Check(ers) it Out!

If you live in South Florida and love Checkers you're going to salivate when you hear this:

South Florida residents will be the first in the nation to experience Checker's new Flavor Built Menu with six new insanely craveable Flavor Built Burgers, fully-loaded with mouthwatering quality ingredients. Some of the ones that caught our eye were:

A.1. ® Prime Time Steakhouse – Parmesan butter, pile on seasoned grilled onions, Cheddar cheese and top it all off with A.1. ® Thick & Hearty Steak Sauce.

Backwoods B-B-Q – This burger is stacked with peppered bacon, fried onion rings, Ranch Dressing, Cheddar cheese, smoky BBQ sauce and our own special blend of BBQ spices for a down-home taste.

Yummm...Just don't over do it...beach season is here.

Click here for the Checkers location serving Flavor Built Burgers closest to you.

Some SATC and Skyy Vodka Please!

Want to be one of the first to watch Sex and the City 2 for free?...then keep reading.

SKYY Vodka is hosting a complimentary screening of the newest installment of SATC at the Regal Cinemas in South Beach on Wednesday, May 26th (the day before official release) at 8 p.m. preceded by a happy hour at Van Dyke's at 5:30 pm.

Complimentary tickets are currently available to reserve by clicking here. First come, first serve!

You're welcome, ladies.

Van Dyke's [846 Lincoln Road]
Regal Cinemas South Beach 18 [1100 Lincoln Road]

Color Us Well

A new charitable project called Color Us Well recently donated over 200 coloring books to patients at Joe DiMaggio and Miami Children's Hospital to help them get inspired and find a message of hope.

To celebrate the artists and those who participated in touching the lives of hundreds of young patients, Color Us Well will host an event this Thursday, May 13th at the Viceroy Hotel’s Club 50 from 6:30-9:30 pm.

The $10 entry will go to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and if you're one of the first 50 guests then you get a complimentary drink in addition to drink specials for the evening. You really can't say no to a good cause and free drinks.

RSVP to info@coloruswell.com.

For more info, please click here.

Mums for Mom

And so the countdown begins. . .to Mother's Day (my mom's favorite holiday behind her birthday and Christmas). So, I guess I probably shouldn't get her the same set of flowers I gave her last year, right? In that case, I'll head over to LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics in Aventura Mall to pickup some fun goodies for her. In fact, I heard through the grapevine that they are planning a special Mother's Day Celebration on the big day!

So instead of the same 'ole roses, I'll give her LUSH's mum products -- cute flower-inspired bath bombs and more (which I received to try out). Check out LUSH.com for more information. . .or catch me and my mom at their Mother's day Celebration on May 8th at the LUSH store in Aventura.

See ya there!

Essential Miami Summer Tools

Miami summers are brutal...especially to our skin. Excessive exposure to the sun and the ridiculous MIA temperatures burn and dry our skin and it is not pretty.

So I introduce (or re-introduce...for those of you who already use these products) to you Vaseline's new Aloe Fresh line that protects, hydrates, and moisturizes your skin*

The line consists of:

• Vaseline® Aloe Fresh Hydrating Lotion:This body lotion hydrates and leaves your skin feeling light and not sticky (which is a plus since Miami summers=muginess which =stickiness).
  
• Vaseline® Aloe Fresh Moisturizing Gel: This gel is the perfect soother for those long days out on the beach, boat, or pool where a) you think you're too cool for sunscreen b) fell asleep out in the sun or c)too drunk to notice/care (happens more often than you think) and you get home looking like a lobster and in lots of pain.
  
• Vaseline® Aloe Fresh Protecting Lotion with SPF 15: This one was our favorite. Leaves the skin hydrated, isn't sticky, and most importantly...it HAS SPF! I put it on for an outdoor party recently because I didn't want to burn but I also didn't want to smell like sunscreen and this lotion did the trick.

This summer...these products should be just as essential to us as our tans and accents.

*strictlyMIA recently went to dinner with other Miami-based bloggers hosted by Unilever (such a good time!) and received a bag (I'm talking the mother of all goodie bags) filled with Unilever products to try out.

Just in Time for Summer: Miami's First Alcoholic Ice Pops

I'll admit it, I'm still a kid at heart. To this day, I eat Fla-vor-Ice (you know, the flavored icee sticks that were a must-have for your Miami summers) with the enjoyment of a twelve year old. I'm surprised I hadn't come up with the idea of mixing a bit of alcohol with it, but thank goodness someone else did -- well, sorta.

Some Miami folks created FrostShot -- the perfect combination of alcohol and flavored ice. With five flavors such as Caribbean Passion, Extreme Lime and Cherry Bomb and an alcohol content of 10 percent, this is a necessary addition to the beach must-have list. Make your way over to Crown Wine and Spirits in North Miami to try it out for yourself.

Sincerely,
strictlyMIA's newest blogger. . . .Black Bombshell

Seven at The Raleigh

In honor of their 70th anniversary this year, The Raleigh is offering $7 :

• Martinis
• Cocktails
• Small Bites
• Valet Parking

Available seven days a week (throughout the year) from 4pm – 8pm.

The Raleigh: 1775 Collins Ave. [Miami Beach]

Artwalk Detour

While you're out on your much anticipated "Second-Saturday of every month" artwalk this weekend, make sure to stop by Cafeina Gallery and check out Crystal Monoliths, a group exhibition brought you by Morfiq Studio (8-12 pm).

The exhibit showcases contemporary artists whose work is of a clear distinct voice and technical execution.

Some of the extremely talented artists showcasing that night include:

• Jose Mertz
• Johnny Robles
• Francesco LoCastro

For more info, visit morfiqstudio.com

Cafeina Gallery: 297 NW 23rd St. [Wynwood]

Project Prom Dress

Ladies, have any prom dresses, bridesmaid dresses, and formalwear hanging in your closet collecting dust? I've got the perfect thing for you...Project Prom Dress at Village of Merrick Park.

From April 8th through April 11th (12 pm to 7 pm), pass by Village of Merrick Park and drop off your gently-worn evening gowns and accessories. The gowns and accessories donated will give girls from the Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program the opportunity to create their ideal prom look.

Project Prom Dress collected over 400 gowns last year so let's try to top that this year.

Drop Off Location: Village of Merrick Park
Garden Level, next to Coach
358 San Lorenzo Avenue
Coral Gables, Florida

Wii Love It!

Nintendo recently sent us over the new Wii Fit Plus to check out and we loved its new features! I've owned a Wii now for about two years now and its my favorite console out there after the Nintendo SNES (I had mine until recently but it finally broke...needless to say I was devastated).

One of the first games we bought was the Wii Fit because my mom and I were trying to lose weight in the comfort of our home. I must admit I only lost three pounds but I definitely had fun doing so with all the activities it provides.

Fast forward two years and along comes the Wii Fit Plus, which includes new balance and aerobic games and new strength training and yoga activities . Some of the new added features that I love are the calorie counter and the free run, which lets you run for longer periods of time at your own pace (I was recently training for a 5K and this option helped alot).

To learn more about the Wii Fit Plus, click here.

Note: While Nintendo did send us the Wii Fit Plus, it in no way swayed the fact we've always been a huge fan of Nintendo.

Donut Divas

My mom recently introduced me to Donut Divas, a fun Miami-based catering company with a unique concept. I'm kind of upset that I just found out about them since they've been popping up all over Miami for some time now.

For those of you left in the dark too, Donut Divas caters (to any event & venue) fun foods like:

• Mini doughnuts
• Funnel Cakes
• Fried Candy Bars (Oreos, Snickers, etc.)
• Churros

The "fun foods" are made to order on the spot and even provide to-go boxes.

My mouth is watering as I type this...can't wait to try them.

For more info, click here or call 786-486-2709.

Downtown Miami....Meet Your Neighbors!

If you live/work/or will be near the downtown area this afternoon, check this out:

The Downtown Miami Partnership, Miami Downtown Development Authority and GREY GOOSE Vodka hosts the 13th “Meet Your Neighbors” block party.

From 5:30 to 8:00 pm, you can enjoy the iconic Miami Downtown backdrop while mingling and making new friends and sipping on some delicious GREY GOOSE.

For more information, please visit http://www.downtownmiami.com./

RSVP to 305-379-7070 or to info@downtownmiami.net.

270 East Flagler Street & Southeast 3rd Avenue

$20 make you wanna holla...

Visit Sunset Tavern tonight from 7-10 p.m. and enjoy 15 beers, plus some yummy food, for only $20. Need I say more?? Sign up online and they'll even throw in a free beer mug!

Happy Hump Day!

Details:

Sunset Tavern

7230 SW 59th Ave. South Miami

305.665.0606

7 PM

Purchase tix: http://www.delilane.com/

Dog Bowl 2010

While the rest of Miami is celebrating the Super Bowl a different Bowl took place yesterday... the 2010 Dog Bowl: Touchdown Treats Championship! The Dog Bowl was hosted by Hill's Science Diet and was judged by Pittsburg Steeler, Hines Ward and Tracy Hanna, world renowned dog trainer.

The event, which took place at Bayside, featured 75 dogs performing tricks in order to win the title of MVP (Most Valuable Pooch) and tickets to Sunday's big game!

Here are some pics of the event:

Bal Harbour Gets Cultured

If you're in the mood to be in or around the beach but want to avoid the Super Bowl craziness, go check out Negroni's Trio (Latin Grammy Nominee for Best Jazz Album in 2005) at the Bal Harbour Shops tonight.

This is a part of Bal Harbour's recently launched "Cultural Calendar" that hosts free (I know... something you'd thought you'd never read together in the same sentence, Bal Harbour and the word free) themed activities every Thursday at different venues throughout Bal Harbour.

Here is the rest of the line-up for February:

February 11: Movie on the Beach – “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”
February 18: Concert on the Beach – performance by Nestor Torres and FIU
February 25: Local Band Night at Bal Harbour Shops -featuring Le Spam All Stars

We will keep you posted with the March events!

Best of Blogs Awards

We are nominated for the Sun Sentinel's Best of Blog Awards (BOB Awards) in the humor, neighborhood, and pop culture categories....and we are very excited!

Click here to read more about the BOB Awards and nominate your favorite blog (we already see some local favorites of ours, including Midtown Chic-a and Viva Fashion Blog) . Official voting will begin on February 15th at 10 a.m. and end March 1st at 10 a.m.

BK's New Whopper™ Bar

Burger King is launching the newest concept for fast-food restaurants: The Whopper™ Bar.

The first of its kind in Miami will be located on the corner of Washington Ave. and 11 St. in Miami Beach.

This is what makes this new BK unique:

• Customers get the option of creating their own Whopper® with a choice of more than 20 toppings (guacamole, crispy onions....just to name a few)
• Delivery available throughout South Beach from 10 am to 11 pm

And the best part of it all is that they will be selling beer.Yes, beer. (Beer will be available from 8 am to 5 am...slightly excessive if you ask me). Options include:

• Budweiser
• Bud Light
• Bud Light Lime
• Miller Lite
  

WHOPPER™ Bar South Beach is slated to open in mid-February.

Are You a Bad Girl?

If so, knock yourselves out. Oxygen's "Bad Girls Club" is hosting an open casting call tomorrow at Gordon Biersch from 11 am to 5 pm.

The show is now being moved from LA to Miami in its 5th season.

Gordon Biersch: 1201 Brickell Ave

The Great Taste of the Grove

The 20th Annual Taste of the Grove begins tomorrow. The event is free but food tickets range from $1 to $8 (Parents: There is a Kids Zone perfect for entertaining your little ones!)

Participating Restaurants Include:

• Atchana's at the Mutiny Hotel
• Chart House
• The Ivy
• Jaguar
• Panorama at the Sonesta Hotel

For more info, click here.

Peacock Park-2820 McFarlane Road (Coconut Grove)

John Lennon Still Shines On

John Lennon's "We All Shine On" Artwork Exhibit is coming to Miami Beach for display from January 15th through January 17th.

The exhibit is not only showcasing the late John Lennon but is also raising funds for Adopt-a-Classroom.

For more info on the show, call: (888) ART-1969

Miami Beach Community Church: 1620 Drexel Ave.

And to all our readers: Happy New Year...make 2010 a good one!