A quiet interivew with 'Mr. Chow'

Eva Chow, whose tall frame and curtain of straight, jet-black hair give her the air of an austere fashion model, greets you at the doors of an empty Mr. Chow for a lunch that she has orchestrated down to the final course of lychees and oranges.

The latest outpost of the celeb-luring restaurant chain, which opened in August at the W Hotel on South Beach and has already hosted an impressive roster of names in bold -- Jaime Foxx, Drew Barrymore, Calvin Klein, Michael Jordan, Alex Rodriguez, Lenny Kravitz -- is typically slammed with the pretty people who always seem to get the memo on the hottest place to be seen and always stampede there from the last hottest place.

But this afternoon, except for the clubby music playing for no one in particular, the place, open evenings only, seems as serene as Chow herself.

The Irish are coming, the Irish are coming

Could Miami be in the throes of an Irish invasion? With a slew of new pubs hitting the scene, we sense that it is. First, there's Brickell Irish Pub , 1471 S. Miami Ave., where, to no one's surprise, beer and billiards are the theme, though the bar advertises future special DJ and karaoke nights. Coming soon to the condo on Southwest First Court and Seventh Street: a second branch of South Beach's Waxy O'Connor's Irish Pub and Eatery , featuring a monstrous 7,000-square foot space with riverside dining, raw bar, boat slips and a live music stage that the press release describes as equal parts Irish pub and Key West cantina. An odd mix indeed. There will be 16 beers on tap, 20 bottles and a wide range of whiskeys and single malt Scotches. Best of all, weekdays will feature a $5 happy hour featuring premium stuff from 4-7 p.m.

And let us not forget the originals: JohnMartin's in Coral Gables, the Playwright on South Beach, Clarke's in South of Fifth, and, the most Americanized, Finnegan's on the

Baltic cruise offers fellowship and flexibility for casual friends

The sightseeing boat was half way down the cafe-lined canal when the pilot started back toward the pier. ''We have to pick up more people,'' the guide said. As we neared the mooring, we started screaming.

''It's Sam!'' In a city of a million people, the late-comers turned out to be companions on our 10-day Baltic cruise.

That free-wheeling ability to come-and-go-as-you-please had convinced our motley crew of 12 that a cruise vacation just might work.

Damons have a Spicy night at EPIC

We love that even though Matt Damon has more money than he can probably count, he still takes advantage of a good deal. Damon was spotted this week at EPIC Hotel's Area 31 restaurant, having the $35 Miami Spice four-course special with his wife, Luciana , and Flavia Lowenstein-Elortegui , associate director at Diana Lowenstein Fine Arts. A deal's a deal even if you don't necessarily need one.

Ludacris made the So Flo rounds this week, turning up Tuesday at BOVA Prime Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, where he kicked off his new line of cognac, Conjure; and then Wednesday at B.E.D., where he hosted another party to promote the drink. Also on Wednesday, Luda was spotted at Prime Italian with race car driver Marco Andretti .

At Prime 112 Wednesday, Randy Jackson , Ryan Seacrest and Simon Cowell. No eavesdroppings on the status of Paula Abdul , unfortunately, but the American Idol crew did stop and chat with FIU basketball coach Isiah Thomas , who was also in the meatery. Seacrest

Taking a lesson in the fine art of club life

Bar hopping isn't always a bleary-eyed pastime, especially when there's an ample supply of eye candy of the artistic sort we saw at the recent Heineken Art Crawl throughout the Brickell area. But even when there's no art on display, places like Segafredo, Novecento, Piola, Dolores Lolita and Badrutt's Place often give barflies something to look at besides the bottom of their empty glasses. Providing ample distractions of its own in that neighborhood is the newly opened Brickell Irish Pub , where live bands, poker tournaments and karaoke nights are among the planned nightly activities besides the usual Guinness guzzling.

Another one-stop spot for amusement is Crazy Pianos in the Grove , where every Thursday you get two-for-one drafts off the frozen beer taps from 6-10 p.m. Looking for a little intellect with your hops? We hear that Crazy Pianos is the Thursday night spot for those pursuing higher education at the University of Miami Law School.

Those educated in the art -- and it is an