The cultural events keep happening in South Florida. Last weekend was the Coconut Grove Arts Festival and this weekend is the South Miami Arts Festival. When you are done strolling through the booths, drop by George’s, Town, Shula’s 347 Grill, Patagonia, or one of the other restaurants in the area and enjoy downtown South Miami.
Well, normally the weather has cooled down enough by mid-December for to thoroughly enjoy the local Farmers’ Market that pop up in the fall and last through spring. Even though temperatures are still in the 80’s, head over to one of the markets for a fun day out and a chance to purchase produce straight from the farm. Many also have great gift ideas and live plants for your garden.
Well, normally the weather has cooled down enough by mid-December for to thoroughly enjoy the local Farmers’ Market that pop up in the fall and last through spring. Even though temperatures are still in the 80’s, head over to one of the markets for a fun day out and a chance to purchase produce straight from the farm. Many also have great gift ideas and live plants for your garden.
I received two phone calls from buyers last week. They were calling me on a sign in front of a South Miami townhouse I have listed for sale. Both of them wanted to see it, neither was working with a Realtor. I explained to them that the townhouse was under contract but that I would be happy to show it. One of them wanted to see it. When I asked her how she found it, she said “driving around”. After I showed it to her, she said it was exactly what she had been looking for, too bad it was under contract and could I let her know if the deal fell through. I told her I would be happy to and asked her if she wanted me to help her find a home. She said no, she would rather continue to drive around and use her Trulia app.
The second buyer was also a “drive by”. He said he had been looking in the area for over a year (!) and still hadn’t found anything. I tried to explain to him that by driving around, he is missing opportunities and will probably always be late to the good deals. The South Miami townhouse had seven offers on it in the first week. I told him Realtors have applications on their phones that notify them as soon as a property comes on the market, which allows their buyers to get a jump start on seeing and presenting offers. He said he would rather keep driving around…. Now these “buyers” may just be habitual real estate shoppers who just like to drive around and look at real estate. If you are a serious buyer, you really need to be working with a Realtor. In addition to being notified as soon as a property that meets your criteria comes on the market, you will be saving a lot of time and gas!
These areas should be avoided from 7a.m – 12 p.m. These are not all of the streets, so check the map.
In Coconut Grove:
In South Miami/South Gables:
In Pinecrest:
In Palmetto Bay:
The Coral Gables/South Miami area is so lucky to have two great cupcake places to choose from. Many of you have probably already heard of or tried Misha’s Cupcakes. The red velvet cupcakes are amazing and her cakes made out of individual mini-cupcakes are works of art as well as being convenient for parties…no plates or wasted cake.
A couple of blocks away on Sunset Drive is Buttercream Cupcakes and Coffee. Although they don’t make mini-cupcake cakes and their minis have to be special ordered, they have a larger variety of flavors. Their chocolate peanut butter cupcakes are amazing. Try both of these neighborhood places and let us know which one is your favorite.
Two Methods of Eating Cupcakes
Cavas Wine Tasting Room & Cafe is having their first neighborhood wine expo at their South Miami location tomorrow, from 2-6 p.m. A $20 tasting fee allows you taste over 100 wines. $10 of the tasting fee will be applied toward any wine purchase you make. What a wonderful way to spend the day… tasting wine and strolling along downtown South Miami. After the wine tasting, head over to Blu, Town, or Cafe Pastis, all of which have tables outside, and enjoy our beautiful Fall weather.
It’s that time of year again…Art season in South Florida. After visiting the South Miami Art Festival, stop by one of the great local restaurants in South Miami. Blu has great pizzas and salads, Town Kitchen and Bar has great calamari, salads, sandwiches and mixed menu, and Cafe Pastis has mussels, quiches, and an extensive French menu.
I attended the champagne and caviar tasting at the Whole Foods in Coral Gables last night and learned a lot! I already knew I love caviar and am extremely picky about my champagne, so I was thinking I would just go and have fun.
Little did I know I would actually learn that champagne has 56 million bubbles per bottle, that the reason for checking the cork from a champagne bottle is to make sure it matches the label, and that proper champagne opening etiquette is to make the cork “kiss” instead of “pop”!
Well, I went to my first event at the Coral Gables Whole Foods since the grand opening last week. On Thursday they had a sangria tasting and it was a good excuse to hang out in their Whole Lifestyle Center (LC) and chat with friends and neighbors who stopped by. The Tarantas Sangria, an organic bottled sangria, was the better of the two and could serve as a starting point to doctor your own, but nothing beats homemade sangria.
Patrick, one of the sommeliers at Whole Foods, was extremely friendly and helpful, and took time out to chat about wines and sangria. I an organic wine tasting on
Friday, but will be there tonight for a champagne and caviar tasting.
My only critique of the store is that the LC is inconveniently located on the opposite side of the store and can only be accessed from the outside. This was poor planning since it discourages shoppers from meandering through the store prior to an event or from returning to the store to purchase items after an event. I am sure they will be working on fixing this oversight so they can maximize the marketing potential of their tastings, cooking classes, and demonstrations.