Live and Dine event at the Design District with 25% off for readers, novel cocktail and croqueta pairing,  Taste of the Caribbean festival with special activities at Fairchild, iconic New York bagel spot comes to South Florida, restaurant openings and closings and more in Eating News for September 2024.

MIAMI Magazine’s Live and Dine event is celebrating its 14^th year and, in a “first”, they’re offering MiamiCurated readers  a 25% discount off of ticket prices! It’s taking place on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 from 6pm – 9pm at Paradise Plaza in Miami Design District.  Guests will enjoy sampling gastronomic delights from Miami’s top restaurants and food & beverage concepts including, ABA, Amalia, Bellita Pasta, Boulud Sud Miami, Casadonna Miami, CookinGenie, Delilah, Dirty French, Elastika, Kissaki, Kojin 2.0, La Natural, Sereia, Sushi Sake, Truluck’s, Uchi, Vitolo, and more. Attendees will also experience cocktails from Yave Tequila and Una Vodka, desserts from Chip City Cookies, and be treated to Romeo and Julieta Cigars.

For the discount, go to the website to get your tickets and use code: Miami25. This will lower your  ticket price from $100 to $75 (pretty sweet deal for all you can eat and open bar).  A portion of the proceeds will go to the Chapman Partnership.

Tickets: ttps://modernluxuryevents.com/miamitolivedine2024

Cocktails & Croquetas anyone? In collaboration with the celebrated Dos Croquetas and cocktail influencer Gio Gutierrez of @chatchowtv this fall, The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, Miami invites guests and visitors to indulge in a playful union spinning the art of mixology with the joy of gourmet bites. From now through November, The Commodore, the hotel’s iconic bar, will host this special Cocktails & Croquetas initiative.

At The Commodore, guests will indulge in a curated flight of expertly crafted cocktails, each paired with a signature croqueta from Dos Croquetas. The featured flight ($24), the centerpiece of this collaboration, is designed to deliver an exceptional tasting experience, balancing the bold complexity of the cocktails with the rich, savory notes of the croquetas.  Guests can enjoy these pairings as part of the featured flight or order them à la carte ($16 for 5 mini croquetas) with full-size cocktails available to suit their preferences.

For example,the Miami Made Martini offers a sophisticated twist on a classic, stirred with UNA Vodka or Harry’s Gin, Martini Dry Vermouth, orange bitters, and a touch of Maraschino, and finished with a lemon peel garnish. This crisp and elegant martini finds its perfect match in the PBG Croqueta, a savory blend of sweet plantains, smoky bacon, creamy goat cheese, and caramelized red onions.

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is bringing the vibrant flavors and culture of the Caribbean to Miami with their exciting upcoming festival.

On Saturday, September 14th, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., the garden will host Taste of the Caribbean, featuring authentic cuisine from Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and Belize.

Guests can purchase $2 tasting tickets to sample a variety of Caribbean dishes and refreshing tropical cocktails (Each food item can cost 2-6 tickets). The festival offers a perfect blend of culinary exploration and family-friendly activities, including:

• Traditional lawn games such as dominoes and giant checkers
• Kid-friendly races and competitions
• An Island Market showcasing Caribbean spices, hemp products, and more

H&H Bagels, the iconic New York bagel brand, is soon to open its newest location in Boca Raton, FL, marking the legacy brand’s first expansion outside of NYC .With seven locations across New York City, the Boca Raton location (2200 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431]  will be the first franchise location, beginning an exciting chapter in the esteemed brand’s move towards bringing classic, authentic, New York City bagels to customers nationwide!

H&H Bagels was founded in 1972 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and has become synonymous with the quintessential New York City bagel, earning them appearances on shows such as Sex and the City and Seinfeld.. Utilizing high quality, simple ingredients, H&H Bagels are proofed, kettle-boiled, bathed in cold water, and then oven-baked fresh. Baked on-site all day, customers are able to choose from a wide variety of spreads, egg sandwiches, smoked fish, and house-made salads.

Luxury dining spot Queen with a serious Omakase venue is offering an Omakase cooking class curated by Chef Kamakura. Designed to teach skills to craft sushi at home, the event will also feature savoring your own sushi creations.To commemorate your culinary journey at Queen, you’ll receive a certificate of completion and a selection of souvenirs. The 1.5 hour experience, priced at $165 per person will be held on September 19 at 6 p.m. To reserve, click here. For my review of Queen, click here.

Restaurant Openings and Closings

Golden Era Hospitality Group, announces the debut of Oro. The luxury rooftop venues will be located on Miami’s prominent Lincoln Road in the heart of South Beach. Oro was developed around the idea of creating an elevated joint dining and entertainment venue in the center of South Beach.

Upon entering Oro, guests are greeted by a glamorous arches covered in gold, and dramatic floral arrangements.The 300+ seat eatery offers an array of premium cuts of meat and high quality seafood. Fresh crab, lobster, Caviar, and a wide selection of fish are  presented with flair, including table-side presentations.

Oro’s entertainment counterpart, Elixir will be opening its doors after Oro making the venue’s building a full dining and entertainment hotspot. Oro, spanning over 15,000 square feet will be located at 818 Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach, FL 33139.It will be open everyday from 5 p.m. through 2 a.m. For more information about Golden Era Hospitality Group, follow on Instagram, @OroSouthBeach.

Bib Gourmand-Winning Doya alum, Chef Arévalo, to helm Middle Eastern-Inspired Menu at the soon-to-open Habibi Miami.  At the lush French Moroccan supper club, Arévalo will emphasize these fiery and craveable flavors with his use of citrus, smokiness and spices like Ras el Hanout. Diners will dive into Arévalo’s signature and shareable dishes like Shish-Barak Dumplings with Wagyu Cheeks, Garbanzo, Miso and Yogurt,Lobster Lavash Tacos with Herbed Lavash, Apple Slaw, Umami Aioli, Roasted Chicken with Herbed Yogurt, andMediterranean Sea Bass with Harissa Sofrito Marinade. Desserts like Baklava Cheesecake provide a sweet finish.

Later in the evening, Habibi will lend itself to nightly roving belly dancers, contortionists and percussionists completing the dinner theater experience.

Habibi Miami is due to open Fall 2024. Habibi Miami is located at 452 Northwest North River Drive, Miami, FL.

MOMENTO by Ikaro is the first U.S. venture from culinary couple Carolina Sanchez and Iñaki Murua, the chefs behind Michelin-starred Ikaro in La Rioja, Spain. Located near the Adrienne Arsht Center, this alfresco spot combines their Spanish and Ecuadorian roots with Miami’s vibrant local scene.

The menu features dishes like Amazonian Tiradito, Wood-Fired Turbot, Glazed Boneless Short Rib and Basque-Style Lotus Cheesecake.

MOMENTO by Ikaro is at 1306 N Miami Ave, Miami, FL, open Wednesday to Saturday, 6-11pm. Reservations are available on OpenTable. For more details, visit momentomiami.com or follow on Instagram @momento.miami.

West Palm Beach’s Nora District, “a pedestrian-friendly arts and shopping district just north of downtown West Palm Beach”  is future home of New York-born restaurant Pastis’s second South Florida location. Pastis, which is  in Wynwood, will be  in the Nora Hotel.

More Openings and Closings

Strada in the Grove is reopening in a new and renovated location……Cuban sandwich shop Sanguich has opened in Bayside Marketplace….. Chefs Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth have closed Root & Bone in South Miami but continue to operate Stiltsville seafood restaurant in Miami Beach.

And last but certainly not least, the long awaited Torno Subito by star chef Massimo Bottura has opened in the rooftop location of Julia & Henry’s downtown. They’re offering modern Italian cuisine. It’s open for dinner daily from 6 p.m. For more information, click  here.