Nothing says summer more than some finger-lickin' good barbecue. With Memorial Day right around the corner, we checked out some options for those who would rather not sweat over hot coals. I saw double at Tarragon Middle Eastern Market when the shop owners, identical twins from Lebanon, smiled in unison, making this an especially welcoming place to grab a falafel or stock up on fig jam, olive oil and fresh pita. Hussein and Hassan Mehaydli have created a little souk crammed with spices, flower waters, dried fruit, nuts, bulgur and dried beans at this unassuming shop in a strip mall off South Dixie Highway.

Fred Tasker blogs wine and spirits Ask Victoria Pesce Elliott about dining out

Recipes, meal ideas and more Lovers of the rich, ripe wines of Argentina are penciling in a new destination on their ''must-visit'' wine maps. Sixty-five miles south of the wine capital of Mendoza, 5,000 feet up on the eastern slopes of the Andes, a new wine region is rising around an estate called Bodegas Salentein.

Samurai means ''to serve'' and Sushi Samba on Lincoln Road is taking the word to another level by offering its refreshing Lemon Samurai cocktail to all willing and thirsty warriors. The summery signature drink mixes tangy Stolichnaya Citros vodka with fruit flavors. The result is a fruity drink with bite, proving not all ''fruit juice-based'' drinks are just out to play nice. I saw double at Tarragon Middle Eastern Market when the shop owners, identical twins from Lebanon, smiled in unison, making this an especially welcoming place to grab a falafel or stock up on fig jam, olive oil and fresh pita. Hussein and Hassan Mehaydli have created a little souk crammed with spices, flower waters, dried fruit, nuts, bulgur and dried beans at this unassuming shop in a strip mall off South Dixie Highway.

Like many Cuban Americans, I grew up eating bacalao a la vizcaina (codfish Basque style), rehydrated slabs of dried codfish cooked in a typical tomato, onion and pepper sauce (sofrito). Not very inspiring, really. Here's a scouting report on Blu Pizza e Cucina from Miami.com's Sara Liss: Adding to downtown's burgeoning culinary mecca is Blu Pizza e Cucina, a gourmet pizza and Italian restaurant that offers belly-filling fare to Brickell office refugees. The brick-walled dining room, suffused with the sounds of opera arias and the smells of fresh pizzas baking, has an urban neo-industrial feel.

Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse is lending his Miami Beach restaurant and his presence to a fundraising dinner Sunday in honor of his late friend John Kushner, namesake of his JK's Chocolate Souffle. Cocktails Anyone? @ Domo Japones: Mixed drinks and hors d'oeuvres by chef Albert Trummer and music by DJ Induce; 9 p.m., Domo Japones, 4000 NE Second Ave., Design District. No cover. 305-573-5474.

JJ North's Grand Buffet in Grants sold

JJ North's Grand Buffet in Grants Pass has been sold to Star Buffet Inc. Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Star Buffet (NASDAQ: STRZ) also bought a 4B's Restaurant in Havre, Mont. This is the third purchase of a 4B's restaurant in the current fiscal year and the first purchase of a JJ North's Buffet since 1997.

American Legion breakfast buffet

A breakfast buffet will be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at the American Legion, 3016 Muscatine Ave. The menu includes pancakes, eggs, sausage, ham, biscuits and gravy, coffee and milk. The breakfast is "all-you-can-eat" and is $7 for adults, $4 for kids ages 9 to 13 and free to kids 8 and younger with a paying adult.

Chinese buffets rate high

When the opportunity presents itself, Cheri Rose of Clovis stops by the China Garden Restaurant in Selma and treats herself to the buffet. In a world where lunch hours zip by or there isn't enough time to prepare a meal at home, Chinese buffet are a mainstay for people on the go. Chinese buffets also are a favorite of folks who want to taste a variety of dishes at a fixed price, so there's no worries about the tab climbing higher with each course. Today, all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets offer anywhere from 50 to 100 items a day, including appetizers, salads, fruit, main courses -- typically featuring seafood, chicken, pork and beef as well as vegetable dishes -- and desserts.

Lays out longest fruit buffet table

Manila: Foreigners and locals alike feasted on exotic fruits on Saturday as southern Philippines' Kidapawan City marked the annual Timpupo Festival by laying out the longest fruit buffet table. The fruits, ranging from durian, pineapple mangosteen, rambutan, lanzones, marang and pomelo, among others, had been laid out on a buffet table and lined up along a three-kilometre stretch of the Daang Maharlika Highway linking the cities of Cotabato and Davao. Local organisers said they will request the Guinness World Records officials to list the Timpupo Fruit Festival table as the longest.

Cedar Ridge Restaurant buffet

Cedar Ridge has expanded its menu for hungry players and diners.After a few years' absence, the Rim Country has a brunch buffet. Cedar Ridge's weekday buffet includes a hot entrée, soup, salad and side dishes. An assortment of beef, seafood, omelets and desserts are the buffet fare for Sunday brunch buffet, at a slightly higher price. The restaurant also has a private dining area for groups of two dozen.

dinner buffet combines with comedy theater

Smoked gouda gratin, lobster-encrusted grouper, and veal with cranberry and Frangelica sauce are signature items on the dinner buffet at the new Pineville buffet dinner Theater. The new venue off Park Road combines dinner with live comedy shows performed by local actors. It opened in late July and is already selling out shows. Like at any new restaurant, Ottinger says the staff has overcome obstacles. The first night the theater was open, the buffet dining room overheated because of all the warmers. So they had to figure out how far they could scale back without compromising quality and safety.