Your Evening Sift

Apparently there was a mad rush of posting this afternoon which has resulted in a fairly large Sift this evening. So enjoy and make sure you check out the newly updated SFDB Weekend Widget in the right sidebar before you turn your 'puters off for the next couple days.

A- Burger Bash wrap ups from: Burger Beast and All Purpose Dark.

B- March is looking busy in South Florida, according to Miami Favs.

C- The new transit terminal in West Kendall is examined by The Miami Bike Scene and the surrounding area is surveyed for bike friendliness.

The future town center and hospital will soon make this a very busy area, the bike lanes are a positive asset. Overall the various lanes seemed adequate, however SW 158th Ave in particular was a mess with improper markings and signage.

D- It's all about the rum at De Rodriguez Cuba on Ocean and Sex and the Beach's latest post that is Wine and Food Festival related.

The first cocktail we enjoyed was created by Thomas Merolla, Botran's Director of Mixology. The Yellow Tail, curiously named after a snapper, consisted of Reserva blended with Aperol, ripe passion fruit, ginger, mint garnish, a bit of citrus and topped with champagne. It reminded me of an Old Cuban without the old in it -- very refreshing, like a South Beach model with personality.

The Yellow Tail was served with passed hors d'oeuvres that were prepared by Chef Carmen Trigueros of La Bottega in Coconut Grove. Her little bites were absolutely delectable, including the passion fruit ceviche, baby lamb chops with mole crust as well as Spanish tortilla with chorizo and pimentos, all of which were worthy of trying in full serving size.

E- Miami Beach 411 compares Miami's size to other large U.S. cities and manages to slip in a dig.

The point is, yeah, the city gets a lot of media exposure, and looks impressive from its overbuilt downtown. But ultimately, we are in the same tier as Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta. Big cities, but hardly major players. This city appears to people to be a lot more impressive than it actually is. But then again, that’s pretty much what Miami is all about.

F- The 2nd Saturday Wynwood Art Walk will now start at 2 PM, says Soul of Miami.

MADA, a new association comprised of a consortium of art professionals and dealers, announces extended hours for the Wynwood Second Saturday Gallery Walk. Starting in March, with the March 12th Gallery Walk, the new times will include daytime hours and run from 2 – 9 p.m.

“With the great success of the Second Saturdays, the galleries want to provide art lovers with these expanded hours to visit after lunch or before dining, to provide art collectors with more time to browse, and to better accommodate families,” said Isaac Perelman, Presidentof MADA and owner of Dot Fiftyone Gallery.

G- Beached Miami went Bruise Cruise crazy today with photos, videos and a drawing from last night's kick-off party.

H- The UM's radio station music directors are questioned by The Heat Lightning.

In your opinion, what does WVUM contribute to Miami’s cultural landscape?

We are the Voice of Miami’s independent and cultural landscape! We support all the local shows not only on air, but we’re usually at or performing at these events. As music directors, we certainly enhance the market and bring a lot of bands to the city as some rarely get this far south. Many times, touring groups dip down to Orlando, but don’t make it as far as the 305.

Promoters often check our charts to see what’s playing the most and what would work for each venue. A Brooklyn-band called Bikini is playing here this weekend at Bardot, for instance, and we had been playing them in rotation since December. It’s been heavily dug here and guess what: they’re playing here this weekend at Bardot, when they would have probably just stayed in NY and kicked it at Walter Foods or wherever. Should we take all the credit for sprouting interest in them down here? Probably not, but we’re going to cos I mean really, where else would people down here have heard of them?

I- CSA Share Week #12 is ready for your review at Redland Rambles.

J- Coral Gables Watch doesn't have a lot of good news for you.

If you think that unemployment is going to improve soon in Florida, you are wrong.

If you think that the South Florida economy is going to grow enough, you are wrong.

If you think that the Miami-Dade economy will improve greatly, you are wrong.

If you think that local governments will be able to return to happy go lucky spending and taxing, you are wrong.

K- Savoring South Beach was at the Shine & Swine food festival last night and tells us all about it.

Burger Bash is the big Thursday night event but we couldn't buy tickets to everything so instead opted for the late night party package for the weekend, which took us poolside last night at the W for the Shine & Swine hosted by Chef Adam Perry Lang, Breville and Moonshine Corn Whiskey.

The setup was fabulous! Surrounding the pool, the W cabanas were put to good use playing bars serving mixology-type cocktails made with Moonshine. On the north side of the pool was a stage with a country cover band playing crossover classics (think Sweet Home Alabama). As we arrived around 10:15pm, the energy was hopping!

L- The Cuban Triangle exposes the hypocrisy of Marco Rubio when it comes to his Cuba policy.

This video of Senator Marco Rubio’s questions to Assistant Secretary of State Arturo Valenzuela is interesting on several levels – the first being that it shows once again that there is no conservative principle that does not fly out the window where Cuba is concerned.

Senator Rubio’s view of the national government is so expansive that he thinks it should be in the business of assuring visitors to Cuba that “nothing bad will happen to them.”

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