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Month: April 2016

Leave it up to Dubai, the land of over the top, to have an ice cream cafe with the world's most expensive scoop at over $800. It's Scoopi Cafe Black Diamond Sundae.
If you’re in the Bal Harbour area, it’s definitely worth a detour to see the current exhibit, Acta Non Verba, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, by French-Guadaloupean artist Marielle Plaisir. The exhibit features paintings, drawings, textile/fiber installations, and tableau vivant performances that capture intense visual experiences. The exhibition addresses both historical and personal issues about colonialism, domination, and the construction of identity. The show’s highlight includes an installation of paper mache dresses mounted on wire frames that are then illuminated and suspended in air.The exhibit is appealing in a provocative kind of way, and is sure to conjure up deep thoughts and emotions, very different with different viewers. And more in museum news, today and tomorrow Dialogues in Cuban Art at PAMM.
My curated picks for the top six happy hours in Miami Beach for different budgets, vibes and food ranging from Nikkei and Thai to Med and pizza.
I wouldn’t have expected to find an independently owned (as in not global branded) stylish fashion boutique let alone a companion shoe store in CocoWalk. Thanks to a fashionista friend, Edite Mode moved to my radar screen to check out.
Finding a very good restaurant where the prices aren’t budget busting on South Beach is a challenge. And finding one with not your usual menu selections, very creative without sacrificing taste, even harder. Think carrot and beet tartare with tomato sorbet instead of the trite tuna tartare; corn 4 ways – grilled sweet corn, cornbread butter, cornbread rumbles and lemon popcorn; and little pumpkins — roasted pumpkin with crunchy quinoa granola and fluffy pumpkin cloud. And all of that is just in the “American” dim sum trolley, a clever conceit for serving light bites. That’s new eatery The Sarsaparilla Club, the work of chef partners Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth who also own New York City’s Root & Bone.
At lunch the line was out the door with people waiting to get into Grown, the hot new organic, fast casual restaurant by basketball star Ray Allen. Why the crowd? As I described to Shannon Allen, his wife, if I took away the sustainable paper plate my food came in and plated the perfectly cooked, moist grilled wild salmon, quinoa salad and garlic brussel sprouts at home, dinner guests would think I had prepared it in one of my better culinary moments. The credo at this South Miami eatery is “Real Food, Cooked Slow for Fast People”. And it is real – organic, quality ingredients, super fresh, and gluten free.
This month's fashion news brings a combo art gallery and fashion popup for men and women with over 20 designers, lovely new shoe collection at Menina Step (and still a deal), and a wonderful, not to be missed film about the annual ball of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute which has been called the "super bowl of fashion". The film is screening until Thursday so take note.
This month's Karen's Kudos is an unusual assortment of finds -- from an exhibit of internationally famous artist and designer Michele Oka Doner at PAMM, and classes for honing computer skills and troubleshooting,to home delivery services for household and grocery items and -- get this, gas.
When the rich snowbirds leave South Florida in April for points North, many clean out their closets and get rid of cocktail dresses and gowns that were worn in "the season". Heaven forbid one should wear the same dress for two seasons. The upshot of that? It's an ideal time to go fashion hunting at consignment shops from Jupiter and Boca Raton to Palm Beach and Wellington. At some of the shops you'll find antiques and collectibles as well, and there's a consignment shop too for men. Where to go? Here's a list put together by colleagues at Discover the Palm Beaches. Love to hear if you have any others as well!
Palm Beach is perfect. Lawns immaculate as putting greens. Flowers and trees landscaping homes that look like they’re straight out of Departures or Architectural Digest magazines. Worth Avenue with its charming European-style garden courtyards, balconies overflowing with well-tended bougainvillea and shop sales staff that look like they just walked out of a Ralph Lauren ad. And then there’s The Breakers, that’s one of the best landmark hotels in America. They said they reinvest a minimum of $25 million a year to keep it that way and that makes all the difference. With all of the craziness in the world, I felt I needed to do a weekend break close to home and light years away in feeling, so off we went for a Palm Beach staycation. If you haven’t been there in more than 6 months, you’ll notice some very welcome additions like the uber luxe Flagler Club, a hotel within a hotel, a newly renovated spa that oozes seaside sophistication, and roomy, ice cream colored wooden poolside beach bungalows for extra comfort and convenience poolside. Also, stay tuned for some finds you may not have known about.