SouthBeach

Ice Box Cafe: Award-Winning Cakes

Filed under: Dining

The Ice Box Cafe has been nominated for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Cake.

Owner Robert Siegmann, is a former New York caterer who was discovered by Martha Stewart after he prepared a celebatory luncheon for 100 people at her home in East Hampton. Born in New York, but raised in Mexico,

The South Beach (Miami, Fla.)-based cafe features a massive bakery counter and a minimally decorated, informal dining room. From its old-fashioned pink coconut layer cake to its signature Ice Box Cake, all of its hand-made baked goods are natural and contain no artificial colors or artificial flavorings.

Gallery: More from the Ice Box Cafe

Oprah Winfrey said the Ice Box Cafe bakes the best cakes in the country. Her favorite? The Bomb, which is a decadent symphony of chocolate with two layers of rich chocolate cake filled with melt-in-your-mouth bittersweet chocolate mousse and a layer of cheesecake brownies. The Bomb is topped off with a bittersweet chocolate ganache.

Tags: awards-main, best bakery, best cake, BestBakery, BestCake, ice box cafe, IceBoxCafe, luxist-awards, oprah winfrey, oprahs favorites, OprahsFavorites, OprahWinfrey, south beach, SouthBeach, sweets-main

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Art Basel Is Fun Again

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Art

Art Basel was fun again this year. After a recession-stained climate last year led to toned down partying, collectors and dealers (and everyone else) was back in style this time around. According to the Wall Street Journal, it seemed like everyone was throwing a party this year, with the likes of Larry Gagosian and Lance Armstrong getting in on the action. And, the parties didn't suck. Hosts went all out -- with live music and other attractions -- to separate themselves from the competition. Some even tried something new, with the words "Everybody has a Damien Hirst" uttered.

Of course, there were enough celebrities in supply to ensure that every host had one to boast about. Scott Stapp, lead singer of Creed, and Russell Simmons, for example, were present at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel. Simmons is a committed collector of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Barbara Krueger and was in town to raise money for his charity, Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation.

An after-party hosted by Julian Schnabel's art dealer son, Vito, attracted some big names, as well. Peter Brant, an art collector who recently tried to move "Brother Sausage" by Basquiat at auction, was there, along with Abby Rosen.

Yet, there were more intimate dinners and cocktail parties than in past years, according to Art Basel regulars. A few corporate sponsors still made the plunge, including UBS, NetJets and Cartier.

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Tags: art, art collecting, art collection, art collector, art dealer, art exhibit, art exhibits, art fair, art show, ArtCollecting, ArtCollection, ArtCollector, ArtDealer, ArtExhibit, ArtExhibits, ArtFair, ArtShow, basquiat, cartier, damien hirst, DamienHirst, jean-michel basquiat, Jean-michelBasquiat, julian schnabel, JulianSchnabel, Lance Armstrong, LanceArmstrong, Larry Gagosian, LarryGagosian, miami, miami beach, MiamiBeach, NetJets, Parties, peter brant, PeterBrant, russell simmons, RussellSimmons, Scott Stapp, ScottStapp, south beach, SouthBeach, ubs, UbsAg

Glamour Back in Fashion at Miami Swimsuit Shows

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Miami designers just showed the latest looks in swimwear for Spring 2010. "Old glamour is back in a big way" declared the Miami Herald of the numerous collections on display at the chic Raleigh Hotel in South Beach. Check out the video above for some highlights - you'll enjoy it even if you can't wear any of the suits yourself. Other trends of note to emerge from the round of eye-popping events, according to the Herald: hot pink is in, ditto transparent material; as for shape it was "all about the bandeau and the monokini (attached bikini) or cutout one-pieces," while high-waisted and ruffled looks made a splash as well. Many of the suits were "sexy in a feminine way - not overtly flashing a lot of skin." Oh well.

Tags: bathing suit, BathingSuit, bikini, fashion show, Fashion Week, FashionShow, FashionWeek, Mercedes-Benz, Miami, models, Raleigh Hotel, RaleighHotel, South Beach, SouthBeach, swimsuit, swimwear

W Hotel Opens In South Beach

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

W Hotels has opened their 31st property, the W South Beach and The Residences at W South Beach in the arts and entertainment district of Miami Beach. The development includes 408 W-branded residences with Ocean Suites, Beach Bungalows, and the Extreme WOW suite (W's version of the Presidential suite). Among the food and drink destinations at the property are Wall, a bar and lounge, Spanish restaurant Solea and the celebrity favorite Mr. Chow. The hotel also bring the popular Bliss spa to Miami.

The $500 million hotel was designed by architect Costas Kondylis. The W's Living Room (aka the lobby) was designed by Anna Busta with artwork from collector Aby Rosen's private collection. The art is showcased in an environment with tufted leather ottomans, velvet curtains in eggplant purple, modern white and gray sofas, armchairs covered in white pony or slate velvet and white pony rugs splashed with gold paint. A 20-foot-high beaded curtain set off by glass walls marks the way into the W Living Room Bar with views of the pool deck and garden. If you book by July 20 the hotel is offering rates from $269 per night for stays July 16 – October 12. The Miami Herald reported earlier this month that the South Beach location has sold out for weekends in July even though the prices are higher than many other hotels in the area.

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Tags: florida, miami, miami beach, MiamiBeach, new hotels, NewHotels, south beach, SouthBeach, w hotel, WHotel

Caviar and Couture At A New South Beach Boutique

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Dining

Let luxe reign, Miami Beach has a new chic boutique. The old Webster hotel has been revamped as a 20,000-square-foot temple of chic that includes men's and women's fashion, jewelry, art, a lounge and the first U.S. location of the Parisian restaurant Caviar Kaspia. The Webster features brands like Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabbana, Azzedine Alaia, Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, Neil Barrett, Martin Margiela and Stella McCartney.

The Miami Herald interviews Frederic Dechnik and Laure Heriard Dubreuil on their store and the philosophy of slow shopping. The store is designed for dawdlers who will stay a while, enjoy the space and spend a lot of money. The store has a European style designed to appeal to an international clientele. It opened yesterday, not an auspicious time for a palace of shopping but we'll wish them well just the same.

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Tags: florida, miami, south beach, SouthBeach, the webster, TheWebster

Mondrian Offers Bentleys By Vending Machine

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Luxury hotels pride themselves on catering to the whims of their guests but at the Mondrian South Beach you don't need to call down to the front desk, you can visit the lobby vending machine. The machine, which is called a Semi-Automatic offers everything from gift shop staples like a T-shirt or a toothbrush to really outlandish stuff like a Bentley Arnage. The collection of more than 60 items is priced between $10 and $1.2 million and includes clothing, cars, handcuffs, events and even property.

Customers can view images, swipe a credit card and then get the item from the machine. If the item is too big for the machine the buyer is given a card that can be exchanged at the front desk. For the big ticket items like cars and condos the buyer has to put down a $1,500 deposit which they lose if they opt not to complete the purchase. The Associated Press reports that one of the top sellers is a T-shirt that has the word "recession" spelled as "Recess Is On" on one side.

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Tags: hotel, mondrian, semi-automatic, south beach, SouthBeach, vending machine, VendingMachine

Aloe-Spa Now Available in Florida

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spas

Imagine reaping the benefits of pure aloe while enjoying the therapeutic qualities of a massage or facial. Once available only in Spain and Argentina, Aloe-Spa Salute Per Aloe has recently expanded their business to mobile services available to hotels, condos and luxury residences from Ft. Lauderdale down to South Beach Miami. A few of their services and starting price points include:

Massages - 40 minutes for $120
Facials - 50 min $130
Body treatments - 30 min for $150

Aloe is touted as one of the most healing and soothing plants aptly suited for both health and beauty regimens. Other natural ingredients used in Aloe-Spa's unique services include: organic brown sugar, marine salt, green coffee, honey, green tea extract, mate extract, açai extract, Andean volcanic clay, and pure caviar. Sounds deliciously restful.

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Tags: aloe spa, aloe spa mobile services, AloeSpa, AloeSpaMobileServices, fort lauderdale, FortLauderdale, miami, south beach, SouthBeach

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Bal Harbour Beach Club Up For Sale

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

With the current state of Florida real estate you wouldn't think it would be the ideal time to sell a parcel but if you believe in the eventual resurgence of the Florida condominium market this could be a keen investment. It's a prime piece waterfront property in Miami said to be the last developable oceanfront site in Bal Harbor, just northwest of the world famous South Beach Miami. It has private Atlantic Ocean beach access and could be used as a hotel, luxury condos, private club, restaurant, etc. It is zoned for 304 residential units or 553 hotel rooms or any combination and there is direct green way access to private Bal Harbour Yacht Basin on Biscayne Bay and Intracoastal with slips to accommodate yachts of 140' plus with direct ocean access. It can be yours for $225 million.

Gallery: Bal Harbor Beach Club

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Tags: bal harbor, BalHarbor, development, miami, real estate, RealEstate, south beach, SouthBeach

Setai Penthouse Yours for $30,000 a Night

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

There was at least one glaring omission in the Wealth Bulletin's list of the world's top 10 most expensive hotel suites, which we reported on last month: the penthouse at The Setai in South Beach, Miami. With 6,500 square feet of interior space and 3,000 square feet of terraces and balconies, the pad's $30,000-per-night pricetag makes it the 3rd most expensive hotel room in the world when inserted in its proper place on the list.

The Setai penthouse is designed with an haute-Asian aesthetic employing exotic woods and other luxe finishes, and features a double living room that extends across the entire eastern end of the 40 story glass tower. The living room boasts unlimited views of the northern, southern, eastern and western horizons. There are two master suites with soaking tubs, private balconies and beach views.

State of the art LCD touch panel screens, installed throughout the penthouse, offer total control over the lighting, audio-visual and building systems. A sunken infinity edge stainless steel pool (above) complete with waterfall and raised coral stone-encased hot tub highlight the massive terrace. The Setai also recently opened a recording studio designed by Lenny Kravitz. See the gallery for more.

Gallery: Setai Penthouse