Miami day 3

Saturday morning was another stunner. Sunny and 80 degrees never gets old. We enjoyed brunch at this adorable restaurant by the beach, Maxine's. First up mimosas. 

We couldn't decide between waffles or eggs. So we ordered both and split them. Nutella and fruit Belgian waffles and a Greek omelet. We were in heaven.

After another afternoon on the beach we treated ourselves to blow outs at BDry Bar. Have you every been to a blow dry bar? It's quite fun. Free champagne, a fresh shampoo and a beautiful blow out for a special evening. We just forgot how windy it can get on the beach!

One the walk back we saw a neon green stretch Lamborghini. Only in South Beach!

Our last Food and Wine event was a "Red Hot Night" hosted by Target on the beach.

It was beautiful inside the tent with rows of chefs serving their Latin inspired dishes.

The Cuban sandwhich was OK, but to be honest, I was hoping for better.

The desserts, those were good.

The best dessert was this little guy. A strawberry cheesecake bite served in a shell!

A great close to the festival. One more day left in Miami, I'm posting that one tomorrow!

Miami day 2

After our night out with Curtis, we woke up to a gorgeous 80 degree beach day.  Life is good.

We enjoyed the beach then headed to the spa for massages. In all honesty, they weren't quite relaxing. Those ladies were there to work out our kinks! After 90 minutes of prodding elbows and knot releasing, Anj and I needed a cocktail! So we headed over to the the Mondrian Hotel for drinks and a sunset. This place is magical.

We zipped back to our hotel to get ready for our next event, a Ceviche and Cocktail party at the Botanical Gardens hosted by Emerill. The ambiance was breathtaking. It felt like a whimsical party in the forest.

They served hand crafted cocktails at every turn. We only needed more food!

Ceviche arrived! But you had to be quick to grab it. Everyone was starving.

My favorite was the octopus ceviche. So much flavor, kudos to the chef!

Another successfull night. I love South Beach.

Welcome to Miami

Come February every year, I desperately need a break from winter. My first Chicago winter meant I needed it more than ever. I'm a very lucky lady and was able to head off to the tropical beaches of South Beach with my best friend. 

We popped into a little Cuba restaurant as soon as we arrived.This burrata and guava paste dish was phenomenal.

They blend mint into their mojitos. Pure Genius. I must remember this for summer.

The South Beach Food and Wine Festival was in full swing when we arrived.  First up was The Q after Dark hosted by Moet and Hennessey...

And the lovely Curtis Stone. His dish was the best of the night, tasty shrimp tacos!

I clearly enjoyed every last bite. Thanks, Curtis!

So gorgeous!

 

Not even 10 hours into our trip and I had fully adjusted to sandals and no coats. Ahh. Stay tuned for day two; a ceviche and garden party hosted by Emerill.

Colors and Bottles

Chicago is SLOWLY starting to warm up. And by warm up I mean upper 30s, mayyybe 40s. I'll take it!

This past week I headed with a friend to an Art Institute hosted Picasso painting class at Colors and Bottles in Lincoln park. We brought some snacks and they treated us to wine. We may not be Art Institute worthy, but it was a ton of fun!