Long weekend roundup

There is nothing like ending a very stressful work week on a good note. Once I finally got some good news, I shut down my computer and ran out the door.  Now I am contemplating how is it possible to always destroy a mani/pedi within hours of getting it?  Arg.

Anyways, I am looking forward to some sun (After weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks of rain), biking and relaxing with El Hombre. Hopefully I will round up some fresh blogging material while we are at it! One can only hope.

Apparently tomorrow there's going to be a random act of culture on Lincoln Road. How have I just now heard of this?

After these last few weeks, this song is kind of my jam...

A sweet blog about my fabulous grandmother who just passed away.

It's a ways out, but this is going to be ridiculously awesome.

So cute for fall.

Rain, rain, stay away.

It's college football season y'all!

OmNoms Report - Scarpetta

It's no secret that I love Miami Spice, it's just a great way to get locals to try restaurants they would never normally try, and it brings business to a lot of places that otherwise would have depressed traffic patterns because summer is offseason here.

So my buddy, JoFi and I met up for dinner last night to take advantage of the Miami Spice Menu.  He had recommended Scarpetta, one of his favorites. I have been wanting to try it for awhile, so I was quick to agree.

People, this place is amazing. I am still thinking about my meal from yesterday, and I just want to relive that experience all over again.  It was so delicious, very balanced flavors, perfectly proportioned and great service.  The wait staff was polite and unobtrusive, knowledgable and attentive.

I am not super impressed with the decor (it's better looking when it's darker) but the restaurant does have a great view of the ocean. 

For my menu, I chose the following:

Swordfish Bresaola - This was sort of like a carpaccio, with thinly sliced swordfish over small cara cara oranges and black garlic.  The savory flavors, mixed with the bold sweet citrus was an absolutely phenomenal start. It had great flavor, but it wasn't so bold that it overpowered the palate. Instead it was fresh and delicious.

Spaghetti with Basil and Marinara - This was a strong recommendation from JoFi. It sounds simple, and you may wonder why I choose plain spaghetti at a high-end Italian restaurant, but good lord this dish is perfect. I've been to Italy several times and this is right out of any of the restaurants that I ate in.  The pasta was perfectly al dente and the sauce was bold, fresh and perfectly savory with the parmesan cooked into the sauce (how I prefer it).  I seriously did not want this plate to end. When I ran out of pasta, I mopped the rest of the sauce up with the freshly-baked bread.

Before I move on to desert, I need to sidebar to say that the bread was amazing. AMAZING.  They have bread with thin slices of ham cooked in.  Can things get any better?  They also brought out an appertif with watermelon and burrata between our appetizers and the main course. Very cute and delicious.

To end the meal, I ordered the coconut panna cotta with carmelized pineapple and guava soup. Like the appetizer, this was fresh, delicious and full of amazing flavors and textures. I am a HUGE panna cotta fan, and I loved how they pulled in local tropical fruits to give this traditional Italian desert a decidedly Miami twist.

Would I go back? Absolutely.  Scarpetta is probably my favorite Miami Spice restaurant I have ever been to (with Michy's a close second.)

The best part? The menu goes on until the end of September so go visit while you have the chance!

An Ode to Isaac

So like the rest of South Florida, I am stuck inside waiting out the bands of Isaac.  Thus far it appears to have fizzled out for us, with the exception of some bursts of wind and sideways rain.

So here's a song for your afternoon cabin fever:

My weekend rambling

It's Friday!  I've been a bit MIA lately.  Last weekend we flew back to NC because my amazing grandmother passed away. It's just another reminder that we only have so long on this planet. That, followed by yet another crazy busy week has left me spent.

Lately I have been feeling a little creatively drained, and I am trying to get back into writing, taking pictures, dancing, etc.  Unfortunately a little storm called Isaac is going to get in my way this weekend. So it looks like another weekend lounging and reading and cleaning.

If it's not horribly storming, I think I need to go see Suenalo this weekend.

This is right up my alley... If only it wasn't in Pompano.

This review of Inception cracked me up.

We had waaaaay too much fun with this yesterday

Speaking of dance, this is amazing.

The perfect tailgating shoes

Happy Friday!

Another work week is behind us guys! Now for two short, wonderful days of sleeping in, reading and obsessively planning our sojourn to foreign lands (how mysterious!) I'm not sure about you guys but I'm pretty much mentally exhausted, so here goes my collection of awesomeness for the weekend:

I love South Florida, but I would seriously relish another trip back to Northern California for a few days.

The perfect summer beverage.

This exhibit at the Coral Gables Museum looks interesting.

Tomorrow is the Wynwood Art Walk.  We've been a few times.

I'm curious to try paddle boarding.

Can you figure out which one is South Beach?

23 days away... (Go Canes!)

No Name Pub

On our last few jaunts through the keys, El Hombre and I have been trying to find interesting stops along the way. One of these stops was No Name Pub, which has been in Big Pine Key since the 30's.  

It's a small bar, well off US 1, with signs all around the bar (and on their souvenir pint glasses) that proclaim, "A nice place if you can find it."  This place has a cool vibe about it, and is one of those keys establishments you wouldn't find anywhere in South Florida.  

When you walk in you get a respite from the often-blinding South Florida sun.  As your eyes adjust, you realize there are dollar bills hanging all over the restaurant - our bartender said there was probably about $250,000 in dollar bills hanging from the ceiling and walls.

They advertise on their website (complete with animated GIFs) that they have the best pizza in the known universe. I don't know about that, but most of the tables we saw had ordered pizza so it's clearly popular.  From a glance, it looks like they serve a Chicago-style pizza, which isn't my favorite.

We sat on high stools at the bar and drank beer and sangria and ate key lime pie. People, the key lime pie was ridiculous.  I assumed we would get the standard small piece you always get, and they served us a huge slide (picture below) of this rich, amazingly delicious pie.  Sweet and tart, it was hands-down the best key lime pie I have ever had. It was so rich though, that we couldn't finish it.  

Next time you are driving through, I definitely recommend pulling up your Google maps and swinging by this little place.  It's chill and you can pick up a fun glass to commemorate your trip. 

It's Friday!

Welcome to the weekend everyone!  El Capitan is out of town and I have basically felt like death for the last week and obsessively watching the Olympics.  Side note, I really hope NBC NEVER gets the rights to this again. Such a horrible way that they are handling it.

Anyways, it looks to be a rainy weekend and I really wanted to go to the beach.

This will be an amazing bellydance workshop.

Who doesn't love Miami Spice?

Also, Fairchild is officially free on Sundays. I need a new memory card.

Miami's culinary scene is really heating up. I'm so excited about Jose Andres' new restaurant!

Miami is home to a new Olympian!