Last night, for the fourth year in a row, curious and very hungry onlookers gathered together to stuff their faces with 27 different types of burgers at the annual South Beach Burger Bash, kicking off the 2010 Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival.

Nearly 3,000 people congregated in a tent, located behind the Ritz-Carlton South Beach, for the annual bash which was presented by the Allen Brothers and hosted by 30 Minute Meals, Rachael Ray.

The smashing burger spree was a major hit in the South Beach area and in people’s stomachs. There were more than 7,500 pounds of 10 varieties of ground meant present to create 48,600 portions of 27 different burgers. Of course, there was beer too, and plenty of it – 7,000 Amstel Lights to be exact, along with 1.5 tons of potatoes and 400 pounds of smoked bacon.

There were many Miamians present at the event and some of them even grabbed some prizes, including The Standard Hotel’s prize for Best Side Dish with Idaho Potatoes for their homemade tater tots and Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink’s win of the Allen Brothers Golden Grill Award for their Michael’s genuine bacon cheeseburger with house smoked bacon, white cheddar, heirloom tomato, and local lettuce on a brioche bun – what a mouthful, literally.

The best dressed burger went to Morimoto’s Pork “Kakuni” burger topped with pork belly The grand winner of the night was Michael Symon, from Iron Chef, proud creator of the B Spot Fat Doug Burger with Swiss cheese, pastrami, and coleslaw, winner of the People’s Choice Award.

Miami is about to get a little more sophisticated with the opening of Chef Daniel Boulud’s db Bistro Moderne.  Scheduled to open in mid 2010, db Bistro Moderne is designed to bring the culinary success of the original restaurant in Manhattan’s midtown to Miami’s downtown.

New York’s db Bistro Moderne has a twin sister who will be residing in Miami as Boulud’s first Florida restaurant. With the opening of the new forty-one story JW Marriott Marquis Miami, Chef Daniel Bouloud takes advantage and brings his widely successful team of culinary genius along for the venture. The plans are set for the kind of locale a discerning diner would be happy to frequent. Serving up award winning dishes featuring a fusion of French-American fare, the idea is to capture Manhattan’s vibe with a Miami flare.

“It’s the kind you return to often for the dishes you love and remember and for the easy going feel of the place,” says Florence Tabeni, General Manager of JW Marriott Marquis Miami. Designed by Yabu Pushelberg, the restaurant will house three different dining areas. Think contemporary, casual and comfortable, the space features 18-foot ceiling, and a terrace overlooking the Miami River. Let’s not forget the wine tower adjacent to the entrance, a sure watering hole for downtown’s hip happy hour crowds, perhaps?

As the winner of three James Beard Awards, Boulud knows a thing or two about good food. Along for the ride is a classically trained and dedicated team. General Manager German Alvarado and Executive Chef Jarrod Verbiak, who have worked along is Boulud for over 12 years and have made their way up the culinary ladder in the other Boulud restaurants, will be running the show. Serving up a wide selection of over 150 wines, this is the place where a good burger and Foie Gras Torchon are on the same menu. All that is left to do now is wait.

The king of all things creative, Karl Lagerfeld, has decided to partner with German luxury safe maker Döttling to design a limited edition safe, which the company is calling the world’s most expensive.

Listing at 250,000 euros, “The Narcissus” safe is just under six-feet tall and less than a foot deep, the steel body, sheathed in high-gloss chrome-plated aluminum, looks like an impregnable monolith. But when activated by the owner, two doors butterfly open to reveal interior cabinets containing watch winders and jewelry drawers. Only 30 models will be made and the first one belongs to Lagerfeld.

Even with two kids and a banker husband to keep in check, Coralie Charriol Paul still runs around New York City exuding youthful French flair. She is well traveled and clearly possessed with wisdom and insight beyond her years.

The daughter of Charriol’s founder Philippe, Coralie was born in Hawaii and then spent her childhood between family homes in Hong Kong, London, Megeve, Paris, New York and Aspen. Now she and her family are ensconced on Manhattan’s upper east side.

For ten years she has been working for her father’s brand which is best known for its cable-design jewelry and Swiss watches, but is a full multi-product luxury goods company with fragrance and accessories. Coralie’s creative energy has not been limited to designing jewelry and handbags

She designed an informal series of film screenings over the years to show New York’s tastemakers important issue-based documentary films (such as “Born into Brothels” which went on to win an Oscar for Best Documentary, and “The Fluteplayer” which won an Emmy for best TV doc).

This past June she formalized her efforts into “React to Film,” her activist film series which launched with screenings of “Food Inc” (now nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary) followed by a Q and A with the film’s producer, best-selling author Eric Schlossser.

With React to Film, Coralie selects an issue-based documentary, which she presents at intimate screenings that she hosts along with an audience of New York’s media elite, journalists, fashionistas and celebrities.

In more ways than one, it appears that 2009 was a complete fluke. As the Year of the Ox, we were guaranteed prosperity and reward for all our steady, hard work- a bull market was on the horizon! Well, not quite.

2010 represents the beginning of a new year and a new decade- a fresh start after the relative unrest of the ‘’aughts.” And this time, we’re ringing in the new year with a triumphant growl.

Yes, 2010 is the Year of the Tiger. In the tradition of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which began on February 14, the Tiger symbolizes passion and daring courage. A fearless and fiery fighter, the Tiger is revered by the ancient Chinese as the emblem that wards off disaster.

With celebrations and the famous New Year Parade in sight this weekend, San Francisco is certainly sinking its teeth into the promise of this prospective year. As home to the most extensive Chinatown outside of China, and one of the largest and most unique Asian populations in the country, San Francisco straddles tradition and modernization with considerable aplomb.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the food. Chinatown restaurants are widely considered to be the birthplace of westernized Chinese cuisine, in the form of the long-standing Dim Sum and buffet restaurants that dot Grant Street. The meteoric rise of Asian Fusion cuisine, or the pairing of European dishes with influential Asian elements and flavors, can also trace its roots back to groundbreaking San Francisco restaurants.

Touting a simple, fresh take on Asian classics, E & O Trading Company is a premiere example of blending tradition and innovation in food. At the helm is Executive Chef Arnold Eric Wong, a former San Francisco Chronicle “Chef of the Year,” and Asian flavor revolutionary. Haute Living chats with Chef Wong about his tastes and traditions, while wishing him a gung hay fat choy (Happy New Year!):

They are referred to as the world’s most expensive wingtips, but they’re not a pair of stilettos. Though usually known for his monogrammed high-end purses for women, Louis Vuitton has come up with a new line of lace-ups for men finished in waxed alligator leather, which were unveiled for the Spring/Summer 2010 collection.

This handcrafted footwear is expected to be priced at around $10,000 per pair and they were made using Blake construction, a shoe designing technique that helps appropriate comfort and luxury into the ornate of the shoe.

The delicate stitching and the subtle patters incorporated in the craftsmanship add a vintage essence to the most expensive wingtips of the season. They are made with real alligator skin and feature refined stitching across the entire structure of the shoe, also visible on the inside.

Not to worry though, these wingtips will never go out of style or break down while you are walking, because the thread with which they were made is embedded in the outsole, making them long lasting, stylish, and almost impossible to react to over-usage, as they will not wear or tear easily.

They have a hand-painted sole and are as soft as a leather glove upon embracing the angles of the foot. The stylish wingtips embrace luxury and comfort and get their name because the toe-cap is shaped like the spread wings of a bird.

Source Information

Attempting tasty, and sometimes bizarre, cuisine from exotic countries can be an out-of-the-box eating-endeavor that requires bravery. But if you can literally stomach it, it’s the most exciting and adventurous way to dine. Pulitzer Prize Winning Food Critic Jonathan Gold will agree with me on this, as he is a connoisseur for Los Angeles’ ethnic eateries and has hand-chosen his top picks for the 2nd Annual Gold Standard Food & Wine Event happening this Sunday, Feb. 28.

Jonathan Gold, who currently writes for LA Weekly and is a regular on KCRW’S Good Food radio, is giving LA foodies a chance to sample his top picks for worldly cuisine in one convenient location– Petersen Auto Museum off Wilshire Boulevard.

Yes you can peruse the web for Gold’s latest restaurant review, but I recommend his haute book, Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles, for the real deal. It features 200 of Gold’s best, off the beaten path, dining discoveries in Los Angeles. Expect finds from such countries as Cuba, Japan, Korea, Guatemala, and all over the Middle East.

However, don’t arrive empty-handed to this unique event because tickets are a must, and cannot be purchased at the door.  If you’re looking to score some tickets, click here.  A portion of the proceeds from your ticket will benefit Heal the Bay and Make A Wish Foundation.

VIP entry opens at 12 p.m. and runs until 1 p.m. General Admission ticket-holders can enter at 1 p.m. Doors close at 5 p.m.

For more information please visit www.laweekly.com



Perk up your ears and open you eyes. Haute Living has some great news about a newly redesigned luxury boutique hotel that will soon be opening its doors in Manhattan early this spring.

You heard it here first; The Hotel Plaza Athenee located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan proudly announced the completion of a multi-million dollar refurbishment project.

The renovations include new décor for guest rooms and suites, enlargement of bathrooms, the addition of four premium luxury suites, a newly redesigned lobby, updated business and fitness centers, as well as the addition of a brand new spa.

And if that isn’t enough to inspire you to get your travel on, rooms have been furnished with Italian bed linens, Asian inspired silks, Plasma TV’s, sitting areas, writing desks, and wireless Internet service.

Selected guest rooms and suites are also now equipped with marble bathrooms that house deep soaking tubs and duel sinks.  Many rooms were given glass enclosed atriums and outdoor terraces (hard to find in NY hotels) that provide breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline.

In addition, the hotel added four premium luxury suites for all you haute travels looking to stay in style.  Two of the luxury suites are known as Presidential suites that feature 2,000 palatial square feet of space.

Stephen B. Jacobs Group designed the renovations for this immaculate boutique along with affiliate interior design firm Andi Pepper.

Tuesday evening I had the pleasure of attending the Center Court Soiree benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of Palm Beach County.  Chairpersons Jeff and Lana Dever and friends rendezvoused at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships (ITC) hospitality pavilion for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres plus mingling with some of the ATP Players.

This Delray Beach tournament consists of the only combined nine day ATP Champions Tour (Feb 20-23)  consisting of former No. 1 ranked players (i.e. John McEnroe, Mats Wilander, Pat Cash and more) and ATP World Tour (Feb 22-28) featuring James Blake, Bryan Brothers and more.

We watched American tennis bad boy, John McEnroe battle it out on center court against Patrick Rafter of Australia.  John’s hair is now gray and Patrick has forgone his pony tail for a clean cut, but both players played a tight match including tie-breakers.  I liked the added touch of the ball boys and girls dancing between sets as well as a dance squad.  It added a bit of frivolity to the night.  The following day the past champions held a clinic for the Boys and Girls Club kids of Palm Beach County.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County is the County’s largest youth development organization which provides services to the neediest youths through a holistic approach.  They offer youngsters programming in six core areas: health and fitness, character and leadership development, education and career development, sports, fitness and recreation, technology and cultural arts.

www.bgcpbc.org 561-683-3287

Hope Gainer, president of Hope International is a global imagemaker, marketer and branding expert with 30 years of lifestyle experience with a focus today on the luxury market.  She produces unique, upscale events around the world.  Gainer is a founding member of the Florida Luxury Council and a contributor to several luxury magazines including Elite Traveler and Haute Living. She also represents spectacular ‘trophy’ real estate properties.

What do Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Colbert, ‘Snooki,’ John Stewart, ICarly, ‘The Situation’ and Tom Cruise all have in common? They are all entertainers delivering eye-catching content under the Viacom Inc. (ticker: VIA-B) umbrella.

With more people at home (i.e. less people working), the entertainment content business is seeing a resurgence of ratings. Viacom’s Paramount Pictures recently released a Martin Scorsese thriller last weekend, “Shutter Island,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie delivered the best weekend debut ever for both the director and star actor, opening with $41.1 million in revenues.

In its most recent quarterly report, Viacom’s profit quadrupled year-over-year, surpassing Wall Street consensus estimates. Viacom Inc. earned $1.14 per share vs. $0.28 cents per share in the same quarter a year ago. Chief Executive Philippe Dauman recently said, “We do see growing signs of strength … the tone is clearly more positive.”

Viacom Inc. was receiving plenty of flack for the fledgling ratings at MTV until hit show ‘Jersey Shore’ came along. Ratings at MTV increased 20 percent in the first five weeks of 2010. Additionally, worldwide home entertainment revenue climbed 12 percent on robust DVD and Blu-ray sales of such titles as “Star Trek” and “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.”

On a philanthropic note, Diddy, Queen Latifah, and Pharrell took the stage recently hosting a two-hour concert and telethon to benefit earthquake relief efforts in Haiti, titled “SOS Saving OurSelves — Help for Haiti” on Viacom’s BET, MTV and VH1.

After a short-lived separation, Tom Cruise re-unites with Viacom’s Paramount for Mission Impossible IV, a guaranteed blockbuster slated for release in 2011. So, continue to stay tuned to the star-studded and action-packed rise of Viacom.

To read more of Derek’s investing insights, visit Wall St. Cheat Sheet