And the moment you've been waiting for.

​The Clean Plate Charlie team and plenty of South Florida food devotees will spend tonight sipping, sharing, comparing notes, and possibly loosening waistbands at the 4th Annual New Times Pairings event from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.

Time is limited to get advance tickets ($45 for general admission, or $80 for VIP) online, or you could try to secure a $55 ticket at the door. Chow down on offerings from 40 hot venues that are each perfectly matched to a complementing wine, cocktail or craft beer. Not surprisingly, this is a 21 years and older event.

If you've got room left on your social plate this week, there are lots of food and drink events taking place throughout Broward and Palm Beach Counties (plus one Miami event that made the cut, just cause there's not a lot out there like it). Read on to see what trouble you can get up to this weekend in South Florida:

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No watery beers allowed.

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Wine.com

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​ ​ ​ ​ ​Rice, avocado, cucumber, and carrot -- assembled separately on a plate, it all sounds pretty straightforward and Spartan as far as eats are concerned, right?

But imagine having to roll those same ingredients up in a sheet of nori with a dab of wasabi and soy sauce alongside it and a bad case of sweaty palms sets in.


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Flickr/Isante

Wine Dinner

​If childhood memories of tasting Maneshewitz Concord Grape at Passover Seder have tramautized you for life against kosher wine, give them another chance. Both you and kosher wines have grown up since your Bar Mitzvah. Just about every kind of wine, from Chardonnays to Cabernets can be found in the kosher wine section. More >>

Flickr/The Pink Peppercorn

Mac n' Cheese...only better

​ ​Chef Nick Little and Kyle Pintarelli of Rockstar Catering Company and Rockstar Bistro present "Your Mom's Food, But Different", a five course wine dinner, this Saturday, January 15th at 7:30 at Rockstar Bistro inside the Windsor Gardens Hotel in Palm Beach Gardens.

 

This dinner offers favorite comfort foods with a twist.  In a phone conversation, Chef Nick Little explained that the dishes will be childhood favorites playfully deconstructed and tweaked to bring excitement to old standbys.

 

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​Since sushi is traditionally served with but a few beverages -- tea, beer and/or sake -- this pairing is slightly unorthodox. But not really -- white wine with sushi is increasingly popular, and what's champagne but white wine with fizz? More >>

​The wait is over. Pairings starts tonight at 6:30 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, bringing with it food from dozens of local restaurants and wine from all over.

There will be so many great dishes to try from the likes of Mark Militello, Allen Susser, Dean Max, Michael Bennet, Mike Ponluang, and more that it will probably be tough to get everything in without making a mad dash around the Broward Center like an escaped inmate.

All the dishes should be fantastic, but a few are must-try in my mind. Check them out after the cut: 
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​Chef Marco Vico and his wife, Eclair, have owned and operated Cafe Vico in Fort Lauderdale since the mid-'90s. The successful 110-seat restaurant with a family feel keeps guests coming back for more.

Yesterday, we featured part one of our interview with Chef Marco. Today, he shares a few of his secrets. Vico is one of 40 restaurants featured at New Times' Pairings event tonight.
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