#ThankYouMiami for Fashion - Dressing for Thanksgiving in the Tropics

It's #FashionFriday! While it may be too early to start decorating for Christmas, it is not too early to start thinking about what you are going to wear to Thanksgiving. In our latest #ThankYouMiami for Fashion column, we're bringing you "So Miami" inspiration to get your creativity flowing. Read the excerpt below and click on the photo for the full feature. Happy shopping!

Where will you be spending Thanksgiving this year? Do you already have an outfit in mind? What do you plan to wear? What element(s) will make your look "So Miami"? Leave a comment below or send us a tweet @ThankYouMiami!

#ThankYouMiami for Fall Cocktails at Quality Meats Miami Beach

In our noble pursuit of blogging we get access to some really cool opportunities—most recently, a cocktail clinic with Quality Meats beverage director Bryan Schneider. We love cocktail clinics because we're not great at the whole DIY thing, but we are good at making cocktails under the guidance of seasoned beverage professionals. So, while Bryan was in town, we stopped by Quality Meats Miami Beach (side note: if you haven't been, it is a Miami must) to pick up tips from the man himself on how to make drinks off of his new Fall cocktail menu.

Bryan's list is divided into four sections, each with a unique theme. The Cubes use ice as a dynamic element. The Tropical cocktails are drinks inspired by tropical flavors and culture. The Classics are old school favorites reimagined. The Tap cocktails, as their name implies, are batch cocktails served on tap. One commonality displayed across the four themes is a tropical or Miami twist—an infusion of fruit, a classic Miami cocktail style—that makes this menu perfectly suited for our barely-there Fall. The best part? They're easy to recreate at home so if you're feeling creative, we invite you to channel Bryan's cocktail creativity with these four recipes off the Quality Meats Miami Beach menu:

Cubes: Rubik's Spritz
Inspired by the Rubik's Cube puzzle, this cocktail is served over colored, flavored ice cubes that resemble the puzzle's different colored squares.

3 oz. prosecco or champagne
1 oz. vodka
1/2 oz. elderflower liqueur
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/4 oz. simple syrup
Pour over wine glass over four Rubik's Cubes*

*Rubik's Cubes: In separate containers dilute Cointreau, mango puree, raspberry puree, and lime juice with water (5 parts water: 1 part flavoring). Freeze in ice cube molds.

Tropical: Pomegranate Daiquiri
During Fall, this daiquiri is topped with a seasonal pomegranate foam that will be replaced by a blood orange foam in the winter.

2 oz. light rum
3/4 oz. lime juice
3/4 oz. simple syrup
Shake and strain into a tall glass with crushed ice. Top with pomegranate foam* and garnish with pomegranate seeds.

*Pomegranate foam: In a whipped cream canister add 6 oz. pomegranate juice, 2 oz. simple syrup, 2 oz. lemon juice and 1/2 cup of egg whites. Charge with a NO2 cream charger.

Classics: Pisco Punch
This recipe is derived from a version that was once popular in San Francisco in the 1800's.

2 oz. pisco
1 oz. spiced pineapple syrup*
3/4 oz. lemon juice
Shake and strain into a brandy snifter over fresh ice, then garnish with a pineapple slice and pineapple leaf.

*Spiced pineapple syrup: Combine 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of water, and 1 tsp. whole cloves in a pot. Stir on medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Strain out the cloves and pour the syrup in a blender over 1 cup of chopped pineapple. Pulse a few times to chop the pineapple. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer.

Tap: Cuba Libre
Quality Meats makes the classic Cuba Libre (also known as Rum and Coke) with their homemade cola and serves it on tap from a beer tower. They make their homemade cola with a syrup that blends spices like vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, citrus zest and coriander. You can make your own using this cola syrup recipe from NYTimes Cooking or take the easy way out—like us—and buy a Mexican Coke at our neighborhood bodega.

Image of the Rubik's Spritz by Atsushi Tomioka

#ThankYouMiami Talks This Month in Miami - November 2015

November is in full swing, as is Miami's famed "season"—of tourists, of part-time residents, of fun events, of new restaurants. You've already missed a lot in the month's first week so we figured we'd bring you up to speed so you can make the most out of its remaining weeks. After all, there are only a few weeks left to make 2015 your best Miami year yet. Whether you're into food, culture, exercise, or helping others, we hope you're amping for November in Miami because there is a lot to look forward to!

1. Pinch Kitchen is officially open. The "freestyle American eatery", the brainchild of two Pubbelly Restaurant Group alums, has taken over the digs previously held by Biscayne Diner at 8601 Biscayne Boulevard. We stopped by on opening day to check it out and discovered nothing but signs of a promising future. For starters, the Pinch Kitchen team killed it with the décor which combines a modern look with pieces that have a history—the pictures on the wall are real photos depicting their families history. Their bar selection is also on point thanks to options by Miami's own M.I.A. Brewing and Cigar City, including a hard cider we're dying to try. And finally the dinner menu, which will soon be joined by a lunch and a brunch menu, is chock-full of exciting dishes (the kind that make your mouth water when you read them on the menu) we can't wait to try.

2. Nikki Beach Miami has a brand spanking new addition to their famous Sunday brunch: a Bloody Mary Bar. The bar, which joins numerous stations of fresh sushi, homemade pasta, waffles, custom omelets and more, offers more than 14 unique bloody mary creations and a Build Your Own Bloody (BYOB) option at $8 each with brunch. As part of yesterday's Sunday Funday itinerary, we brunched at Nikki Beach and tried two of their bloody mary creations: the Bloody Maria and the Bloody Ceasar. Granted they were two of the most traditional options on the menu, but they were two really solid bloodies which is what we wanted. If you're feeling more adventurous, we recommend choosing from the bottom of the menu which has wilder options like the Japanese Mary (blazing wasabi, fish sauce and rice wine vinegar infused bloody mary mix, served with Tyku Sake and garnished with pickled ginger, wakame salad, and a sprig of scallion).

3. Yelp Helps has joined forces to host a Feeding South Florida food drive this week in honor of the holiday season. Tonight (Monday, November 9), Yelp Miami will be having a kickoff party from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Lulu's Nitrogen Ice Cream where they will be accepting donations of unopened food items such as peanut butter, cereal, pasta, rice, canned vegetables/meats/soups, etc (see full list here). Those that donate during the event will get free ice cream. The rest of the week, everyone that donates will get 50% off their ice cream purchase. Yelp's goal is to source over 1,000 pounds of food. 

4. The Color Run will shine on Miami this Saturday at Sun Life Stadium. The happiest 5k on the planet, known for its paint chucking ways, gives us the perfect excuse to get some quality time with our best friend Morgan outside of eating and drinking. And, while it is not a serious race, it has the added benefit of pushing us to get some exercise while we're at it. If you're free Saturday morning, you will want to join us—trust. At a minimum it will make for incredible Instagram photos (wink, wink)!

5. The Miami Book Fair International returns for its 32nd year on November 15. This event is the oldest and largest gathering of authors in Miami, who come from all over the world to read from their books, answer our burning questions, and sign autographs. There are seven full days of programming for kids and adults which culminate in a Street Fair weekend that takes over downtown Miami from November 20-22.

#ThankYouMiami for Seed Food & Wine Festival

Last month we chatted with you about sustainable seafood and why we're excited to see it infiltrate the menus of some of our favorite restaurants. This week we're excited to continue the conscious consumption conversation by announcing the return of the nation's only plant-based (read, vegan) food and wine experience: Seed Food and Wine Festival. From November 18 through November 22, the festival will bring diverse programming that simultaneously showcases our beautiful city and the perks of plant-based living. Venues in both Miami Beach and Wynwood will host everything from cooking demonstrations to beer, wine, and spirit tastings to wellness and educational events. We're particularly excited for the first-ever veggie burger battle and for the celebrity chef dinners which will give local chefs a chance to showcase their culinary talent in a unique way.

If you follow us on Instagram you know that earlier this week we previewed what's in store during the festival, specifically on November 21 for the Made in Miami Farm to Table Dinner. We were psyched to discover the six-course menu will be a one-of-a-kind collaboration by our favorite Miami chefs: Brad Kilgore of Alter, Jeremy Ford of Matador Room, Todd Erickson of Haven, Darren Laszlo of Jugofresh, and Jamie De Rosa of Izzy's (one of the hottest restaurants in Miami right now). In our quest for good food around Miami, we've eaten food by all of these chefs but we've only ever experienced plant-based cooking by Chef Laszlo. We can't wait to see how the rest of the chefs use their culinary creativity to make delicious like the ones we sampled during Tuesday's special preview. Catch a peek at what we ate (on your behalf, of course) in the photos below!

For the full list of events and to purchase your tickets, head over to the Seed Food and Wine Festival website. Or, if you're feeling lucky, you can enter to win two VIP tickets to the Festival Day and Tasting Village that will take place at MANA Wynwood on November 21 via our giveaway at the bottom of this post. Bon chance, Miami! And make sure to check back in after the festival to learn more about sustainable food when we recap our experience in our next "#ThankYouMiami for our Natural Resources" feature.

Salad of Brussel Sprouts: Charred Pumpkin, Za'taar Avocado, Mamey, Flaming Walnuts
by Chef Amber Antonelli of The Naked Bite. Image via Celeste Guerra.

Living Lasagna: Vegan Vegetable Terrine
by Chef Mark Zeitouni of The Standard. Image via Celeste Guerra.

Black Bean Twinkie: Dark Chocolate Ganache, Strawberry Coulis, Chocolate Chia Seeds
by Chef Darren Laszlo of Jugofresh. Image via Celeste Guerra.

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#ThankYouMiami for Mid Beach - Localeur

Today is all about showing some love to the often neglected yet incredibly cool neighborhood of Middle Beach, or Mid Beach for "short". While the abundance of cranes is a harbinger of forthcoming revitalization, Mid Beach is currently the more quiet, invisible persona of Miami Beach (think Mia Thermopolis before her royal makeover) so we started a list on Localeur with four reminders of why you need to visit more often. We encourage you to take a peek at the list by clicking on the photo below and to contribute your own go-to Mid Beach haunts. Think of it as your good deed for the day. Happy recommending! P.S. If you live in Mid Beach, we'd love to feature you on our Miami neighborhood series so leave a comment below or send us a tweet @ThankYouMiami!