The new Buddha Gardens. Photo: Chris Cutro.
Velvet underground: Oct 3-9
By Lesley Abravanel
Get Locos Por Juana, the Grammy-nominated band that will perform an intimate concert Friday night at Circa 28 along with Elastic Bond and their musical pals. Show starts at midnight; cover is $10 after midnight.
Nearby but not nearly as inexpensive is Karu & Y, which has officially reopened with, unbelievably and inexplicably, an additional $10 million invested into the place that cost more than $20 million to build in the first place. According to a publicist, the former Totem Club is now The Buddha Club and former Totem Gardens is now called Buddha Gardens, with Buddha statues imported from Thailand. And it's not just the sprawl that's changing. So is the spiel -- sort of, with the incorporation of a "Vegas-style" service, giving so-called high rollers or anyone who orders four bottles or more their own personal concierge for the evening. Er, didn't the place not work in the first place because it was a little too high-roller for its own good -- and neighborhood? Anyway, we wish Karu & Y a healthy reopening and a speedy recoup of all its investments despite the shaky economy.
Also opening is Cabana One, the swanky rooftop lounge at the Mayfair Hotel in Coconut Grove, where hipster hangouts have been few and far between, give or take George's, Green Street Cafe and, er, that's about it. The opening tonight is slated to feature a motley crew of "celebrities" -- Salt & Pepa, Jamie Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler, among others. But more interesting than that are the views of the bay and Cabana One's 7,000 square feet of teakwood, billowy white curtains and private cabanas with Nintendo Wii for those who need more stimulation than flat screen TVs and plain ol' bottle service. And though you may be able to order a bottle at Cabana One for the bargain basement price of $150, that same amount will get you a ticket to Thursday night's Future Pacesetters Fashion Show presented by Tiffany & Co. at the Grove Isle Hotel and Spa. Hosted by Lian Fanjul de Azqueta and Alfy and Raysa Fanjul, the event benefits the Mission International Charities and features models hailing from all walks of So Flo life. 100 percent of the proceeds benefits the nonprofit, which provides health services and education to people disadvantaged, neglected and/or infected with HIV in La Romana and the southeastern region of the Dominican Republic. For tickets, call 561-366-5093.
Benefiting the bellies of foodies and oenophiles is AltaMar, whose owner, Claudio Giordano, is opening his restaurant on Monday nights for a five-course menu with wine pairings. The restaurant will be closed to the general public and open to only 30 lucky reservation holders and the only thing you need to bring besides an appetite and $50 per person (including unlimited wine pourings) is, according to Giordano, "a driver." The private wino dinners kick off on Monday and continue weekly through Nov. 17. For reservations, call 305-532-3061.
And although this weekend's kickoff of the Italian Film Festival is free, we don't get the tie-in with Cachaca Moleca, which is sponsoring the event's free caipirinhas, which are Brazilian. Nonetheless, the weekend starts Saturday with an opening reception and 9 p.m. screening of Il Postino at the Tower Theater. On Sunday, it's double-feature day with screenings of Nuovo Cinema Paradiso at 6 p.m. and La Ciorciara at 8 p.m. Again, all films are free and open to the public for the kickoff, but festival screenings from Oct. 9-14 are $10 for single
tickets. All screenings are held at Regal South Beach, opening party at Set and closing dinner at The Forge.
Also open to the public are some of the Funkshion: Fashion Week Miami Beach venues -- the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, The Setai and The Gansevoort -- where yet another slew of fashion shows will slink through this weekend including ones by Russell Simmons and Richie Rich.
- Current 66.2 °F
- It's a beach day
- Head to 8th Street Beach
Still thirsty?
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Take a club tour, haunt a happy hour or check out the latest concert news in Nightlife.
