You might think that bottle of bubbly is champagne, but unless it was actually produced in the French province for which the elixir is named, its just sparkling wine. High-quality products are often given geographical misnomers to jack up the suggested retail price. One such example is Italian olive oil. Despite the name on the bottle, 80 percent of the worlds olive oil is imported from beautiful Andalusia, Spain. Serrano ham, sherry, incredible shellfish dishes, and Lisa Simpsons favorite chilled soup gazpacho are all culinary inventions from the southern Spanish region. Savor the flavor at the 2006 Dade County Chefs Fest. Thirteen of Miamis best restaurants, including Chispa, Cioppino, Social Miami, Ortanique, and Michys, are offering special menus that feature elements of the regions cuisine and make use of its most popular export. The fest began December 7 and ends today. Prices range from $39 to $55. Visit www.oliveoilandalusia.com for details.
Dec. 7-17