Miami's Best Eats and Drinks This Weekend: Seafood Fest, Beerfest, and Strong Will Benefit

This weekend's events are all about large-scale festivals.

Sarsaparilla Club's Janine Booth and Jeff McInnis host the Strong Will Benefit, enlisting the assist of some of Miami's best toques to help a friend involved in a tragic accident. You can also feast on all things from the sea at the South Beach Seafood Festival, and sample more than 100 beers at New Times' Original Beerfest.

Weekend starts now!
Strong Will Benefit at Sarsaparilla Club
This past March 19, Will Orellana and his fiancée Tara Banks were expecting a baby and on top of the world. The couple's world was forever changed when Orellana was struck by a car while bicycling. The vibrant 38-year-old Wells Fargo executive spent a month in a coma after suffering traumatic injuries to his body and brain. Orellana and his family face a long uphill climb as he faces ongoing treatment. Family friends Janine Booth and Jeff McInnis of the Sarsaparilla Club decided to step in to help. Tonight, October 21, they're hosting the Strong Will Benefit at their South Beach restaurant. From 7 to 10 p.m., Miami's best chefs will serve dishes at various culinary tasting tables. 

Participating toques include Timon Balloo (Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill), Josh Gripper and Adonay Berns Tafur (the Dutch), Phil Bryant (the Local), Eli Jackson (STK), Brian Nasajon (Beaker & Gray), Jason Bamford (Bianca at the Delano), Nicole Votano (Dirt), Cindy Lou (Cindy Lou's Cookies), Michael Saperstein (the Rebel House), and John Suley (Royal Caribbean). The event will also feature a beer garden presented by Funky Buddha and Wynwood Brewing, ping-pong, and a silent auction. Tickets for the Strong Will Benefit cost $75 for general admission and $125 for VIP, which includes a 6 p.m. early entry. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.com, and donations to Will's cause can be made by emailing [email protected].
South Beach Seafood Festival's Chef Showdown
The South Beach Seafood Festival returns for its fourth year, with a two-day celebration of all things under the sea. Tonight, October 21, from 7 to 11 p.m., South Florida's top chefs take to the sands in an epic chef battle. Hosted by Ralph Pagano, the showdown consists of six different battles: battle lobster, battle surf and turf, battle shrimp, battle tuna, battle fish, and battle taco. Participating chefs include Andre and Tyler Bienvenue of Joe’s Stone Crab, Peter Vauthy of Red the Steakhouse, Dustin Atoigue of Mondrian South Beach,  Xavier Torres of Drunken Dragon, and Bernie Matz of Bodega South Beach. The party happens on the beach at Ninth Street and Ocean Drive in Miami Beach.

Tickets are $150 each and include open bars, tastings from all 12 restaurants, access to a giant raw bar, and the Herradura bartender competition. To purchase tickets visit sobeseafoodfest.com. 
South Beach Seafood Festival
On Saturday, October 22, from noon to 7 p.m., 17 of South Florida's favorite restaurants including Joe's Stone Crab, Naked Taco, Red the Steakhouse, Drunken Dragon, NaiYaRa, and Toro Toro offer up their fines fare on four blocks of sand, starting at Ninth Street and Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. Each restaurant will host a pop-up café so you can drift from eatery to eatery and chow down while drinking Kendall Jackson chardonnay and Jack Daniel's cocktails. Tickets start at $35 for general admission and includes an open bar. Pay for food as you go, with items ranging from $5 to $10. There are also VIP options that include food vouchers. To purchase tickets visit sobeseafoodfest.com. 
New Times' Original Beerfest
More than 60 breweries serving more 100 different beers — some local, others national, and still more specialty imports — will offer their finest brews at the 19th-annual New Times "Original" Beerfest Saturday, October 22, at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines. The event runs from 3 to 6 p.m. for general admission holders ($36.50 in advance, $45.00 at the door) and includes unlimited sampling. Craft connoisseur ticketholders ($56.50 in advance, $70 at the door) allows entry at 2 p.m. VIP tickets ($76.50 in advance, $85.00 at the door) include entry at 2 p.m. and access to the special VIP area with complimentary food and larger beer pours. Purchase tickets at browardpalmbeach.com/beerfest.