Restaurant Specials

Michy’s Wednesday night all you care to eat fried chicken $36 per person American or Korean style

Mercadito, all you can drink brunch Sat and Sunday, $18 brunch and one drink, $30 brunch and all you can drink

Madarin Oriental Hotel on Brickell Key offers Tapas by the Bay, Friday nights 7 to 9 PM, $7.00 drinks, plus a tapas menu.

Newport Beachside Hotel and Resort, all-you-can-eat Maine Lobster for $35.

Pericone’s Marketplace and Café, Brickell Area, 20/20 Club Summer specials. 20 percent off entire check, 4 to 7:30 PM.

Blue Sea at the Delano, Girls Night Out, 7 to 10:30 Thursdays, 3-course sushi menu, a sake gingertini and second cocktail for $32.

For more specials goodle Miami Restaurant Specials

Poaching method keeps chicken moist

By LINDA GASSENHEIMER

I walked into the WLRN studio for my weekly program and I started to drool.  Shackburgers and Shakes filled the studio.

Danny Meyer, restaurateur of  Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, 11 Madison fame opened ShackShake in New York’s, Madison Square Park.  Lines form around the corner for burgers, shakes, flat-top dogs and more. 

Now we have a ShakeShack on SouthBeach.  Zack Koff, Director for Florida, brought us many tastes. 1111 Lincoln Road at Lenox Ave.

When we think of wine from Argentina these days, we usually think of the red wine called malbec.  It’s rich, soft, altogether user-friendly – and cheap.  Usually no more than $10 or $15.
But now there’s a white wine from Argentina that has an equal claim to fame. It’s called torrontes. Spell. Argentina actually grows more of this than it does of chardonnay.
Torrontes in a little flamboyant – it smells like camellias, tastes like pink grapefruit and white peaches; it’s very crisp and has a nice, tart finish. It goes really well with foods that are popular today – sushi, seafood and spicy dishes from Szechuan Chinese to Cajun.
And it, too, is usually $10 to $15.
A couple of good examples are the torrontes under the brand names Sagta, Alamos and Michel torino.
But now I want to talk about the Shake Shack and something I like on its menu. Usually, at a fast-food restaurant, if you order a nice, big cheeseburger, the best you can get to drink with it is Diet Pepsi. A flavor match made in kindergarten.
Now, in Europe, things are different. I found a nice red wine at a Burger King is Seville, Spain, and another red wine at a McDonalds in Paris, right on the Champs d’Elysees. I’m a little embarrassed to admit I went to places like that in  Europe, but I had a good excuse. They have by far the cleanest bathrooms.
Anyway, Shake Shack has solved my problem. It has beer on its menu – two draft ales plus Budweiser, Amstel Light and Albita. And it has a white wine – a Shake Shack Chardonnay and a red wine – a Shake Shack Shiraz.
I think congratulations are in order. There’s nothing better than a burger and a beer, or a New York Hot Dog and a glass of chardonnay.

Miami spice is great because it lets us try restaurants we might not be able to afford otherwise. But if you’re a wine lover, you have to do some homework. The wine lists at some of these high-end restaurants can be pretty pricey, starting at $50, $60, $70 a bottle and soaring up out of sight.
        So you could end up paying $35 for dinner and $60 for wine, and you’ve pushed the price to over $100.
        One good thing some – but not all — of the Miami Spice restaurants are doing is to run wine specials along with their Miami Spice meal prices. This can solve that problem, but you still have to pay attention to the details.
        You can find a list of wine deals by going to the website Ilovemiamispice.com, then clicking on “Offers.”
Some examples: The Setai, in Miami Beach, has a “Special Cellar List” of wines 40 percent off regular prices.
        Bourbon Steak House at Turnberry Isle has wine for 50 percent off, but only on Mondays.
        Por Fin in Coral Gables has half-price wine on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
        Novecento in Brickell has Wine Thursdays with wines half price.
        Red The Steak House in Miami Beach cuts the price in half on Wednesdays for all bottles priced under $100. And seeing that $100 price shows you how important it is to Google up their wine lists or call ahead to ask about wine prices.
        Biscaya, in the Ritz Carlson in Coconut Grove has half-price wines by the glass on Thursdays.
        La Cofradia Ceviche Bar in Coral Gables has half-off wine, and it offers free corkage.
        This is also important to understand. If you call ahead, many restaurants will let you bring your own wine and pay a corkage fee. The fee is for having the wine poured, and to make up some of the profit the restaurant gives up by letting you bring your own.
        Usually, corkage fees run from $20 a bottle up to $65 a bottle. So even that can get pretty pricey. Be sure to call ahead and ask.
        Oh, and when it comes time to tip, your tip should be based on what the meal would have cost if you had bought a bottle of wine. Otherwise it’s unfair to the waiters.

ADD SOME SPICE TO YOUR SUMMER:
Miami Spice Participating Chefs to Offer Exclusive Culinary Demonstrations

Gourmets can get a taste of the GMCVB’s ninth annual Miami Spice Restaurant Program, August 1st through September 30th, as participating chefs from the city’s finest restaurants showcase items from their menus at exclusive cooking demonstrations, to be held at Whole Foods Market – Coral Gables, Bloomingdale’s – Aventura Mall, and The Macy’s Cooking School – Dadeland and Aventura mall. 

This year, The Cellar Club at The Biltmore Hotel has partnered with the GMCVB to host Miami Spice themed interactive culinary demonstration luncheons, at 1200 Anastasia Avenue in Coral Gables, on Saturday, August 14, featuring chef Patricio Sandoval of Mercadito Midtown and on Saturday, September 4, featuring Biltmore chef Tom Parlo. Each Biltmore luncheon demo begins at noon and is priced at $65 per person for non-members and $52 per person for Cellar Club members.  For reservations, please call: (305) 445-8066 Ext.2090

Below is the August/September schedule and location information for the not-to-be-missed cooking demonstrations, which are free and open to the public; however, space at Whole Food Market is limited, so it’s suggested participants please register in advance for those demos.

Whole Foods Market – Lifestyle Cooking Classes (free to the public)

Whole Foods Market – Coral Gables
6701 Red Road
Coral Gables, FL 33143
To register for this FREE event, please call: (305) 421-9421

Thursday, August 12  Gonzalo Rivera, La Marea
Tuesday, August 24  Albert Cabrera, STK
Cooking Demo Line-up
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Macy’s – Dadeland Mall at 1:00 p.m. (cooking demo is free to the public)

Macy’s Dadeland Mall Home Store
The Kitchen at The Cellar, 2nd Floor
7675 SW 88th Street
Miami, FL 33156
For information, please call: (305) 577-2296

Saturday, August 7   Joey Davis, Morton’s The Steakhouse  
Saturday, September 4 Oscar Pajares & Jose Guerrero, Two Chefs 
Saturday, September 11  Elida Villarroel, Charlotte Bistro

Macy’s – Aventura Mall at 1:00 p.m. (cooking demo is free to the public)

Macy’s Aventura Mall Home Store
The Kitchen at The Cellar, 2nd Floor
19535 Biscayne Boulevard
Aventura, FL 33180
For information, please call: (305) 662-3350

Saturday, August 7   Giorgio Rapicavoli, 660 at The Anglers  
Saturday, September 4 Nino Pernetti & Mauro Bazzanini, Café Abbracci 
Saturday, September 11 Evandro Caregnato & David Castro, Texas de Brazil 
Saturday, September 25 Sean Brasel, Meat Market

Bloomingdale’s – Aventura Mall at 1:00 p.m. (cooking demo is free to the public)

Bloomingdale’s – The Main Course Kitchen on level three

Michael Mondavi from the famed Mondavi wine family created  line of wines named for his wife, Isabel.  I’M Isabel Mondavi Chardonnay, Pinot Noir  and Cabernet Sauvignon.

At a tasting dinner at the Palm d’or I tasted these and his M by Michael Mondavi, 2006.  It’s a wonderful wine.  We paried it with Braised Short Ribs with Baby Turnips and Soft Polenta.   A real treat!

Miami Spice Kickoff party for the start of 2 months of premium dinning discounts.  119 restaurants taking part this year.  

Area 31,Chef John Critchley, Corvina Ceviche with heirloom tomato,white balsamic vinegar and basil olive oil.

Philippe Carrot Crusted Chicken Satay