Your Evening Sift

And so, with today's monsoons, how long before mosquitoes the size of wombats make their appearance? I give 'em 2-3 weeks. Here's your not-so-blood thirsty evening Sift...

A- Frankie's South Beach Hide-A-Way on Washington Avenue is unpretentious and well worth your time, according to Searching For Normalcy.

Our friends ordered spaghetti and meatballs, cheeseburger sliders and – get this – grilled fish sliders! The burger patties for the cheeseburger sliders were hand-formed and grilled to perfection, with a nice crust on the outside, but still juicy inside. The fish sliders were made with fresh fish (I think either Mahi or Tilapia; I forgot to ask), which was white and flaky, and all were topped with fresh lettuce and tomatoes. They were perfectly sized if you wanted to eat one and take the other home.

B- View From Virginia Key points us to a recent article on a national parks webzine that discusses integrating Virginia Key into Biscayne National Park while Spokes 'n' Folks tells us about the plans some mountain bikers have for the key. From the former...

An article in the National Parks Traveler, a web magazine dedicated to the National Parks, considers how creating an urban gateway to Biscayne National Park on Virginia Key would put a national park within steps of downtown Miami, accessible through the scenic Rickenbacker Causeway. This would make Biscayne National Park perhaps the only national park that combines both remote island wild lands, such as the Channel Islands National Park, with the easy accessibility to natural and historic sites provided by urban parks such as Santa Monica Mountains or Gateway National Recreation Areas in California, the article states.

C- Join South Florida Beer Blog as they celebrate their 1-year blogaversary.

Friday, May 7th, South Florida Beer Blog will be celebrating its One Year Anniversary at Abraxas in South Beach. It will be a special celebration full of surprises, giveaways, and rare treats.

D- Food For Thought walks us through the latest Cobaya underground dining experience at Sakaya Kitchen.

For those who were already familiar with Sakaya Kitchen, this dinner was a chance to try both some "old" favorites and also some new and different things that Chef Hales hasn't rolled out yet on the standard menu (and I sort of doubt you're ever going to be seeing Korean Fried Sweetbreads or crispy bone marrow on a regular basis). For those who had not yet been, it was a great introduction to a place that is a real gem in the rough. Sakaya Kitchen looks for all the world like a fast food joint, giving little indication of the quality and seriousness of cooking going on there.

E- Transit Miami gets political for a moment and posts some words from Democrat Joe Garcia.

F- Dine out this Thursday and help fight AIDS, according to South Beach USA.

South Beach USA joins forces with local media outlets in asking you to dine out this Thursday, April 29 at participating local restaurants that are donating 25% – 100% of their full day’s receipts to Care Resource, a local agency supporting South Floridians living with HIV and AIDS. Find some friends or family members and enjoy a meal at one of the great spots listed below to make a real difference in the lives of your fellow Miamians.

G- More photos from this weekend's Bike Miami Days at Coconut Grove Grapevine.

H- UDB hearings are entertaining, says Eye on Miami.

Come down on Wednesday. Join the public to express what you feel about the costs of growth that have resulted in whopping billion dollar infrastructure deficits, not to mention current deficits. It should be an interesting meeting. It's much better than television, the same way that going to the ballpark gives you a view of the game that encompasses so much more than who is batting or fielding, throwing or catching. You have to see the side-glances, the way that staff look at each other or bury their faces in the crook of their arms when lies and demagogues take flight at the microphones. Watch Katy Sorenson in her final CDMP zoning hearing as a county commissioner. Will she say, "I told you so", about overdevelopment to her colleagues on the dais? Will they ignore her? Will Natacha Seijas and Joe Martinez turn away as she speaks, or Dorrin Rolle pick up his Get Smart phone?

I- The Tea Party, the one that is supporting Marco Rubio, gets the ringing endorsement of David Duke, but is anyone really surprised? Bark Bark Woof Woof has more.

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