Some people may have noticed a distinct dearth of crowds at certain South Beach night spots lately, and we aren't sure the absence is entirely due to the recession. For the first time in many years, the beach is no longer the only game in town. Now we have the bustling Brickell area, where such places as Brickell Irish Pub and Club 50 are packing in barflies, hipsters and aspiring socialites. And The Little Engines That Could neighborhoods (the Design District and Wynwood) are slowly but surely proving to people that there is life after a meal at Michael's Genuine Food & Drink.

While this branching-off-the-beach trend is hardly new, some places are taking things a step further to make sure we realize that it's here to stay. Take The King Is Dead at Grass in the Design District. Its new Thursday night party calls itself Eff the Beach Thursdays: A Design District Experience. All righty then! This party sets out to prove that South Beach may be a nice place to sun yourself during the day, but at night the edge and grit are way over the causeway.

If it's polish and posh you seek, consider Friends of the New World Symphony's Kick Off Saturday, beginning with a concert at the Lincoln Theater at 7:30 p.m. and continuing over at the W Hotel for ``Symphony After Hours, Volume 1,'' featuring a live jazz performance and improvisational funky jam session with DJ/producer Roberto Castillo. The event, held in conjunction with Miami Magazine's two-year anniversary, will feature cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and one of the city's hippest, most cultured cocktail cliques. The event is for members, but for as little as $150 you can become part of this eclectic group by e-mailing stacey.glassman@nws.edu.

If you would like to refine your wine tastes a bit, the Miami International Wine Fair is in town this weekend at the Miami Beach Convention Center and features seminars and sips of all vintages. While most seminars and tastings cost extra, for the price of a ticket into the fair ($75 gives you access to the tasting floor featuring 1,500 wines with proceeds benefiting Educate Tomorrow), you can attend a free seminar ``You Be the Judge: An Introduction to Evaluating Wine'' at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. You can use your new knowledge that night at one of our city's fine watering holes. In fact, if you show your fair ticket or pass at the door of Louis on Friday or Aerobar on Saturday, you get in free and receive a free welcome cocktail. That's a savings of close to $40 considering admission and drink prices -- and priceless considering the humiliation you will be spared at the door as the velvet ropes part. At Sunday's 4:45 p.m. seminar on Sushi & Sake, SushiSamba dromo's sake sommelier (!) Midori Roth will give you the raw details on delicious pairings. Cost is $20.

Moving from wine to tequila: The Jose Cuervo Platino Music Series hits Club 50 at 11 p.m. Friday, featuring a live performance from N.Y.-based band The Postelles. Party is free, but you must RSVP to info@novelcomm.com.

Also on Friday, Gryphon in the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino offers free admission from 10 p.m. until midnight and two free drink tickets in conjunction with the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale, which celebrates the artists and collectors featured in its critically acclaimed exhibition, the über-hip and contemporary With You I Want to Live.

But back to South Beach. Brace yourself for a new nightclub in the space formerly known as Opium called Klutch 136, owned by the folks behind Martini Bar in South Miami and Spirits at Seminole Hard Rock. Despite the fact that the place is allegedly four to six weeks away from opening, it already has several friends on Facebook (this columnist is one of them).

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