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The Miami Beach Gay Pride VIP Gala took place on Friday the 6th in downtown Miami Beach at the fabulous Faena Forum. The highly-attended event was hosted by comedian/actress Julia Goldman and featured grand marshal Gus Kenworthy, ally marshal Roxanne Vargas and Miami Beach mayor Dan Gelber.
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Miami Beach Gay Pride held its tenth pride, with vendors on Saturday and Sunday, and a parade and concert on Sunday the 8th. The parade featured grand marshal Gus Kenworthy and ally marshal—as well as South-Florida native—Roxanne Vargas. After the parade was over, the clouds opened up in the afternoon and poured rained onto everyone, but all that did was thin out the herd. Under a fantastic underwater motif, complete with dangling legs of swimmers, Thelma Houston played to a packed house at 8:00 p.m., followed by Taylor Dayne at 9:15 p.m.
What’s Pano Vino? It’s an Italian restaurant that’s on Espnaola Way in South Beach. The name literally translates as, “wine bread.” Was there an age restriction? No. What time did we go? The wait at 11:15 p.m. was a half an hour long. We were seated at 11:45 p.m.
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How was the maître d’? Friendly. What was the décor like? Inspired by the Italian countryside. What was the seating like? Very minimal, which keeps her exclusive. There are about four tables outside, and about 11 inside.
What was the atmosphere like? If you’re sitting outside, you’re sitting parallel to Washington Ave., so you get to see all of the hoopla that this street has to offer. The seating inside appeared quainter.
What was the crowd like? Probably mostly tourist, but it was difficult to tell. Italians do patronize it, because some of the customers were speaking Italian. How was the cruising? As everyone knows, the gay scene has mostly dried-up in Miami. There ain’t no cruising going on here.
When’s happy hour? Sorry Miss Crawford, but the restaurant doesn’t serve liquor, only beer and wine. What libations were ordered? We didn’t get any. What was ordered? A Caesar salad ($10), Lasagna Emiliana ($19), Cannellone Ricotta e Spinaci ($18), and Cappelletti verdi Tartufati. ($25). Was the food served timely? Yes.
How was the food? The bread that was served prior to the meal was some type of sourdough bread, which may not be the best fit for an Italian restaurant. Concerning the quality of the bread, it was ok. Not much can be said about the salad other than that it was a Cesar salad, as expected. All of the entrées that we ordered were homemade. The meat in the lasagna was good, and the presentation of it was in tandem with the restaurant’s rustic theme. Regarding the cannellone, the béchamel (a white sauce) and red sauce combo was probably the best feature of the dish. As far as the cappelletti goes, if we had to pick one, this was the best dish. The mascarpone and ricotta cheese that was in the pasta was as light and fluffy as the clouds, and very tasty, and the black truffle sauce that was on top of the pasta provided just the right counterpoint.
How was the service? They’re attentive. Some of the staff speak to each other in Italian, so I supposed that this ads to the overall ambiance. What stands out about the place? The homemade food, and the dinner-theater atmosphere of Washington Ave. What could be improved? The bread should be higher quality.
What was surprising? There sure must be a lot of Uber drivers working on Saturday night near Washington Ave. because we saw several groups of people playing around on their phone, ordering Uber, and in less than a minute, they were picked up.
Pane Vino is located at 1450 Washington Ave., in Miami Beach, Florida. It’s open seven days a week from 5:30 p.m. to midnight.