Feelin’ Groovy: Beaujolais Nouveau Luncheon at Au Pied de Cochon

Another year, another Beaujolais luncheon, another boast that the current crop is the best in years. “You get a vintage like this every century. Last one as good was 1947,” insisted winemaker Stéphane Queralt. I didn’t want to say this to Stéphane, but in spite of a positive spin on…

Plymouth Rocks: Notes From Eos’ Gin Dinner

The evening began with talk of a “vodka backlash” occurring in New York. Too many brands, too much ubiquity, too neutral a flavor. Enter gin, with its’ aromatic botanicals and complex flavor — the ideal antidote to dull cocktails. Or at least that’s the world according to Simon Ford, the…

Six Glasses of Sangria at Versailles

Versailles is an odd place. Long legendary as a pow-wow spot for local politicos, celebrities, gangsters, and politically connected celebrity gangsters, this fabled Cuban restaurant’s got all the ambiance of some kitschy-haute cafeteria at an upscale senior citizens’ resort. But, hey, that’s OK because you’re not here for the Louis-XIV-explodes-all-over-Denny’s…

Urbanite Bistro Monthly Beer Dinner for November

Last time we had a beer dinner it consisted of a malt liquor tall can and a bag of chips in a parking lot downtown. Little did we know that the Urbanite Bistro (62 NE 14 Street, Miami) is doing a better version of the same thing starting Friday, November…

Waxys On The River Goes Reggae Wednesdays with Kulcha Shok Muzik

Every bar/restaurant that’s into getting green should throw a good reggae night. What better for the kitchen than a high-life crowd of hungry people smoked out on the river?Waxy’s On The River (690 SW 1st Court) is taking a piece of the action with their new Reggae Wednesdays. $3 Budweisers,…

Setai’s New Cocktail Menu May Make You Squeal With Delight

Hold on to your curly little tails, folks. It’s no secret that pork flavors have somehow made their way into the world of trendy cocktails (still haven’t tried a Bacontini or Bacon Bloody Mary?), so perhaps it was just a matter of time before the essence of our favorite squealers…

Eleven Brown Ale by the Native Brewing Company

Each and every worker drone dreams of escaping the gray, soul-crushing confines of the office for the warm, womb-like safety of his very own microbrewery. You, me, and your boss have all had the exact same 4 p.m. fantasy: “Make beer, get rich!” And yet, here we sit in our…

Short Order Samples World’s Strongest Beer, Survives

Doesn’t the dude above (video by Jake Katel) just look-and sound- like the human embodiment of a Boston-brewed beer with a whopping 27% alcohol content? All he needs is one of those colonial get-ups and, like, a drunk horse by his side.Sam Adams brewmaster Bob Cannon invited Short Order to…

Top 5 Sassiest Drink Names

Just when you finally matured enough to order the Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘N Fruity with a straight face from your friendly neighborhood IHOP server, some local mixologists are testing your tolerance with feisty names for their favorite cocktails.Celebrate the departure of the Fuzzy Navel, Sloe Comfortable Screw, and Sex on…

Booze Hound: Sip, Sip and Dance, Dance at Tap Tap

Outside Tap Tap, there’s a truck parked under a palm on a patch of grass between the sidewalk and the street. It’s a Toyota that’s been pimped with Haitian folk art flourishes: hand-painted murals splashed across the hood and sides, an iron headboard adorned with the word Rezistans, and some…

Best Halloween Drink: The Brain Hemorrhage

Screams, laughs, naughty nurses, dudes in drag, and more drunks than you can shake a pitcher at. That’s right, Halloween is almost here.Some might say it’s spirit that fuels the revelry, but we know it’s really just alcohol. Here’s the recipe for a drink that has the look and packs…

DRB Miami is the Democratic Republic of Beer, Now Open

Fourteenth Street is the Janis Joplin of Downtown. She came into some money, her legs are wide open, everybody’s welcome, and she’s down to party. Here’s a new notch in her belt. DRB Miami (255 NE 14th Street, between NE Second and Biscayne) is a bar and restaurant that just opened…

Grandpa’s Martini Test at Chicago’s Steakhouse & Tavern

You know, Tom Brokaw was right when he called our grandparents the “Greatest Generation.” Not only did they fight World War II and rescue the world from the evil clutches of fascism, but Grandpa and Grandma totally knew how to party. Oysters, steaks, and a half-dozen martinis all in one…

Loire Valley Wines at Two Chefs Restaurant

Last Thursday afternoon, Two Chefs Restaurant hosted a wine tasting of Sauvignon Blancs from the Loire Valley in France. Loire Valley Wines are produced over a wide swath of the country, and so of course as one travels from east (Touraine) to west (Sancerre, Pouily-Fumé) the characteristics change dramatically. We…

Joey’s Wynwood Italian Cafe Wine & Pizza Pairing Deals

Joey’s Italian Cafe in Wynwood opened in December 2008 and have stayed true to their concept of a down-to-earth neighborhood joint with great food and wine selection.It’s with that in mind that they’ve introduced a new thirteen pizza menu ($8 – $16) with wine by the glass or bottle suggestions…

Launch of 4 Orange Vodka at the Shore Club

Last night at SoBe’s swanky Shore Club, the usual crowd of clean-cut marketing types, long-legged girls, and old dudes with braided ponytails gathered to imbibe large quantities of free booze. I was there, too. And together in the Red Room, we all loaded up on sips and shots of a…

Marilyn Merlot Goes Nude

In 1949, Tom Kelley, Sr. snapped a series of nude portraits of Marilyn Monroe that have come to be known as the “Red Velvet” series. One of these photos – “Pose 8” – appears on the label of The Velvet Collection’s new Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. The discreet golden…

The Lush Lunch at Brickell Irish Pub, Drink Lots of Alcohol

If you’re like me, you don’t eat meals, you drink them. You’re on a tight schedule with only ten minutes to stuff the gut, so there’s never time to chew. But you still need your essential vitamins, nutrients, and other basic sustenance, right? Well, the solution’s easy — just head…