Chef Allen Susser at last year's Pairings event.

​This Thursday, our sister paper New Times Broward-Palm Beach will hold its fourth annual Pairings event at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The classy get-together joins signature culinary creations from some of South Florida's best restaurants with expertly paired wines from local and international wineries.

Some of the restaurants participating include YOLO, Rok:Brgr, Steak 954, STK Miami, and 3030 Ocean. General admission tickets are still available for $45; otherwise they're $55 at the door. VIP tickets are $80 and guarantee you early admission at 6 p.m. along with catered gourmet food and select reserve wines.
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Stella Artois

Wanted: bartender with knife skills and steady hand to execute the perfect pour.

​You've seen the commercials for Stella Artois. A bartender pours a perfect glass of beer, measures the head, then takes a knife and slices away the excess foam to create an object of beauty. This is beer porn at its finest.

Turns out, pouring the perfect pint is both art form and competition. On October 7, finalists from around the country will converge on Washington D.C. for the 2011 World Draught Masters Competition.

It is there, that seven regional winners will compete in the nine-step process that results in a picture perfect pour.

Miami has been chosen as one of the cities to hold a regional contest. This Friday at Brickell Irish Pub from 8 p.m. to midnight, bartenders from around south Florida will compete to see who has what it takes to move on to the finals.
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Oye Cuban Grill

This sandwich could be branded with your name.

​If you've perused sandwich shop menus that name their towers of meat and cheese after celebrities and wondered why no one has ever named a dish after you, OYE Cuban Grill has an answer. They want to make your wish come true by naming a sandwich after you.

Starting September 19, create a custom sandwich for OYE and submit it on its Facebook page. The contest runs through October 9. The winning creation will be featured on Oye's menu (named after you, the creator, of course). If you win, you'll also get to eat yourself because OYE is giving you first bite at your namsake free.
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​Two giveaways in one week, we know, but this one was just too good to pass up.

On July 7, Taste of the Nation brings together Miami's most talented chefs for a good cause -- feeding South Florida's hungry children. Around 40 restaurants will participate this year, including Michy's, Sugarcane Raw Bar & Grill, Meat Market, Bourbon Steak, 1500 at the Eden Rock, BLT Steak, DB Bistro, Azul at the Mandarin, Wish, The Forge and City Hall.

But one lucky reader will attend on us. All you have to do is visit Short Order's Facebook page ("Like" us if you haven't) and leave a comment on the Taste of the Nation status update. One winner will be chosen at random on Tuesday, July 5.
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​Isn't America great? Our forefathers fought for our freedom... to drink beer, grill various meats, and blow stuff up. So the only real way to celebrate America's birthday is to do all three activities in one sitting, and, GASP!, Seminole Hard Rock and New Times are helping you achieve that goal by hosting the Rock 'n' Roll Beer-B-Que on July 3.

But you know what would be even better? If you could do all that celebrating for free! That's why we are giving away two pairs of tickets to Sunday's event. All you have to do is visit Short Order's Facebook page (and "Like" us if you haven't already) and leave a comment on our Beer-B-Que status update. Two winners will chosen at random tomorrow at 9 a.m. (Must be 21 and over to win.)
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STK Miami

​Thanks to the kind people at Paramount, Short Order readers can win one of the best giveaways ever. Prize includes a Blu-ray copy of No Strings Attached, the romantic comedy starring Oscar-winner Natalie Portman and Charlie Sheen-replacement Ashton Kutcher. But in order to make this a complete date night and the perfect Short Order giveaway, Paramount is giving the winner a $150 gift certificate to STK, which is good at any STK location including Miami.
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Photo by Riki Altman

Short rib at Cha Cha Rooster.

​Huzzah! We're back with another giveaway and this one's big. Restaurant.com is offering Short Order readers a chance to win one of four (yes, FOUR) $25 gift certificates to use on Restaurant.com.

What's Restaurant.com, you ask? The site offer deals at some of the best restaurant across the United States, including Miami. Local participating eateries include De Rodriguez Cuba on Ocean, Morgans, Cha Cha Rooster at Lords, Vita by Baoli, Gibraltar, 660 at the Angler's, and more.
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​Hey, Short Order readers, we're back with another giveaway! This time it's a $50 gift card to Gordon Biersch. You can get a lot of beer for that kind of money.

What to do you have to do win it? We're going to keep it simple this time. Just go over to Short Order's Facebook page -- and "Like" us if you haven't already -- and leave a comment on the Gordon Biersch update that is on there. You can share anything with us, like how your day is going, how much you love Short Order, or even your grocery list. As long as you leave a comment on the page you will automatically be entered to win. We'll choose a winner at random on Monday.

Follow Short Order on Facebook and Twitter @Short_Order.

You'll get paid to join the party.

​Malibu, the Carribean rum spiked with coconut liqueur, is offering one lucky person the opportunity to host this summer's upcoming Radio Maliboom Boom Station Invasion Concert Tour -- along with a stipend of $15,000.

Starting now and continuing through May 15, individuals of legal drinking age can apply to win by visiting this Malibu website and uploading a creative video clip that illustrates why they should be chosen. The job entails reporting on all the parties, interviewing celebrities, and getting to take part in all the festivities.

Three finalists will be selected to attend training in Malibu's homeland of Barbados. The winner gets the gig and cash. The concert tour kicks off in Miami on July 16, so get out that video camera and start shooting.

Follow Short Order on Facebook and Twitter @Short_Order.

​Finally, it's out today. We're talking about Michael Schwartz's cookbook, Michael's Genuine Food.

If the jacket is any indication, Schwartz can already count people like Emeril Lagasse, Gail Simmons, and Daniel Boulud as fans of his simple-looking but packed-with-flavor recipes. The James Beard Award-winning chef lays out simple instructions for everything from snacks to sandwiches to full-fledged entrees. Pastry chef Hedy Goldsmith also pops up around page 195 to dish out some sweet treats.

If you can't wait to get your hands of a copy, it's already available for sale at local stores like Books & Books or mega online retailers like Amazon (which though listed at $35, is selling for $19.52).
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