A Taste of Haiti on South Beach

Tap Tap Keeps Things Simple

Culinary trends come and go on South Beach. Then there are the handful of places that persist for all the usual reasons: good food at good prices, an atmosphere that always lifts your spirits, and spirits that lift you in case nothing else will. Tap Tap is one of those places. Opened in 1994, this Haitian restaurant serves well seasoned island dishes like fried red snapper, griot (fried pork chunks), stewed goat, rice and pigeon peas and an array of fresh salads. Walls, tables and chairs are emblazoned with murals by Haitian artists, and there's the occasional art film shown upstairs in a makeshift gallery space. There's Guiness and Bass on tap, rum drinks made with aged Barbancourt rum, and live music on Thursday and Saturday evenings. Tap Tap is located just off the MacArthur Causeway at 819 Fifth St., Miami Beach. Phone: (305) 672-2898. Closed Mondays.

Trumpet Blast

Wynton Marsalis - January 22nd

Ring in the new year with some hot jazz. Nine-time Grammy Award winner Wynton Marsalis is one of the most brilliant jazz musicians of his generation, one of the world's top classical trumpeters, a big band leader in the tradition of Duke Ellington, and a devoted advocate for the arts. Catch his act in Miami on January 22, 2009 at 8 p.m. at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

Coconut Grove Special

King Mango Strut - December 28
There's nothing quite like the King Mango Strut. This annual parody of traditional holiday parades is a Coconut Grove classic. Past highlights have included The Hare Krishnas, the Marching Freds, The Will Thomas Band, RoadKill Band, the Progressive New Orleans's Funeral Band, the Mocko Jumbi, the Little Miss Mangoes and the former Miss Mangoes (Miss Judged, Miss Demeanor, Miss Aligned, and Miss Appropriate.) Enjoy whimsical costumes and zany spoofs of events and people in the news. The parade route includes Commodore Plaza, Main Highway and Grand Avenue in downtown Coconut Grove. The fun starts at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 28th.