United States

OpenTable Names Sundy House, the Breakers Among the 100 Best Brunches in the U.S.

Brunch has always been the best meal of the week, where you can get together with friends and dine for hours on unlimited amounts of food. Plus, it's one of the few times it's socially acceptable to drink before 5 o'clock. It's no secret that South Florida restaurants serve some of the best brunche ... More >>

Five Reasons Florida Is America's Most Infamous Marijuana State

Dear Stoner, We understand how you're feeling. Dark and formidable challenges lay before you. While the rest of the nation -- especially Washington and Colorado -- takes strides to normalize diplomatic relations with marijuana, Florida has moved in the other direction. Yesterday was the most recen ... More >>

Plantation's Emron Khan a Finalist in PETA's Sexiest Vegan Contest

Attention people of south Florida. You may want to put down your pastrami sandwiches for a moment (or forever) after we introduce you to Emron Khan, who has been chosen as a finalist in PETA's Sexiest Vegan Next Door contest. The annual contest pretty much shatters all those "milk - it does a body ... More >>

Florida Bong Ban: Can You Buy Pieces Online If Bill Passes?

Hey, smoke heads: chill. Seriously. It's going to be okay. Trust us There's a lot of paranoid chatter out on the interwebs about the fallout from yesterday's passage in the Florida house of the bong ban. It's understandable. Basically everyone wants to know WHAT IT ALL MEANS? CAN I STILL GET M ... More >>

Any Beer You Want, Florida Trends to Local Brews

Drinking beer in this state a decade ago was a bland affair. Crates of beer-like water shipped in from the flat grainy states of the Midwest dominated shelves and beer coozies alike. When I first sampled a macrobrewed lager at a tender age, I thought to myself, "Who would WANT to drink this crap?" ... More >>

Chipotle Rolling Out Handcrafted Margaritas Throughout the Country, Too Expensive in Florida

Mexicans, Tequila Lovers, and, well, anyone who likes to get drunk and have a good time should be gearing up for the second biggest drinking holiday in the world--okay, we don't know if that's actually true, but we're going with it. Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner. And you better get ready ... More >>

Beer At The 2013 Las Olas Food and Wine Festival

Some might say that a food and wine festival is not a place to sample beer, but they'd be wrong, wrong, wrong! It just happens to be not a very good place to do so. Not caring much for convention, nor for being seen as the odd man out at the festival, I grabbed my festival wine glass and made my wa ... More >>

Florida Sues BP and Haliburton Over 2010 Oil Spill

Florida got the Earth Day festivities kicked off early with some good old fashioned litigation. Over the weekend, Florida joined Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana is suing BP and Halliburton over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The suit, filed by State Attorney General Pam Bondi in United S ... More >>

Marijuanamerica: A New Take on Legalizing Pot

This Festival Has Wings

Ban on Texting and Driving Unanimously Passes Through Senate

Texting and driving is even closer to being an illegal thing in Florida. The Senate has unanimously voted to push through Bill SB 52, banning texting while driving on Florida's roads. The law would allow texting while a vehicle is stopped, texting while at a red light, or voice-command texting. But ... More >>

The Entire State of Florida Is Going to Jail For Tax Evasion

Monday is the last day to file your taxes. Have you filed them? Probably not. Because, according to a report, Floridians are filing slower than usual this year. This could be a mistake, Plantation spokesman for the Internal Revenue Service, Mike Dobzinski says. Because last-minute crunch-time filin ... More >>

Locavore Index 2013: How Does Florida Stack Up?

Since the Alice Waters and Chez Panisse came into the scene in Berkeley in the 1960's, there has been a huge movement to localize our food systems. Obviously, some areas caught on a bit quicker than others. Some areas do make it easier. Iowa, for example, is pretty much one big farm. Right? As the ... More >>

Great White Shark Caught Off Fort Lauderdale Shore

Scientists and oceanographers say great white sharks are a rarity in Florida. In related news: A fourth great white shark has been spotted in Florida waters since January. In this case, it was right in our backyard. See also: -Great White Sharks Spotted in Florida Waters -Fishermen Catch Great Whi ... More >>

New Times Beerfest 2013: Here's Your Guide to Beer, Food, and Fun

The 16th-annual New Times "Original" Beerfest is coming to Fort Lauderdale's Esplanade Park tomorrow, April 6, from 6 to 11 p.m. We can feel the excitement in the air as we prepare to drink plenty of good beer, eat delicious food, and listen to some of the best live and local talent south Florida ha ... More >>

Oregon Saying No to Frankenfish: Florida Senate GMO Labeling Bill Waiting to be Added to Agriculture Committee Agenda

Genetically Engineered or Genetically Modified Organisms are one of the most contentious issues facing the food world right now. After last week's Monsanto Rider was snuck into the budget bill, a vast majority of the population is pissed with the government's ties to the biotech industry. Like ... More >>

Florida Medical Marijuana Bill Might Be Dead

It's not looking good for the the Cathy Jordan Medical Cannabis Act, a bill that would legalize medical marijuana in Florida. While the Florida Legislature has gone ahead and moved forward with trying to ban bongs, the Cathy Jordan bill has yet to even get a hearing in either the House or the Senat ... More >>

Catch a Lionfish, Get a Shirt in New Contest

Lionfish are beautiful. They're also taking over Florida waters. These nonnative, invasive fish are aggressive and prey on native saltwater species. They also compete for food with some of our local food species, like grouper and snapper.Luckily, lionfish are also very tasty, though parts of the fis ... More >>

Manatee Death Toll Has Already Surpassed 2012 Numbers

Manatees have been dying at a record pace in Florida this year, threatening their overall population. in just the first three months of 2013 alone, the number of sea cow deaths have already surpassed all of 2012. See also: -Manatees Dying Off Both Florida Coasts; Scientists Trying to Figure Ou ... More >>

Burger 21 Plans to Expand to South Florida

Burger 21, the Tampa-based fast-casual burger and shake joint that features 21 different hand-crafted burgers made from 100% certified Angus beef, is expanding to south Florida. The restaurant chain, founded by the owners of The Melting Pot, has just announced the signing of two multi-franchise agre ... More >>

Obama Signs Monsanto Protection Act

Unless you've been locked up in a bomb shelter, hiding out, for the past few years, it's fairly apparent: our government has turned into a shit show. Rather than do things, like, govern, our elected Representatives have been too busy bickering over one thing after another.Well, there is some good ne ... More >>

Majority of Floridians Support Gay Marriage, According to Latest Poll

Florida has come a long way in the past few years when it comes to gay marriage and marriage equality. According to the latest Public Policy Poll, a whopping 75 percent of Florida voters support gay marriage. This is a seismic shift from not long ago, when the majority of Floridians didn't want ga ... More >>

Puerto Rico's Wave of Drugs and Brazen Murders Reverberates to Florida

For a slideshow, click here.

New Times Beerfest: Homebrew Alley New For 2013

Since ancient days in Egypt, people have been brewing their own beers and ales. That means that beer has a much longer history than most anything else humans drink. After centuries of drinking beers and ales made by monks, pubs, and fancy-pants breweries, people are finally turning back to home brew ... More >>

Florida Voters Want a Ban on Assault Rifles, Universal Background Check

With some Florida politicians calling for teachers to be armed, and others calling for metal detectors to be placed in schools, and our very own governor doing pretty much nothing at all about gun control, it seems that people who are no elected officials of any kind have the best solution to the g ... More >>

Florida Unemployment Rate Is Best In All The Land

Good news, Florida, you're number one in something that doesn't have to do with concealed weapons, or people who get arrested for shooting themselves in the penis! The state announced on Monday that Florida has begun the new year with a 7.8 percent unemployment rate, which is the lowest since Novem ... More >>

The Irony-Free Lens: Art of the Photo League at the Norton Museum

A show of the work of the Photo League, a politically radical collective of photographers of the 1930s and 40s, opened at the Norton Museum last night. The photography is of the highest order--formally impeccable, deeply human in its concerns. Inescapably, the show has a vein of nostalgia for what s ... More >>

Mocking Matters

Nine Most Important Bills Being Voted on by Florida Legislature

The Florida Legislative sessions got kicked off this week, and since this is Florida, there's no lack of fodder to get super riled up about and make loud angry noises and be an anonymous tough guy in the comments sections of blogs and on Twitter. Lawmakers will look at and vote on about 2,000 bill ... More >>

Dog and Cat Sales Regulation Bill Up for Vote

If you want to sell a cat or dog in Florida, you may have to whip out a certificate proving that you're allowed to do so, because a bill up for a vote in the Legislature regulating the sale of dogs and cats in Florida is a go. The bill (House bill 1257 and Senate bill 1614), drafted by Rep. Jared ... More >>

Tuesday: Rallies Planned Outside West Palm Beach Supervisor of Elections Office

Tuesday, March 5, is the first day of the legislative session for Florida lawmakers. And rabble-rousers are not letting it go unnoticed. People affiliated with a progressive group called Awake the State, whose emphasis is on protecting middle-class families, intend to rally at 5 p.m. outside the Sup ... More >>

New Food Truck Alert: Red Zeppelin Rockin' Lobster Rolls

The next time you're in the mood for an authentic Maine lobster roll, look for South Florida's new mobile kitchen, the Red Zeppelin Rockin' Lobster Roll. After hitting the streets last November, the crustacean-focused food truck based out of Dania Beach has been handing out some of the best around. ... More >>

"Drink Like a Local" Campaign Pushes Local Craft Brews

For more on South Florida's food scene, check out New Times' Taste guide, hitting newsstands Thursday, February 21. For foodies, being encouraged to eat locally is nothing new. Farm-to-table as a culinary buzz term has been around a long time already. But supporting your local purveyors doesn't app ... More >>

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Pairing Dinner at Malcolm's at the Omphoy

Over the past 40 years or so, California wines have really made their mark in the world of fine wine. One California winery in particular really put the state on the map: Stag's Leap.Stag's Leap Wine Cellars received international critical acclaim in 1976 -- just four years after it was established ... More >>

Wall Flowers: LiveRoof's "Living" Green Wall System Could Turn Your Wall Into a Vegetable Garden

In the not-too-near-future, your next home or office lobby may not be painted, or even decorated with wall paper. It could be alive.Alive with plants, of course. But before we go planting gardens indoors, perhaps we should start with "living" exterior walls and roofs, first. Here, in South Florida, ... More >>

Hurricane Watch: UM Edge Out Win Against Virginia; NCAA Notifies School of Allegations

Last night in Coral Gables, the UM men's basketball team extended its winning streak with a last-minute, stress-inducing decision over Virginia. Unlike high-wire finesse wins over Duke and UNC, the Hurricanes recent match-ups against ACC competition like Florida State, Clemson, and now Virginia have ... More >>

Florida Domestic Partnership Bill Scrapped

Ay yay yay, Florida. Why do you work so hard at being terrible? The domestic partnership bill that would have created a domestic partnership law, which would have given unmarried couples some of the same rights married couples have in Florida, has officially been scrapped. The Florida Senate commi ... More >>

Florida Couple Requested Ninja for Wedding Last Weekend

Floridians, you wonderfully crazy bastards, what will you do next?Look, we all know that the by-the-books approach to nuptials is nice in a kind of vanilla ice cream sort of way... but really, if you've seen one of those, you've seen them all. Sometimes, the bold among us steer their wedding plannin ... More >>

Emeril Lagasse TV Show, Films Locally -- Guanabanas, Buccan, Swank Farms, and More (Photos)

In terms of celebrity chefs, some are much bigger deals than others. Yeah, Rachel Ray seems cool enough. And Giada is ridiculously gorgeous. Tyler might have some great cooking tips. But Emeril Lagasse is the real deal. The chef and restauranteur is known not just for his awesome personality --  ... More >>

Hudson Valley Foie Gras: More Humane or Just the Same? (Video)

Foie gras is one food item that people are crazy about. Chefs and foodies tend to love it. Ethical eaters and animal rights activists absolutely hate it. The state of California has even outright banned the sale and production of the delicacy.In this past week's review of the Grove, we touched upon ... More >>

Power to the People

Bills Introduced Would Give Florida Teachers $10,000 Raises

State Rep. Kevin Rader (D-Delray Beach) and state Sen. Joe Abruzzo (D-Wellington) have decided to try to do something about Florida teachers' being grossly underpaid by way of introducing a dual bill that would give the average Florida teacher a $10,000 raise.Teachers being paid more in Florida. Thi ... More >>

Shots Fired, Car Crashes Near Floridian Restaurant: Rapper Rick Ross Involved (Updated)

Police are investigating a shooting and car crash outside the Floridian restaurant on Las Olas Boulevard.According to reports, several shots were fired at a Rolls Royce around 5 a.m. Monday Morning in front of the Floridian Restaurant, causing the vehicle to crash into a building.  At first WSV ... More >>

Marco Rubio Among Eight-Member Bipartisan Group Behind Immigration Reform Deal

A group of eight Democratic senators and Republican senators have decided to stop it already with all the bickering and do some bipartisan work and have released an immigration reform framework that includes a "path to citizenship" for undocumented immigrants -- a day earlier than when Obama is supp ... More >>

Florida High School Teacher Among Those Caught in Massive Sex Sting Operation

Close to 16 Florida law enforcement agencies joined together for a massive sex sting operation that nabbed all kinds of suspects from all walks of life, including a Florida high school English teacher. The suspects were under the impression they were going to meet up and have sex with underaged kid ... More >>

Chef Andy Trousdale of Le Bistro: A Q&A on Cooking Across the World and Gordon Ramsay

Chef Andy Trousdale, an expat form northern England has been in the South Florida culinary scene for a number of years. A former yacht chef and culinary instructor at the Art Institute, he's had ample experience with teaching culinary enthusiasts about a wide range of strange and exotic foods.  ... More >>

Power Rank Friday: DUI Busts, Crank Profs, and More Anus Tattoo, Please

The local personalities, egos, and public figures who swung through the news cycle this week, ranked by New Times' crack research department using a highly scientific algorithm (i.e., walking down South Beach last Monday night, calculating the ratio of weeping Irishmen compared with redneck testicl ... More >>

Elin Trousdale of Le Bistro Responds to the Review

We review restaurants all the time--almost once a week. But, rarely, do the chefs and restaurants' owners get the opportunity to respond. After this week's review was published, we received a call from Elin Trousdale of Le Bistro. She was concerned with the description of kidneys in a dish, "the met ... More >>

2013 Riverwalk Stone Crab and Seafood Festival Is This Weekend

Being that Florida is one massive peninsula, seafood is kind of a big thing. If you can't eat it or chose not to, we feel sorry for you. For seafood aficionados, or  anyone who likes a festival, we have an event for you: the Riverwalk Stone Crab and Seafood Festival.The family-friendly event is ... More >>