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

Dinner at Meat Market Miami Beach

When you wake up feeling like a celebrity, get dressed up and go where they go, Meat Market in Miami Beach for example. A beautiful restaurant on Lincoln Road that is filled with beautiful people serving delicious food and great drinks. I went for dinner with some of my foodie friends and we had an excellent dining experience.

For starters we chose a few from the menu: tuna tartare, hamachi, roasted cauliflower and brussel sprouts. All were great but I do have a thing for brussel sprouts as of late and let me just say, their brussel sprouts are Ah-mazing! They come perfectly cooked, slightly charred with bacon, almonds, and pickled onions.

With a name like Meat Market you obviously want to try the meat, and if you're unsure which one to order then order the mixed grill meat trio. The meat was cooked to temperature, wonderfully seasoned and with a delicious variety of sauces. So good!

Thinking of some sides? If you love cheese then order either the mac n cheese or the Gouda tater tots. Both are cheese-tastic.

Dessert is a beautiful thing isn't it? We loved all the desserts but a personal fave was the spiked milk and cookies. There's just something special about warm chocolate cookies, getting them paired with not just milk but spiked milk, what's not to love?

So whether it'd be a date night, girls night, or just you feeling fabulous, call and make a reservation for a dinner you're sure to remember. Meat Market, Lincoln Road Mall, 915 Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach, FL 33139, (305) 532-0088.

Brunch at Swine Southern Table & Bar

If there is a meal that for me stands above the rest it's brunch. The brunch at Swine is one of the yummiest in town. From the cocktails (personal fave is the blackberry bourbon smash) to the appetizers and entrees, everything is great.

On my last visit I was happy to find some items from their sister restaurant Yardbird now in the menu. For our starter I knew what I wanted as soon as I saw it on the menu, the Yardbird BLT - fried green tomatoes, house smoked pork belly tomato jam, pimento cheese, frisée and lemon vinaigrette. The tomatoes are not overly breaded or fried and the pimento cheese with the porkbelly adds an amazing blend of flavors in every bite.

 Another favorite item of mine is the mac & cheese, with bacon of course, five cheeses and a crunchy topping. This is cheesetastic because in my book there can never be too much cheese!

We also ordered the shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles (yardbird) and the tater tot poutine hash which comes with you guessed it, lots of cheese! We ended our amazing brunch with the Swine sticky bun, because you just have to, it is warm, sweet, sticky, comes with ice-cream and candied pecans. I always have to end my meal at Swine with it.

If you haven't been to Swine in a while or ever then you definitely want to make a reservation and check out their new menu items. Swine Southern Table & Bar: 2415 Ponce De Leon Blvd, Coral Gables, FL 33134, (786) 360-6433.

Smokey Bones Bar and Fire Grill

I love barbecue, the taste, the smell, everything about it. At Smokey Bones I got my barbecue fix. I visited their Plantation restaurant which is beautifully decorated with outdoor fire pits, illuminated signage inside and friendly service. 

For starters we chose wings with their sweet and tangy sauce. These were cooked perfectly, fire grill taste, not overly sauced, moist meat. I paired it with their smooth bourbon blackberry lemonade which was not overly sweet or strong, just right. We also ordered the skillet cornbread with honey-pecan butter, it was so good I could have eaten the whole skillet myself.

For main entree I chose the baby back ribs which the menu stated were award winning. After eating them I can tell why. They are smoked for 4 hours which makes them fall off the bone tender and then fire grilled to give it that slight crunch when you bite down. For sides I chose mashed potatoes with gravy and baked beans. I love baked beans and these were just how I like them, meaty and slightly sweet. The dish also comes with a yummy slice of garlic bread.

When it came time for dessert and I saw leaning tower of chocolate cake on the menu, I knew I had to get it. This was so good! In my opinion there is no such thing as too much chocolate, and this cake is chocolate gold. Six layers of chocolate cake, dark fudge, sweet chocolate frosting, vanilla ice cream and a chocolate drizzle. I mean, come on!

So if you're a bbq lover like me, check them out. Smokey Bones, 809 S University Dr, Plantation, FL 33324.

Because foodies need to relax too

Although my blog is usually all about food, I have a little gift for all of my readers: the Soothe App, download it, trust me. I was able to enjoy one of the best Swedish massages right in the comfort of my own house thanks to them and my amazing masseuse Laidy (you have to call to be able to request her.) How does it work? Once you have the app downloaded, select the book massage icon, select your massage preferences, preferred date/time, confirm your appointment and that's it! You will receive a confirmation email once your appointment is booked and later you'll receive a separate email with your masseuse details.

Your masseuse will arrive with a table, linens, massage oil and all else needed for your massage. They'll set up the table where you'd like and wait for you to get ready for the massage. You will be asked your massage pressure preference and if there is anything else they need to know before your massage will start.  My masseuse had relaxing spa-like music playing during the massage which made it that much more enjoyable. The massage itself was exactly what I needed, I had told her about the tension on my shoulders and she made sure to concentrate on those areas applying just the right amount of pressure to loosen them up.

When the massage ended she allowed time for me to get dressed again and packaged all her supplies up, leaving the house exactly as she had found it.

I highly recommend this app based on my experience with Laidy. If you'd like to give them a try, here is a coupon from me to you - use my code KYOKY for $30 off your first massage!

One of the best Happy Hours

I visited Glass and Vine in Coconut Grove after hearing about their great happy hour, available Mon-Fri from 4-7 PM. When I sat down by the bar and was handed the happy hour menu I automatically wanted each of the small bites so I did what any foodie would do, ordered one of each! 

Any good happy hour begins with a cocktail and I began mine with the Ricky Ricardo, made with effen vodka and campari rasberry liquor, it was perfectly blended and didn't have more ice than the actual drink which I appreciate. I also ordered the bbq spiced nuts from their snacks options to go with my cocktail before any of the small bites arrived. These were very good, not overly spiced, and they had a nice variety of nuts (including my fave, cashews.)

Then came the "small" bites and let me just say there is nothing small about their portions! They seemed like full appetizer portions to me, I was glad that my husband was there with me to share. My favorite was the Florida Stracciatella with california olive oil and garlic confit on Zack the Baker bread. The cheese was light and creamy, the toast was perfectly... toasted, and the olive oil with garlic complemented it just right.

We had also ordered the crab hush puppies, pan tumaca with tomato, serrano jam and manchego and the sweet potatoes. Those sweet potatoes are addicting, they come in wedges with a huancaina sauce and cheese.

Overall I have to say this is one of the best Happy Hours in town right now. The location is beautiful, the food is delicious and the drinks are excellent.

Glass and Vine, 2820 McFarlane Rd, Coconut Grove, FL 33133, 305-200-5268. Reservations available via Opentable,