Another long night of Grove Playhouse talk

Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera and
City Commissioner Ken Russell

Thursday night's Coconut Grove Playhouse Town Hall Meeting at City Hall was packed. Every seat was taken, people were standing in the back and people were also sitting on the floor.

County Commissioner Xavier Suarez conducted the meeting and present were our City Commissioner Ken Russell, County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and other movers and shakers who are involved or would like to be involved with the Playhouse.

Michael Spring who is in charge of the County's plans for the playhouse spoke, Richard Heisenbottle spoke (here are his plans), Mike Edison spoke (he has been involved with cultural affairs in the county for years and has his own plan). But it was all the same old same old back and forth until our Lieutenant Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera spoke. Carlos is humble, he is quiet and when he speaks, it's like EF Hutton - everybody listens.

Carlos has been involved with the playhouse since the beginning, we are at this point thanks to Carlos. He is the one who drafted legislation which set up the reverter clause, where the playhouse can only be used to produce plays otherwise it reverts back to the state. He is the one who fought off the corrupt board in 2006 who ran the playhouse into the ground and still wanted compensation after it closed.

He stood before the county commission back then and told them to not give the board another dime.

Carlos said he was frustrated over the inaction after all these years. He laid the groundwork but nothing has been done. When Carlos was our State Representative in 2010, he sent an email to the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) regarding the Coconut Grove Playhouse. He asked for various options in regard to the reverter clause.

Within the deed is a reverter clause which states that the property “shall only be utilized for theater, theatrical productions, theatrical education or related arts uses and uses supporting same as currently permitted under the Playhouse Sublease.”

Here is Carlos' email to the DEP:

Ubiquitous blue shirts at
Thursday's meeting.

"It is my understanding that the current use of the property may violate the restriction and cannot be cured within the time provided in the deed. Therefore, I respectfully request that the Department of Environmental Protection investigate this matter in order to determine all available options, including the possibility of the property reverting back to the state as well as who may take possession of the property once it is under the control of the state."

Up to to this point, nothing has been done and every deadline has been missed by the county. Michael Spring has done nothing according to Carlos. "I am fed up that we cannot get anything done in this community," he said.

Carlos also said, "I have serious concerns about GableStage's ability to run the playhouse." And this is not the first time I heard this. Currently they pay no rent and never fill the small amount of seats they have in their theater.

Carlos said that GableStage has not put any money up toward the Coconut Grove Playhouse and they have not shown that they can run the operation.

It was a bit offensive that a lot of "blue shirts" were present, sort of like the "yellow shirts" have been seen at other meetings. These blue shirts were on the GableStage/County's side for their proposal to go through. Their shirts said, "Grove Stage," which of course does not exist.

Our Commissioner Ken Russell seemed to be in agreement with Carlos Lopez-Cantera when he said, "I don't want us to lose our past by demolition by neglect. He said that is not going to happen. Ken says money is not an excuse for not getting the job done.

The talk went back and forth between a 300 seat and 700 seat theater. Mayor Gimenez said that if the money can be raised, he is in favor of a 700 seat theater.

Developer Jorge Perez of the Related Group stood up at the podium and said, "Reject other plans!" He is in favor of the County plans with Michael Spring and Joe Adler as the theater director, and the people they had wearing blue shirts. Ironically it was Perez and his Related Group that had people showing up during the Mercy Project period wearing yellow shirts.

In the end, I didn't stay for the 45 residents lined up to speak. After Carlos Lopez-Cantera made his speech, it was the "drop the mic" moment for me and it was all over for the night.

In the end, nothing was decided. That's how these playhouse meetings go.

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Trina Collins' work featured at KROMA Gallery

Coconut Grove painter Trina Collins (left) will have ten works exhibited as one of the featured artists at KROMA Gallery (3670 Grand Avenue) during this year’s Art Basel.

The show is open to the public and runs from Friday, Dec. 1 through Jan. 5, 2018 with an opening reception from 6-10 pm on Friday, Dec. 1. The exhibit will include works by well-known photographer Robert Sullivan.

This past summer, Collins was the principal artist included in a month-long July exhibit at Little Havana’s premiere gallery, “Futurama 1637” on Calle Ocho.  This past year has featured the sale of her works nationally and abroad.

Trina is the founder of the Gifford Lane Art Stroll. The upcoming Stroll in March 2018 will be the 20th consecutive year for the much-loved Grove event. Each year, she opens up her house and all of her art to the general public.  

The work of Trina Collins celebrates the female form.

Bringing more little free libraries to the village

The Barnacle installed a little free library recently, another added to the few we have in Coconut Grove.

We did a story in July about the libraries and had hoped to have a few more by now.

I was in Boston last week and in front of a CVS, I think it was, there was a little free library, but this one was the size of a large phone booth, you could almost crawl into it. But it did hold a lot of books in the downtown area.

Governor to visit Coconut Grove Thursday

Governor Rick Scott and other dignitaries will be in the Grove this afternoon (November 30). The Governor will be holding a press conference at Coconut Grove Elementary School at 3:30.

Traffic may be affected. So keep this in mind especially if attending the Playhouse townhall meeting at City Hall, which is at 5 pm.

Are you Steam Curious?

Sheri Friedman, Frederic Vega and Nadia Desjardins at a Rivet Nation event earlier this month.

If you are curious about Steampunk, stop by KROMA Gallery on Saturday, December 2 for an enlightening evening and they will get you up to speed.

Rivet Nation will have a fun evening starting at 8 pm for a preview of some of the exciting plans that they have in the cogs for 2018.

They will be presenting an encore screening of AUREA by Agatino Zurria filmed in part at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum (GCRM) and following the film, photographer Robert Sullivan will demonstrate a mini-portrait photography session using his portable lighting system with a backdrop or inside The Shoppe by Rivet Nation space.

A few lucky costumed characters will have their portrait edited in a "steampunk" style and finish on site. All who are photographed in costume will receive a free digital copy suitable for use in social media.

Coincidentally, Robert is also the current featured artist at KROMA. 15 of his photographs on aluminium commissioned by the City of Miami will be on display throughout January.

Musical entertainment will be provided by Paul Pennyfeather.

KROMA is at 3670 Grand Avenue.

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Town Hall Meeting regarding Grove Playhouse

Reminder:

Commissioner Xavier L. Suarez, in conjunction with City of Miami Commissioner Ken Russell and Miami- Dade County School Board Member Maritere Rojas, is hosting a Town Hall Meeting to discuss plans for the Coconut Grove Playhouse, proper use of General Obligation Bond funds, and the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board's (HEPB) decision to approve the current county plans.

Constituents and stakeholders are invited to attend as well as other prominent figures of the community.

Town Hall Meeting
Date and Time: Thursday, November 30
5:00 to 7:00 pm
Location: City of Miami City Hall, Chambers
3500 Pam American Drive.

Tuesday was the last day for Fat Tuesday

That's Louis Del Borello, Grove Ambassador. And that is the end of Fat Tuesday in Coconut Grove. A sort of institution.

Years ago, I took a job as one of those secret shoppers. Yes, they exist. And my first job was to go to the Fat Tuesday in the Grove and do a spot check. I had a list of things to look for and I remember one was to see if the bartender offered to refill my drink when it was empty. So my drink was empty and the guy ignored me and I kept standing against the bar, tilting the cup so that he could see it was empty and I kept trying to get him to ask me to order another drink. He didn't.

I had gotten into that because for a short time I had tended bar at a place in Coral Gables and a secret shopper came in and they did a report on me and it was about 20 pages long, it fascinated me, they were so detailed - did I put a napkin under the drink? did I up-sell? was I polite? Did I garnish the drinks?

Needless to say, I didn't like being a secret shopper, which felt like spying, so that job didn't last long.

A few years back The Design Box on Fuller Street had the old Biscayne Cafeteria sign for sale. That brought a nice price, wonder how much the Fat Tuesday sign will bring?

And this sign reminds me of something else. In 1989, The Miami News went out of business and the big blue letters that shared space on the Miami Herald building were taken down. One day, my friend Ron Miller, who was publisher of Community Newspapers, took me into his backyard in Pinecrest and there lining the yard were the huge blue letters - THE MIAMI NEWS, all sprawled around the yard, leaning on the hedges around the pool.

The letters were huge, maybe 12 feet high. I don't remember how they got there, but Ron like myself loved newspapers. I don't know where they ended up after they left Ron's house, hopefully to a good home.

I visited the old New York Daily News building last week and did a little video you can see on my Tomversation blog here. It's only 57 seconds. Worth a look at the iconic building. And maybe you can subscribe while you're there. I write about art, culture, travel, those type things.

I started out in the newspaper business at Community Newspapers years ago. 

Join the Coconut Grove Christmas tree lighting fun

The Coconut Grove Tree Lighting and Coco Village Market is Saturday, December 2 from 4 to 9 pm.

Visit the Coco Village Market at CocoWalk and enjoy chocolate treats and eats. Shop the holiday pop-up market featuring local boutiques and artisans. Meet Santa, enjoy music, entertainment, crafts and more. Fun for the entire family. Presented by CocoWalk, The Coconut Grove Business Improvement District and Commissioner Ken Russell. Tree Lighting Ceremony at 8 pm.

Participating business at the Coco Village Market include:

Mayfair Hotel, Atchana's, Golden Bar, Art Box, Juicense, The Bookstore, Prestige Reality, GPS Graphics & Printing Solutions, Coconut Grove BID, Miami Church and more!

FAM Night Performers around the District:

Mario Vuksanovic, Guitarist at CocoWalk

Music: Three Sheets to the Wind - Main Hwy and Commodore Plaza (next to Visitors Kiosk)

Tarot Readings: Tarot by Nicky at Ramona La Rue, 3444 Main Hwy 
               
Music: Gu Fidelis at Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery at Mayfair Atrium
               
Artist/ Caricature: R.C. Bailey at CocoWalk

Music: Bryan Dubrow at The Spillover at Mayfair Promenade
              
Music: Tall Boys at Atchana's, 3194 Commodore Plaza

At the KROMA Gallery, photographer Robert Sullivan will demonstrate a mini-portrait photography session using his portable lighting system with a backdrop or inside The Shoppe by Rivet Nation space.

KROMA is at 3670 Grand Avenue.

Young Writers Contest Ceremony is Saturday

All of last year's winners.

The Sixth Annual La Plume Young Writers’ Contest will host their awards ceremony and book signing on Saturday, December 2 from 5-7 pm at the Miami Conservatory of Music Recital Hall at 2911 Grand Avenue. The ceremony is open to the public. More than 120 students from grades 3-12 who attend Miami Dade County schools entered the contest this year and wrote short stories based on any topic they desired ranging from 1,000 (elementary) to 4,000 words (middle and high school).

Students have the summer to write their stories on themes drawn on their life experiences, inspirations, dreams and personal knowledge for review by a panel of judges that include published writers, editors, actors, journalists, librarians, educators/professors, and artists. The Grand Prize Winner in each level is given a $150 to $350 cash prize and has the story published. Cash and other prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners for each level (Elementary, Middle and High School). During the next academic year, all the winners and finalists are offered free Creative Writing Workshops conducted by a published author.

The La Plume contest was created by the Miami Conservatory of Music, the Bookstore in the Grove and MCA academy in 2011 to encourage young writers attending Coconut Grove schools to express themselves and to provide an opportunity for students to have their work evaluated professionally and published. In 2015 the contest was expanded to include all Miami Dade County school students.

“La Plume has been well received by students and teachers over the years,” according to Brigitte Kishlar, president and founder of the Miami Conservatory of Music and founder of MCA academy. “We’re pleased with the expansion of the contest countywide resulting in a wide spectrum of students with different backgrounds and cultures submitted some very original and engaging compositions.” 

Broadway and Christmas extravaganza

St. Hugh-Steinway Concert Series presents its second concert of the 2017-18 Season on Friday, December 1 at 8 pm. A Classical, Broadway and Christmas music Extravaganza, with six stars of the opera with Artistic Director Roberto Berrocal at the piano. Tickets $50 and $35 are available online at www.sthughconcerts.org , by phone at 305-318-5008 or at the door.

St. Hugh-Steinway Concert Series is beginning its sixth season of vocal and instrumental concerts, presenting four concerts each year of both classical and popular music. Each concert is followed by a complimentary wine & cheese reception in the adjoining hall to meet the artists, usually attended by a most of the audience.

St. Hugh Catholic Church has a striking vertical interior with beautiful stained glass and excellent acoustics. The intimate 500-seat church has become one of South Florida’s newest concert venues.

Maria Antunez, Martin Nusspaumer, Jennnifer Zamorano

MARIA ANTUNEZ, soprano
“Impressive, remarkable, smoldering, an excellent artist with a flexible, dark voice of dramatic weight who added genuine human dimension to the story. Sterling silvery high notes, a creamy middle register and aristocratic bearing.” This is how the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, Hollywood Reporter, Opera Today and the Washington Times have written about Uruguayan soprano María Antúnez.

MARTIN NUSSPAUMER, tenor
One of the outstanding singers of his generation, Martin Nusspaumer “possesses star potential, with a tenor reminiscent of Domingo. His control of diction and intonation, phrasing, and deeply emotional delivery is stunning.” “Nusspaumer’s singing was excellent throughout, virile and showcasing a heroic tenor with clarion top notes.” - South Florida Classical Review.

JENNIFER ZAMORANO, soprano
Soprano Jennifer Zamorano began her studies in music at the age of nine in Tampa, and developed as a pop singer in her younger years. She shifted her focus to classical and operatic styles at New World School of the Arts in Miami in 2001, and continued studying at FIU where she earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Vocal Performance.

Armando Naranjo, Vanessa Gentzshein, Peter Alexander Rivera

ARMANDO NARANJO, tenor
Cuban born Baritone Armando Naranjo is not a strange to Miami and has been cataloged by the Diario de Las Americas critic as “a singer with extraordinary vocal faculties… consecrated the same in operas, zarzuelas or selected popular music” and by the Shoot Glass Review as the “the epitome of a baritone with a rich warn voic

VANESSA GENTZSCHEIN, soprano
Vanessa Gentzschein is an American soprano of Swedish and Nicaraguan descent. She received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts where she studied with soprano Judith Haddon. 

PETER ALEXANDER RIVERA, tenor
Peter Alexander Rivera has captivated the audience with his warm voice and elegant singing. Peter is a tenor who discovered the passion for opera in his hometown Ponce. His training as an opera singer has been influenced by great singers and teachers that include Antonio Barasorda, William Woodruff, Sherrill Milnes, Joel Prieto and Manny Pérez.

St. Hugh Catholic Church is at 3460 Royal Road.

"The Kipling Backpack Thief' play reading

Local playwright William is having a play reading of his new play, "The Kipling Backpack Thief" on Saturdays December 2 and 9 at 8 pm.

William is an alum of St. Stephens, Ransom and recent UM graduate, born and raised, and still residing in the Grove. "Recently I've finished my fellowship with the County's Playwright Development Program, and I'm doing a reading of my latest full length play," says William.

The play is inspired by true events. There will be two showings, the first show, December 2, will be staged at the Ransom Middle School library in Coconut Grove. "I'll be working with a mix of local professional and student actors," he says. The second show is at DPS, 1023 SW 25 Avenue on December 9.

The reading is directed by Amy Coker.

About the play: 

Five friends, ten years, one unsolved crime. A pilfered backpack would be a fond memory for no one, but only a truly driven soul would stage a murder mystery party a decade later, and lay out this ultimatum to her friends: "ten years ago today, my backpack was stolen. And tonight, we find out which one of you did it." Inspired by true events, The Kipling Backpack Thief is a post-ironic mystery-comedy where the lowest stakes have never been higher. Written by William Hector. Directed by Amy Coker. Presented in collaboration with The South Florida Theater League and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. Contains strong language; pigeons.

Can we stop progress? Probably not

I was watching Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown, the episode was about Seattle.

They were taking about all the changes in Seattle due to the tech industry. If we think we have a lot of construction in Miami, it is worse there. They are building in Seattle to accommodate all the new tech guys and girls and rents and property values are going up and old neighborhoods are being taken over by new development. Amazon owns a lot of land there and they are part of the redevelopment.

The last segment of the show was an interview with musician Mark Lanegan who is from the Seattle area, but he's been living in Los Angeles for 20 years. Mark had an interesting way about him and his music and performance is really great, he reminds me of Jim Morrison of the doors.

Anyway, Anthony asked Mark about the changes in Seattle and he wondered if Mark ever missed the old days and if he laments the changes in Seattle and Mark said that it was part of life. He said you could miss your grade school or high school days, but they are gone. He missed people he used to know, but they are gone and that's life, what are you going to do.

And that got me thinking. Do we need to fight what people call progress? I mean it really hit me what Mark said. What is the point of fighting the movement of time? Are we going to stop these developers? They are steam rolling ahead.

It's something to think about.

I told the story once before. I met a guy once whose family owned the land where Jaguar is now and where the Kwik Stop is. It was all pine trees and forest. His family sold the land and they built the Kress 5&10 there. Remember that? We all have good memories of Kress, but at one time, that forest was destroyed to build the Kress. People back then, I think he said it was the 1930s probably didn't like the destruction of the forest.

It's history just repeating itself over and over.

MKTPlace was perfect place for Small Biz Saturday

Did you visit MKTPlace on Saturday? That's the new pop-up market on the corner of Douglas and Grand. You can get fresh fish, BBQ and so much more! It was the perfect place to spend time on Small Business Saturday. Stay tuned and we'll let you know when the next MKTPlace Market is.

In addition to the variety of food at the gathering, guests experienced live music by a local Caribbean-Reggae band.

Some vendors in attendance:

Llewellyn Price - Conch fritters & bread pudding

The Grove's Mango Man - BBQ ribs and chicken

Shore to Door Fish Market - Beer, wine & beverage bar

Jessica Laguerre's The Royal and Sweet Shoppe - Tropical juices & Caribbean sweets

Couture Treats & Things L.L.C. - Baked goods: cookies, red velvet cake, roasted pecans, etc.

HQ Trivia Night coming to Monty's

On the heels of HQ's growing popularity and success, Monty's Coconut Grove is hosting its first-ever HQ Trivia Night on Thursday, November 30 at 9 pm. HQ is a highly popular live trivia game show that is on an iphone app. The game show is every night at 9 pm, where people have fun and win prizes. It's available on iOS devices only. You can download it here.

HQties are invited to enjoy Monty's popular happy hour before the rapid-fire trivia begins. Sip on $6 Pain Removers (aka PKs), Mojitos and Frozen Drinks; $5 Well Drinks; $3 Domestic Drafts; $4 Imports; and $5 Premium and Craft Beers from 4 to 8 pm. Munch on snacks from the happy hour raw bar including oysters, clams, shrimp, stone crabs and more. Monty's will also be extending a few specials including happy hour PK3s and select pitchers of beer until closing. 

And if HQ's prize pool wasn't enough of an incentive already, Monty's is giving away $50 gift cards to anyone who wins while playing at the restaurant.

Monty's is at 2550 S. Bayshore Drive.

Come to the MKTplace on Saturday

Come to MKTplace, Saturday, November 25 from 3 to 7 pm at Goombay Plaza.

It's a pop-up event which will prepare the market for their launch. There will be complimentary culinary samples and food for purchase.

Goombay Plaza is at 3685 Grand Avenue, at the corner of Douglas Road.

November 25 is Small Business Saturday, so it's a perfect day for the local market.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Shop the Grove on Small Business Saturday

Saturday, November 25 is Small Business Saturday, a yearly event promoted since 2010.

In an effort to support these local places that make our communities strong, American Express launches Small Business Saturday on the Saturday after Thanksgiving — hoping to help bring more holiday shopping to small businesses.

Shop small and share your support for the spots you call your  own, whether it's your barbershop or the bookstore or even local restaurants. Spend money in the Grove on Saturday.

New Village Council sworn in

The new Coconut Grove Village Council, elected on November 7, held its first meeting Monday, Nov. 20, at City Hall. Mayor Francis Suarez presided over the swearing-in of the nine council members, and District 2 Commissioner Ken Russell was also on hand to welcome the group. They are shown at the swearing in here.

At Monday’s meeting, the group elected six officers: Marcelo Fernandes, Chair; Linda Williams, Vice Chair; Zachary Elliott, Secretary; Larissa Ozols, Treasurer; Thaddeus Scott, Sergeant-at-Arms; and Steve Dloogoff, Parliamentarian. 

The main discussion item was the list of pressing community issues the new Council faces. As a first step in tackling it, the group agreed on four major priorities:

- Gaining higher visibility in the community through both electronic and personal communication, including regular participation in key local meetings.
- Continuous organizational improvement, including budgeting and funding for the Council’s activities.
- A focus on housing and zoning, including the current process for revising the Neighborhood Conservation District overlay for Coconut Grove.
- Transportation—roadways, parking, bicycling, pedestrian safety, and related matters.

“These priorities will drive our work for a while,” said Fernandes. “We’ll be working closely with the Business Improvement District, the Chamber of Commerce, Grove 2030, Village West, and all the residents, business owners, and grassroots organizations that make Coconut Grove such a thriving, vital community.”

The councilmembers are Johannah Brown, Rachel Cardello, Steve Dloogoff, Zachary Elliott, Marcelo Fernandes, Larissa Ozols, Hank Sanchez-Resnik, Thaddeus Scott, and Linda Williams. Dloogoff, Sanchez-Resnik, Scott, and Williams served on the previous Council. There were 15 candidates in this year’s race. The top nine were voted to serve for a four-year term. The Council meets once a month, and the public is encouraged to attend. They meet the third Friday of each month at City Hall.

Book launch party for 'Hotel Scarface'

Over 120 people attended an event at Grovite Robin Parker's house over the weekend to congratulate Roben Farzad on his new book,"Hotel Scarface," which chronicles the heyday of the Mutiny Hotel right here in Coconut Grove. The hotel was quite notorious during the Cocaine Cowboy days.

Above, from left: Humberto Fleitas, author Roben Farzad, Karen Tarpley, Wendy Zane, Nelson Aquilar and host Robin Parker.

Humberto Fleitas was present, he was the original DJ at the Mutiny from 1976 to 1982, Karen Tarpley, also present, was an original Mutiny Girl Beauty and her necklace is featured in the book, also present old Mutiny cast: Nelson Aguilar currently owns Fifi’s restaurant on Miami Beach, Carlos Quesada and Owen Band all infamous from those days. 

You can purchase it at Amazon here: Hotel Scarface: Where Cocaine Cowboys Partied and Plotted to Control Miami

Happy days.

Oversized developments destroy neighborhoods

Dozens of Greenwich Village and East Village residents in NYC came out to protest a bunch of planned or under-construction projects that they feel will destroy the small scale of their neighborhoods. The sky-scrapers don't fit in. And yes, there are still small-scale neighborhoods in New York and they want to keep their charm and feel. There are times when I am in New York City and I'm the only person on the street. This quaintness is what residents would like to keep.

Residents in these NYC neighborhoods feel that the large projects are destroying the fabric of their neighborhoods and that is how many of us feel in Coconut Grove.

Development, over-development, non-stop development. It's a cancer on our country.

I think this latest proposed project of a new office building on Mary and Tigertail, has finally touched a nerve with people. I have been receiving personal messages and emails from people who were always on the side of the big developer and now they have had enough.

I was surprised to see how friends flipped from being developer-friendly to asking, "What can we do to stop all of this construction?" I had always had a quarrel with friends who were realtors who were on the side of the developers, but now they are even turning and ask when is enough enough?


Most residents don't want this village to become Brickell South. People don't want to live in a perpetual construction zone. 

Join the Vizcaya Gingerbread Competition

The holidays at Vizcaya are even more special this year with an addition to the estate’s seasonal tradition – the Vizcaya Village Gingerbread Competition.

For the first time ever, Vizcaya invites local baking enthusiasts to celebrate their love of the holidays by recreating the historic Vizcaya Village in sugary deliciousness. 

Participants should apply online here by November 30, 2017, and will then present their creative confections during the Holiday Evening program on December 13, 2017.

Five winners will be selected and awarded fabulous prizes, which include Vizcaya memberships of up $250. 

For an extra special treat, join in for A Holiday Evening at Vizcaya Village on December 13 from 6 - 9 pm as they celebrate the winter traditions of the families that lived and worked at Vizcaya 100 years ago. There will be time to explore on your own, lots of photo ops, caroling, a mini-tuba concert (surprisingly festive, given the baritone notes of the instruments!), art making, tours and holiday treats. For families that attend the Holiday Evening at Vizcaya Village, family passes will be given away to come see the Main House decorated for the holidays.

Tickets here.

He's enamoured with the Mutiny Hotel's storied past

10 With Tom 
10 questions in 10 minutes 

This "10 With Tom" post ran in April, just as Roben Farzad was preparing his new "Hotel Scarface" book for publication. Now that the book is out and it's a big hit, here is the column again.

Oh, by the way, Stone Village Television has picked up tv and film rights to "Hotel Scarface," and they plan on creating a limited tv series on the book. Roben will executive produce with Stone Village’s Scott Steindorff and Dylan Russell.

I was pleased to meet up with Roben Farzad, on Twitter of all places. Roben hosts the weekly program called Full Disclosure on NPR One and is a special correspondent on PBS NewsHour. He was a senior writer for Bloomberg Businessweek, where he covered Wall Street, international finance, Latin America, and Miami. Farzad is a graduate of Princeton University and the Harvard Business School.

Roben has a book coming out which chronicles the notorious years of The Mutiny Hotel, right here in Coconut Grove.  It's called Hotel Scarface: Where Cocaine Cowboys Partied and Plotted to Control Miami and you can purchase it at Amazon here, let's ask Roben the 10 With Tom questions about The Mutiny, the book and his life.

TOM: Roben, you seem quite young to know much about the Mutiny Hotel's "Scarface" history. What interested you about those notorious days?

ROBEN: While I was born in Iran, Miami is where I spent my childhood. I DARED to stay off drugs -- though I watched Miami Vice every Friday night -- and left Miami for college in 1994. This story found me just before I packed my bags...and I could never quite put it down. Leads led to more leads; the address occupied my dreams; retired dopers summoned me. A book somehow happened. 

TOM: Can you briefly tell us what The Mutiny was about in the 1970s. What made it so notorious?

ROBEN: It was where the Cold War met Reefer Madness met the Swinging Seventies met the Cocaine Wars. It was Miami's Studio 54, Rick's Café Américain and a Disco DMZ rolled into one tidy address overlooking the bay.

TOM: I'm sure you have toured every part of the hotel recently, what is your favorite part? Anything historical still there that intrigues you?

ROBEN: Aside from maybe the shape of the pool, the current Mutiny has very little in common with the original address, which was abandoned by the late '80s, pulverized by Hurricane Andrew and then completely gutted by new owners. The theme rooms are gone. So is the Club. A hostess who attended a recent staff reunion did swear that the lobby still smells the same. 

TOM: Are you a Grovite?

ROBEN: I feel like I am now. 

TOM: How many times have you seen the Scarface movie? 

ROBEN: Three or four times. Few appreciate how little was ultimately shot in Miami. The exile community did not exactly roll out the red carpet for the producers; the Mariel crisis, race riots and murderous 1981 / "Paradise Lost" were fresh, deep wounds for the 305. 

TOM: What about Cocaine Cowboys, have you seen that? How does that compare to Scarface?

ROBEN: Loved that doc, especially the "Reloaded" cut. Billy and Alfred are creative arbitrageurs: they pounced on the fact that there was so much left unresolved from Miami's infamous cocaine heyday. And they did it on a limited budget and an early appreciation for viral promotion: burner copies were circulating in flea markets and 'Cowboys' was all over file-sharing. I'm stoked for CCIII, which looks at the speedboating Muchachos who used to lord over the Mutiny Club and so many rooms upstairs. 

TOM: What are two things you would do if you woke up and you were in 1977 in bed, in a Mutiny hotel room?

ROBEN: First, I'd call my broker and have him put ten grand in shares of Coca-Cola. I'd then summon room service to fill up my hot tub with Vitabath. After priming my appetite with a grade-A joint and decking myself out in a Brioni suit and chest-hair gel, I'd head downstairs to try Chef Manny's renowned Lobster Thermidor; shoot the shit with Liza Minnelli and Ralph Renick (always at the bar) -- and get to know one Ricardo "Monkey" Morales, the doper-spook-hitman-informant-romantic who kept his semi-automatic in a breadbasket at Table 14. Ricky is this book's spirit animal.

TOM: The last book you read?

ROBEN: Black Edge, the bestseller by Sheelah Kolhatkar, who I worked with at Businessweek. It's a page-turner

TOM: Which tv show/movie would you crawl into and spend the day if you could: Good Fellas, Traffic, Breaking Bad or Weeds?

ROBEN: Breaking Bad. I called that hit after the very first episode. I read somewhere that it was pitched to AMC as "Mr. Chips Meets Scarface." Scarface star and Mutiny regular Steven (Rocky Echevarría) Bauer had one of my favorite roles in the series. Actually, come to think of it: I'd rather crawl into bed and binge-watch ¿Qué Pasa, USA?    

TOM: Who is the most famous person you have met?

ROBEN: No one compared to Carl Hiaasen, my hero...who I'm dying to meet. Carl, come on my radio show. Read my book. Lemme treat Pollo Tropical.

Thanks, Roben!

Photos of ladies courtesy John R. Lawrence

Our favorite Grove artists at Mad Hatter Fest

The Mad Hatter Arts Festival, now in its 13th year, is Saturday and Sunday, November 18 and 19 at and around The Barnacle State Park. Stop by today for day two and enjoy the fun.

This year, the festival features the Artisan & Vintage Market Place. 

Above are artists AnnaMaria Windisch-Hunt and Uta.

Award winning photographer Robert Sullivan at his first Mad Hatter.

Max Lazega and his Masterpieces in Metal.

Liz Gibson and her fabulous painted rocks.

Louis Del Borrello has the perfect mad hat. It fits in with the Grove these days.

The festival is free with the regular $2 park admission. Movie is $5 for ages 6 and up and $3 for ages 2-5. It's open from 11 am to 4 pm.

The Barnacle is located at 3485 Main Highway.

Photos by Rafael Gutierrez 

Le Pain Quotidien off to a magnifique start

As I write this, it's Friday afternoon and I'm dipping freshly baked sourdough bread into freshly made chicken soup. Le Pain Quotidien opened Friday and it seems like half the Grove stopped by to enjoy it. All the tables were taken with happy, hungry Grovites. I overheard one lady ask about their catering services. She is getting prepared for the holidays with them in mind.

What's ironic is that I kept hearing people talk about going to Le Pain Quotidien in New York City and when I looked it up, I saw about 17 or 18 locations in Manhattan! What's odd to me is that I am in New York often, I am up north now as you read this, and in all these years, I've never stopped in or realized that Le Pain Quotidien is here (in NY). 

There is one near my favorite corner - 50th Street and 2nd Avenue. I do everything in that area - there's a Starbucks, a diner I like, there used to be a Pig and Whistle bar where my cousin performed, there's a newsstand a bodega, an Italian restaurant I like and so much more. I stayed at an AirBnB in that area once and loved it. A few blocks away is Beekman Place and Sutton Place and the river.

But I digress. I have been passing Le Pain Quotidien up all these years because I thought it was a bakery and didn't realize they have soups and food. The one I am familiar with has bread in the window and I once looked in and thought it was a coffee shop or bread bakery, sort of like Zak the Baker, so I never really went in.

But I've been missing all this delicious food. I will be sure to stop in for pastries for Thanksgiving this year at the 50th and 2nd location.  What I love about the Grove location is the people. They seem to be the nicest people - every one of them, all very polite with smiles on their faces.

Le Pain Quotidien in the Grove is located at 3425 Main Highway. We did a story on La Pain, with lots of photos here. You'll find menu items listed there and the times they are open, etc.