¿Que Pasa, M.I.A.? Getting Friendly with Friendswithyou

Bro, everyone is trying to be cool. And act all tough. And act like they don’t know me. How did this happen? When did people stop smiling? People have told me that the transition between childhood and adulthood is rough, harsh and loaded with disillusionment. Not the case for me,…

The Great Miami Restaurant Bubble of 2009

We alluded to the bubble in this column yesterday. Here is a list of many, maybe most, but certainly not all of the mid-to-high end restaurants that have opened over the past 6 months (actually, the majority are fairly expensive). We’re leaving out lower end ethnic joints, pizza places, and…

Andre Pierre is Not a Clucker

This past April 30, I wrote about North Miami mayoral candidate Frank Wolland calling out opponent Andre Pierre for supposedly refusing to answer questions about his 4.9 percent ownership interest in North Miami Housing Ltd. The partnership was established by the developers of Biscayne Landing, a controversial 193-acre residential and…

Miami Graffiti Captures the City’s Street Art Scene

A few months ago, New Times editor Chuck Strouse admired Buk Fifty’s work above I-95. However, some people didn’t think it wasn’t as cool as Strouse made it out to seem. Personally, I take more a middle-of-the-road approach. Though defacing signs on I-95 ends up costing the taxpayers money to…

Rainy Day Musings #12 and 35

You Can Change The Spelling, But…The Z Ocean Hotel, formerly known as The Regent and home to Table 8 Restaurant, has opened Zushi Flirt — formerly Flirt Sushi, which went out of business rather quickly after opening at Washington Avenue and 12th Street three years ago. Owner Marko Radisic still…

Friday Food Funnies

This week: Food and family.The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.  ~Calvin TrillinAs a child my family’s menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it.  ~Buddy HackettYou can say…

Worth Clucking About

This week, North Miami mayoral candidate Frank Wolland went on the offensive for the city’s upcoming May 12 municipal election by having a volunteer dress up in a chicken suit and tail opponent Andre Pierre at this past Tuesday’s city council meeting and at yesterday’s mayoral candidate forum.Wolland is calling…

Letters from the Issue of April 30, 2009

He Didn’t Jump He was a mensch: Francisco Alvarado’s April 17 story, “The Dead Among Us,” got it wrong. Anyone who knew Brandon Ledford, the 20-year-old who “jumped” off the balcony, knows he loved life and would never have done this. Julianne Deland She Was One of Many Others deaths…

There’s Something Fowl in North Miami

Local campaign strategist Michael Caputo likes to employ some fowl play in his election day tactics.  In the mid-1990s, Caputo busted out his patent-pending tactic of using a man-in-a-chicken-suit-to-tail-opponents when he worked for Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s campaign. Back when he was spokesman for ex-School Board Member Frank Bolanos’ failed campaign…

Throwback Tuesdays: Poser – “Give It Up”

Ah, thank Google Alerts for bringing this gem of South Florida music past to our inbox. The Sunset Strip story is one that has been told, but what of bands elsewhere in the country who were plying the same sound? One of these, it seems, was a band called Poser…

No, I’m Not Flo Rida, and Don’t Text Me Again

Remember a few weeks back when Flo Rida gave out his cell number during a CNN interview? His number is 305-528-2786. You’d have to be NASA to crack the code from this number to mine — or you’d have to be two adolescent fans of the head-spinning MC. Unknown texter (8:15 p.m.): Hey is…

Throwback Video: Elvis And Sinatra at the Fontainebleau, 1960

The Fontainebleau has been back open for a few months, but some of us still haven’t been there. Well for those who doubt the venue’s historic legacy, watch this video. Elvis and Sinatra, same stage, Miami, Fontainebleau. Anybody reading this who’s been there lately, did you see anything this cool?…

Land Use and Campaign Contributions 101

On its corporate website, Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod boasts that its land use and zoning lawyers have “literally helped to reshape the skyline of our community.” No doubt the influential downtown Miami law firm knows how to persuade local government officials to allow developers to build, build, and build…

¿Que Pasa, M.I.A.? En Miami La Fiesta is Tight with Basside

I’ve been driving around town listening to one song. Non-stop. And, if you know me, that’s pretty normal; usually the one song is one of my songs. This time the song is “Booty Shorts” by Basside. I swear, if anyone ever asks me what my favorite band is, the answer…

Walk of Shame Kit, Only $34.99

You can spot her at dawn — a rumpled remnant of a woman making the long, teetering trek down Michigan or Meridian or Collins. She sports raccoon eyes, lacks an earring, and walks in stilettos as if they were six-foot stilts. She emits an unidentifiable stench. Maybe it’s Doritos, cigarettes,…

Miami Federal Judges Mix Church and State

Religion in a courthouse? Sounds like the Taliban, right? Or maybe the Inquisition? Hell no, it’s just Miami — a part of America where we don’t seem to separate church and state. A new group, the Miami Catholic Lawyers Guild, is inviting the public to a mass Thursday by Miami…

Miami Beach’s Parking Imbroglio

For nine years, Frank Pintado, as the operations manager of Standard Parking’s Miami Beach operations, lorded over the city’s public garages and several lots. The deal was worth $3 million a year to the publicly traded company. But that all came to an end last year when the city commission voted…

Kardashian Spinoff Set to Infect Miami

Does reality television even try anymore? Let’s see. Kim Kardashian got famous for being Paris Hilton’s temporary Nicole Richie replacement, and then for her gross sex tape with Brandy’s little brother. Most normal families would probably disown their daughter for at least a year or so after this, but for…