Food. You love it. But is it better enjoyed alone in the privacy of your home? Or with a group of, say, 15 other possibly lonely, possibly gregarious, possibly gluttonous food lovers just like you? For the last couple of weeks Ortanique on the Mile (278 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables) has been offering you the opportunity to come out of your eating closet and relish the latter with its Reality Chef's Table. At 7:30 p.m. every Monday you'll be served 5 courses paired with 5 different wines. The event's menu will be a secret until you sit down -- sometimes. Other times you might have a say in what you'll eat. Occasionally the food will guide the wine choices. In other instances the wine will be chosen first and will drive what edibles are served. One certainty: Cindy Hutson's creative Caribbean-inspired cuisine is superb. Cost is $75. Don't drink alcohol? No problem! A wine-free dinner is available for $50. Reservations are required. Call 305-446-7710. -- By Nina Korman
FRI 10/3
Busy Body
Digital. Computer-generated. Grids, grafts, gloss. The look of much contemporary painting could be described using these terms. Artists have found a provocative voice by intentionally blurring the lines between technology and man. Danish-born Mette Tommerup is one of Miami's best engineers of such images, as you can see at the showing of her latest work tonight. The exhibit, "Free Transform," plays with the human body, and questions what science and biotechnology do to the physical and metaphysical being of humans. Where will the "machine" eventually take us? No, silly, you don't have to ponder such weighty matters if you don't want -- this is an art opening after all, where philosophizing about handbags will be just as popular. The exhibit opens at 7:30 at the Fredric Snitzer Gallery, 3078 SW 38th Ct. Admission is free. Call 305-448-8976. -- By Anne Tschida
THU 10/2
Art
Mixing pleasures
Developing business connections takes time. Just like any relationship, getting to know art is also a process. Tonight the University of Miami's Lowe Art Museum (1301 Stanford Dr., Coral Gables) inaugurates its monthly art and business mixer, the LoweDown at the Lowe. On view will be the treasures of the museum's permanent collections as well as ceramic art from the Archie Bray Collection. There's jazz, free wine, and a cash bar, the perfect setting for getting something started. The party starts at 6:00. Admission is free. Call 305-284-3535. -- By Juan Carlos Rodriguez
