Starting Saturday, you can meander through the 18^th Annual International Mango Festival at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. The lush landscape will provide possibly one of the best backdrops for the mango tastings, mango auctions and cooking demonstrations that will take place this Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The garden will transform into an Indian getaway, in honor of where the fruit originated. Musicians will strum sitars, Sari-draped Bollywood dancers will perform on Sunday, and as an ode to the Indian mango, IMLEE: An Indian Bistro will serve mango chicken curry and a mango infused shrimp tandoori.

The festival will also feature 15 varieties of mangoes. Eight of the mangoes are from Fairchild’s collection. The remainder will be shipped in from India.

Admission: $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for kids.

Other Mango-related events:

Mango Culinary Conference: Two local chefs Norman Van Aken and Allen Susser will host a continental breakfast and lunch and discuss the mangoes and South Florida cuisine on Friday.
Cost is $60.

Mango Brunch: Chef Allen Susser hosts a mango brunch on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Cost for brunch is $100 a person.

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Symptom: Do you have FIFA fever written on your bloodshot eyes? Is there paint residue of a national flag fading off your forehead?

Diagnosis: If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might be a World Cup Addict.

Warning: If not provided enough soccer stimuli, you may get the shakes or go into full body convulsions.

Cure: Consider checking into one of these local restaurants and bars where non-stop moral support in the form of booze and food will be provided at drastically reduced prices.

SRA. Martinez, the Spanish tapas restaurant located in the Design District, hosts FIFA fans with a 10 foot projection screen. Crowds can help themselves to drink specials of Samuel Adams lager and Sangria during the games. 4000 NE Second Ave., Design District

The name might bring to mind a different kind of football, but the folks at Tom’s NFL American Sports Bar and Grill have nonetheless caught World Cup fever. The games will be displayed on the restaurant’s 25 televisions and jumbo projection screen. World Cup drink specials change daily. Offer available at 5001 NW 36 St., Miami Springs

At La Parilla Liberty, an Argentine steakhouse i Miami Beach, opens at 10 a.m. on game days and will feature morning café con leche and croissants. 609 Washington Ave., Miami Beach

It’s all things 3-D lately and ESPN is aboard the bandwagon, airing select World Cup games for viewing on 3-D televisions. Finnegan’s Way Pub is one Miami Beach location offering diners the 3-D experience. You can actually dodge illusory balls while dining on the restaurant’s authentic pub fare. 1344 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach

Ortanique on the Mile in Coral Gables is supplying the apathetic among us with reason to cheer: The restaurant well known for its Caribbean and Latin fusion food will be placing their bet for one team, which isn’t disclosed till half an hour before each game. Everyone can get in on the bet as drink vouchers and door prizes are distributed every time the chosen team scores. 278 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables. 305-446-7710

Get caught wearing a soccer jersey at Zucchero and get two caiphirinas for the price of one. The Brazilian-themed cocktail is a fitting beverage for the July second Brazil versus Netherlands game. 2525 SW 3rd Ave., Miami. 305 858-2525

Don’t let the cozy, library-like setting fool you. The Amadeus Bar at the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove has become a FIFA 2010 World Cup lounge, hosting soccer fans daily. Starting at 9 a.m., guests are offered a continental brunch buffet where morning pastries get swapped out for tapas. Pizzas and salads are available at noon till 5 p.m when the lounge closes. There will be a cash bar stocked with 30 selections of international beers. Admission is $15 and includes buffet. 3300 SW 27th Ave., Coconut Grove. 305-644-4680

Throughout FIFA 2010 World Cup the Clevelander in South Beach will be showing every match. Drink specials include $3.50 drafts and $11 English Breakfasts. 1020 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach. 877-532-4006

JB Kitchen and Bar will air all games, however a good thing to know is that they’ll be replaying all morning games at night on its 52 inch flat screen and a projector. The resetaruant and bar will also host FIFA Playstation tournaments with winning prizes such as soccer balls, free drinks and dinner for two. 1250 South Miami Ave. 305-415-0070

During each match, Mercadito Midtown is offering an all-you-can-eat tacos menu, priced at $25 per person. Midtown, at 3252 NE 1st Ave. 305- 369-0430

Take Bravo Networks’ Top Chef for example. Judges Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons comprise a lucky lot. Unlike the viewers, they actually get to eat the food that (just from seeing it) incites mouthwatering anticipation of a meal that never comes.

This season, you can satisfy your desires.

Hometown girl and cheftestant Andrea Curto-Randazzo, co-owner of Talula in Miami Beach, is featuring an experience where you can be the judge.

Available only a few times a month, reserve one of five seats at the chef’s exhibition table. Perched with view of the kitchen, you will be warmed by the same flame that cooks your food.

See if you can make out Talula’s recipe for foie gras (with caramelized fruit and walnuts) or mac and cheese (with house made bacon) – the two items coexist on the eclectic menu.

She and her husband (Chef Frank Randazzo) offer this extremely limited dining experience at the 210 23rd St. location in Miami Beach.

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Now, Ago Ristorante, the Italian restaurant situated inside the Shore Club, 1901 Collins Ave., is giving women another reason to feel like a true diva.

Ladies can get a dinner-and-dancing deal all rolled into one every Thursday night.

During the summer months, all your best girlfriends can enjoy a two-course menu, a complementary vodka drink and free entry to Mynt Lounge for $30. Ladies can reserve a table inside or outside on the terrace to take in the view of the pool and hear deejay tunes spilling from the Redroom Garden.

Chef Agostino Sciandri created the Diva Dinner menu, which features simple, Tuscany-inspired selections like salmon with green beans, asparagus and pesto sauce.

The ladies-only menu is only available from 7 p.m. till midnight for a few months. So take the opportunity, while you still can, to be a diva at a not-so-diva price.

Address: Ago Ristorante at the Shore Club, 1901 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. 305-695-3226.
Reservations are strongly encouraged.

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It’s time to renew that bond by doing something new together.

Text the word “FEED” to 52000 to donate $5 to Feeding South Florida. Just $5 provides 30 meals for children, the elderly, mentally and physically challenged, veterans and the poor.

Out of every donated dollar, 98.4 cents goes directly to feed the hungry.

During the month of July, text donations will go to feed children who are dependent on school-provided lunches during the school year.

Feeding South Florida serves an estimated 690,000 people in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties, making it the largest food bank in the state.

www.feedingsouthflorida.org

Address: Kitchen 305 at the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort. 16701 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach. 305-749-2110

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As you walk into D. Rodriguez Cuba, you are transported to Havana circa 1950s. A staircase descends into the main dinning room, and the distinct aroma of burning sage laces the air. Hypnotic Afro-Cuban funk, performed live by Palo (a five-member band) gets the crowd twirling and stepping to the beat.

Frames of iconic movie stars like Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren set the tone, while a silent black-and-white classic projects on a screen.

The throwback flavor doesn’t end there.

Waiters don guayaberas and Cuban straw hats, an added touch to the dining experience created by Chef Douglas Rodriguez who is well known for his previous endeavors at Yuca in the Gables and Ola in Miami Beach.

Tonight the menu is dedicated to nostalgic dishes that are remade with a new-age flare. Imagine a chicken ropa vieja empanada and a Cuban Pizza.

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Aren’t you lucky?

The Grill on the Alley

The Grill on the Alley, located inside the Aventura Mall, has kicked off its summer-licious happy hour. The classic American fare steakhouse is classy enough to consider making the happy hour, a happy dinner.

The new menu includes $3.95 selections such as popcorn shrimp, bleu cheese fries and hummus platter with pita bread and cucumbers; $4.95 selections such as crab cakes with a side of Cole slaw, seared ahi tuna sashimi, two mini burgers, and chicken pot pie.

Chef bites such as a Colorado lamb chop served with mint-mashed potatoes, braised short rib and peppered filet medallion with a cheese sauce are priced between $7 and $9.

As for the cocktails, beer is priced at $3.50; cocktails are $7-$9 and wines are reduced by $2.

Reminiscent of the big city grills of the 1930’s and 40’s this restaurant is furnished with dark wood and dark chocolate leather chairs and stools. Then modernized with sleek metal accents that evoke Miami Art Deco designs.

There’s also outdoor seating for cigar smokers.

Happy hour: Available Monday to Friday 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Address: 19501 Biscayne Blvd. Aventura. 305-466-7195 south side of Aventura Mall.
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But that man can’t cook a burger to save his life.

It’s rare to find a man who doesn’t mix well with fire, but never fear. This Father’s Day fan the flames of his ego by sending him to a cooking class.

La Marea, located inside The Tides South Beach on Ocean Drive will host The Art of Grilling, a sort of support group for guys who just can’t find the right balance between overdone and a job well done.

Starting at 3 p.m., Sous-Chef Frederick Kaufmann will teach dads how to cook the perfect 8-ounce burger.

During the two-hour cooking class dad will learn a thing or two about meat quality, never-fail rubs and seasonings, how to make his own barbecue sauce, and how to master the signature burger served at La Marea restaurant.

At the end, dads will be served a four-course burger feast accompanied with a bacon-washed bourbon, gelato, and a fine cigar. Families are welcome to join at this time to enjoy items from the menu.

Class costs $65. Limited seating still available.

Address: 1220 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach. 305-604-5070

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Its movie theatre was getting all dolled up, a facelift and a new owner.

Now, doors have reopened. Paragon Grove 13 is complete. And date night has been resurrected.

It gets better. One surrounding restaurant is cooking its praise.

Jaguar Ceviche Spoon Bar & Latam Grill has launched its Movie Spice menu, a five-course meal for $28.

The Coconut Grove restaurant has been popularized because of its eat-from-a-spoon concept, which is how certain items such as the ceviche are served.

This dining deal begins with previews of crab cakes and the restaurant’s famed ceviche, followed by mango salad with seared ahi tuna and avocados. The menu’s feature presentation is the grilled rib eye fillet served with Portobello mushrooms and finishes with spoonfuls of crepes stuffed with cream and bananas covered with dulce de leche and sprinkles.

The courses are basically smaller portions of popular dishes off the regular menu. Movie Spice will be available throughout the year, and is available nightly after 5 p.m.

On weekdays, drink specials are also available. Signature cocktails are $5.50 between 4 and 7 p.m.

Address: Jaguar Ceviche Spoon Bar & Latam Grill, 3067 Grand Avenue (Cocowalk) Coconut Grove. 305-444-0216

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