The weekend is holiday party hopping.
You're already familiar with the stuffed baguettes at Brickell's 24-hour sandwich depot, so tonight's belated grand opening should satisfy you on many levels. There'll be gratis platters of mini-sandwiches, smoked meats and cheeses, and cold, free Presidente beer.
It's a simple enough transaction: you bring in an unwrapped toy (minimum $10 value), and the restaurant at the Tides serves you a Tides Royale (normally $14; coconut rum, pineapple juice) and a pineapple Popsicle. And no, your stapler doesn't count as a toy.
Now that the weather's crisp and cool, it's the perfect time to ring in the weekend at a poolside bar overlooking downtown. At Brickell's swankiest hotel, martinis are half-off on Fridays ($7), and since tomorrow is the inaugural night, you'll also enjoy gratis bar bites like spring rolls and bruschetta.
The Urbanite wants to introduce you to some eclectic beers on Saturday, when $40 nets you six craft brews (like Rogue's Santa's Private Reserve and Flying Dog's Horn Dog Barley Wine) and six small plates (duck magret, pork sausage). We hear Santa loves pork sausage.
We're thinking of renaming the Grove "Paristown" for all the Francophile spots that keep popping up. The newest one, Le Café Pop, doesn't break the bistro mold—expect straightforward classics like beef tartare—but you'll also find more daring dishes like a duck gizzard salad and frog legs sautéed in butter.
