Trump International Beach Resort

We heart you, too, Sand Scribe!

Okay, okay! We hear you! Times are tough and you don't have $100,000 or so to throw around this Valentine's Day for those big to-dos we mentioned yesterday. No worries--we've got your backs. Plenty of local restaurants and hotels have put together deals for value-seekers, lonely hearts, exhibitionists, and yes, even you cheapskates. Check 'em out:

Sweetest Deal
Perhaps your paramour has a bit of a sweet tooth? Turn him or her on with decadent desserts by The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach's new executive pastry chef, Jason Morale, at the Sweets For Your Sweet display at the Lobby Bar. Offered on Valentine's Day from 8 to 11 p.m., for $14 per couple you can surround yourselves with bite-sized samplings of red velvet tortes, macaroons, mini-chocolate cheesecakes, pistachio mocha bites and more, along with specialty cocktails. For more information, call 786-276-4329. (Note: complimentary access to the display is granted for guests who enjoy the $75 per person, three-course Va-Va-Voom Valentine's Day Dinner at Bistro One LR prior.) Dial 786-276-4329 for reservations.
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Photo by Riki Altman

Azul's got the right idea.

​Got a wad of cash burning up your pocket? We found some ways to blow through that dough and maybe get a meal or two and a little lovin' in return.

Top Dollar
Hey, big spender! We know you're just aching to find out where to drop a few hundred thou on your favorite fellow foodie this Valentine's Day, so check out Hotel Victor's deal, which will cost you $100,000. You'll get limo service to and from home or the airport, a couple's massage, spa steam treatment, and a penthouse suite. But wait -- there's more!

On the 14th, you'll enjoy dinner served on the roof and unlimited Krug Clos du Mesnil champagne and cocktails from a private bartender while listening to the sounds of a four-piece string quartet over dinner and DJs mixes when you indulge in a postmeal Jacuzzi dip. The next morning you'll wake to the aromas of breakfast being prepared by the chef in your suite's kitchen. He'll also leave you with a pre-assembled picnic basket for lunch at the beach. And you won't have to worry about calling in sick to work, because a doc-to-the-stars will write an excuse note to your boss (as if you have one). Call 305-779-8787 to book it.
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Pork belly sliders are part of the prix fixe deal

​The Miami Heat take on the Los Angeles Lakers at home tonight, and Area 31 is set with a three-course pre-game meal for $34 per person (available from 6 pm to 7:30 pm before every home game). The acclaimed seafood restaurant, located just blocks from the Arena high up on the 16th floor of the Epic Hotel, is helmed by the equally celebrated chef E. Michael Reidt. The menu he has created for the pre-hoops crowd looks mighty good, as does a late night Bar Bites menu for post-game action.

The prix fixe menu starts with a choice of:

• Simple greens with pork belly sliders
• Butternut squash soup
• Assortment of fish fry, croquettes, fries, and a shot of beer

I'll go out on a limb here and predict that most diners will select the fish fry with beer.
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All for $1.

​

John Zur

Otentic's French onion soup.

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French Spice is the lesser known sibling of Miami Spice. Taking place from November 1st through the 30th, there have been twenty restaurants in Miami-Dade and Broward participating in the lunch ($15 or $22) and dinner ($25 or $35) pre-set menus.

Participating in the promotion is Miami Beach's Otentic. The place is intrinsically French, from the French owner serving tables to the staff, who are very concerned you enjoy their food. What's not to like about them opening up their entire menu, with a choice of appetizer, entree, side, and dessert for just $15? More >>

Photo By Alex Rodriguez

Get your VIP ticket to the gun show

​Heads up, Miami! New Jersey-based Muscle Maker Grill in midtown Miami is offering 15 percent off all meals through the new year. All you have to do is "Like" it on Facebook or follow on Twitter.

The health-conscious hot spot serves tasty, natural, gym-friendly meals. Try the Godfather -- two hearty chicken breasts and a slew of portobello mushrooms sprinkled with ooey-gooey mozzarella and marinated red bell pepper slivers atop a bed of crunchy, steamed broccoli (say that five times fast). The flavor kicker is the balsamic sauce.
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Photo by Marguerite Gil

​Jumping on the coat tails of the very successful yearly August and September Miami Spice, French restaurants have followed suit. Et pour quoi pas? Good, creative meals at reasonable prices ... c'est magnifique!

This month-long promotion incites lovers of French food to dine at some of the best Gallic inspired eateries, for a fraction of the usual costs. French Spice, three-course bistro lunches are $15, while dinners will go for a reasonable $25. Gourmet category, three-course lunches are priced at $22 and dinners will set you back $35. That's a yummy deal. All of the chefs have created special menus that reflect the fresh taste of homemade, as well as local quality products fused with imported delicacies from France to create tantalizing dishes for your culinary pleasure. But wait, all of the dining options include a glass of wine or Champagne. A votre santé!
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Lesley Elliott

Zuma's Japanese "hot pot."

​For downtowners in search of a lunch deal, Zuma has just launched a prix-fixe menu in addition to their current á la carte offerings. The "business lunch option" will run you $24, and includes two starters and a choice of one entree from a selection of three regular items.

You'll start with Zuma's soup and salad -- white miso soup and mixed greens with a barley miso dressing. Then go simple with a selection of sashimi, or decide on kitchen mains such as branzino with pickled fennel and their Japanese rice hot pot with wild mushrooms (which arrives steamy and fragrant every time we've had it). Available Monday through Saturday from noon until 3 p.m., they will also set up a private room for up to 26 people. Just in case your boss wants to spring for a weekly meeting that truly gets you over hump day.

Also making news at Zuma is that they are officially open for business all day long.
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Fried chicken at Tudor House is offered at a "like spice" price

​It's October, which means restaurants are gearing up for a busy season as tourists make reservations and snowbirds plan their imminent arrival.

For locals, October means a break in the weather, with cool nights enticing us into going out to enjoy our city before the barrage hits. Unfortunately, this good weather directly correlates with the end of Miami Spice and its meal deals.

Some Miami restaurants have heard our pleas and are offering special prix fixe menus in October. Deals include lunches, dinners, and wine pairings. With all of these restaurants offering deals in autumn, we're considering renaming the month Octoberfeast.

Tudor House in South Beach is offering a Just Like Spice three-course menu for lunch ($22) and dinner ($35). This offer is good seven days a week, which makes it a great value.  According to executive chef Jamie DeRosa, the portions are the same size as on the regular menu, and dinner includes house specialties such as buttermilk fried chicken, black grouper cheeks, and braised short ribs. The offer is good through October 31.

All three signature restaurants at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach are participating in its Bleau Goes Pink event. This is the third anniversary of the event, which benefits the Miami/Fort Lauderdale chapter of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. 

Gotham Steak, Scarpetta, and Hakkasan will all feature three-course prix fixe menus for $39, a portion of which will be donated to Komen. Each restaurant is also offering wine pairings for an additional $20 and $30 plus discounted valet parking ($12). The Bleau Goes Pink dinner menus are available Sunday through Thursday throughout the month of October.
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​It's no secret that publicists will do anything to get their clients some press. Pollo Tropical, no exception to this rule, announced that today is National Chicken Day. After reading articles about this "food holiday" from local publications throughout the country, we did some research and could not find anything making today the official day for cluckers.

According to Chase's Calendar of Events, the official compendium of holidays worldwide, September 15 is Linguine Day and Crème de Menthe Day on the food holiday calendar. Yes, at one point, the president of the United States proclaimed September 15 a minty-pasta existence. A linguine lover petitioned the powers-that-be to have a day dedicated to the pasta, and then we can only assume a liquor company followed suit, touting its green goodness. The petitions are historically submitted by trade associations or, here we go again, public relations firms, requesting special observance in favor of a particular food, person, or thing.

No need to be completely discouraged, though, because September is National Chicken Month. This explains our newfound obsession with the bird. So rejoice and check out some local fried chicken.

We've given you Michy's and Magnum's. Now read on for a few more options to add to your list.
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