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!

Brunch Alert - Chocolate Fashion

Today El Hombre and I woke up to very little food in our kitchen, a stormy morning and hungry.  We are in the finish stages of remodeling our kitchen and are getting a new fridge tomorrow, so we didn't want to risk losing groceries.  Plus we have both been fighting colds and the concept of fighting crowds at Publix is frankly not that enticing.

So I hopped online to try to find a new spot for breakfast or brunch, and the Chocolate Fashion popped up in the search results. It was new, it was close and it's called Chocolate Fashion, so you know we couldn't go wrong.

The Chocolate Fashion is a small French deli-like restaurant, tucked away on a back street in downtown Coral Gables. They recently opened a second location on 72nd in South Miami, which El Hombre and I visited for coffee a few months back.  

I had heard of this place before, but always assumed it was just a patisserie. I was wrong.  We ran through the rain into Chocolate Fashion to wait in line - every seat was taken and more people kept crowding in. Today was a horrible rainy day, with a tropical low sitting over all of South Florida, so I wasn't expecting so many people to be headed out. 

Rather than waiting for a table, we grabbed seats at the bar. We chatted over random things while cupping delicious coffee and staring at the crazy tropical downpour going on outside. The coffee was delicious. I had my doubts because of the old-school glass coffee pot, but it was rich, warming and flavorful. 

For breakfast, I ordered the eggs florentine - poached eggs with creamy spinach, parmesan cheese, paprika and hollandaise sauce over an english muffin.  I actually ordered the hollandaise on the side because while I like it, usually eggs florentine and eggs benedict is smothered in sauce and loses the flavor.

I was not disappointed.  The spinach was cooked perfectly - it didn't have that bitter flavor of non-blanched spinach. The eggs were perfectly poached and the paprika and parmesan rounded out the savory flavor.  The hollandaise sauce was perfect and not too heavy - one of my chief complaints.  And when I cracked the yolk over it all - pure bliss!

By the time I was done eating, I was truly disappointed that my meal ended.  El Hombre took a bite and  loved it, and he typically hates all things spinach.  I will be back and I will have a hard time trying to order something new... But there are definitely crab cakes benedict with my name on it.

Friday night collection

It's Friday people!!!! This past week has been crazy - it's been busy at work, we have been finishing up on some home remodeling and El Hombre and I are battling colds. So we are keeping it local, eating soup from Don Burritos, trying to get our house in order and in general lazing around like a couple of sloths.

This review of 50 Shades of Gray cracked me up. I have refused to read it because I don't waste my time with steaming piles of crap.

A pretty comprehensive list of things to see in the Florida Keys.

Speaking of the keys, El Hombre found this and now I need to go.

I've been getting emails about Canes season's tickets. It makes me miss the Orange Bowl.

Hmmm

Escapism... Key West

Over the last four years Key West has become a well-travelled escape for El Hombre and I.  Our love affair with Key West specifically began with our first trip there as a couple for Thanksgiving, and we have gone back over and over again throughout the years. When we both are stressed out and life gets hectic, there's nothing like heading south to spend a weekend biking, boating, swimming and watching the sunset on the porches and roofs of friends houses. It's paradise.

I love everything about Key West -- the quirkiness of random roosters, conchs and live-aboards and people who have just plain lived on an island for way too long.  Over the past few years the recession has hit the keys especially hard, and we have seen shops and restaurants come and go as business slowed to a grinding halt. After all, not many people have had the cash to fly into the keys for fishing charters and vacations.

This past weekend as El Hombre and I biked through familiar streets, I was excited to find new, local businesses popping up. Our friend told us the business at his store these past few months has already blown last year's numbers out of the waters, and we heard this same story echoed from others.  

Tourists were definitely walking around -- not a common sight for summer -- and these were overnight tourists, which bring much more money into the local economy. It seems that things are finally starting to look up for those of us down here in South Florida! 

Friday roundup

Another work week come and gone. I'm ready to spend my weekend curling up with my kindle on a porch, riding bikes and swimming with el hombre and unwinding.  I'm also going to try to get a new memory card (still smarting over that one) and maybe taking some photos.  Who knows?

This Wynwood exhibit looks pretty awesome.

I find Miami's breed specific legislation short-sided and wrong.

SHAKE SHACK!!!!

Don't forget, it's Miami Spa Month(s)

Want to learn about the history of Coral Gables?

I need to find someone to split this CSA one day.

Original South Floridians

And as always, you can follow me on Pinterest.