#ThankYouMiami Talks 9 Upcoming Miami Events You Can't Miss

Hide yo' kids, hide yo' wife—for the first time in a while, we're going to be in Miami for a whole month and we're going to be out in full force rekindling our love for Miami's bustling social scene and its love for us. Below we highlight nine can't-miss events we're planning to attend. We hope you'll join us in taking advantage in the flurry of upcoming Miami events and that you'll say hi. We've missed you!

• On April 1, O Cinema Wynwood will debut City of Gold, a documentary chronicling Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold's nationally-recognized style of criticism through his relationship to his hometown of Los Angeles and the food experiences he's discovered therein. Tickets range from $7.50 for members to $11 for general admission.

• Also on April 1, Coral Gables will host the grand finale of Giralda Under The Stars series, signaling the end of Giralda Avenue and its reconstruction into the new-and-improved Giralda Plaza scheduled to open late this summer. Join us in celebrating the future of Giralda (and The Local's 5th birthday!) with outdoor dining, entertainment, and live music including a performance by Miami New Times' "Miami Best Band" the SunGhosts from 7 p.m. until midnight.

• Miami Music Week may be over, but on April 3 the Little River District's soon-to-open culinary and design hub, The Citadel, will be dropping a killer brunch line-up. The Ultimate Brunch will kick off their groundbreaking event with featured dishes by Miami favorites such as Bachour Bakery & Bistro, Proper Sausages, Pinch Kitchen, and Finka Table + Tap. Entry is free with registration, dishes start at $7, and drink start at $5.

• All praise the A&E District for bringing back the Miami Soul Train on April 6! We've seen the videos and photos from everyone having an amazing silent dance party on the Metromover and we're psyched we're getting a chance to finally check it out. Beware: you must register and headphones are first-come, first-served.

• When was the last time you attended an all-you-can eat event you didn't feel guilty about? Starting at 7 p.m. on April 7 Uncle Tom's BBQ makes it happen by letting you eat as much as you want and wash it down with a glass of wine or beer for $25 in the name of charity. Proceeds from the UTBBQ Cares 4 U event will provide free meals to the homeless and low-income families. #yaaaaas.

• If you're looking to center yourself, The Yoga Expo—the largest festival of its kind—is coming to the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center on April 16 to showcase unique styles of mind and body practice. For $25, your day pass connects you with local teachers, yoga studios in yoru area, and local sustainable food and drinks.

• The South Florida Bloggers will be hosting their monthly meet-up at Keyworking Miami on April 16 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. If you’re looking to learn more about sponsorships, join marketing guru Annabel Mendez of Marketites as she shares her insight on influencer marketing, how to get the attention of brands and more! Register here to attend for free.

• Leggings Lounge Yoga + Happy Hour makes its triumphant return on April 20 to celebrate its one-year anniversary at The Miami Beach Edition. The BYOM (Bring Your Own Mat) event will feature a complimentary one-hour yoga class hosted by our girl, D'ana of Collections + Volumes. Register here for this free event.

• The Miami Beach Edition is taking movie night to another level with their monthly screenings at the Sandbox (yes, a literal sandbox). Only $150 gets you admission to their new Movies Under the Sand series and a picnic basket for two with mouthwatering bites from Tropicale like local vegetable crudité with lemon yogurt dip, Florida shrimp cocktail, kale salad with jalapeño and mint, gourmet popcorn, house-baked cookies, and a bottle of wine. The April date is still TBD, but keep your eyes peeled here for the insider scoop. Update: the date of the next event has been announced as April 16 and will feature film will be Key Largo starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

Which of these can't-miss events are you most excited to check out? What other upcoming Miami events can't we miss? Leave a comment below or send us a tweet @ThankYouMiami!

#ThankYouMiami for Fashion - Stealing Stares with Sequins in Vail

Today we bring you a new post for our #ThankYouMiami for Fashion column wherein we share one of the most eclectic outfits we've ever put together and tell you the story about how when we wore it to Vail Village we got major shade from everyone we walked past. Well, you know us, we took their shade and turned it into a reason to say #ThankYouMiami. Read the excerpt below and click on the photo for the full feature.

#ThankYouMiami Talks New Brunches Around Town

We've been keeping a watchful eye on South Florida during our travels and we've noticed a movement of the culinary persuasion is taking hold of the 305: a brunch boom. Maybe it's the forthcoming change in season or the fact that we all need unlimited mimosas to get over the trauma of Spring Break in Miami—whatever the reason, we're amped to come home and try them all. Below we list eight brunch updates that are new around town, including special Easter and weekend brunch events we can look forward to in the coming weeks. Happy brunching!

1. Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita

1000 South Miami Avenue, Brickell

Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., starting April 3

One of our favorite purveyors of $1 bubbles is upping the ante with a new happy hour and a new brunch launching at their rooftop terrace on March 31 and April 3, respectively. Their brunch is full of delicious bites such as serrano ham croquettes (which we plan on eating in mass quantities), chicken and waffles and huevos rotos, which for a limited time can be accompanied by $1.99 mimosas.

#ThankYouMiamiGoesToLA - Weekend in L.A. Travel Diary

We all have our priorities. I have made mine—aside from staying happy and healthy—to explore the world. So, for the last few three years, I have leveraged my vacation days, my work opportunities, my personal connections, and my bank account to travel as frequently as possible. (In fact, I’m writing this from the “comfort” of Seat 29E on United Flight 1816 to Denver, Colorado.) One of my most recent displays of jet-set genius was my trip to Los Angeles at the end of last month, when I traded some career feedback to a professional development organization in exchange for a free round-trip flight on American and two-night stay at the L.A. Airport Westin.

Brad and I already have a trip to California scheduled for later this year. We will be traveling to Carmel in the Summer to celebrate the wedding of our friend, Turner. But, considering my sister’s recent move to San Francisco, I jumped at the opportunity of being on the same coast as her and was excited when she accepted my proposal to meet up in L.A. for the weekend portion of my trip.

I left for L.A. on a Thursday at 6 a.m. and spent the whole day confused by the time change, working in my hotel room. At night, motivated by cabin fever and inspired by the realization that this was my first trip alone since college, I decided to poll my Facebook friends and scour Yelp for dinner recommendations. I settled on Manhattan Beach Post because they have rave reviews and a communal seating area perfect for a single diner looking to socialize.

The communal table turned out to be a great move, albeit unnerving at first when I was seated with a couple and their guy friend in what appeared to everyone else as a double date. The potentially awkward situation was salvaged when the minute I sat down a nearby group of real estate types at a work happy hour asked me to join them for a round of tequila shots. Armed with a little liquid courage I spent my dinner chatting animatedly to the three people seated at my table, who I later came to realize were Andre Ljustina of Croatian Style, Nicky Diamonds of Diamond Supply Co., and Nicky's gorgeous model girlfriend. The three were extremely friendly and indulged me in a much-needed life therapy session as I devoured an overindulgent meal of bacon cheddar biscuits, duck prosciutto, brussel sprouts, and vegetable lasagna for one. Surprisingly, not scared away by my oversharing and overeating, they invited me to go out with them for the night, but—in a move I severely regret—I decided to food coma my way back to my hotel and call it a night.

The lesson of Day 1? Conversations with strangers can be the best form of therapy. Also, Manhattan Beach Post is a great go-to for dinner if you're in the L.A. area as exhibited by the photos below. (It was like if Yardbird also offered the Broken Shaker's cocktail hour menu, as well as The Standard's Lido dinner menu.) I promise that my stories of Days 2, 3 and 4 will be equally as interesting (I had amazing juju the entire trip) but will have less food-centric photos. In the interim, bon appetit!

I got some last minute Miami in at Miami International Airport with an iced cafe con leche and some croquetas de jamón at La Carreta.

Hungry and jet lagged, I treated myself to a second breakfast via Westin room service.

The view from my room at the Westin featured a killer sunset and view of the planes taking off from LAX.

I'm partial to spicy tequila cocktails, of which Manhattan Beach Post had several good options. I chose Avila's Heir because of the serrano and yuzu, but also recommend the Prophecy with its prickly pear and cayenne.

The duck prosciutto came beautifully displayed on a cutting board with the bacon cheddar buttermilk biscuits (shown above) and caper berries, which are my absolute favorite.

The roasted brussel sprouts were recommended to me by the real estate types post-tequila shot so naturally I ordered them.

The homemade Bloomsdale spinach, ricotta, and kale lasagna was too much for me to finish in one sitting but turned out to be excellent leftovers for the following day.

#ThankYouMiami for Decadence at Café Des Arts Miami

Miami gets its joie de vivre from its many international influences—at least we think so. If you look around you'll see hints of the decadence for which places like St. Tropez, Ibiza, and St. Barths are known embedded in the Miami lifestyle. The latest testament to the good local influences of our friends from abroad is the arrival of Café des Arts Miami to Miami Beach's South of Fifth neighborhood. Nestled across from Joe's Stone Crab, this SoFi newcomer and its chic little terrace play host to the French genius of Pierre-Antoine Navarro and his partner Philippe Carteau. The menu showcases the delicacies of the Mediterranean, including a wide selection of rare Bourgogne truffle-infused selections such as truffle pizza, truffle beef carpaccio, truffle scrambled eggs, truffle risotto, and truffle regatoni. And, since exuberance is the Miami way, our introduction to Café des Arts required us to try them all. Below we provide a close-up of each truffle-laden morsel (plus some desserts because duh!) for your viewing enjoyment. Bon appetit!

Have you been to Café des Arts? What was your favorite dish? Did you prefer to eat indoors or outside on their beautiful terrace? Which dish below do you want to try most? What other Miami restaurants are your favorite for a decadent dinner? Leave a comment below or send us a tweet @ThankYouMiami!

Herbs Salad (a refreshing mix of watercress, chive, tarragon, mint, parsley, purple shiso cress, sakura cress, seasoned with a chef's special dressing) because (wo)man cannot live on truffles alone.

Truffle Beef Carpaccio

Truffle Pizza

Truffle Scrambled Eggs

Truffle Regatoni

Truffle Risotto

Our favorite selection from the Trolley of Desserts.

#ThankYouMiami for Fashion - Exploring L.A. in a Miracle Dress

Today's post on our #ThankYouMiami for Fashion column is the first of many on our absolutely amazing trip to Los Angeles last week. We dedicate it to everyone who, like us, grew up watching the O.G. Disney Channel Original Movies in the 90's like Brink!, Zenon, Smart House, Johnny Tsunami and, of course, My Date with the President's Daughter. We also dedicate this to everyone in Miami who understands that brunching is an absolute rite of passage and must be taken professionally because all of the photos you see in this post were taken after an unlimited mimosa brunch at The Rockefeller in Manhattan Beach so only you will understand our antics or why it was so important to wear a tunic. Happy weekend-ing!