As sort of a reward to you for sticking around during the stickiest summer months, hundreds of South Florida restaurants will begin offering deep discounts on Friday: opening day for Dine Out Lauderdale and Miami Spice.
Running through Sept. 30, these promotions will showcase restaurants — likely many of your favorite spots — offering multicourse lunches and dinners for prices beginning at $35 (plus tax/tip). If you’ve been looking for a reason to enjoy a night on the town, or want to plan a long-delayed date night, this may be the time.
In greater Fort Lauderdale (from Lauderdale-by-the-Sea to Miramar and Weston), the Dine Out Lauderdale list includes The Chimney House (convenient to the Broward Center), Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse (overlooking the New River), The Katherine (James Beard-blessed hidden gem) and the Mai-Kai (if you haven’t yet experienced its glorious renovation). For an updated list and details on menus, go to VisitLauderdale.com/dineout.
In Miami-Dade County, restaurants that will be part of Miami Spice (from basic offers to Magic City extravagant) range from The Amalfi LLama (at Aventura Mall) to Red Rooster Overtown (celebrated chef Marcus Samuelsson’s place, which earned Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand status) and Joe’s Stone Crab (the Miami Beach legend). Visit MiamiAndBeaches.com.
THURSDAY
Rock showman: David Lee Roth comes to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Thursday, the second stop on his national tour. The first concert was at the California Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles on July 22, the day that Ozzy Osbourne died. This allowed Roth to salute Ozzy (“Save me a seat, and when I get to hell, we’ll have a drink, brother.”) and remind the audience that he and Van Halen opened for Black Sabbath on a U.K. tour in 1978. Which is mind-boggling. Tickets for DLR’s 8 p.m. show are available, starting at $55.60. Visit MyHRL.com.
Girls night out: In downtown Fort Lauderdale on Thursday night, Las Olas Hot Girl Social Club will gather for a community-building, 2-mile walk-and-chat beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Laura Ward Riverwalk Plaza (that little green space on the New River between Stranahan House and The Cheesecake Factory). The gathering will end with GNO festivities at Tin Roof on Andrews Avenue. The female-only event is free and open to nonmembers. Visit Instagram.com/lasolashotgirlsocialclub.
FRIDAY
Impress you much? It felt like country star Shania Twain’s ongoing comeback of the last few years began with her surprising headlining set at Tortuga Music Festival in 2023, when an informal survey found longtime fans wowed and younger women impressed by her modern style. Twain is set for two weekend shows at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are available for both concerts, starting at $73.05 on Friday and $61.80 on Saturday. Visit MyHRL.com. As if she needed more respect, Twain’s work to end food insecurity in vulnerable communities will include a donation of $25,000 to Feeding South Florida, which estimates that will provide meals for 100,000 people. For more information on her efforts, visit ShaniaTwainFoundation.com.
Weekend shopping: This is the formal grand-opening weekend of the Styx Promenade in West Palm Beach, a new hub of commerce that is the result of a $2.6 million revitalization effort inspired by the original Styx community — African American workers who were displaced from Palm Beach Island and resettled in what was known as Pleasant City. Styx Promenade features nine Shotgun-style structures, including a restored original home, and currently includes six new businesses, all minority-owned and -operated. If you were wondering where beloved bookstore Rohi’s Readery went, now you’ve found its new home. Other places on my to-do list: Eat N’ Cake and Wild Rose Wine & Daiquiri Bar, possibly not in that order. The project, located at 634 Seventh St. in the city’s Historic Northwest District, will have a formal ribbon-cutting during a ceremony from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday. Visit WPB.org.
Florida man: Brian Kelley, the Florida half of chart-topping country duo Florida Georgia Line, will bring his Sunshine State of Mind Tour to The Parker in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The 19-city tour (with nearly half the stops in Florida) supports his album “Ed & Mary Margaret’s Son,” which was released in October. Tickets start at $35.40 at ParkerPlayhouse.com.
Jim Rassol / Sun Sentinel
Brian Kelley, left, seen here with Florida Georgia Line mate Tyler Hubbard, is bringing his own tour to Fort Lauderdale on Friday. (Jim Rassol/South Florida Sun Sentinel file)
Where to look: There are plenty of reasons to join in on First Friday Art Walk in downtown Delray Beach, where you’ll find open galleries, live music, artist meet-and-greets, and plenty of options for food and wine. We’re going to recommend a stop at Arts Warehouse to see the new photography exhibition titled “I Look at the World,” which highlights the work of three emerging South Florida-based photographers — Joshua D. Buron, Nastassia Dillon and Naja Hardmon — who bear witness to the realities of Black life from distinctive angles. The show, which will be up through Sept. 27, was curated by Tayina Deravile, well regarded for her leadership roles at FAT Village Arts District and Girls’ Club in Fort Lauderdale. The Art Walk is free, and family and dog friendly. Wine and beer will be available for $6 from 6 to 9 p.m. Visit ArtsWarehouse.org.
Glorious food: On the subject of memorable meals, executive chef Adrienne Grenier on Friday will debut a new monthly culinary series at Burlock Coast Seafare & Spirits, the beachfront restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale. Adrienne’s Food Diaries is Grenier’s spin on a program originated by celebrated chef Paula DaSilva, in which the chef spotlights a dish from a recipe shared by one of the kitchen luminaries she calls friends. In August, Grenier will feature pioneering South Florida chef Dean Max’s Glazed Black Grouper ($52) on the Burlock Coast menu. September will feature chef Pushkar Marathe (Stage Kitchen & Bar, Ela Curry & Cocktails) and his Pachadi Salad ($19), followed by chef José Mendín (Pubbelly Sushi, Casa Isola, La Placita) in October with Butterscotch Miso Pork Belly ($25) and, in November, acclaimed Miami chef Giorgio Rapicavoli (Eating House, Luca Osteria, the Food Network’s “Chopped”) and his Muhammara Dip ($17). For more information on the series, visit Facebook.com/BurlockCoast.
Friday tribute: Coldplay tribute band Life in Technicolor will play Revolution Live in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Friday. General-admission tickets for the all-ages show cost $23. Doors open at 7 p.m., with an early set by The Marauders. Visit JoinTheRevolution.net.
Weekend laughs: Comedian Anthony Rodia is best known for stories about growing up in an Italian American family in suburban New York (New Rochelle) and his popular Uncle Vinny and Zia Lucia videos on YouTube. Rodia will perform at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach. Tickets start at $37.38 at Kravis.org. … Comedian and actor DeRay Davis (he’s made dozens of TV and film appearances in everything from “Empire” to “21 Jump Street” and “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”) will be at the Fort Lauderdale Improv in Dania Beach for shows at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, and 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $40.90+ at ImprovFTL.com.
Weekend baseball: The overachieving Miami Marlins continue to make preseason MLB prognosticators look like dimwits — as do the iconic New York Yankees, for different reasons. The Marlins will welcome the Bronx Bombers to loanDepot Park for a three-game series at 7:10 p.m. Friday, 4:10 p.m. Saturday and 1:40 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $17+. Sunday’s game will include a Jack McKeon bobblehead for the first 8,000 fans. Visit Marlins.com.
SATURDAY
Cold as ice: The Feel Good Summer series, presented by the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority, will take over Old School Square on Saturday. Activities start with a 9 a.m. pre-run hosted by the Nameless Run Club, followed by four instructor-led fitness classes, local vendors, food and drink, music, giveaways and more. But these (steamy) days, the feature of most interest may be the icy-cold plunges offered by The Cold Collective. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. All-inclusive tickets cost $40+. Visit Instagram.com/thecoldcollectivefl and DowntownDelrayBeach.com.
Saturday laughs: Palestinian American stand-up comedian and writer Mohammed “Mo” Amer’s eponymous Netflix comedy-drama was just slightly ahead of its time — the second and final season of the critically praised “Mo,” about the oddball day-to-day hustle of a good-hearted Palestinian immigrant in Houston, was released in January. Amer will bring his El Oso Palestino Tour to The Fillmore Miami Beach on Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets are available, starting at $41.25, at Ticketmaster.com.
Take the kids: Monster Jam returns to Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise on Saturday and Sunday with high-flying, high-decibel entertainment from all your favorite mud-kicking trucks, including Grave Digger, El Toro Loco, Zombie, Black Pearl and Bad Company. This edition of Monster Jam also will feature the South Florida debut of a new truck, Bailey Circuit, based on the robotic pup that’s a fan favorite in the new Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. Performances are set for noon and 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, with tickets starting at $36.75. There will be preshow pit parties and post-event meet-and-greets on both days, each requiring a separate ticket. For tickets and information, visit Seatgeek.com.
Got your ’80s: The Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale will welcome two queens of the late-’80s pop charts on Saturday with a co-headlining show by Taylor Dayne (“Tell It to My Heart,” “Prove Your Love,” “Love Will Lead You Back” and “With Every Beat of My Heart”) and Lisa Lisa (“Can You Feel the Beat,” “All Cried Out,” “Lost in Emotion” and “I Wonder If I Take You Home”). Tickets for the 8 p.m show start at $35 at BrowardCenter.org. … Meanwhile, across town, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, The Parker will have singer-songwriter and guitarist Chris Isaak, who is unlikely to ever escape our memories of the haunting 1989 hit “Wicked Game.” A handful of tickets remain, starting at $70.21. Visit ParkerPlayhouse.com.
SUNDAY
Sunday date night: Longtime Matchbox Twenty vocalist and songwriter Rob Thomas will perform Sunday at Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton on his first solo tour since 2019. The tour features music from a new album, “All Night Days,” set for release on Sept. 5, and marks the 53-year-old singer’s first concerts with his son, Maison, on guitar. Along with new songs such as “Hard to Be Happy,” expect to also hear from his wide catalog of solo and Matchbox hits, including “Lonely No More,” “Streetcorner Symphony,” “This is How a Heart Breaks,” “Push,” “If You’re Gone” and “3 A.M.” As Thomas said in a recent interview with the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “There’s a gift in the fact that people want me to play ‘3 A.M.’ because I’ve been afforded the ability to be someone’s nostalgia.” Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. concert are available, starting at $63.20+, at Ticketmaster.com. A Great Big World is the opening act. Visit RobThomasMusic.com.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell.
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