During Tough Times: Offer Food.

Why have a party when you can have a dinner party?

That is the new trend, with the economy as it is, dividing the night between going out to dinner and then going out to party is out of the questions. Lately, I cannot remember when was the last time I went to a party that didn’t have food. People are hungry these days.
And, even though dinner parties lack the sweat and rubbing of the club and the surprises of the street it beats finding the next day in the bottom of your pocket the crumpled $80 receipt to your debit card, when you got inspired and wanted to get everyone Tequila shots.

So, if you haven’t been getting at leas two invitations to dinner parties per week in your facebook, then you don’t know what’s happening in Miami.
So, to start off on Friday, I drove all the way around The Falls, I know The Falls!, to attend a diner party offered by my gorgeously-looking friend Alex.
The Italian-themed evening started off very calmly. Bruschetas and a choice of pesto or red meat sauce to accompany the bow-tie pasta as well as a delicious tuna salad.
The variety of ethnicities presented at the soiree could be very well represented with the assortment of drinks. At some point I saw a filled bottle of Silver Patron and thank to those powers who for mysterious reasons protect us, when I finally decided to take a shot of it, it was absolutely empty.
A Peruvian dude, brought a Pisco, and was making some exquisite Pisco Sours, with egg and everything, while an angry mob awaited inside the kitchen with plastic cups in hand.
“I assume this is Chilean Pisco,” I said. “Otherwise I won’t have it.”
The angry mob laughed and I was proud of my joke until he said that for that I was getting nothing. He did give me some at the end, but that was close.

The Angry Mob
A cute, evil ginger girl named Samantha and I opened a bottle of Champagne that we found too lonely in the freezer. We pour the Champagne in our gigantic red plastic cups, which have the right measure for how much of that precious liquid we deserved.
Evil Ginger Gurl.
There were two Russians, with whom we were definitely having a hard time communicating. I thought they were gay and told them and although they denied it, it didn’t seem to bother them too much.
They invited me to their car to get something “good.” Hell yeah, I said, I am always interested in something good, whatever it is.
But, we were lost in translation again.


One of the Russians.
After walking for about 10 minutes to their car, they got out of it a warm Russian beer, and by the time I was back to the party the champagne was gone. Never trust those crazy Russians. We learn something new everyday.
At some point we danced and then started playing “Maricon” at the end of the night, when the levels of attention span had been proportionally diminish by the variety of alcohol going around.
I made futile attempts at yelling the instructions of the game: “YOU HAVE TO GET 4 OF A KIND,” but amongst laughs and distractions we only got passed one round. It is hard to organize people at these parties.


Then came Sunday.
If there is something that is great about staying in Miami, is that you never need to go to your high school reunion.
My preppy high school friends who went with me to the expensive Haunted House and moved to a hot apartment on Biscayne and 24th, were cooking barbecue in the balcony: choripan and chicken as well as serving some exquisite pizzas brought from Carpaccio Restaurant: salmon and cream cheese pizza, shrimp and onions and other delicacies of the sort.
Everybody, everybody absolutely everybody who was there was from Beach High. They all remembered the crazy Argentineans, the shaving cream at the end of the year and of course there were mentions of Papi’s chicken when our chicken was coming out of the grill.
There was Andy, brothers Alfredo and Maurico Montaldo, Adam, the birthday boy, Vincent, Carlos Patino, basically the whole soccer team, and ever so popular and beautiful Lea, as well as others.
We played Cheers Governor and made a great deal of noise, taking shots of Bacardi every time someone messed up, which was quite often.
It is good to chill with the boys. Once I get the pictures I took with Mauricio’s camera I’ll post them.

So, What Did We Miss and What Won't We Miss?

Gallery Walk, which although I did not hear anything of the walk itself, I know the Bakehouse had a cool exhibit which included some informal performances by our buddies from The Mad Cat Theatre Company, who will presenting Mixtape in the Biscayne and 30th theatre from October 24th through November 22. Including, a Halloween party after the show on the 31st, where actors wear crazy costumes and there’s a lot of free booze. I’ll be there for sure in my surprise costume.

Yelle at the Polish American Club on Friday: This must have been really hot, I was dying to hear A Cause de Garcon live, but sometimes things just don’t happen.

Also the piñata Party do-over at The Black Mangrove, I hate to miss their parties because they are always so good and because it is great to support the cause of someone who is taking some responsibility and making me feel less guilty. I heard that went well too.

This coming Friday I won’t miss: The Pink Party outside of The Miami Herald building. It will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and here will be all sorts of interesting people and friends with whom to share the free drinks and food. There will also be art and music and it seems like the perfect way to kick off the weekend, with a good cause.



On Saturday, Poplife is throwing the Spin The Vote Party, mostly a way to promote Obama it seems, but i'll keep you posted on what else comes up, cuz I know we all get tired of the Poplife, even though we have to be thankful that it is always there for us.
Credits: Some of the pictures were stolen with love from Alex McAnarney and Greta Martinez facebooks and edited by me.