Miami's Best Eats and Drinks This Weekend: Seafood Festival, Apeiro Opens, and Halloween Starts Early

Autumn is in the air, and the cooler weather means Miami is just warming up with restaurant openings, festivals, and parties. This weekend, get your stone crab fix at the South Beach Seafood Festival, check out Apeiro Kitchen & Bar, or begin your Halloween festivities early.

The weekend starts now!

Apeiro Opens
The much-anticipated Apeiro Kitchen & Bar opens today, October 23, in midtown Miami at 3253 NE First Ave. The restaurant features progressive Mediterranean cuisine by chef/partner David Blonsky and legendary South Florida restaurateur Burt Rapoport. This is the second Apeiro. The flagship opened in Delray Beach in January 2015. Named for the Latin word for infinity, Apeiro offers a menu inspired by the cuisine of the coasts of Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Turkey, among other Mediterranean countries, though it features Florida produce. 

The original Delray Beach menu "set the tone to develop signature dishes," though the chef will adapt the menu for the Miami market, to "focus more on unique ingredients sourced from the Mediterranean regions, while still utilizing all the great local seafood and produce that Florida has to offer." This menu will emphasize more sharable items, which coincides with the true Mediterranean style of cuisine.

The menu consists of small plates ($9 to $28) such as Moroccan spiced lamb ribs with rosemary-fig barbecue sauce and pistachio yogurt, bacon-wrapped dates with sofrito sauce, manchego cheese, and chorizo; and buñuelo, a puffed pastry with stracchino cheese and truffle honey. Main plates include kebabs ($22 to $26), flatbreads ($13 to $15), sandwiches ($15 to $17), house-made pasta ($18 to $21), and grilled and roasted selections ($25 to $45). Apeiro also offers an array of salads ($8 to $15), including smashed beets with local ricotta, pickled radish, baby arugula, candied walnut, and truffle-beet vinaigrette; and chopped kale with oven-dried tomatoes, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and focaccia croutons. 

Apeiro is open for dinner nightly beginning at 4 p.m. Weekend brunch will start Saturday, October 31, and weekday lunch will launch Monday, November 2. 

South Beach Seafood Festival
Miami chefs will take to the beach this weekend for the South Beach Seafood Festival at Lummus Park. If you're into stone crabs, oysters, lobster, and all other denizens of the sea, this is the place to be. Wiggle your toes in the sand and chow down on all manner of sea creatures. Tonight, October 23, from 7 to 11 p.m., watch the Chef Showdown, which pits 12 toques in six battles, including:  

• Naked Taco's Ralph Pagano vs. Joe's Stone Crab's Andre Bienvenu in Battle Lobster
  
• Bodega's Bernie Matz vs. Coyo Taco's Scott Linquist in Battle Taco
  
• Poseidon's Demetrios Pyliotis vs. Alter's Bradley Kilgore in Battle Octopus
  
• Red's Peter Vauthy vs. Smith & Wollensky's Eduardo Perez in Battle Surf 'n' Turf
  
• Oceanaire's Kareem Anguin vs. Drunken Dragon's Xavier Torres in Battle Tuna
  
• Cibo's Massimo Giannattasio vs. Mondrian's Dustin Atoigue in Battle Shrimp
  

Tickets to the Chef Showdown start at $120 and include dishes by all the competing chefs, a sustainable seafood raw bar provided by Whole Foods Market, and a full open bar. (You must be 21 or older to drink alcohol.)

On Saturday, October 24, from 1 to 9 p.m., enjoy more than 50 different seafood items from restaurants such as Naked Taco, Red the Steakhouse, Joe's Stone Crab, Drunken Dragon, and Alter, as each restaurant sets up mini cafés serving food for purchase ($5 to $10). Tickets start at $35 and include drinks. To purchase tickets, visit sobeseafoodfest.com. 

Eve of Prohibition Ball and Dark Dining at the Westin Colonnade Coral Gables
Chef Adrianne Calvo will host the Eve of Prohibition, a soiree that will transport guests to the Roaring '20s to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Miami. It will take place this Friday, October 23, at 7 p.m. at the Westin Colonnade Coral Gables (180 Aragon Ave.). There'll be a masquerade ball, with formal or 1920s attire, featuring live entertainment, an open bar, and food by Chef Adrianne. But the big draw is Dark Dining, where guests will experience a multicourse dinner that takes away the sense of sight to enhance all the other senses. Tickets start at $150 for general admission to the ball, with Dark Dining costing $250. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit darkdiningmiami.com. 

Something's Brewing After Dark at Miami Children's Museum
Tonight, October 23, the Miami Children's Museum will turn into a 21-and-over haunted house with a costume contest, brews, and a night of play to benefit the museum's Very Important Potential program. Tickets cost $25 in advance or $30 at the door and include craft beers, delicious treats, games, black-light body-painting, a giant Jenga game, and more. Purchase tickets via miamichildrensmuseum.org. 

Howl-O-Ween Pet Adoption and Free Ms. Cheezious at Little Farm House
If you're ready for love (or just like free grilled-cheese sandwiches), head to the Little Farm House (281 NE 84th St, Miami) Saturday, October 24, from 2 to 6 p.m. for the Howl-O-Ween pet adoption event. There'll be live painting by Nate Dee, music by DJ Keen One, a skate ramp (so bring your skateboard and show off your skills), and food by Bunnie Cakes and Ms. Cheezious. There'll even be beer and cornhole by Pabst. The first 50 people will receive free sandwiches and brew, and a $5 raffle ticket to benefit Vets for Pets might get you that Nate Dee original painted at the event. And, of course, there will be furry friends — all needing love and a cozy forever home.

Miami Shores Green Day
Miami Shores celebrates Green Day with a massive neighborhood street fair. Saturday, October 24, from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m., NE Second Avenue (between 94th and 99th streets) will host a variety of fun evens, with live music, an artisan village, home improvement seminars, a classic car zone, and plenty of food. Proper Sausages will grill favorite sausages and burgers, and an entire block of local establishments and food trucks will feature Boba Station, Charlie's Empanadas & Arepas, Annam Miami South Indian Food, Che Grill, Chef Ze Carlos, Enchanting Creations, Food Lab Florida/Gables Delights, Karts of All Kinds, Kona Ice, Lucky Elephant Popcorn & Cotton Candy, Miami Shores Optimist Club Grill, Moty’s Vegetarian Grill, Mr. Pasta Miami Shores, Palmar Coffee, Pizza Fiore, PopStarzPlus, Snow Caps Shaved Ice Delights, Susilicious Baked Goods, Torres Family Cotton Candy & Popcorn, Velvet Creme Doughnuts, and the Village Stand. Plus, shop for local produce at Urban Oasis Project Farmers Market.

Wine On Harvest Moon at the Deering Estate
One of Miami's loveliest (and most haunted) properties will host its annual soiree this Saturday, October 24. From 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., the Deering Estate at Cutler in Palmetto Bay will be filled with spirits, spells, and American lore at its Wine On Harvest Moon event. Stroll the grounds and visit different wine and spirits-producing regions of the United States right in Miami. Drink fine wines and enjoy food from Miami's best chefs. The event will also feature a live auction and the official unveiling of the 2016 BMW 750i. Tickets for the 21-and-over event cost $150 for Deering Estate Foundation members and $175 for nonmembers and can be purchased by visiting deeringestate.com or calling 305-235-1668, ext. 263. 

Carved Pumpkin Contest at Concrete Beach Brewery
Bring your carved pumpkin to Concrete Beach Brewery Saturday, October 24, from 6 p.m. to close and enter it into the carved pumpkin pageant — all while you're enjoying fresh, local Concrete Beach beer.