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Brickell/Downtown Miami Coral Gables Florida Life Neighborhood News South Miami Things To Do

Donuts Are The New Cupcakes

From bottom left: Salty Donuts Key Lime, White Chocolate Tres Leches, Guava + Cheese, and Traditional Glazed

Quick Disclaimer:  I rarely eat doughnuts and when I do, it is usually only a jelly doughnut.  A long time ago, a very non-nutritious friend of mine told me that the jelly doughnut was the most perfectly balanced food because it contained all of the 5 basic food groups.  When I asked her how she figured that, she told me with a straight face, “The dough is the bread/grain group, the jelly is the fruit group, and they are made with milk and eggs.”  I pointed out that she was missing the vegetable group and she responded that they are fried in vegetable oil!  Anyway, I digress and have made this disclaimer longer than I thought.

Remember several of years ago when cupcakes, large and mini, were everywhere?   Cupcake wedding cakes, cupcake birthday cakes, bridal showers, you name it, there were cupcakes and little cupcake shops were popping up in neighborhoods everywhere.  I rarely eat cupcakes either, but I did enjoy all of the new, creative flavors that popped up when the cupcake craze hit.  The craze hasn’t necessarily died down, I am happy to say that both Misha’s Cupcakes and Buttercream Cupcakes in Coral Gables near South Miami are both still around and are very popular.  Misha’s are still so popular that you can find them at Miami International Airport.

But we’ve moved on in the carb alphabet from the “c’s” to the “d’s” for the latest food fad.  Although they actually started popping up in 2015-2016, stores are opening up second locations and Instagram activists are snapping away.  In South Miami, Honeybee Doughnuts has been open since 2016, they are frequently closed when I drive by because they sell out so often, and they are opening a second store in The Falls Shopping Center.  Their doughnuts are works of art and extremely Instagrammable.

The Salty Donut has been around since 2015, since it started as pop-up in Wynwood.  They recently opened their second store, this one in South Miami. They too have a cult following and I am sure the reason they opened up in South Miami was to satisfy their customers in the southern end of the county who spent countless hours driving to their Wynwood location.

Mojo Donuts, with locations in Hollywood and Miami, are opening up a third location in Coral Gables/South Miami.  Mojo Donuts also has fried chicken, so I guess they are the new “chicken and waffles”.

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Commercial Real Estate Investment Real Estate Neighborhood News Restaurants

Miami’s Vegan Restaurant Scene Has Exploded!

Handcrafted Cheese Board at Plant Miami

 

As predicted by Baum+Whiteman, experts at creating destination-dining attractions, 2018 has been the year for plant-based dining and Miami is no exception.  Ranked number nine on PETA’s 2018 Top Ten Vegan Cities, Miami has a diversity of vegan restaurants.

In addition to the more informal dining options such as Choices, Eden and Eden, and Glam Vegan, there are some pretty upscale options as well.  Plant at Sacred Space is one of my favorites and you can’t beat the beautiful location.

Since Food and Beverage continue to be the retail darling in many centers, if you are a landlord looking to bring traffic to your space, or if you have a unique setting, consider a restaurant such as one of these top vegan restaurants in Miami as a tenant.

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Florida Life Neighborhood News Palmetto Bay Pinecrest

Happy National Mango Day!

Mango, Mango, Mango

Mangos, delicious as they are or mixed in drinks, salsas, breads, desserts, or just about anything else you can dream up, are also extremely healthy.  Driving around the Villages of Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay, you will see mango stands manned by hot, summering students eager to earn extra money or unmanned stands that work on the trust system with a money box.  Once you purchase your mangos, stop by Pinecrest Wayside Market for a mango milkshake.  Enjoy the season while it lasts, it will be over way too soon!

 

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Restaurants South Miami

Whisk Gourmet Food & Catering Has All The Ingredients To Attract Millennials & Boomers Alike

WHISK’S Marinated Shrimp & Avocado Salad

 

In a recent post about restaurants driving retail traffic, I listed restaurants that have been added to malls and downtowns.  Today’s blog is about one of my favorite local South Miami restaurants, Whisk Gourmet Food + Catering.  A recent blog in OpenTable,  Millennial Dining: How the Share Generation Is Shaping the Restaurant Experience, discusses several features that restaurants find help attract millennials.  High tables, open kitchens, Instagrammable design (and of course, food!), at least one burger and bar seating are all important in creating a dining experience that millennials are drawn to and Whisk has them all.

The home-style Southern cooking is simple yet high quality, using seasonal, local and organic ingredients and the atmosphere is casual and friendly.  Whether you are a millennial or not, you will appreciate both the food and Southern hospitality at this local favorite.

 

 

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Brickell/Downtown Miami Commercial Real Estate Restaurants South Miami

Restaurants Important In Driving Retail Traffic

Pubbelly Sushi

 

Food has always been important in retail centers; all you need to do is check out the food court at any major mall to see how much space is devoted to food.  Increasingly, more formal sit-down restaurants are what is needed to drive traffic to malls, strip centers, or downtowns.  Dadeland Mall added many dining options when they renovated several years ago, Downtown Dadeland is starting to bustle with the addition of The Brick and Barley to their tenant list, and Brickell City Center has a variety of restaurants, including Quinto La Huella, Pubbelly Sushi, and American Harvest to name a few.

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Florida Life Things To Do

Thank You Local Merchants For Making 2015 Holiday Season Stress-free!

Sailboat sunsetI am blessed to live in Miami, but it inevitably means lots of entertaining friends and family from out of town over the holidays.  I had people arrive 2 weeks before Thanksgiving and the last of them leave back to colder climates tomorrow.  This year, I decided to go way out of my comfort zone, not cook, and cater all except for Thanksgiving.

I would like to thank the following local merchants for making this Christmas and New Years stress free!

First, a huge thank you to Bikram Hot Yoga 305 for helping me heal after a back injury and keeping me healthy and relaxed during the holidays.

hot yoga 305

To Malanga Cafe for providing a delicious pernil, yuca, plantain, and rice and bean dinner for Christmas Eve.  It was my easiest Christmas ever and wave reviews.  P.S fed way more than the 18-20 people the menu advertised.

malanga pernil

And finally, to the Bottega La Dolce Vita for the most delicious beef lasagna, cannelloni and meatballs for New Years Eve!  The food was amazing!

bottegaladolcevita lasagna

 

 

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Florida Life Things To Do

Fairchild Spring Garden Festival & Plant Sale This Weekend, April 11 & 12

Plant Sale at Fairchild Tropical Garden
Plant Sale at Fairchild Tropical Garden

 

Spring is here and brings with it Spring cleaning and gardening.  If you are looking for a fun way to incorporate plant buying into a whole day and family event, head over to Fairchild Tropical Gardens this weekend for their Spring Garden Festival.

In addition to their 36th Annual Plant Sale, you can shop for  locally-grown fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs at the garden marketplace, sample crisp and refreshing brews at the Beer Tasting Garden presented by New Belgium Brewing, enjoy live music, and  view Dale Chihuly‘s most comprehensive garden exhibition.

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Florida Life Palmetto Bay Things To Do

Deering Seafood Festival This Weekend, Sunday March 29

Bahamian Junkanoo Revue
Bahamian Junkanoo Revue

Whether you are visiting South Florida for Spring Break or are a local, head to the Deering Seafood Festival weekend at the beautiful historic Deering Estate.  The setting alone is worth the visit, but throw in local seafood, music, Junkanoo, and gorgeous weather (high of 77 and low of 63 forecasted) and it will be the perfect way to wrap up another busy South Florida Weekend!

Categories
Coral Gables Florida Life Neighborhood News Restaurants Things To Do

Uvaggio In Coral Gables Offers Tasty Happy Hour

Uvaggio's Cheese Platter
Uvaggio’s Cheese Platter

 

Looking for a new happy hour?  Last Thursday, thanks to an overcrowded bar at Tarpon Bend, some friends and I discovered the charming Uvaggio restaurant and wine bar.  Although they don’t have a full bar, they have a wonderful selection of wine and beer at very reasonable prices.  We had a cheese plate, which featured some great American artisanal cheese, my favorite was Humboldt Fog,  and stone crab with our bottle of wine.  The place is tiny, but the bar is comfortable and friendly.  I am looking forward to going back and having dinner.

Categories
Neighborhood News Pinecrest Restaurants Things To Do

Great Happy Hour At Anacapri In Pinecrest

 

Anacapri's Eggplant Parm
Anacapri’s Eggplant Parm

I love Anacapri and go there for dinner and their Wednesday wine tastings, but have never been there for happy hour.  Last night I went out with friends and suggested we go there and try it out.  I am so glad we did and I will definitely be back.  They have a wide selection of wine and appetizers to choose from.   We had meatballs, eggplant rolatini, and a bottle of Carnivore, all three of which where delicious!