Orgullo Peruano: Pisco

Peruvian pride, pisco in the Grove
Posted on Thu, Jul. 17, 2008

Miami Herald Staff

You've got to love a place so diverse that practically every weekend brings another national celebration dear to someone. This time it's Peruvian Independence Day, being marked Sunday at the Sonesta Bayfront Hotel, 2889 McFarlane Rd., Coconut Grove, with ``Celebra Peru.''
The buffet lunch, with seatings at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., will showcase Peruvian cuisine, cocktails, music, art and fashion. Sponsors include Mujer Magazine and Pisco Montesierpe. Cost is $59 ($25 for children) plus tax and tip, with free valet parking at the hotel. Reserve at 305-447-8256.
D. WADE'S CLOSES
Game's over for D. Wade's Sports Grill in Fort Lauderdale. The restaurant named for Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade closed over the weekend after operating for only a few months at 1451 N. Federal Hwy. (formerly Bucky's Grill). Wade's Sports Grill at Glades Road and Dixie Highway in Boca Raton closed this spring after a short stint. No word yet on whether the planned opening of another D. Wade's in North Miami Beach is still on.
EUROPA EUROPA
Fort Lauderdale's Café Europa, a Las Olas Boulevard favorite for 18 years, has closed because the expanding Riverside Hotel is taking over its space, but ''we're definitely relocating and staying on Las Olas,'' says Lisa Checo, daughter of owner Tony Cupelli. ''We want our customers to know we'll be back.'' Checo says the restaurant expects to be in a new location by the end of the year. The hotel expansion also has pushed out Shizen Japanese Cuisine.
-- ROCHELLE KOFFSWEET SPOT
Buttercream Cupcakes & Coffee, purveyor of the eponymous treats in 16 flavors including lime, latte, red velvet and chocolate chocolate, hosts a grand opening at 5 p.m. Friday at 1411 Sunset Dr., Coral Gables. Husband-and-wife owners José F. Cuellar and Kristine Graulich also serve Colombian coffee blended especially for them; 305-669-8181, buttercreamcupcakes.com.
RAISE A GLASS
• Morton's The Steakhouse, 1200 Brickell Ave., hosts a bourbon tasting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday with such cocktails as Knob Creek Mint Julep, Baker's Washington Apple, Booker's Manhattan and Basil Hayden's Southern Citrus Smash. Cost is $45; 305-400-9990.
• Smith & Wollensky, 1 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, hosts a Lancaster Estate Wines dinner at 7 p.m. Wednesday featuring four pairings including the prize-winning Roth 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and five courses including king salmon steak and dry-aged steak au poivre. Cost is $100 including tax, tip and a 6:30 p.m. reception; reserve at smithandwollensky.com or 305-673-2800.
CHAIN, CHAIN, CHAIN
• Buca di Beppo, a Minneapolis chain with locations in Miami Lakes and Fort Lauderdale, is celebrating its 15th anniversary through Aug. 10 with a 15 percent discount on its 15 most popular menu items and a giveaway of ''more than one million prizes with a value of $10 million,'' including a trip for four to Italy; bucadibeppo.com.
• Houston-based Carrabba's Italian Grill, with six Miami-Dade and Broward locations, has added a Wine Wednesdays promotions at its Florida restaurants with $10 off any bottle ordered with dinner. Customers nationwide are invited to pick the name for a new Carrabba's ruffino and win prizes including a year's worth of dining; carrabbas.com.
SHORT ORDERS
• Organizers of the Fort Lauderdale-South Palm Beach County Share Our Strength/Taste of the Nation fundraiser report bringing in $90,000 for hunger relief at their June gala. The Miami-Dade edition is July 24 at The Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne; strengthsouthflorida.org.
• A Slavic-Russian Food Festival featuring homemade borscht, pirogi and much more is noon-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at St. Herman's Orthodox Church, 7099 S. Military Trail, Lake Worth; 561-968-5343.
E-mail news to kmartin@MiamiHerald.com by noon Monday for consideration in next week's column.