR<br />
The 9th annual Miami Spice Restaurant Program<br />
takes place from August 1st – September 30th .<br />
Greater Miami’s finest restaurants will offer<br />
three-course prix fixe lunches at $22 per person<br />
and dinners at $35 per person (excluding taxes<br />
& gratuities). Each prix fixe meal will include<br />
an appetizer, entrée and dessert. Restaurants<br />
participating in Miami Spice include: Timo<br />
Restaurant & Bar, Bourbon Steak, Sugarcane,<br />
Wish and Asia de Cuba. For more information and<br />
a complete list of participating restaurants visit<br />
iLoveMiamiSpice.com<br />
Sugarcane Tears for fears<br />
SEVENTH DAY<br />
SOUNDS<br />
Bal Harbour and The<br />
Rhythm Foundation are<br />
joining forces to create<br />
Rhythm Sundays,<br />
an ongoing effort to<br />
promote local arts and<br />
culture. Each Sunday<br />
through Labor Day, One<br />
Bal Harbour Resort<br />
& Spa and Bal Harbour Shops will feature a<br />
weekly roster of music programming created<br />
by The Rhythm Foundation. The signature<br />
restaurant at One Bal Harbour will feature artists<br />
playing Latin and Brazilian music. The<br />
three-course brunch is $35 per person ($45<br />
for unlimited Bloody Marys, mimosas and<br />
poinsettias). Bal Harbour Shops’ restaurants will<br />
offer brunch specials along with duos, trios and<br />
quartets featuring acoustical music.<br />
One Bal Harbour Resort & Spa is located<br />
at 10295 Collins Avenue, 305.455.5460.<br />
The Bal Harbour Shops is located at 9700 Collins<br />
Avenue, balharbourflorida.com.<br />
BROADWAY BOUND<br />
The Broward Center for the Performing arts is focusing<br />
on concerts this August. Its monthly Sunday Jazz Brunch<br />
is August 1 from 10:30am - 1:45pm. The buffet isThe buffet<br />
is $19.95 per person ($5 extra add a Bloody Mary or mimosa<br />
to your meal). If you feel like harkening back to the days<br />
of 1960s Greenwich Village coffeehouses head to the<br />
intimate setting of the center’s Abdo New River Room on<br />
Monday, August 9 at 8pm for the Songwriter’s Showcase<br />
presented by Chrystal Hartigan. Cost is $10 per person at<br />
the door and a cash bar will be available.<br />
To keep the nostalgia going, Chris MacDonald will present<br />
a tribute marking the 33 rd anniversary of Elvis Presley’s<br />
death. MacDonald’s performance of Memories of Elvis is<br />
on Saturday, August 14, 8pm. The dynamic salute to the<br />
King is complete with costumes, dancers and a high-energy<br />
band in the center’s Au-Rene Theater. MacDonald actually<br />
appeared with Elvis Presley as part of his original back up<br />
band The Jordanaires. Tickets range from $19.50 - $47.50.<br />
nathalie merchant<br />
Other August concerts<br />
include: acclaimed singer/<br />
songwriter Natalie<br />
Merchant on Wednesday,<br />
August 25 at 8pm. She<br />
will perform a mix of old<br />
favorites and songs from<br />
her new album Leave Your<br />
Sleep. Tickets are $35, $50<br />
and $60.<br />
Really want to head back in time, try the 80s, with Tears<br />
For Fears on Tuesday, August 31 at 8pm. The English duo<br />
will perform a mix of old and new material highlighting the<br />
band’s blend of pop ad psychedelia. Tickets are $35, $45,<br />
$55, $65 and $75.<br />
Tickets to all performances are available through the Broward<br />
Center’s box office, 954.462.0222 or at BrowardCenter.org. The<br />
Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located at 201 SW<br />
Fifth Avenue, Fort Lauderdale.
FINE PRINT / In This Issue Details & Specifics<br />
ADVERTISER INDEx<br />
Dr. Abbo Advanced Dentistry .................. 11<br />
Activefit Sportwear .................. 37<br />
Agemedix .................. 23<br />
American Pie Pizzeria .................. 47<br />
Aventura Learning Center .................. 45<br />
Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center .................. 83<br />
Avenue Productions .................. 69<br />
Azzurro Italian Restaurant .................. 87<br />
Bay 6 Motorcycle Workshop .................. 91<br />
Bubbles ‘n Ice .................. 33<br />
Bulldog Café .................. 49<br />
Dr. Bo's Diet .................. 37<br />
Cardiovascular Consultants of South Florida 9<br />
Catimini .................. 64<br />
The Center for Medical Weight Loss .................. 19<br />
The Container Store .................. 1<br />
Dental Options .................. 35<br />
Elite Obstetrics and Gynecology .................. 21<br />
Florida Marlins .................. 13<br />
Fuji Hana .................. 10<br />
Give Wink .................. 17<br />
Hair Talk Studio .................. 41<br />
Horwitz Dermatology .................. 43<br />
Indo: Pilates & Spinning/Real Ryder .................. 35<br />
Julien & Hatch Nutrition Institute .................. 77<br />
Kirova Ballet .................. 35<br />
Kitchen 305/Newport Beachside .................. 85<br />
KLA Schools .................. 7<br />
KNR Restaurant Group .................. 2<br />
La Piazza Italian Restaurant .................. 71<br />
Le Petite Spa .................. 71<br />
Lexus of North Miami ................. 25<br />
Master Sang’s Martial Arts Academy .................. 39<br />
Mercedes Service Center .................. 91<br />
Miami Book Fair International .................. 81<br />
Miami Dolphins Inside Back Cover<br />
Miami Fashion Week Foundation .................. 74<br />
Miami Gymnastics & Dance Academy .................. 69<br />
Miami International Wine Fair .................. 46<br />
Nomi Pilates .................. 71<br />
Scott Patterson .................. 15<br />
The Pilates Room .................. 92<br />
Playwright Irish Pub .................. 31<br />
Psychic Horoscope Reading by Sarah .................. 79<br />
Quattro Gastronomia Italiana .................. 2<br />
Renne Ricca's Pilates Center .................. 27<br />
Rose and Rose Realty, P.A. .................. 45<br />
Denise Rubin, Real Estate .................. 5<br />
Siam Oishi .................. 39<br />
Solea .................. 2<br />
Sosta .................. 2<br />
Stabinski & Funt, Attorneys at Law .................. 63<br />
Silvia Stambler, D.D.S. .................. 38<br />
Village at Gulfstream Park Inside Front Cover<br />
Wall .................. 2<br />
The Water Club Back Cover<br />
DETAILS ABOUT FASHION SHOOT LOCATION:<br />
SEMINOLE PARADISE HaRd ROCK HOTEl aNd CaSiNO<br />
5804 Seminole Way, Hollywood, FL • 954.585.5112 • seminoleparadise.com<br />
It’s called the Seminole Paradise: Hard Rock Hotel<br />
and <strong>Casino</strong>, but it really should be called a resort.<br />
A resort is defined as a complete facility for rest<br />
and recreation – and easily defines this hotel.<br />
With its casino and gaming, live entertainment<br />
venue, shops and boutiques, spa, pool and seven<br />
restaurants, bars and lounges inside the Hard Rock<br />
Hotel and <strong>Casino</strong> – not including the additional<br />
18 restaurants and 13 bars and lounges found at<br />
the outdoor complex adjacent to the hotel. (For<br />
specific information about the outdoor venue,<br />
Seminole Paradise, check out page 61.) Serving as<br />
the central location for all things Hard Rock is the<br />
12-story Mediterranean-inspired 481 room hotel.<br />
Off the hotel’s lobby is where everything happens.<br />
As for gaming there are 2500 slots and games as<br />
well as 89 table games. If you’re a high roller the<br />
high limit table games and slots room is for you.<br />
The casino also features a non-smoking room. And<br />
if poker is more your game head to the stand-alone<br />
poker room.<br />
If you save your visit to the casino for your evening<br />
activity, your day can easily be filled with a visit<br />
to the spa. Or just hang out poolside. The lagoon<br />
style pool is heated year round and includes a<br />
waterslide and jacuzzi. There are cabanas, daybeds<br />
(with butler service) and traditional frond-covered<br />
Seminole <strong>Chic</strong>kee huts for rent. Each <strong>Chic</strong>kee hut<br />
comes with a television, refrigerator and phone.<br />
Wanting to expand your evening beyond the slots<br />
and tables, the Hard Rock Live entertainment<br />
venue has concerts, shows and performances.<br />
Upcoming events include: Comedian Kathy Griffin<br />
on August 11 th ; Donna Summer on August 18 th ;<br />
Meat Loaf on September 1 st .<br />
No resort would be complete without a wide<br />
selection of restaurants to satiate even the pickiest<br />
of eaters. Without having to leave the hotel you<br />
can find everything from a casual food court to<br />
more formal steak house. The hotel's eating and<br />
drinking establishments include:<br />
• The Beach Club: Poolside service of<br />
sandwiches, burgers and salads.<br />
• Bluepoint Ocean Grill: Seafood & shellfish.<br />
• Blue Plate: Serves breakfast, lunch<br />
and dinner.<br />
• Center Bar: The casino’s center bar is a<br />
perfect 360-degree view of the casino floor.<br />
• Council Oak: Prime steaks. The restaurant<br />
is named after the place the Seminole elders<br />
would gather… the council oak.<br />
• Food Court: <strong>Casino</strong>-side fast-food type fare.<br />
• Tuscany Italian Bistro & Lounge: A wide<br />
selection of pastas, pizzas, paninis, salads and<br />
homemade gelato, tiramisu and cannolis.<br />
cravingssouthflorida.com 95
WISH LIST<br />
96 Cravings | August / September 2010<br />
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