Thursday, July 31

Food For Thought Book Club Luncheons
Hungry for a good book and a good meal? Take a literary lunch break during your workday with the Thursday Book Club Luncheons at Books And Books, 265 Aragon at noon. Your paid reservation ($50 all inclusive) gets you the paperback selection for the current week, along with a delicious three course meal created by renowned chef Bernie Matz, and a professional book club facilitator to guide the discussion in the secluded Antiquarian Room. Call 305-442-4408. http://www.booksandbooks.com

Miracle Mile Toastmasters Thursday Lunch
With a shared interest in public speaking, members of the Miracle Mile Toastmasters meet every Thursday at 12:15pm at JohnMartin's Irish Restaurant, 253 Miracle Mile. Enjoy the opportunity to network, gain confidence and become an effective public speaker. The cost of lunch is $19. Call 786-399-9609. http://miraclemile.freetoasthost.us

Free Drinks At Uva Happy Hour
UVA Restaurant and Lounge at 2626 Ponce presents free well drinks and half price premium drinks from 5 to 7pm on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Call 305-476-8111.

Live Music At The Grape
Stop in to your favorite wine bar at the Village Of Merrick Park for a great assortment of wines by the glass or the bottle, plus great food and live music to round out the experience. Now, from 5 to 7pm Monday through Friday, enjoy 2 for 1 glasses of wines in the 1 to 6 category. Meet up with friends at The Grape for a great time every time. Call 305-444-WINE. http://www.yourgrape.com

Live At The Biltmore
Enjoy the summer season with this month's band, Outereach, one of South Florida's most dynamic, high-energy rock bands as the series Live At The Biltmore continues poolside every Thursday night at the Biltmore Hotel's Cascade Poolside Bar & Grill. In addition, guests will enjoy half off Don Julio Tequila cocktails. Cascade Poolside Bar & Grill is perched on the edge of the resort's famous 700,000-gallon swimming pool, the continent's largest resort pool. Call 305-445-1926. http://www.biltmorehotel.com

Thursday Bierhaus Specials
It's home-made Goulash Night at the Bierhaus, with choice of two side dishes at Fritz and Franz Bierhaus, 60 Merrick Way. Call 305-774-1883. http://www.bierhaus.cc

Thirsty Thursday Wine Tastings
Join your hosts, Lalo Durazo, owner of Jaguar, and wine educator Barry Alberts of Berries to Wine for a weekly sampling of fine wines and great food at Jaguar Ceviche Spoon Bar & Latam Grill, 3067 Grand Avenue from 7 to 9pm each Thursday. The cost is $15 per person for food and wine. RSVP is not required.

Cesar Miguel Rondon: The Book of Salsa
Salsa is one of the most popular types of music listened to and danced to in the United States. Until now, the single comprehensive history of the music -- and the industry that grew up around it, including musicians, performances, styles, movements, and production -- was available only in Spanish. This lively translation provides for English-reading and music-loving fans the chance to enjoy César Miguel Rondón's celebrated El libro de la salsa. In The Book of Salsa: A Chronicle of Urban Music from the Caribbean to New York City (University of North Carolina Press, $20) Rondón tells the engaging story of salsa's roots in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela, and of its emergence and development in the 1960s as a distinct musical movement in New York. Rondón presents salsa as a truly pan-Caribbean phenomenon, emerging in the migrations and interactions, the celebrations and conflicts that marked the region. Although salsa is rooted in urban culture, Rondón explains, it is also a commercial product produced and shaped by professional musicians, record producers, and the music industry. Meet the author at Books And Books, 265 Aragon at 8pm. Call 305-442-4408. http://www.booksandbooks.com

Comedy Night At JohnMartin's
Enjoy Laughs On The Mile at JohnMartin's (253 Miracle Mile), every Thursday starting at 9pm as local comedian Freddie Stebbins and friends host a night of fun and frivolity at JohnMartin's Irish Pub. Call 305-445-3777. http://www.johnmartins.com

DJ Boe Spins At The Bar
Coral Gables' legacy pub presents the music of DJ Boe each Thursday evening, with drink specials: It's Super Size It Night for an extra ounce of liquor for free. Enjoy the selection of 48 bottled beers, 10 great brews on tap and the best comfort food every Thursday at The Bar, 172 Giralda. Call 305-442-2730. http://www.gablesthebar.com