St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church, 7901 N. Kendall Dr., Miami, hosts its 32nd annual Miami Greek Festival from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday with homemade Greek specialties, traditional music and dancing. Admission is $4 for adults and free for children under 12. Fairgoers who use shuttles from Dadeland Medical Plaza, 7400 N. Kendall Dr., and Galloway Plaza, 9095 SW 87th Ave., also get in free; 305-595-1343.
The 11th Street Diner, 1065 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, made Playboy.com's Top 10 list of late-night diners. Chef Jean Lysius' menu ranges from jalpeño poppers and Argentine-style skirt steak to blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes. Housed in a vintage dining car, the eatery is open around the clock Thursday through Sunday, closing at midnight the rest of the week; 305-534-6373.
Waxy O'Connor's, 690 SW First Ct., Miami, celebrates its grand opening with Irish bagpipers, Celtic dancers, a U2 tribute band, free eats and drink specials from 7 to 11 p.m. Thursday. On Wednesdays, the Irish pub has added a rotating roster of reggae bands, singers and DJs beginning at 10 p.m. with no cover and discounted brews; 786-871-7660.
Urbanite Bistro, 62 NE 14th St., Miami, inaugurates a series of craft-beef dinners hosted by Chris Montelius of South Florida's Fresh Beer at 8:30 p.m. Friday. The six-course menu includes Woodpecker Pear Cider with wild mushroom empanadas, Ayinger Hefe Weizen with wild mussels, Victory Pilsner with alligator egg rolls, Victory Smoking King Stout with Moroccan lamb sliders, Rogue Chocolate Stout with short ribs and Seadog Wild Blueberry Ale with pear cobbler. Cost is $35 and reservations are required; 305-374-0662.
International Finance Bank (IFB) is sponsoring free cafecitas for all comers at the walk-up window of Versailles, 3555 SW Eighth St., Miami, from noon to 3 p.m. weekdays through the end of the month; www.intlfinancebank.com.
Slow Food Miami hosts a Greenmarket Tent at this weekend's Ramble at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden featuring Asian food with Thi Squire, ``What's in Your Lunchbox?'' with Adri Garcia and Hunter Reno, goat-cheese making with Hani Khouri and heirloom tomato starts from Redland Organics. Admission is $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, $10 for children 6-17 and free for children 5 and under and members of the garden, which is at 10901 Old Cutler Rd., Coral Gables; 305-667-1651, fairchildgarden.org.
Taste of the NFL, a hunger-relief fundraiser held in conjunction with the Super Bowl. The 2010 edition takes place Feb. 6 at the Broward County Convention Center, with Allen Susser of Chef Allen's and Shula's Steakhouse corporate chef Peter Farrand representing the home team. All proceeds go to food banks in NFL cities, according to announcement, with Daily Bread Food Bank in line to receive the lion's share this year. Cost is $500 ($600 VIP); 888-695-0888, www.tasteofthenfl.com.
8 oz. Burger Bar, 1080 Alton Rd., Miami Beach, has eight new burgers ($11-$16), from andouille sausage to Maryland crab, plus a Suds and Slider special: a four-brew beer flight with short rib, bison, boar and lamb sliders ($20; $15 without beer); 305-397-8246.
Marc Vidal, who opened Coral Gables' Por Fin to acclaim two years ago, is the new executive chef at Solea at the W South Beach. The 32-year-old Barcelona native's impressive resume includes stints at Ferran Adriá's El Bulli and a pair of three-star Michelin restaurants in Paris. Vidal will roll out his new menu for Solea Nov. 23. Michael Gilligan remains the W's executive hotel chef.
The South Florida Farmer's Market moves to Pinecrest Gardens this season, reports Elizabeth Gardner Adams, who launched it at Gardner's Market in 1996, a decade before Farm Stores bought her family's specialty grocery stores. Opening day is Dec. 6.
Chef-owner Allen Susser has added a sea-themed $42 tasting menu at Chef Allen's, 19088 NE 29th Ave., Aventura, featuring conch ceviche, yellowfin tuna poke, stone crab salad, blue crab cake, wild Florida shrimp bisque shooter, cucumber melon gelee, sesame-crusted Indian River soft shell crab, rock shrimp lo-mein, wood-grilled wild wahoo and chanterelle and lobster mushroom faro risotto with aged sherry vinaigrette; 305-935-2900.
Marc Buoniconti hosts 20th anniversary festivities Thursday evening at Siam Palace, 9999 Sunset Dr., Miami. Buoniconti, president of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, will join founder-owner Cynthia Halelamien in launching the restaurant's sushi bar. New specials include two-for-one beer and wine on Mondays, half-price Miami and California rolls on Tuesdays and $4 sake bombs on Wednesday. Through Nov. 12, customers will be offered free sushi samples; 305-279-6906, siampalacemiami.com.
The casting producer for a new reality weight-loss show is in Miami this week looking for pairs of people -- spouses, colleagues, pals, whatever -- who between them need to lose 100 pounds or more. He's particularly interested in culinary professionals: ``Ideally, we would have two chefs and/or aspiring chefs on a team,'' Jonathan Groce writes.
Philippe Pinon, executive chef of the Ritz-Carlton, Coconut Grove, leads a series of classes on hosting a posh potluck party for $10 or less per guest. They begin Saturday with the appetizer course, toasted orzo salad with grilled garlic shrimp, followed by a pair of entrees, gourmet meatloaf on Nov. 15 and chicken and gnocchi ``pot pie'' on Dec. 12, and dessert, trifle tiramisu and berries Romanoff, on Dec. 19. The 4-6 p.m. classes include a glass of wine, an apron, a Whole Foods shopping bag, recipe card and tastings. Cost is $52 per session; 305-644-4680.
Catch Michael Schwartz of Michael's Genuine Food & Drink Friday on Rachael Ray's Rachael's Vacation. The farm-to-table-themed show, which airs at 11 p.m. on the Food Network, was shot in part at Homestead's Paradise Farms and Schwartz's Design District restaurant during the South Beach Wine & Food Festival.
The Boca Raton-based Bova Group is taking over the restaurant at South Beach's storied Casa Casuarina, the one-time Versace mansion, installing a ``modern Italian menu'' overseen by Wolfgang Birk, who will serve as both executive and corporate chef. Birk comes to the job from the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in suburban Washington, D.C., where he was executive chef and general manager of two dining venues. On Fort Lauderdale's Las Olas Boulevard, a cigar and martini bar called Bova Smoke will join the company's Bova Prime. Both openings are expected ``before the end of the year,'' a spokeswoman says.
Archie's Gourmet Pizza, 166 Giralda Ave., Coral Gables, will take 30 percent off your tab on Tuesdays if you pay cash; 305-444-1557.
Salsa Fiesta Urban Mexican Grill plans to open this week at 2929 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, boasting a fast-casual menu in a full-service setting. Tacos, burritos and fajitas are joined by salads, soups and Caribbean sides like tostones (twice-fried plantain slices). Sauces and dips are made fresh daily, according to an announcement, and whole wheat tortillas are available along with gluten-free and vegetarian options. Beverages included imported beers. Salsa Fiesta, which has its own parking lot, is open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily; 305-400-8390.
It's heartening to see communities support their restaurants in these tough times, to wit:
The Coral Gables Business Improvement District launches its Get Your Gables on Thursdays promotion this week, featuring happy-hour and other specials at more than 70 eateries. From a glass of sangria and two beef empanadas for $10 at Novecento to free wine and chocolate samples at Peterbrooke Chocolatier, you'll find the details at www.shopcoralgables.com.Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez is set to attend the kickoff for Publix Super Markets' Redland Raised branding initiative for locally grown produce at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Tropicaire Shopping Center Publix, 7805 SW 40th St., Miami; 305-375-5071.
Cafe Maxx chef-owner Oliver Saucy leads a free session of Family Circle's Food University from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Ikea, 151 NW 136th Ave., Sunrise. Saucy will demonstrate recipes from the magazine, talk about local produce and offer tips for easy entertaining. Also on the program: Adriana Martin, founder of Fit Mom For Life. Details: www.myfoodu.com.
Norman Van Aken's much-anticipated return to the South Florida dining scene with Norman's 180 at the Westin Colonnade Hotel, 180 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables.
It actually is OK to put your elbows on the table -- but only after you've finished eating. So says Sonia Jacobson, who will lead a dinner seminar on business etiquette at the Bankers Club, One Biscayne Tower, Miami, on Wednesday. Jacobson will cover such fine points as who should be seated where and who orders first and such faux pas as what to do if you spill wine on your guest. Cocktails (cash bar) are at 6:30 p.m., with the three-course meal at 7:15 p.m. Cost is $39.95 for Bankers Club members, $49.95 for others. Reserve at 305-374-1448, or reservations@thebankersclub.com.
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.
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.
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