Thursday's Taste of the Gables Kicks Off Coral Gables Restaurant Week

If your restaurant to-do list on your phone has a handful of Coral Gables eateries, get ready to start checking them off. Coral Gables Restaurant Week, which kicks off next Monday, gives locals a chance to get a taste of the City Beautiful's culinary offerings via prix-fixe menus at a reduced cost. What begun as a week of irresistible and delectable offerings has gotten so big (with over 35 participating restaurants) that two years ago organizers extended Coral Gables Restaurant Week to be three times the original timeframe. This means you have from June 8 to June 28 to get through your list.

We know what you're thinking: Who's participating? You've got Anacapri, Bread + Butter, Bulla, the Café at Books and Books, Bricktops, Café Abracci, Café Vialetto, Christy's, Cibo Wine Bar, California Pizza Kitchen, Divini Ceviche, Fleming's Steakhouse, Fratellino, Fritz & Franz, John Martin's, La Dorada, Maroosa, Miss Saigon Bistro, Morton's, Ortanique on the Mile, Randazzo's, Ruth's Chris, Sushi Maki, Sushi Samba, Swine, Talavera, Tarpon Bend, the Local Food & Drink, Threefold, and Uvaggio to name more than few. All of them — in a fashion similar to Miami Spice — will be offering special three-course lunch and dinner menus.

But that's not all. If you want a taste of what the eateries will be dishing out, then you'll want to be at Coral Gables Restaurant Week's kick-off event this Thursday, June 4, at the Westin Colonnade Hotel. Dubbed Taste of the Gables and presented by Bacardi USA, the event will round up bites from 20 of the participating restaurants, along with drinks courtesy of Bacardi. There will also be music and live entertainment. Tickets for the feast cost $30 in advance or $40 the day of. The catch? You've got only two hours (from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.) to eat and drink as much as your stomach and liver can possibly handle. About that VIP life? 150 exclusive VIP tickets are up for grabs for $55 in advance or $65 the day of the event and get you Bacardi open bar, additional food stations, and a goodie bag to take home. Tickets can be purchased at restaurantweek.shopcoralgables.com/taste-of-the-gables.

Another facet of Coral Gables Restaurant Week is the plethora of events, ranging from pairing dinners and brew-filled brunches, that will take place throughout the three-week period. The first is a roast-and-toast beer brunch on June 7 at the Local Craft Food and Drink where they'll be complementing a four-course brunch menu with suds from Six Point Brewery. Think smoked Florida sturgeon tartare, beef pastrami benedicts, and cookies and cream. Costs for this event is $60 per person.

Additional events will be announced via restaurantweek.shopcoralgables.com.

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