Deals at Bourbon Steak, Prima Pasta, Red, Sra. Martinez

Bourbon Steak at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle, 19999 W. Country Club Dr., Aventura, is discounting all by-the-bottle wines by 50 percent on Mondays; 786-279-6600.

SoBe Wine & Food Fest tickets on sale Monday

Tickets go on sale Monday for the 2010 South Beach Wine & Food Festival. In addition to a full complement of Food Network personalities, the Feb. 25-28 event will feature chef Daniel Boulud as tribute-dinner honoree and the mother-son team of Lidia Bastianich and Joe Bastianich as interactive-dinner hosts. Also in the spotlight: Design District restaurants Sra. Martinez, Michael's Genuine Food & Drink, Pacific Time and Fratelli Lyon; www.sobewineandfoodfest.com.

New Sunday brunches at BLT, Michael's

BLT Steak at The Betsy, 1440 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach, has begun serving brunch from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Sundays. The $24 prix-fixe menu includes a bloody mary, mimosa or bellini and a choice of entrees such as popover poached eggs (a take on eggs benedict), croque monsieur (hot ham and cheese) and a scrambled egg, black bean and Cheddar burrito. The $14 Oceanside Basket comes with croissants, pain au chocolat, Danish, scone, coffee cake, a muffin and lemon pound cake; 305-673-0044.

Tidbits from Todd English, Bin 18, Crazy Pianos, Cacao, Schnebly's

Miami.com's Sara Liss reports that chef Todd English guided more than 50 guests through a wine-soaked feast of house-made burrata caprese salad, suckling pig ravioli with white truffles and braised short ribs with black truffles at his Fort Lauderdale restaurant, da Campo Osteria, last week. ``The more wine you drink, the funnier I get,'' joked English, who was joined by Ruffino Wines CEO Adolfo Folonari.

Eat well, do good for March of Dimes and more

The 12th annual March of Dimes Signature Chefs & Wine Extravaganza takes place Thursday at Jungle Island, featuring the talents of more than 30 South Florida chefs led by chair Cindy Hutson of Ortanique on the Mile. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. event are $150 in advance, $175 at the door; $250 VIP admission includes a 6:30 p.m. reception. Call 305-477-1192 or visit marchofdimes.com/florida.

Wine dinners at China Grill, Lola's, Michy's

China Grill and Kobe Club Miami, 404 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, host a six-course, bring-your-own-wine dinner Thursday that begins with a 7:30 p.m. vodka reception and moves on to such dishes as macadamia-crusted mahi mahi and braised Mongolian-style short rib. Cost is $55 and reservations are required; 305-534-2211.

Deals at Boston Market, Piccadilly, Wine It Down

Boston Market is offering a free children's meal with each $6-plus adult meal purchased through Oct. 31. Order a family meal and feed four tots for free. You must have the kids along to take advantage of the offer; www.bostonmarket.com.

Cupcakes Sunday, Ancapri on Tuesday, Signature Chefs Oct. 22.

Buttercream Cupcakes & Coffee, 1411 Sunset Dr., Coral Gables, supports breast cancer research by donating 25 cents from each $2.75 cupcake it sells from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday to the Susan G. Komen Foundation; 305-669-8181.

Bernstein's book honored; Jeannetti new at The Palms

Michelle Bernstein's Cuisine a Latina: Fresh Tastes and a World of Flavors from Michy's Miami Kitchen, has been named one of the 25 best cookbooks of the year by Food & Wine magazine.

Celebrity Chef alert: English, Hoffmann, Martinez in town

Boston-based chef and TV personality Todd English, whose restaurants include Fort Lauderdale's da Campo, is the featured attraction at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Macy's Home Store at Aventura Mall. Ticketed guests will be invited to sample English's Italian cuisine and encouraged to host their own dinner parties to raise money for hunger relief. Proceeds from the event, part of the Macy's Come Together campaign to provide 10 million meals for hungry Americans, will benefit South Florida's Daily Bread food bank. Tickets are $25 and may be reserved at 305-682-3352.

Dinner aids students, honors culinary great

Les Dames d'Escoffier Miami hosts a five-course Escoffier Celebration Dinner Friday evening at Florida International University's North Miami campus to salute legendary French chef Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935) and raise money for its scholarship fund. This year's scholarship will be presented in memory of Marcel Escoffier, a grand nephew of ``the king of chefs and the chef of kings'' and an associate professor at FIU's School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, who died last month. Tickets cost $65 and must be reserved; reservations@lesdamesmiami.org, 305-283-9485.

Broward loses Frankie's, Cohiba, Christine's

The tough economy has claimed three well-known Broward restaurants:

After 40 years, the Perrone family served its last meal at Frankie's 124 (formerly Frankie's Pier 5) in Hallandale Beach Friday. It was most recently operated by cousins Peter and Louis Perrone, sons of founders Frank and Dominick Perrone.

Dinner in Paradise series returns

Dinner in Paradise, the al fresco series at Homestead's Paradise Farms that's a South Florida treasure, has announced its 2009-10 season. Hosted by farm owner Gabriele Marewski and chef Michael Schwartz (Michael's Genuine), the Sunday dinners cost $165.50 and benefit Barry University's Plant a Thousand Gardens program.

Deals at food show, Runyons, Talula and more

Thursday is the last day of free online registration for the Nov. 9-10 Americas Food & Beverage Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center featuring a chef competition, new-product showcase and seminars. Registration at www.americasfoodandbeverage.com is $35 after Thursday. Admission is $45 at the door, free to uniformed chefs with business cards.

Esquire honors Area 31, Sra. Martinez -- and Kaitlin Yelle

Miami merits three mentions in Esquire magazine restaurant critic John Mariani's 2009 accounting of the year's best. The Epic Hotel's Area 31, where chef John Critchley keeps the focus on local seafood, and Sra. Martinez, where chef-owner Michelle Bernstein does tapas with Latin flair, are among his 20 best new U.S. restaurants.

New chefs at Ideas, 5300 Chop House; Mandarin Village moves

Jorge L. Sanchez, a native of Avila, is the new executive chef at Ideas Restaurant, 2833 Bird Ave., Coconut Grove, which is celebrating his arrival with a new menu of Spanish regional dishes; 305-567-9074.

Kudos for Michael Schwartz, Maricel Presilla

Miami's Michael Schwartz is in august company in Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes From an Organic Farm by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann (Ecco, $34.95). The chef-owner of Michael's Genuine Food & Drink is one of four chefs profiled in the beautifully photographed book. The others: Matthew Dillon of Seattle's Sitka and Spruce, Dan Barber of Westchester County's Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Thomas Keller of Napa Valley's legendary French Laundry.

Alternative-health expo Sunday at Biltmore

Natural foods fans will find plenty to their taste at Acufest, a first-time alternative-health expo Sunday at the Biltmore Hotel, 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables. Expect organic dishes by the hotel's Palm d'Or, Cascade and Fontana restaurants, organic juices, cocktails and wines plus a make-your-own granola bar. Acupuncture, tai chi and feng shui are among the ancient disciplines to be represented. Admission to the 11 a.m.-5 p.m. event is $25 in advance, $35 at the door; 305-460-6575, www.acufest.com.

Deals at Steak 954, Red, Petite Rouge, FIU

Steak 954 at the W Fort Lauderdale, 401 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., has a limited-time lunch special: Stephen Starr's signature burger and fries for $9.54; 954-414-8333.

Openings: Morton's, Bonefish, Gables Pizza & Salad

Morton's open its 78th steak house Friday at The Crown, 4041 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. The oceanfront location features a Bar 12.21, outdoor patio and Boardroom private dining space complete with digital theater. Dinner service begins at 5 p.m. daily; 786-454-4022.

Latin talent at Macy's, Top Chef contestant at Whole Foods

Macys salutes Hispanic Heritage Month on Sunday at its Dadeland store with an appearance by George Duran of the Food Network's Ham on the Street and Isabel Gonzalez, co-author of the 2005 book Latin Chic. The free 2 p.m. event will feature a cooking demo by Duran and Latin Chic tabletop decor.

Cookbook signing

Coral Gables' Morton's The Steakhouse, 2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd., will celebrate the launch of the chain's cookbook, Morton's The Cookbook: 100 Steakhouse Recipes for Every Kitchen, with a book signing event 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday with co-author Tylor Fields III. Cookbooks will be available for $20 (normally $32.50). The event will include a sampling of recipes from the book as well as an auction to benefit Feeding America and the Daily Bread Food Bank. Tickets, $39 per person, include food drink, tax, gratuity and a $5 donation to the Daily Bread Food Bank. 305-442-1662.

Newly opened

Stanley Schoenblatt and Miguel Bermudez have opened Gables Pizza & Salad at 1558 S. Dixie Hwy., their motto: ``GPS -- you'll know when you're here!''

Foodie gurus

The Foodie Gurus begin their eighth season of Tasteful Tuesdays next week at Acquamare Seafood Bar & Grill, 18090 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach; 6 p.m.; $18 per person; RSVPs due Friday at 305-933-4005.

Top chefs

The Whole Foods Market in Coral Gables (6701 Red Rd.) will celebrate its second anniversary Saturday with Chefs Club Miami members for an interactive day of food and fun. Festivities begin at 1 p.m. with a cooking demonstration by chef Michael Jacobs of MediterAsia Catering & Consulting. Also planned is a meet the chefs session at 2 p.m. with Giancarla Bodoni of Escopazzo, Giorgio Rapicavoli of The Anglers and Sean Brasel of Meat Market followed by another demonstration at 3:30 with Sean Bernal of the Oceanaire Seafood Room. Space is limited and registration is required: 305-421-9421.