Weekend in Miami, FL

Last year we cancelled a trip to Turks and Caicos due to the wild hurricane season. Delta Airlines gave us a credit for the flight that was good for one year. As the expiration date approached, I called Delta to see if it was possible to extend another month or so. Delta honored my request and we decided on Miami, Florida as the lucky destination.

Once we landed, we met up with the rest of our squad who had already picked up the rental we got for the weekend. We had an apartment at the One Broadway building in the Brickell neighborhood. It took us a while to get into the apartment because the concierge could not find the keys but once we were checked in, it was smooth sailing.

We dropped all of the luggage in the room and got ready quick because we had tickets to the Marlins vs Mets game for Dominican heritage night.

Dominicans sure know how to party! The stadium was rocking. Music everywhere.

If you ever go to Miami and check out a Marlins game, make sure you get the arepa burger and wash it down with a cold Presidente. I cannot put into words how good it was. I think this may be my favorite thing I tried in Miami. 5.0 forks for sure!!

The game was super fun! Bryan Holaday hit a double in the 11th inning scoring Miguel Rojas from 2nd base as the Marlins walked-off with a 4-3 victory!! After the the game they had a free merengue concert outside the stadium with Dominican legend Aramis Camilo performing.

The next morning we woke up and headed over to Versailles for some cuban cuisine. They were offering two options, a buffet or à la carte menu. We all opted with the buffet. This restaurant has a very old school feel to it, popular touristy joint but worth checking out. 3.7 forks.

After breakfast, we headed over to the legendary Calle Ocho. We stopped by La Esquina de la Fama for a mojito and an empanada then walked over to the Domino Park. At the park, there were a few tables with some locals playing dominoes and some playing chess. The park is much smaller than you imagine it to be, but it is a cool spot to hang out and play some bones. After the park, we walked around Calle Ocho searching for Pitbull and checked out some of the stores in the area. We stopped in at the Little Havana Cigar Factory to purchase a couple Cuban cigars and some coffee (amazing coffee by the way).

Once we found Pitbull (unfortunately not the real one), we decided to head over to the Wynwood neighborhood a hipsterish artsy district in Miami.

My cousin told me to check out El Patio Wynwood a cool little bar in the area. They were having a special event and charging a $30 cover. We were only planning to be there for about 30 minutes or so. We decided it was not worth spending the money. We ended up going next door to The Butcher Shop Beer Garden & Grill. We ordered the Mongolian Duck Wings & Brisket Pierogies for a quick bite and had a couple Passion Fruit Jalapeno Margaritas while we decided what to do next. 4.0 forks.

After about an hour, we left The Butcher Shop and headed over to the Miami Mojito Company. This spot is dope they only sell mojitos and can pretty much make any flavor you want with the ingredients they have on hand. Everything here is made fresh.

Next to the Mojito Company is an art gallery call Plant the Future, Inc. This place is cool make sure you check them out. They can pretty much make you anything out of moss. They even sell vegan paletas.

After a few mojitos, we headed back to the hotel for a little down time and get ready for the night shenanigans.

We decided to 86’d the plans we had to head to a Dominican club for some latin music and instead headed to Ocean dr. for dinner and a night out on the town. We went to Havana 1957 for dinner. I have to say that I was a bit skeptical about this joint due to the fact it was on the most touristy strip in Miami, but the food here was phenomenal. I definitely would recommend checking this place out if you want to eat in south beach.

Everything was amazing!! I ordered the truffle yuca fries and tostones rellenos havana to get the party started. The tostones rellenos are an assortment of plantain cups filled with garlic shrimp, shredded roasted chicken, ropa vieja, and ground beef (careful with the ropa vieja because it drips once you bite into it. I got it all over my shirt). For the main course we went with the masas de puerco fritas which is fried pork topped with grilled onions, moro rice, and boiled yuca (I’m salavating as I type this), Lechon Asado a slow oven roasted pork leg with Cuban mojo served with moro rice and yuca, and the pescado a la plancha a grilled white fish filet, topped with lemon butter served with white rice and sweet plantains. 4.3 forks.

After dinner, we walked down to the Versace mansion to check it out and snap a couple of pictures.

We then continued down Ocean dr. to explore some of Miami’s infamous nightlife.

Clubs in Miami are open til about 5 a.m. since the squad was only use to partying until 2 a.m we left the club and walked across the street to check out Miami Beach.

The next day was a dedicated beach day but first, you guessed it food! We hit up Cafe Manolo y Rene which was on the way to south beach for a delicious mid-morning meal (Cuban sandwich, breakfast sandwich, queso and bacon fries, and tostones with orange & carrot juice). 4.0 forks.

Now time for some much awaited sun.

If you have ever spent, the day at the beach you know what comes after. Yup you guessed it!! FOOD!! We decided to stop at Ms. Cheezious a small casual joint that makes a varying quantity of grill cheese sandwiches. We got a couple sandwiches to share and the first choice was a no brainer. The Mackin Melt packed with creamy Gouda mac n’ cheese and bacon on sourdough bread. We decided to go with the Buffalo Chicken Melt a country-fried chicken tossed in buffalo sauce with provolone, creamy bleu cheese, and green onions on sourdough bread. This is for sure a must when you’re out in Miami. 4.7 forks.

Once we got back to the hotel, we decided we could not leave without chilling by the pool. We took in the dope views poolside for a couple of hours before getting ready for our last meal in Miami.

For dinner, we opted for a restaurant close to the hotel since we had to be up early the next morning and catch our flight. We decided to go with Bocas Grill in Brickell. Great choice! The food was scrumptious. We started out with some arepitas and sangria for our appetizer; and for the main course, we ordered the fried green plantains with wok smoked lomo steak, fried green plantains with lomo encebollado, and a side of boiled yuca. I had my eye on the churros for dessert since we walked into the joint so I could not leave without ordering them. The churros to cap of the night was totally worth it. I have to go with 4.7 forks on this one.