For a while there it seemed like another bad '70s trend had been laid to rest. But fondue -- the ridiculously tedious and fattening method of frying individual bites of food in scalding oil -- has resurfaced on the wave of nostalgia for the decade. During fondue class today at Bread of Life Whole Foods Market in Coral Springs, chefs Guisseppi Affrunti and Patrick LaPaire will remind students just how it's done. Only they'll be demonstrating mostly dessert recipes, including one for chocolate fondue in which four kinds of French chocolate (as opposed to oil) are used. Strawberries and pretzels will be dipped in the chocolate. The store is located on the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and University Drive in Coral Springs. The 7 p.m. class is free. Call 954-753-8000.
Friday 4
As the name implies, the Digital Home 2000 exposition features the latest in home theater systems, stereos, computers, and software. But it's the "One-on-One With Greg Norman" simulator that combines all of that technology while enabling would-be golfers to take a lesson from the Shark himself. As you hit a ball into a net, a split-screen display positions Greg alongside you as a reference point. Your swings are synchronized via computer graphics, and afterward Computer Greg analyzes each swing. The result: For about $20 you walk away with a golf lesson on video. After you've sliced a few strokes off your handicap, check out the other attractions, including hands-on displays of the latest high-tech toys and seminars on how to use them. Digital Home takes place today through Sunday at the Broward County Convention Center, 1950 Eisenhower Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Admission is $7. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call 561-447-7660.
Saturday 5
When Michael Page hit puberty, he couldn't figure out whether he was sexually attracted to girls or guys. After some experimenting he chose both. Today the Fort Lauderdale resident is a successful airline pilot, but he was having trouble finding other bisexuals with whom to forge relationships. A year ago he put up the BiCafe Website so that others like him could find each other in this mostly straight-or-gay world. One chat-room option lets members view pictures of the people with whom they're communicating. The shots are tasteful, and they actually prevent people from using anonymity as an excuse for getting out of line online. The site, which also offers more risque chats and photos, now has 500 paid members. Page is hosting a one-year anniversary party and dinner for the BiCafe Website from 4 to 11 p.m. today at the beachfront Deck Restaurant in the Bahama Hotel, 401 N. Atlantic Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Admission is free. Call 954-424-1824.
Although she never achieved superstar status herself, folk singer-songwriter Karla Bonoff has made a lasting contribution to the California folk-rock sound. While growing up in Los Angeles, she waited on line outside the Troubador club for a slot in its famous Monday hootenanny, the '60s version of open-mic night. Inside, the teenager rubbed elbows with other aspiring singer-songwriters such as Jackson Browne and James Taylor and hooked up with the musicians with whom she'd form Bryndle. A member of the band, Kenny Edwards, showed her songs to Linda Ronstadt, who ended up using three Bonoff tunes on Hasten Down the Wind (1976). The collaboration was enough to earn Bonoff her own recording contract. Although her solo career peaked in 1977 with the hit single "I Can't Hold On," she's since written songs or sung backup for Warren Zevon and Bonnie Raitt, among others. Bonoff performs at 8:30 p.m. tonight at the Kaplan Jewish Community Center, 3151 N. Military Trl., West Palm Beach. Tickets cost $18. Call 561-689-7700.
Sunday 6
As part of the Up On Opera Talk! lecture and preview performance series, Paul Lapinsky, director of Florida Grand Opera, will discuss Mozart's Die Zauberflste, otherwise known as The Magic Flute. The story is simple: A handsome prince and a comical bird-catcher brave the wrath of the evil Queen of the Night in their search for truth and love. After summarizing the story, and providing background on the opera, Lapinsky will take questions about the opera company's upcoming production of the piece and about the company itself. The lecture takes place from 1 to 3:30 p.m. today at the Josephine S. Leiser Opera Center, 221 SW Third St., Fort Lauderdale. Cost is $25. Call 954-728-9700.
Monday 7
Comic actress Bea Lillie was already a seasoned stage veteran by the time she appeared in her first "talkie" in 1930. Born in Toronto in 1894, she began her career singing with her mother and sister in the Lillie Trio in 1910. By 1914 her family had moved to London, where she made her theater debut before going on to star in silent movies. During the '30s she had her own radio show, but the flamboyant Lillie, renowned for her wisecracking wit, is probably best known to American audiences for her role alongside Julie Andrews in the movie Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). She first toured the United States with Andre Charlot's London revue in 1924, when she introduced Charlot to her friend English playwright Noël Coward. Her own revue, An Evening With Bea Lillie, debuted on Broadway in 1952 and garnered the actress a special Tony Award citation. Lillie died at her home in England in 1989, but her spirit is kept alive in Marvelous Party With Bea Lillie, a one-woman show of music and comedy by Susan Borofsky. Borofsky performs today and December 14 at 2 and 8 p.m. at Caldwell Theatre Company, 7873 N. Federal Hwy., Boca Raton. Tickets cost $15. Call 561-241-7432 or toll-free 930-6400.
Tuesday 8
While folks freeze their butts off up north waiting for a white Christmas, South Floridians get to celebrate the holidays and enjoy the weather at the same time. During the Sounds of the Season on the Plaza concert series, you can grab a box lunch at the Charcuterie Too! restaurant in the Broward County Main Library (100 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale), then pull up a bench in the north courtyard and listen to jazz, folk, or Caribbean bands playing holiday music. The concerts take place every Tuesday this month, and this week's performer is singer-guitarist ClaudeArte Sa, who plays Latin jazz. Admission to the noon concert is free; the optional lunches ($7.50) include a sandwich, fruit salad, two cookies, and iced tea. Call 954-357-7443.
Wednesday 9
To hear Cynthia Miller tell it, Patrick Dougherty's two-stories-tall sculpture Easy Does It is a traffic hazard. "All day long people pull over in their cars as they drive by, just to get a closer look," says Miller, executive director of the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood (1650 Harrison St., Hollywood). It's not surprising that people are gawking at the outdoor sculpture. The huge piece of art -- made from twigs and sticks that are woven together -- resembles a collection of giant birds' nests. There are no giant birds, though, so it's safe to actually get out of your car -- once properly parked, of course. The nest motif makes Dougherty's sculpture a fitting part of the "Symphony of Trees: Contemplations of Nature in the Abstract" exhibition, which is on view through January 17. The show features works in various media by Gregory Amenoff, Toshiko Takaezu, Janet Siegel Rogers, and Claire Garrett. Admission is $3. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Call 954-921-3274.
Susan Borofsky throws a Marvelous Party With Bea Lillie, portraying the life and times of the late comic actress
