Thursday, August 20
New Times' Pairings returns to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts for its eighth year on Thursday, September 10. The annual foodie event features local restaurants, chefs, mixologists, and food personalities all in one place for one delicious evening. Andrew Lampasone of Wine Watch will curate the perfect beer, wine, or cocktail to go with every dish served at the event, and more than 40 restaurants — including Hardy Park Bistro, Cafe Maxx, Bravo Ristorante, and Cafe Med — are participating.
To help whet your appetite — and maybe even save you some dough — New Times is pairing up with Fork & Balls for a Pairings Pop-Up Party. The free event will give attendees a sneak sip of some of the wines from Wine Watch as well as plenty of appetizers from Fork & Balls. Attendees will also receive a code to get a discount off Pairings tickets.
Although the Pairings Pop-Up Party is free to attend, attendance is limited, so you must register in advance at ticketfly.com. The party is from 1 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Fork & Balls, 1301 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale.
New Times eighth-annual Pairings is from 7 to 10 p.m. September 10 at Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. General-admission tickets cost $40 through September 9 or $55 at the door. VIP tickets include early entrance to Pairings at 6 p.m. and a VIP lounge with exclusive restaurants, live entertainment, and special wines, craft beers, and spirits. VIP tickets cost $75 through September 9 and $90.50 at the door.
Between the bars, beaches, and breweries, nightlife in Broward County can get a little overwhelming at times. Maybe it's time to check reality with a little art at Summer Starry Nights at the NSU Art Museum on Thursday. What's even better is that the admission is free from 4:30 to 8 p.m. During that time, get a handle on the "Pablo Picasso: Painted Ceramics and Works on Paper, 1931-71" exhibition. Or get a feel for some avant garde art by Helhesten, a Danish art group that formed in Copenhagen in the midst of World War II, exploring how and why European modern art was made during Fascist Europe. Don't want to wrap your head around abstract art? Learn about the history of Haitian photography through a 350-piece exhibition of black-and-white and color photographs.
If you get hungry or thirsty because of the rapid expansion of your mind from the exhibitions, the museum café offers a light tapas menu along with two-for-one wine and beer specials.
The free series has been going each Thursday during the summer but will come to an end September 3. So visit the NSU Art Museum, located at 1 E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale, between 4:30 and 8 p.m. Thursday. Call 954-525-5500, or visit nsuartmuseum.org.
Friday, August 21
Bartenders are the new chefs, who are the new rock stars. You with us? Ever since the rise of the Food Network and reality cooking competitions, chefs have been elevated to celebrity status akin to movie stars and musicians. We're not saying Mario Batali is new and improved Brad Pitt or anything, but hey, we're sure he probably has some groupies of his own. Cocktails, however, have been a bit behind the curve. After years of distant affection, tenders of bar are now in the limelight. On Friday, the original purveyors of entertainment are teaming up with local celebrities for a Battle of the Bartenders.
Benefiting the Best Foot Forward Foundation (a nonprofit dedicated to improving education for foster kids), the event pairs M.E.A.T. Eatery and Taproom barkeeps with famous South Floridians (think TV announcer Eric Reid) to serve wine, beer, and a specialty drink. All tips and a portion of ticket sales are going to the charitable foundation. Hosted by Cendyn Spaces and M.E.A.T., the boozy event takes place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The cost to attend is $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Tickets include two drinks and appetizers. M.E.A.T. Eatery is located at 980 Federal Highway in Boca Raton. Call 561-470-8300, or visit bestfoot.org.
"When Barack moved into office, what did he do? He put in a basketball court. That was his black side! But he built the basketball court with biodegradable, recyclable material. That was his white side." This joke, from Loni Love's 2010 standup special America's Sister, is emblematic of the comedian's approach. Love distills pop culture, politics, race, and social issues with frankness and a conversational Everywoman style, like Wanda Sykes without the penchant for controversy. She is also one of modern comedy's most astute experts on the vagaries of romantic relationships, having honed her chops on Loveline and penned a 2014 book — Love Him or Leave Him, but Don't Get Stuck With the Tab — that combines comedy with dating advice. It's a successful stylistic cocktail that has led the former Chelsea Lately panelist to her most prominent recurring role, as host of an all-female syndicated daytime chat show (yes, there is another one) called The Real. It's an appropriate title, because Love is never anything less than that. She performs at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday, 7 and 9:45 p.m. Saturday, and 7 p.m. Sunday at Fort Lauderdale Improv, located at 5700 Seminole Way in Hollywood.
Tickets cost $20, with a two-drink minimum. Call 954-981-5653, or visit improvftl.com.
Saturday, August 22
Although the 90-degree weather does not allow you to notice it, the end of summer is technically approaching. To celebrate this despite the lack of weathery season change, Brimstone Woodfire Grill will host a beach-themed party on its patio. The hot fiesta takes place this Saturday.
Guests will be able to experience live music and giveaways. Drink specials include $5 glasses of white sangria as well as $5 Coronas. Got some weird floral attire laying around in your closet? Wear it! There will be prizes given to those with the best beach gear costume.
The Beach Party starts at 8 p.m. and ends at midnight. There is no cost for admission. Brimstone Woodfire Grill is located in the Shops at Pembroke Gardens, which is at 14575 SW Fifth St. in Pembroke Pines. Visit brimstonewoodfiregrill.com, or call 954-430-2333.
Burlesque never went out of style, and if there is a bar to prove that, it's Fort Lauderdale's favorite speakeasy, Stache.
The Ritz Glitz Revue's Heat Wave on Saturday will feature sexy burlesque Brit Miss Aurora Natrix as producer of the shebang. Performances will feature ladies from all over Florida, including Kissa Von Addams from Orlando, Tampa's Mayven Missbehavin, and Sofia Luna from Miami.
The Ritz Glitz Revue's Heat Wave runs from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., so the ticket price will be definitely worth your while. Tickets will be available at numerous locations, such as Stache, the Revolution Live box office, and ticketmaster.com. On the day of the show, tickets will be available at the door. Price of admission is $15 for general admission, which is standing only, and $25 with a two-item minimum purchase for VIP table reservations.
Bar Stache 1920's Drinking Den is located at 109 SW Second Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Visit stacheftl.com.
Sunday, August 23
Brook Katz doesn't really need to hear the beginning notes of a heart-wrenching Sarah McLaughlin offering to know that there are thousands of perfectly lovable, readily adoptable, four-legged friends out there just waiting to go home with a suitable human roommate. This is because, for the past five years and counting, he has held the simply named Annual Animal Adoption Fair that links small-operation rescues throughout Florida with area animal lovers for a day of adoptions, microchipping, health care, music, food, and entertainment, all with an emphasis on adoptable pets.
Katz says the fair grew out of frustration while watching the news one night and seeing two stories back to back, the first on how many animals were put down at shelters because of lack of funds and the second, a piece on plans for an elaborate, multimillion-dollar new stadium. He says he saw a disconnect and was moved to do something about it.
Last year, the fair helped to find forever homes for more than 320 animals, and this Sunday, the organizers behind AAAF return to War Memorial Auditorium (800 NE Eighth St., Fort Lauderdale) in hopes of breaking that record. Katz says the free day will include a performance by AmericanIdogs (think American Idol for pups), demonstrations with the Broward Sheriff's Office's Bloodhound unit, K-9 officer training, a rescue talent show, dog training, informational tables, silent auctions, and a giant raffle.
The fair runs from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., and well-behaved dogs on a leash or in a carrier are welcome to attend. Visit animaladoptionfair.com, or call 954-971-4432.
Back in 1987 in his native Jamaica, rising singer Beres Hammond found himself in a scenario most of us experience only secondhand, on movie screens: Armed thieves tied him to a chair and ransacked his home. Hammond moved to New York City in the aftermath of the invasion, but by all accounts, the incident did nothing to dampen his positive, sensual musical message. By the '90s, Hammond would emerge as one of the foremost progenitors of the "lovers rock" subgenre of Jamaican music — a lyrical lothario who can easily claim the mantle of reggae's Marvin Gaye. Whether crafting romantic love ballads or funky jams, Hammond has kept his eyes on the bedroom prize, on hits like "Tempted to Touch," "No Disturb Sign," "What One Dance Can Do," and "Keep Me Warm." Now 59, Hammond is something of an elder statesman of the genre — bearded and bespectacled, with hip old-guy headwear and a smile befitting someone for whom sexual pursuits have never been a problem. His most recent release, 2012's double-LP One Love, One Life, has continued to climb in popularity and acclaim, winning a Grammy in 2014. He will support the album at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Broward Center's Au-Rene Theater, located at 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale.
Tickets cost $30 to $110. Call 954-462-0222, or visit browardcenter.org.
