Galloping back to the sands of South Beach for its third year was the Miami Beach Polo World Cup. Sponsored by FedEx and held on the beach between 20th and 22nd streets, the tournament featured six international teams competing for the La Martina Cup, South Beach style—it was a weekend of polo, parties, and posing. One of the six teams was Team Tides, sponsored by South Beach's Tides Hotel, which also hosted a dinner reception on Friday evening. Held on the hotel's terrace overlooking Ocean Drive at 12th Street, the evening allowed guests (who paid $150 a ticket) to mix and mingle with the players and their friends and families.Having the event on the terrace (the hotel was undergoing renovations) allowed the approximately 170 guests to take in the Ocean Drive scenery and balmy breezes coming off the ocean. The Tides' creamy Art Deco facade, bathed in a warm amber glow, provided a chic backdrop as guests enjoyed passed hors d'oeuvres provided by chef Pietro Rota, who will be manning the stoves of the hotel's forthcoming Mediterranean seafood restaurant, La Marea. Appetizers included smoked salmon Napoleon, mini Kobe beef burgers, and seared shrimp with an aioli and avocado sauce. A crustacean station at the south side of the terrace offered chilled stone crab claws, Alaskan king crab legs, crab claws, and lump blue crab meat, all artfully displayed atop and around an ice sculpture provided by Sculptured Ice Occasions. Lemon and lime wedges, arranged around the sculpture's base, provided the necessary culinary accoutrements, as well as a beautiful shot of color. At the opposite end of the terrace was a caviar bar sponsored by Aqua Orbis. Here, an attendant served osetra caviar with traditional garnishes—chopped egg whites, yolks, red onion, and capers—along with crème fraîche, lemon wedges, and, instead of toast points, baby red bliss potatoes, which were roasted and then fried for crispness.
Throughout, the decor was a blend of refined Art Deco cool-meets-casual and sophisticated Mediterranean elegance. High-top tables were wrapped in off-white fabric and tied at the bases with a simple burlap band. Small white trays of fresh dates, olives, and mixed nuts surrounded simple coral displays. A single floral arrangement in a rectangular, clear glass vase of white calla lilies and lavender orchids, set atop a light box, was found behind both of the two bars. Bar sponsors included Ruinart Champagne, 10 Cane Rum, Chopin Vodka, Peroni beer, and Red Bull energy drink. Guests were treated to the beats of DJ Frank DeLour. Balmelli Creative Events, the overall event producer, projected the Tides logo in white on the sidewalk at the entrance.
—Bobby Killgore
Guests basked in the amber glow of the Tides' facade.
A two-tiered ice sculpture offered stone crabs, Alaskan king crab legs, crab claws, and lump blue crab meat. Wedges of lemons and limes added a shot of color.
A highlight of the evening was the passed hors d'oeuvres, including smoked salmon Napoleon served from a slab of granite.
Balmelli Creative Events projected the Tides logo in white on the sidewalk at the entrance.
Six international teams competed in the FedEx Miami Beach Polo World Cup.
A simple floral arrangement was displayed atop a light box behind each of the two bars.
High-top tables were covered in an off-white fabric, bunched, and tied with burlap. Simple coral displays added to the seaside ambience.
A caviar bar, offering the osetra variety, was also included.
