Texas Showdown at The Fed; Lionfish for a Limited Time

MIAMI— You get to be the judge on this one: two Texans, HaVen's Todd Erickson of Dallas and The Federal's Cesar Zapataof Houston, will battle it out in a Texas-style showdown to see who is bigger and better. It all goes down tomorrow night at The Federal Food, Drink, & Provisions starting at 7:30p.m.. The five-course menu will feature typical Texan cooking styles in these five categories: Deep Fried, Tex Mex, Game, BBQ and Sweets. The eats will be paired with Austin-based Spoetzl Brewery beers. After the meal, you get to score each cowboy on taste, plating and originality. Rock the vote, and some good barbecue, for $75. Tickets can be purchased on their website. [Miami.com]

MIAMI BEACH— The Fontainebleau's Gotham Steak will be giving an exclusive preview dinner this week to a Cellar 1954 Wine & Dinner Series set to launch in January. The monthly series will host some of the most prestigious wines and winemakers, pairing them with the top-notch restaurants at the Fontainebleau. Be the first to get a sneak peek on Thursday, November 1, as Wells Guthrie, owner of Copain Wine Cellars, joins Gotham Steak's Alfred Portale in hosting a reception and five-course meal for $120. Reserve a spot now- the dinner is capped at 40 people. [EaterWire]

MIAMI BEACH— For those adventurous food pioneers, you can now test the waters with the exotic, rarely served Lionfish. Having snagged a small quantity, 660 At The Anglers will be serving a Lionfish Ceviche for a limited time only. Executive Chef Carlos Torres prepares the ceviche with fresh coconut, red onion, cilantro, coconut milk , basil and crumbled tostones. Get it while it's hot, er, cold. [EaterWire]

[Photo Courtesy of Gotham Steak]