Broward Palm Beach Food Blog

​Thanksgiving is just around the corner, kiddies. Are you ready? There's a lot to prep for, from getting that Big Bird defrosted to queuing up your side dishes. Not to mention making sure you're caught up enough at work to take two weekdays off (ack!).

If you're still undecided on any of it, here's a little roundup of cool and unusual recipes fluttering around the ol' internets:

John Linn

Happiness is a full bottle at Get Downtown in front of YOLO this Friday.

​• The 11th annual Riverwalk Get Downtown happy hour ramps up in front of YOLO tomorrow night at 5. The huge, outdoor party will feature music from Fourth Dimension as well as food from Big City Tavern, Chima, the Downtowner Saloon, Sublime, YOLO, and more. Get your tickets for $20 a head a goriverwalk.com, or for $5 more at the door.

​•    Allen Susser, one of the original Mango Gangers (with Norman Van Aken and Mark Militello), will open a gastropub, Taste, in the Pineapple Grove area of Delray Beach sometime early next year. Look for small plates of comfy food and a roster of swell cocktails.

•    Also in Delray, Joey Giannuzzi's Green Gourmet made its debut in the Shoppes at Addison Place. It features traditional and contemporary American dishes prepared with organic, all-natural ingredients, available to eat in or take home. The eatery itself is green too, making extensive use of recycled and repurposed materials.

•    Trying to entice locals to enjoy its quirky Old Florida charms, the restaurants and businesses on Lantana's East Ocean Avenue are holding a "reopening celebration" this Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. There will be live entertainment, free food and wine samples, specials sales, raffles and more.

​Amateur pizza chefs, unite: the first ever Worstpizza.com Great Pizza Cookoff is going down tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. at Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza in Aventura. Five amateur competitors will throw down with their own personal take on great pie, while the public in attendance gets to act as judge. The winner will receive a $50 Anthony's gift card as well as a $45 wax from Ultimate Car Wash, and proceeds will benefit the Dan Marino Foundation.

Tickets cost $5 per person and are still available here.

Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza
17901 Biscayne Blvd., Aventura
305-830-COAL

​We've all got a lot to be thankful for: The recession is over (supposedly), the world is still spinning, and Glenn Beck's communist appendix finally escaped its dank cell. Hollywood eatery Lola's on Harrison has a pretty good list too: Michael Wagner and company are going into their third season in H-town with a bunch of renovations under their belt, and the place seems to be as popular as ever. To celebrate, Lola's is throwing Lolapalooza, a night-long thanks-giving to its loyal supporters. Starting at 8 p.m. November 20 (7 p.m. for VIP guests), Lola's will offer a spread of all-you-can-scarf comestibles along with live music, spirits, and a live cooking demo from Wagner. You'll get to taste the food that's made Lola's such a hit and mingle with the staff that puts it together. Perry Farrell, eat your heart out. Tickets cost $30 at the door ($25 if you preregister online); bring a canned good for the Thanksgiving food drive and you'll get entered into a raffle as well.

Nothing says Thanksgiving like stuffed soy-protein!

​For vegetarians, Thanksgiving is sort of like going to a Dolphins game with a Jets jersey on. I know firsthand because I practiced the lifestyle for almost four years back in high school and college. No matter how accepting your family is (and mine is pretty accepting), you're going to get made fun of constantly on Turkey Day as a vegetarian. You'll get poked and prodded to "just eat some turkey today, goddamn it." And all you can do is take your lumps and pile on the side dishes.

Sublime --Fort Lauderdale's premier vegetarian mecca -- knows how harrowing Thanksgiving can be for vegetarians, so

Photo by Flickr user Matthew Armstrong

​A little park in Wilton Manors is hosting a feast fit for a king -- maybe several or dozens of kings. For the fourth-annual "Taste of the Island" evening, 48 restaurants and drinking establishments are setting up stalls and offering samples of their food and beverages at the Richardson Historic Park and Nature Preserve (1937 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors).

Rosie's and Georgie's Alibi are taking part along with the Naked Grape Wine Bar, Bravo Gourmet Sandwiches, Cookies by Design, Gold Coast Coffee, and too many more to list. Bacardi will be there making mojitos. Once you've paid your admission of $35 at the door (or $30 in advance), there's no limit to how much you can scarf down and guzzle.

When ancient Rome threw decadent banquets on this scale, Roman philosopher Seneca explained the procedure: "One [slave] wipes up the spittle; another, situated beneath [the table], collects the leavings of the drunks." Caesar was reportedly fond of ritually vomiting after an ample dinner.

At the park, don't let it come to that. The feast is from 6 to 9 p.m. November 2. Call 954-565-1445, or click here.

​Danny Martinez never expected the outpouring of support he's received when he started the Michael Brewer Foundation.

"It's really been amazing. I don't have words to express our gratitude," says Martinez. "I've had people call me from all over the United States, from London, from Nicaragua; everyone wants to do a fundraiser."

On Tuesday night, Galuppi's Restaurant and Patio Bar in Pompano Beach will host a fundraiser for Michael Brewer, the 15-year-old Deerfield Beach boy who was set on fire by a group of teens on October 12. From 5 p.m. onward, all proceeds from the restaurant's bar will go to the foundation, which will assist with medical bills for the burned teen; Martinez hopes that with enough support, it can expand to assist other burn victims as well. Cash donations will also be accepted on site through the foundation and Neighbors 4 Neighbors.

The particularly brutal nature of the crime was disturbing news for South Florida. But it also seems to have unified support for Brewer, who is now recovering at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

"Michael's doing real good," says Martinez, Michael's brother-in-law. "He has a special blanket that has air flowing through it, but his body temperature has been coming back on its own."

​• Remember the pie-eating contest scene from the '80s classic Stand By Me? Now picture that, but with raw fish. (I'll give you a moment to compose yourself.)

All better? Good. Because you'll need your strength for Sushi Jo's second annual sushi-eating contest, going down on Saturday at 5080 PGA Blvd., Ste. 105, in Palm Beach Gardens. I can't imagine a worse thing to do to yourself than stuff your guts full of raw fish and sticky rice. But watching someone else do it for the promise of $300... well that's pure win. The contest starts at 6 p.m. Call 561-868-7893.

• Here's one bracket tournament the Yankees aren't likely to win this October: Whole Foods in Coral Springs is hosting its second annual World Series of Beer, a single elimination challenge that pits brews from around the world in a battle for the sudsy pennant. The field of play: your taste buds. 10 bucks gets you a spot in the lineup where you can judge eight beers -- past winners include Rogue's Dead Guy Ale and Dogfish Pumpkin Ale. Though the Marlins have long been out of the baseball race, mascot Billy the Marlin will be repping for the home crowd, and so will Marlins' broadcaster Rich Waltz. First pour starts Sunday at 3 p.m. To register, call Johnny Rose at 954-753-8000, ext. 241.

C. Stiles

​Dozens of local bakeries and chocolate shops participated in the Aventura Mall Chocolate Festival over the weekend, the gathering a monument to the world's greatest sweet. There were contests, fashion displays, and, of course, gobs and gobs of decadent chocolate -- on cupcakes, in truffles, and baked into all manner of confections. It was all for a good cause too: Proceeds benefited the Children's Craniofacial Association. Check our photo slideshow from the event here. 

Jackie Sayet

​The Presidente flowed as Chef John Critchley laid the culinary smackdown on Giancarla Bodini for the 2009 Iron Fork title.  Critchley's on a winning streak, with his seafood-celebrating Area 31 having been recently named one of Esquire magazine's best new restaurants this year.

Our focus, however, was the side show -- edible offerings of 40 South Florida restaurants through which crowds weeded mowed.  Here are some highlights:

- Whisk's fall-off-the-bone pork with golden honey cider barbecue sauce on a bed of slaw with corn bread cube was a balanced bite.  Rumor has it, brother-sister owners, Brendan and Kristin Connor are scouting for bigger digs, still in Coral Gables.  We approve, as long as they find a way to maintain the restaurant's intimate charm.

Courtesy of WPB Greenmarket.

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If you've been making do with brown lettuce and rock-hard tomatoes from your local giant-mega-supermarket and counting the days until you could buy produce with real flavor from the people who actually grow it, you have only a few more days to check off.  Most Palm Beach County greenmarkets will reopen for the season by the end of October, so there's no excuse to be dining on potato chips and Lean Cuisine because you don't want to waste precious dollars on sad-looking, over-priced crap. 

​Have you been to Tryst yet? I visited Delray Beach's Official Beer and Tapas Clubhouse on Tuesday night, and I was reminded again how great this place is. With exposed brick, dark wood, and antique furniture, it has the vibe of a retro speakeasy (since there's no secret password, it's packed to the rafters even on weekdays). Tryst also sports one of the sexiest courtyards you could possibly dine in, with miniature gazebos and tropical plants stretching up to the two-story roof. If you sit inside and are dining with a group, ask for the antique marble (yes, marble) table by the kitchen with high-back chairs that make you feel like you've been secreted away to a scene in Dangerous Liasons. Did I mention the food is quality, too? Small plates like hoisin marinated pork ribs, fish and chips, smoked salmon and mahi mahi dip with capers, and a plate of apple and cabbage bruschetta with blushing pink slices of pork tenderloin (I love it when a waiter asks, "How would you like your pork done.") are great for sharing, but fab enough to horde on your end of that marble table.

A great opportunity to sample some of that glorious food in concert with a number of Tryst's fine beers is the upcoming Beer vs. Wine dinner going down on October 12 at 6:45 p.m. The restaurant will be doing a four-course prix fixe, and each course is paired with either selection from the wine menu, or Tryst's lengthy beer list. And what a fine beer list that is: it features favorites from Dogfish Head, Rogue, North Coast, Avery, and many more, with a notable selection of Belgians and Hefeweizens and draft options by the dozen. Each punter will get a scorecard to rate their selections, and a winner (beer or wine) will be chosen at the end of the night. Call Erin to reserve your spot -- 561-706-9958. I imagine, like the bar, this thing will fill up quickly.

A few more upcoming culinary events after the jump.  

John Linn

Chef Ron in the kitchen at Whole Foods' Lifestyle Center.

​He was running a few minutes late, but once Chef Ron Duprat arrived at Whole Foods' Lifestyle Center on Saturday night, he got right to business.

Scuttling through the door in his bright red Birkenstocks, Duprat introduced himself and apologized for being late. "I'm on Haiti time," he said with a grin.

Then he hit the kitchen immediately, prepping whole filets of Chilean sea bass for a dish of jerk sea bass with vanilla rum butter. This would be the second time many of the 30-odd people in attendance would see Duprat cook the dish -- before that, it nearly won him a quickfire challenge on the first episode of Top Chef Las Vegas.

For the next two hours, Chef Ron cooked as he fielded question from the crowd on his upbringing, his chops in the kitchen, and what it was like being on Top Chef (well, as much as he could say).

​Okay, Lirim Jacobi isn't John Belushi and Taverna Opa isn't Faber College, but a toga party is a toga party.    

And even U.S. Senator Blutarsky would have to admit that a toga party hosted by WILD 95.5 with DJs, wine tastings, a whole spit-roasted lamb, belly dancing, fire dancing, a belly dancing contest, ice sculptures, free booze shots, tarot card readings and a raffle for a trip to Greece is one helluva toga party. It's also the toga party celebrating the first anniversary of Jacobi's Taverna Opa in CityPlace, set for Thursday evening, Oct. 1.    

The staff at Opa will haul out their old bedsheets and toga up, and so can you; from 10 p.m. to midnight anyone dressed in a toga gets free champagne, which they'll probably need to keep from feeling like complete idiots. Or maybe not.    

Anyway, the party will continue Friday and Saturday with more free shots, deals on specialty cocktails and guest DJs. Dean Wormer would not be amused.

South Florida Business Journal

​For years, Dolphins linebacker Bob Brudzinski chewed up running backs and wide receivers like an industrial strength meat grinder. After he retired, the Killer B decided it was time to let the rest of South Florida do the chewing, so he opened his successful line of sports bars, Bru's Room. For proof of Bru's dominance off the field, check out the Coconut Creek location (5460 W. Hillsboro) -- it's a stadium unto itself, and usually packed. Brudzinski will be making an appearance there on October 15, along with plenty of other Dolphins, as part of a celebrity bartending event benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The Bru-man will start mixing it up at 6 p.m. The event comes shortly after Bru's Room closed its original, Margate location on Sample Road to make way for its new Coral Springs store on University Drive and Atlantic Boulevard.

Everyone knows Hollywood Beach is full of clams -- some of them come from the Mob, others are the kind of uninvited guests you need cream to get rid of. But on October 16-18, the good people of H-Town will be embracing their clammy heritage at the Hollywood Beach Clambake. The eighth incarnation of the festival will reunite crustaceans with the people who love them, with a weekend-long spread of clams, oysters, shrimp, lobster, conch, fish, and crab dishes from local restaurants and seafood vendors. Musical guests Hep Cat Boodaddies, Jason Ricci and New Blood, Marijah and the Reggae All-Stars, and Poncho Sanchez will keep things churning along, and a Clam Chowder Crawl will run up and down Hollywood Beach. Clam Chowder Crawl in October? I think I'm churning right now. Visit HollywoodBeachClambake.com or call 954-926-3377.

Speaking of Hollywood, don't forget about Hollywood chef and recently excised Top Chef Las Vegas contestant Ron Duprat's appearance at Whole Foods Fort Lauderdale this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Ron will be cooking a dish from one of his quickfire challenges (hopefully not the one that nearly got him canned), with proceeds to benefit FLIPANY. Tickets cost $25. Call 954-565-4138.

​No plans yet for Friday? There are still tickets available for Friday night's BAM: Celebrity Chef Food Tasting and Auction at the Hard Rock, at the cool price of $175 each. That's a load of Benjis to drop on a food tasting, but it's only because the cash is going toward a charitable cause: the Ann Storck Center, an organization that assists children with mental disabilities in Broward County. In years past, the annual fundraiser has brought in more than $400,000 for the program. They say charity is its own reward, but the spread of dishes from 3030 Ocean, Brook's, Chef Allen's, Lola's on Harrison, Sublime, and many more sounds like a nice thank you. The tasting starts at 7 p.m. Friday at the Seminole Hard Rock's Main Ballroom. For tickets call 954-584-8000, ext. 372.

Alternatively, you could check out the Riverwalk Trust's Mutts and Martini's Yappy Hour starting at 5:30 p.m. at Briny Riverfront. Fort Lauderdale's self-proclaimed "largest outdoor pet-friendly happy hour" will feature (deep breath) a "200-foot obstacle course for the dogs, canine contests and demonstrations, pet massages, doggie ice cream, appetizers and drinks for the humans, live music, pet adoptions courtesy of the Humane Society of Broward County, raffles, prizes, sponsor booths and more." If you're a dog lover and a bit of a party animal yourself, this is undoubtedly your bag. To me, it doesn't sound much different from a normal night on Riverfront: dogs humping bit... female dogs on the dance floor while their designated drivers sit on stand by. Tickets cost just $15 at GoRiverwalk.com.

And finally, don't forget about the Miami International Wine Fair, which starts Saturday at the Miami Beach Convention Center. There will be more than 1,500 wines on display, many of which will be available for tasting. Sounds like there will be plenty of people sleeping on South Beach Saturday night. Tickets run $75 to $120.

John Linn

Potato gnocchi was popular this year. Bova Prime's version was the best example.

​Last night was New Times' second annual Pairings event, a food and wine free-for-all at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. I certainly don't want to toot our own horn too much (toot incoming), but this year's event was much improved over the last. Actually, Pairings was much better than many of the other tasting events of this variety. While it certainly wasn't as big as something like the South Beach Wine and Food Festival (the dates of which was announced this week: February 25-28, tickets on sale October 26), I think Pairings did a better job than it in a number of ways. I promise not be biased (really). Now read on to find out how.

Jane, stop this crazy thing!

​Earlier in the week, Riki Altman cooked up beef tenderloin medalions from the new Morton's The Cookbook: 100 Steahkhouse Recipes for Every Kitchen. You sampled the recipe, now you can head to Morton's in Coral Gables on September 23 for a signing by author Tyler Fields III, the VP of Wine and Spirits for the celebrated chain. Comers will get the chance to taste some of the other great recipes from the book as well as bid on auction items to benefit charity. Tickets cost $39 pp.

Tickets went on sale this week for the Arsht Center's Celebrity Chef Series debuting on October 16. The first of three events will feature Food Network's Ingrid Hoffman and Daisy Martinez, but we're most excited about the second cook-off showcase with Eric Ripert, Anthony Bourdain, and Jacques Pepin. If that ain't enough Frenchified celeb chef love to get you going, nothing will.

​Just a reminder to you burger lovers our there: the Burgies, the first ever, independent burger awards sponsored by BurgerBeast.com will be rolling into John Martin's Irish Pub in Coral Gables tonight at 8 p.m. Yours truly will be in attendance, as will the Miami New Times' Jacob Katel, who will be presenting an award for Best Frita. The other categories up for grabs: best pizza, wings, croqueta, cuban sandwich, hot dog, side item, and, of course, burger.

So show up at 8 p.m. tonight at 253 Miracle Mile Coral Gables and prepare to get your burger on.

​Flashing some bling at the bar is a sure-fire way to pick up in Boca Raton. But busting out some South African diamonds? You might just get mounted right there at the wine rack. Try your luck when the Capitol Grille in Boca hosts Cocktails & Carats on September 17 at 6 p.m. Sponsored by South African Jewels, the booze and hors d'oeuvres happy hour will coincide with a display of diamonds. Call 561-998-1995 or email bmonroe@tilsonpr.com to RSVP.

Wine? Check. Cooking demos? Check. Proceeds benefiting the fight against breast cancer? Double check. The Florida Breast Cancer Foundation's fourth-annual Shades of Pink fundraiser is going down October 20 at 5 p.m. at the Newport Beachside Hotel and Resort in Sunny Isles (16701 Collins Ave.). The healthy living demonstration will include cooking know-how and sampling and costs $25. The winetasting and main event, featuring a fashion show, silent auction, cocktails, and entertainment, run $50 and $75 respectively. Or you can pay $125 for admission to all three. Call 954-454-4156 to RSVP.  

There's still time to get involved in one of the Labor Day Eat-Ins sponsored by Slow Food USA in support of Time for Lunch, a campaign to get real food into America's schools. The two biggest Eat-Ins look to be Slow Food Glades to Coast's potluck meet up at Cason Methodist Church in Delray Beach, and Whole Foods Fort Lauderdale's panel discussion and three-course-lunch featuring Darlene Moppert, Broward County Public Schools' program manager for nutrition training and education. The Slow Food event is free; just bring a healthful dish that will feed ten people along with your own plates and utensils. The Whole Foods' event costs $5.

Finally, if there are any Clean Plate Charlies out there looking for a road-trip destination in September, the Jekyll Island Shrimp & Grits Festival should fit the bill nicely. The annual fest is the penultimate destination to chow on Wild Georgia Shrimp. It runs September 18-20 on Jekyll Island, which is about an hour south of Savannah -- in other words, a six-hour car ride from South Florida.

​The looks like as good a weekend as any to enjoy a little bit of booze. Check out these alcohol, er... enhanced events.

• The fall season is fast approaching, which means Halloween, Thanksgiving, and, more importantly, pumpkins. And the folks over at Shipyard are keen on that -- they're tossing out cases of their Shipyard Pumpkin like it was Devil's Night. On Saturday, August 29, you can head over to BX Beer Depot for a free tasting with Amy starting at 4:30 p.m. 

While you're there, you can sign up for the upcoming South Florida Pub Crawl taking place on October 17 from 1 to 9 p.m. The crawl will start at the Palm Beach Airport Hilton, where drinkers will travel safely by bus from joint to joint. Tickets cost $25, and the event is sponsored by the Lagerhead Brewers and the Palm Beach Draughtsmen.

​Between Miami Spice and the endless end-of-summer happy hours, August is heaven for South Florida foodies. But with the vast array of choices within this paradise for gluttons, a task as simple as choosing where to go on any night can become overwhelming. So, how do you choose?

Well, I'll make it easy on you. From 6 to 8 p.m. this Thursday, August 27, Dine Magazine is hosting a happy hour at Coco Asian Bistro & Bar, located in the Harbor Shops at 1841 Cordova Road in Fort Lauderdale.

Coco's upscale cuisine has been featured on both WSVN 7 and WPBT Channel 2, and it's not only because of the bistro's cute name. Chef Mike Ponluang takes an innovative approach to Asian dining by serving traditional dishes with a twist, like the "Three Buddies" entree, which is jumbo shrimp, driver scallop, and seared black cod in three sauces.

If that didn't convince you, this will -- to attend Thursday night's happy hour, you need only pay a recession-friendly $10, which includes one glass of Brutocao wine, with a choice between Sauvignon Blanc or Zinfandel, along with hors d'oeuves like egg rolls, dumplings, edamame, and an assortment of sushi.

R.S.V.P to the event here.

Photo courtesy of flickr user a la corey.

​Back in July, School Food Policy published an article on its blog about the dire condition of school lunches in America thanks to the School Nutrition Association and it's annual dog and pony extravaganza, the Las Vegas Food Show. Writer Deborah Lehmanns slogged through the show, where school lunch organizers across the country flock to sample the latest industry products, and uncovered some really frightening new developments that could show up on children's lunch plates in the near future: stuff like bubble-gum flavored apples, heavily processed beef and chicken, treats that provide half of the daily recommended dose of fat and sodium, and foods that are altered to increase calories so that overal percentage of calories from fat can be limited. It's really sort of disgusting.

Slow Food USA picked up the article, and shortly afterwards launched its own campaign to try to turn school lunches in another direction. Time For Lunch is the result, and it's aim is pretty simple: to improve the overall quality and nutrition of school lunches by increasing the amount of money schools have to spend; providing local, healthy alternatives to cheap processed foods; educating children on proper nutrition and using farm to school programs; and protecting children from high-calorie fast foods and junk foods. Slow Food argues that if these things aren't done, America's children will continue to lead the Western world in obesity rates and in ailments such as diabetes.

So what can you do to help Slow Food with its cause? Well, this Labor Day, Slow Food is organizing a National Eat-In. All across the country, people can show their support for Time For Lunch by attending an Eat-In nearby or organizing their own. By doing this, Slow Food helps to increase support for its Time For Lunch initiative, and send a clear message to congress: that we desperatley need to get real food into public schools.

There are a handful of Eat-Ins already scheduled across Florida, including meet ups at Whole Foods in Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale, as well as ones in Delray Beach and Jupiter. Contact information for each of the organizers is available on the website.

Slow Food Glades to Coast's official Eat-In will be at the Cason Methodist Church in Delray at noon. Just bring a dish to feed 10 people plus plates and utensils for yourself. It should be a fun and educational afternoon, so get out there on Labor Day and participate.

Also- Slow Food Glades to Coast is sponsoring a free screening of the film Fresh at the Hollywood Branch Library at 2600 Hollywood Blvd., tomorrow at 1 p.m.

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Summer is here, and apparently that means its time to get loaded on wine, scotch, and beer pairings. Check out these events taking place over the next week, and bring an extra liver, if you can.

• Himmarshee Bar & Grille is teaming up with B.R. Cohn Winery for a four course wine dinner on Thursday, August 27 at 6:30 p.m. The shindig will start with passed plates of black mission figs, honey, peanut butter mousse over wasabi crisps, and ostrich meatballs with green pepper corn sauce and chardonnay...wait, ostrich meatballs? Cool. But it gets better. Course one: west coast sturgeon with royal trumpets, pate a choux, caviar, and creme fraiche served with Pinot Noir. Course two: red wine braised short ribs with foie gras and bone marrow sauce and a Silver Label Cabernet Sauvignon. (Drool.) Course three: fillet of venison wellington with wild mushrooms and poached summer berries, served with Olive Hill Cabernet Sauvignon. Lastly, course four: pretzel crust with chocolate ganache and a mean Syr/Cab blend. Seats will run you $69 a head; reserve at 954-524-1818.

Candyblog.com

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One of my favorite Japanese candies is Morinaga HiChew, a sort of white, milky version of Starburst that's got the consistency of recycled plastic. That doesn't sound so great at first, but the creamy, fruity chews just sort of melt away deliciously as you gum them - they're highly addictive, and extremely fun to eat. I'm also partial to EveryBurger, little sesame seed topped cookies that sandwich a chocolate "pattie"; they look exactly like miniature sliders, but they taste almost like unsalted, chocolate-covered pretzels.

candyaddict.com

​The Japanese are crazy creative when it comes to their snack food. And you can get a taste of some of those strange and exciting treats during Saturday's Japanese Snack Tasting at Tate's Comics. Starting at 2 p.m., the comic, art, and pop culture shop will invite in people with adventurous taste buds to sample a litany of odd Japanese sundries for absolutely free. All you need to bring is a willingness to taste something like Spicy Mentaiko Toast, crusty baked bites topped with spicy cod roe. For something less adventurous, but equally intriguing, try Walky Walky, little candy-coated confections from the makers of Pocky that come in a coffee cop. Kawaii!

Tate's Comics
4566 N. University Dr., Lauderhill
954-748-0181
www.tatescomics.com

Photos by Bill Citara

Marylea Moffat was in a pickle. 

The trucking company she and her husband ran had crashed and burned. Her marriage too. And getting a new job? Well, the way things are nowadays, good luck with that. 

What she did have was a lifetime of family recipes for pickling just about everything that came out of their garden. "We'd do something with it," she said of their bounty. "Nothing went to waste."  

Add a love of cooking and the need to make a living and the result was Pickled Pink, her own line of pickled just about anything, from dills and half-sours to vanilla-infused beets and green beans to killer relishes, like my favorite, a snappy heirloom tomato relish with crispy chunks of onion, celery, and peppers along with chopped tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, salt, and spices. It's good enough to eat right out of the jar, but it also makes an excellent accompaniment to hot dogs, burgers, grilled or roasted pork, or even rich, creamy cheeses like Brie and Camembert. 

Moffat, who lives in West Palm, began selling her pickles late last year at Lake Worth's Oceanside farmers' market, and now that the market has moved downtown for the summer (every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon), she's there too, selling (and offering samples of) a hand-made product that makes the mass-produced stuff sold at your local gigamarket taste like... well, like mass-produced stuff sold at your local gigamarket. 

Pickled Pink heirloom tomato relish sells for $5.50, with the rest of the line going from $5.50 to $7.50. It's not only local, it's really good. Find the Oceanside market at "J" Street and Lake Avenue in Lake Worth every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.

Photo by Flickr user WTL photos

How does it sound to taste more than 50 wines from around the planet, nibble on munchies, get as much as a 20 percent discount on anything you buy, and walk away with a spiffy German wine glass, all for only $15? 

Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, no? 

Uh, yes. So instead of going blind, swing by the Coral Springs and Fort Lauderdale Crown Wine & Spirits this Saturday, July 25, from 7 to 9 p.m.

They'll be pouring all kinds of interesting vino, including: Villa Antinori's suave Peppoli Chianti; the dark, brooding "ancient vines" mourvedre from Cline Cellars to Snoqualmie's "Naked" (that would be non-oaked) chardonnay; and the crisp yet vaguely floral Alluvium White from Beringer. 

If you want more info, go here. Then go there.

Jon Sullivan

Who says your weekend needs to end on Sundays? On Monday, LaBORatory Nights will bring their monthly tradition to Sage Bistro and Oyster Bar in Hollywood for an evening of wine and conversation.

LaBORatory Nights is an 18-year-old tradition started in Miami, meant to bring together both cultivated and aspiring wine connoisseurs. One Monday each month, old members and new guests bring a bottle of wine -- covered in a brown paper bag in order to save face -- and meet  under one condition: discussions about politics, religion, or sports are forbidden.

Sage Bistro and Oyster Bar, 2000 Harrison St. in Hollywood, will host this month's event. For $30.24, patrons can enjoy a fixed menu in a private room at this French-American bistro owned by Chef Laurent Tasic.

Photo by Flickr user cityflickr

Tired of the rubber-ball tomatoes, wilted corporate greens and vegetables older than Michael Jackson's last hit at your local giant-mega-supermarket? It's not like you have many options, because most farmers' markets close during South Florida summers, when the only thing that grows is mold.

Well, on July 4 the Oceanside Farmers' Market in Lake Worth moves to J Street and Lake Avenue until late in the year before heading back to its regular spot near the Lake Worth casino. Beginning with the opening celebration on the Fourth, the market will be open from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday, with more than 30 purveyors of everything from organic greens and heirloom tomatoes to artisan breads, and herb and spice-infused Loxahatchee honey. 

Many of the vendors from the beachfront market will be at the new location, including Farmhouse Tomatoes, whose heirloom varieties make the supermarket stuff taste like so much red cardboard. Better act fast, though, because they'll only have product for three weeks before shutting down to get ready for next season.

Newbies include Swank Farms, purveyor of extraordinary produce to some of SoFla's best restaurants. Likewise, Swank will only be around for two weeks before retooling for next season. The Lake Worth Green Marketplace will offer a selection of Latin vegetables and dried chilies, and Pickled Pink will hawk New York-style pickles and old-fashioned relishes.

Impetus for the year-round market came from the vendors themselves, says market director Peter Robinson, who noted: "In this economy, they need the work." 

They need the work. We need food that doesn't taste like something excreted from back end of a Sysco truck. Sounds like a good deal all around.