Wynwood's New Rooftop Lounge

Wynwood's got a new rooftop lounge and I am in love! No.3 Social has James Beard award-winning chef Norman Van Aken behind it. I knew coming in that I would be in for a treat and I was not disappointed. 

No.3 Social is located in the top floor of the Wynwood Arcade, it offers a skyline view of Biscayne in a beautiful setting with outdoor lounge chairs and tables as well as a dimly lit inside bar lounge. They have a social hour, Monday to Fridays from 5-7, where you can enjoy delicious cocktails and bites at a discounted price while listening to great music. 



 


On my visit I ordered one of their signature drinks,  the Piña del sur which is made with pisco, house made creme de coco, pineapple, sage, lime and all spice. The cocktail was perfection, the in house freeze dried pineapple was such a sweet treat, perfect way to finish my drink.

As for the bites, I ordered the bao buns, tacos and conch fritters. The tacos change daily, on the day I visited they were roast pork tacos with plantains and avocado. I love mixing salty with sweet so these tacos were right up my alley. The bao buns had hoisin bbq pulled pork inside with a tangy haitian slaw. I enjoyed biting into the perfeclty soft buns and then getting a burst of flavor from the pork. On to the conch fritters, yet another winner in my book, these were not overly fried or spiced, the red pepper jelly on the side was the perfect complement to the fritters.

I think No.3 Social is a great addition to Wynwood, it's sure to become a popular spot around town for drinks with the gals or even a date night. I look forward to many more visits to this Wynwood gem.

Cirque Du Soleil Volta

Cirque du Soleil 41^st original production, VOLTA

Cirque du Soleil VOLTA, written and directed by Bastien Alexandre and with Jean Guibert as the director of creation. International electronic group M83 brings his space-age future pop sound to the Cirque du Soleil stage for the first time ever. The show will be presented under the Big Top next to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami starting December 15, 2017. 

 


The name VOLTA refers to a sudden about-face, a change in emotion or idea often used in poetry. It also speaks to the jolt of energy delivered through the show. VOLTA tells a spellbinding story about the freedom to choose and the thrill of blazing your own trail. Inspired in part by the adventurous spirit that fuels the culture of action sports, the show weaves the adrenaline rush of acrobatics into a visually striking world driven by a stirring melodic score.

VOLTA is a story of transformation. It is about being true to oneself, fulfilling one’s true potential, and the power of the group to make that possible. It celebrates freedom as a movement.

WAZ, a popular gameshow host, has lost touch with his inner self in the pursuit of fame, pulling others in the trap of instant glory. But as doubt sets in, WAZ is enlightened by childhood memories as he encounters “free spirits” who open doors to his inner soul he has long kept shut. On his high-voltage search for meaning, will WAZ find the courage to relinquish his fame, reconnect with his true self, and shine bright?

Tickets are available to purchase now by visiting cirquedusoleil.com/volta or calling 1-877-9CIRQUE (1-877-924-7783). Tickets start at $40.

South Beach Seafood Festival

Save 20% off tickets with my code: HUNGRY

http://sobeseafoodfest.com/tickets/

The 5th Annual South Beach Seafood Festival is back to kick off Miami's globally-recognized stone crab season. #SobeSeafood kicks off October 17-21, 2017, with a week of dinners & events, leading up to Friday's Chef Showdown & Saturday's South Beach Seafood Festival, all happening in the best way South Beach knows how! 

This is not your typical Seafood Festival, but a high-end experience that showcas
es the talents of South Florida's leading chefs and culinary masterminds via a diverse group of events, benefiting a great cause: CI Foundation's EAT SMART program.

Saturday's beachfront event, South Beach Seafood Festival, brought to you by Kendall Jackson and presented by Coca-Cola and Jack Daniel's, spans five blocks and welcomes over 13,000 seafoodies to enjoy a day of fun in the sun in the Sobe Chic way. And this year, it's all about the UPGRADE! 

Did we mention this is not your typical Seafood Festival? Guests should be prepared to indulge at pop up cafes from Miami's leading high end restaurateurs serving the freshest seafood dishes. Guests can choose their dishes and pair them with complimentary all day open bars for 21 and over! 

For Saturday, October 21's South Beach Seafood Festival,

this year's carefully selected 18 restaurant cafe's will be brought to you by:

• A Fish Called Avalon
• Café Avanti
• CIBO
• CJ's
• Dragonfly
• Joe's Stone Crab
• La Moderna
• Lobster Bar Sea Grille
• Meat Market / Miami Smokers
• Naked Crab / Naked Taco
• Nikki Beach
• Papa's Raw Bar
• Poseidon
• Red the Steakhouse
• Rusty Pelican
• Toro Toro
• Trulucks
• Whole Foods Market

The entrance will be at 14th and Ocean Drive and spans down on the sand until 10th street with the party going from 12-7PM. And, there's so much more then just food. 

Saturday's festival includes:

• Kendall Jackson, La Crema, and Cambria Wine pairing experiences, 
• South Florida's Top Live Bands at the Main Stage, 
• iHeart Radio DJs at the Jack Daniel's Beach Club, 
• Life-size beach games, 
• Pacifico Airstream, 
• Chef demonstrations in the Whole Foods Market Culinary Showcase Kitchen, 
• VIP Experiences in the Land Rover N&S Dade Hospitality Village featuring the GOYA Culinary Pavilion, 
• The Coca-Cola Dance Club, 
• Casa Herradura, 
• Celebrity Cruises "The Edge" showcase, 
• Jackson Family Wines sensory garden experience, and so much more - right on the sand!

For the VIPs, the hospitality village will stay open for a VIP-only After Party from 7-9 PM where you can dance the night away. 

Festival tickets start at $45 which includes full admission and complimentary all day open bar. Guests can choose from 60+ delicious large-portion menu items, from 18 cafe's, creating items priced between $5-$8 only for the #SobeSeafood Fest day! There will be stone crabs, stone crabs, and more stone crabs, along with lobster tempura skewers, mahi sliders, scallop BLTs, oysters, shrimp tacos, lobster roll waffle cones, crab cakes in a shell, grilled octopus, shrimp parmesan, surf n' turf filet and lobster, and more. VIP tickets are $150 and include $20 worth of food vouchers, access to the VIP Hospitality Village full of private samplings and incredible wine and dine experiences, private after-party and so much more. 

Event is open to the public, but must be 21+ to consume alcohol.

La Moderna, Miami Beach

From the founder of Fratelli La Bufala comes La Moderna, a Sunset Harbour trattoria specializing in authentic Neapolitan brick-oven pizza and rustic-modern Italian classics. The space is decorated in an industrial style with millwork imported from Italy and a beautifully crafted copper bar.

We started the evening at the bar. They have great happy hour specials with discounted drink prices and complimentary mini margherita pizzas. After spending some time at the bar, learning more about their signature cocktails from the wonderful bartender, we headed to our table.

We started our meal with their burrata e crudo. Delicious fresh burrata cheese nestled by delicious San Daniele prosciutto. For my main dish I went with the fettuccine porcini e tartufo which is their house made fettuccine with an imported porcini mushrooms and black truffle sauce. The slices of black truffle in the pasta made for an amazing flavorful sauce.

My husband ordered the gnocchi bolognese which is their house made ricotta gnocchi in a beef bolognese sauce. We agreed it was the best gnocchi we've had. The sauce is just the right consistency and the perfect compliment to the gnocchi.

To finish the meal we shared a slice of their delicious house made cheesecake. Light and fluffy on top with a crispy crust, it comes beautifully plated.

La Moderna is located at 1874 Bay Road, Miami Beach, FL.  (786) 717-7274

Healthy can be yummy

I had the pleasure of visiting Michelle Posada's new restaurant Michi's in Doral.The restaurant is intimate with a few tables, colorfully decorated with playful wall decals. The menu offers a nice variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner options all with health in mind.






I chose to start with the tuna poke tostones. These were so good! The tuna was fresh, full of flavor, with pieces of mango, avocado and scallions. The tostones were crisp perfection. I paired it with their homemade lemonade which they sweeten with your choice of sweetener.

For my main dish I ordered the lomo saltado bowl. It comes served over brown rice and is cooked with tomatoes, peppers and onions in a delicious soy sauce. This was also very delicious, even better is that it doesn't leave you feeling heavy, the portion size is great and the ingredients you can just tell are fresh.

Then came dessert. The torta michis is amazing! I have had other protein based sweets and you can usually taste the powder but not on this cake! It comes with a berry filling and is made with almond flour and other secret ingredients that just make for such a yummy sweet ending.

So if you're in Doral stop in and enjoy a delicious meal with only a fraction of the calories!

Michi's, 14146 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33184. (786) 558-5774

British Cuisine is taking over Miami Beach

There’s a new spot bringing some English charm to this side of the pond. The British Garden, with chef Christopher Davey at the helm, now open at the Hotel Chelsea in Miami Beach. You can expect to find traditional faves like Fish and Chips and Scotch Eggs to some chef driven twists on other dishes like poutine. The outdoor area right on Washington Avenue is perfect for people watching while the indoor bar with a British feel is great for some after work drinks.

 We started our meal with a cheese board that had manchego (with a coffee rub), different cheddar cheeses, jam, zak the baker baguette, and Italian olives. I would literally have this every afternoon if I could, paired with a nice glass of wine, wouldn't that be lovely....

One of the highlights of our meal had to be the Big Ben Burger. An angus patty topped with melted sharp cheddar and their signature big ben sauce on ZTB brioche. The burger was cooked to perfection, juicy and full of flavor. The side of french fries also came topped with more of that yummy big ben sauce. I'm hoping the chef will give me the recipe for this secret sauce!

We also had the pulled pork poutine, let me just say it was hard to have will power and not eat the entire plate. Their yummy chips are topped with pulled pork in a delicious maple bbq gravy with melted cheese. I see you.... drooling over there.

They have a nice variety of dessert options also, from fried snickers to a black cherries chocolate cake trifle. My favorite though was the toffee pudding, served warm with a toffee sauce you can drizzle over.

I already look forward to my next visit to The British Garden. Be sure to follow them on IG as they will be having a few themed nights that are sure to be a delicious blast. The British Garden at Hotel Chelsea: (305) 676-5455 · 944 Washington Ave Miami Beach, FL 33139

320 Gastrolounge in Merrick Park, Coral Gables

320 Gastrolounge at the entrance to Merrick Park in the Gables now has Chef Anderson Osorio at the helm, and let me just say he has brought some WOW with him. He combines Peruvian and Asian flavors to make for some amazing culinary creations. We had the pleasure of dining here, and when I say pleasure I mean it, it was an amazingly delicious and flavorful meal.

We started our meal with the crispy tacu tacu. Spicy tuna with a rocoto aioli sauce ontop of crispy rice with a slice of jalapeño. The balance of flavors was perfect, the spicy tuna wasn't overly spicy and the soft texture of the tuna with the crispy rice made for a perfect bite every time.

 

The Nikkei ceviche was bursting with flavor as its sauce consisted of sudashi soy. Sudashi is a small japanese type of lemon which made the taste of the big eye tuna in the ceviche pop. The addition of avocado to the dish was the perfect balance to the citric taste in the sudashi.

I love Bao buns, so as soon as the Jalea bao bun hit the table and I saw the fried fish, red onions and cilantro aioli inside of that fluffy bun I was anticipating the flavors that would soon be coming into my mouth. I was not dissapointed. The fish was not overly fried or drenched in sauce and the buns were steamed just right. Now let me take a moment to talk about the main entree, the branzino sudado. This fish was so flaky, the skin was so crispy and that sauce, oh that sauce was so good!

Of course every great meal has to end with a great dessert and if you look above, this was obviously one of the evenings highlights. Look at that presentation! I refer to this as chocolate sushi. Chocolate mousse wrapped in sticky coconut rice and topped with coconut flakes, a tiramisu sort of mousse in the center and a lucuma scoop of ice cream. This was almost to beautiful to eat.

I hear they have a great happy hour also so I'll definitely be checking that out as well. If you'd like to know where you can get your hands on all this deliciousness, here are the details: 320 Gastrolounge, 320 San Lorenzo Avenue, #1315, in Coral Gables at the Village of Merrick Park. 305.448.2423