Miami Day 1 & 1500° Restaurant

J and I have been planning a getaway from everything since January.. we were planning on going to Ultra in March but the prices were sky high so we decided to wait a month.  So one drunken food coma night…. as J was passing out and I was still on a drunken high…. I bought us tickets to Miami for 3 nights 4 days. Somehow we got booted up to first class. OH YES. First class bitches!

FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY. I’ve been SO excited to go back…. last year I went but wasn’t really able to enjoy much… didn’t leave the resort and had to play solo… but this timeeeeee… my partner in crime were ready to eat drink and RELAX. I think I deserve it considering my car accident, almost breaking my spine, almost slicing off my finger, 2 trips to the ER, etc all in the past 3 weeks.. yes I deserve a break… and J just works really hard and needs to REEELAX :]

On the way to LGA airport I said bye bye to my pale ass ghost legs.

BYE BYE BYE

We finally got to the airport… got REJECTED from the Admirals club cuz even though we’re first class it has to be international or we need a platinum Amex or a Black card uhhh… good thing we got there with only minutes to spare.

Yeah barely there makeup – was too excited and forgot to put much on.

Front Row, First Class Bitches…

And warm nuts <3 You’re gonna love my nuts!!!!

Altho there was a choice pre-flight online for a buffalo salad or beef wrap they only had beef wraps on this trip.  Not sure about the presentation but at least it was a pretty healthy/decent “snack” – Some Carrots and Cucumbers to dip [I actually didn't get any dip but J got some on his] and while the beef wrap was a bit small and soggy it was pretty decently tasty.  I also hadn’t eaten anything all day… sooooo…. big factor. I WANT MORE NUTS

And while  not the underbaked cookies I remember from previous AA flights…. these were warm and crispy.. and I got it all over myself. Yep. Completely covered in crumbs and chocolate.

Beautiful….

Our gorgeous Eden Roc Hotel Resort..

Unfortunately we were like this:

Since as soon as we got in the taxi from the airport it was raining like crazyyyyy…

OH so we get to the front desk and it’s “I’m sorry our standard rooms are fully booked, we have to upgrade you for free to an Ocean View Room in our new with with a Balcony and a Hot Tub.

Ohh shucks. Life sucks :]

Our hot tub <3

So since it was raining out, we decided to hot tub it inside… with some champagne of course. OF COURSE.

And then it was time to get ready to get pretty for dinner and play.  I had already, in advance, booked us resos at 1500°.. and than later finding out it’s quite a big big deal.

1500°.. Farm to Table eating with the famous Hell’s Kitchen competitor Paula DiSilva as exec chef.

Everything local.  And our waiter was kind enough to tell us where all our food was coming from :]

Add a FRIED DUCK EGG TO MY STEAK? Sold! Obviously I have to get it……

And of course we tried the Black Garlic Truffle Butter for our steak [on the side]

We got a lovely bottle of Rioja and some chamapgne… but I found a bucket of these waters next to us hahaha for other tables

Wine art? This belongs in MOMA or the Guggenheim…

We started off with a half dozen Kumomoto Oysters [hehe J usually leaves it up to me for food while he picks out the wines]

The famous Palmetto Creek Farms Pork Belly Tacos with Homemade Kimchi

These were good but not THAT impressive. The fried wonton shells and the kimchi [totally NOT kimchi] were more chinese food than anything.. like chinese takeout-ish… but the pork belly itself was delicious and melt-in-your-mouth

Grilled Octopus on a Zucchini puree, frisse, roasted tomatoes, sheep’s milk feta and kalamata olives

This was amazing. Me and J were tearing this APART – but I gave him the olives and he gave me the tomatoes.  Refreshing and the octopus was sooo tender with just amount of chew. Perfection. SOO tender and the smokiness from the char from the grill. AMAZE BALLS.

And then our “Sides”

Swank Farms Shishito Peppers with just simple Sea Salt and Lime

This was actually a sharing plate but we used it as a side dish. I LOVE Shishito peppers… these were so tasty.  We both thought the red ones were gonn be really spicy but they weren’t.  They were lighter and sweeter.. a few green ones had some kick to them tho. YUM.

Spicy Grilled Zellwood Florida Corn with Cotija

This was my MUST HAVE side dish. I LOVE Mexican Corn and Cotija. AHHH…reminds me of summer in Chicago. This was DELICIOUS!!!!!!  Slight heat to it but only to be cooled down by the light tang of the creamy cheese. YUMMMMM

And the main dish, the star of the show

….. we split a 14oz Florida Grass Fed Wagyu Ribeye…. Medium Rare of course…. with the Black Garlic Truffle Butter on the side. And smudge of… red stuff.. hahaha. I think it’s something sweet and tomato-y.

With a fried duck egg [of course] – this they couldn’t split for us since  it’s gooey so they just gave it to us in the middle in a skillet.

Best piece of meat I’ve ever had methinks.

This is one of the most amazing pieces of steak I have ever had.  Meat even.  Tender, melt in my mouth and the perfect size.  J and I were so glad we split the steak so we could still move and play after dinner instead of just dying and food coma-ing out.

I’ve had a LOT of meat in my life and a LOT of steak, a lot of good steaks… especially ribeyes, but this was just perfection.

Afterwards we walked around the resort and headed to  the Cabana Beach Club for a drink or two…..

Than to the Lobby Bar we picked up a Mojito and a Margarita, put on the hot tub again and enjoyed our amazing view.

O

OH Miami how I love you so.

Village Yokocho… and more beer…

Friday Night means one thing: NO ALARM CLOCK – hottest words EVA. But that talks for later….. Friday night and J comes home and we decide that Japanese is what’s up.

Time for some yakitori. MMMM St. Marks time.  Which means Village Yokocho.

First thing we did was order a giant pitcher of beer. SO MUCH FOAM.

UMM… I couldn’t resist.

Takoyaki.

Asparagus. Scallions.  Green Pepper.  Mushroom.

Different parts of chicken and beef … and balls :] Oh chicken balls…. ground chicken balls not their “BALLS” durrrr…. that’s at a different place<3

Somehow all the sticks were on my plate. HAHA. Way for J to make me the fattie.

Not enough, we want MORE!!!!!!!!

We need more and more chicken skin…..

MORE chicken skin, alls, shishito peppers and then some…. OH cartiledge

After a delicious dinner.. we headed to the secret yet so known, Angel’s Share but the wait was too long and didn’t seem worth it.  The bathroom was gross and it was freezing in there… So we left….

… and headed to the sure thing: Proletariat

Happy Happy Joy Joy

Twice is Nice…. Tasty Tapas at Boqueria

Last year I had my 25th bday party at Boqueria in SoHo – delicious. But I haven’t been back since….so on a nice Friday night way back in September, I was in the mood for tapas and some Jamón Ibérico… so I decided to hit up Boqueria – the Flatiron one.

First thing’s first. Sangria. They have red, white and pink [seriously... haha well "Rosé" ;D But I just like the sound of PINK sangria....

And Sangria we had.... One pitcher of red sangria...
....followed by a pitcher of white....

Not to mention, a bottle of vino.

Anima Negra "AN/2" 2006 / Callet, Mantonegre, Fogoneu, Syrah - Mallorca

This is a blend of the most important varieties of the island of Mallorca; callet, manto negre and fogoneu, which make up 80% of the wine’s composition.  Aged in oak barrels over a period of 13 months gives us a balanced and elegant wine with a unique personality.

Grape Varieties: 65% Callet, 20% Mantonegre and Fogoneu, 15% Syrah.
Pruning: Traditional gobelet method.
Rainfall: 350-450mm.
Production: Grapes are harvested by hand into small 10kg boxes.  Manual grape selection before temperature-controlled fermentation at 28º in stainless-steel tanks of 7,000 and 10,000 litre capacities.
Maceration: Average of 17 days.
Malolactic: Stainless steel tanks.
Ageing: 14 months in barrels. Barrel origin: 70% French oak and 30% American oak. Barrel age: 35% are new barrels and 65 % are between 1 and 3 vintages old.
Alcohol Content: 14%
PH: 3.7
Appearance: Deep ruby red
Nose: Aromas of eucalyptus, spices (pepper), leather, mature fruit, resin and cocoa.
Mouth: Smooth, balanced, flavoursome, silky, aromatic and fresh.  Balsamic and mineral hints and a finish revealing light nuances of fresh vegetables.

It was a delicious wine. I have a soft spot for Spanish wines and this totally made my day.

Quesos y Embutidos

Aged Mahón - Tangy and intense, slighty sharp, notes of citrus
Tetilla - Mild-flavored, semi-soft cheese from whole pasteurized cow's milk
La Serena - A soft floral cheese made with unpasteurized Merino sheep's milk

Jamón Serrano - "Jamones de Segovia" Serrano ham, aged 18 months
Chorizo Cantimpalo - Mildly spicy pork sausage cured in pimenton
Fuet - Catalan style hard pork sausage
Salchichón - Spiced pork sausage, cured with garlic and herbs
Sobrasada - Soft Pork Sausage from the island of Mallorca, made with pimenton
Caña de Lomo - Hard cured pork loin

I totally adored the soft pork sausage [Sobrasada], it just melted in your mouth and was absolutely delicious. I also was a huge fan of the Salchichón…. it was like a spicier version of the sobrasada….

Pimientos de Padrón

Blistered Shishito Peppers, coarse sea salt

I HAVE to order this everytime I’m at a tapas place….. I know I recently talked about this on my Craftbar post. But, whatevz… deliciousness. Salty, oil, crunchy goodness.

Espinacas a la Catalana

Sauteed spinach, garbanzos, pine nuts, garlic, raisins

Do you call them garbanzos or chickpeas? I like the sound of chickpea more but I use them pretty interchangeably… chick chick chick…. ;D This was a bit greasy but I loved the different textures… spinach can get a bit mushy but this was cooked well , the garbanzos were the perfect munching texture… just enough garlic… great pop of the pine nuts and the sweetness of the raisins. I’m not a huge raisin fan usually – unless used well [and in oatmeal raisin cookies]

Espárragos y Romesco

Grilled green asparagus, almond romesco sauce

Gobble gobble munch munch. These were skinny minnie asaparagus. I love asparagus. I love love love it. I adored the tips when I was a kid and then I went thru a phase where I wouldn’t touch it for a few years – and now I’m addicted again – obsessed even. Minus the pee, which I pee proudly, but it still stinks.

Urine effects

The effect of eating asparagus on the eater’s urine has long been observed:

“[Asparagus] cause a filthy and disagreeable smell in the urine, as everybody knows.” (Treatise of All Sorts of Foods Louis Lemery, 1702)^[24]

“asparagus… affects the urine with a foetid smell (especially if cut when they are white) and therefore have been suspected by some physicians as not friendly to the kidneys; when they are older, and begin to ramify, they lose this quality; but then they are not so agreeable” (“An Essay Concerning the Nature of Aliments,” John Arbuthnot, 1735)^[25]

Asparagus “…transforms my chamber-pot into a flask of perfume.” Marcel Proust (1871–1922) ^[26]

There is debate about whether all (or only some) people produce the smell, and whether all (or only some) people identify the smell. It was originally thought this was because some of the population digested asparagus differently from others, so that some people excreted odorous urine after eating asparagus, and others did not. However, in the 1980s three studies from France,^[27] China and Israel published results showing that producing odorous urine from asparagus was a universal human characteristic. The Israeli study found that from their 307 subjects all of those who could smell ‘asparagus urine’ could detect it in the urine of anyone who had eaten asparagus, even if the person who produced it could not detect it himself.^[28] Thus, it is now believed that most people produce the odorous compounds after eating asparagus, but only about 22% of the population have the autosomal genes required to smell them.^[29][30][31]

We had ordered the Iberico with the other meats and cheeses but apparently they needed a special person to cut it from the special ham and it arrived seperately [and a lot later] SO worth the $$ and the wait.

Jamón Ibérico Fermín

Hand-cut Ibérico ham, aged 36 months

I’ve never met an Iberico I’ve never fell madly in love with and want to have a crazy romantic affair with…. It was melt in your mouth amazing. If you’re ever in the mood for Iberico though… I suggest you go to Bar Basque… they have an Iberico tasting with Serrano as well…. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING [that'll be my next blog post actually]

Mejillones con Chorizo

Bouchot Mussels, House-made Chorizo, Spicy Tomato Broth, Pan con “Ajo Majado”

Aside from the one time I had horrible mussel experience, I love mussels….. these were delicious. Even though, yes I know I keep repeating this, bacon and chorizo is such a cop out to making any dish good, this was done right. Maybe it had something to do with the whole house-made? Sometimes I find chorizo too greasy or too salty, but this just perfectly flavored the broth which cooked the mussels perfectly.

Croqueta de Maíz

Market Corn Croquettes, Poblano Pepper Aioli

Now, I’m not a huge croquettes person… mainly because I’m not a huge potato person and I find them to be just fried potato mush… but, I DO love CORN… these were good, not great, nothing special. They’re exactly how you’d imagine them to be.

Gambas al Ajillo

Shrimp, garlic, and Guindilla pepper in olive oil

Another must get at tapas… garlic-y shrimp. Omg there was SOOO much garlic and oil but it was good. It always is.

Salteado de Setas

Sauteed wild mushrooms, pork guanciale, Manchego cheese

See, more proof that pork makes everything better…. It was simple but so freaking good. Yep, the shroom addict that I am was VERY happy with this. The cheese was warm and creamy and just melted the moment it entered my mouth… mixing into the chew of the mushrooms, bits of guanciale – it was MAGICAL. Haha….

Huevo y Lentejas

Truffled Puy Lentils, Oil-Poached Farm Egg, Applewood Bacon, Herbed Yogurt, Crispy Serrano Ham

Poached egg. Lentils. Truffle. Bacon. Serrano Ham. Seriously. How could this POSSIBLY be bad? Exactly. NADA. NO FREAKING WAY. And it was good…

Albondigas

Lamb meatballs in tomato sauce, sheep’s milk cheese

Yes yes I know I’ve expressed how I’m not a huge fan of lamb, but I AM of meatballs…. and with the right spices, I do enjoy lamb now and then. These were great :] Perfectly spiced and sauced… and I love the name “Albondigas”… it’s so fun to say…. really!!! Say it. SAY IT OUT LOUD NOW.

AL – BON – DEEEEEEE – GAHHHHS

squeeee*

Txipirones

Baby squid a la plancha, arugula, olive, crispy radish, garbanzos

MOOOORE CHICKPEAS… and squid. I love squid. [secretly like eating babies, so I had to eat baby squid.. haha I'm kidding... just about the human babies part] When I see squid or octopus I HAVE to get it [if you haven't noticed I'm a HUGE seafood person.... hmmmm, I think I keep repeating everything over and over again - V is for Vanity, woo!!!] This was good, nothing special – but not overcooked, great flavors and pretty light. Trying to go heavy with squid is just plain wrong – but you can prove me wrong if you want :] I’m willing to try anything AND to be proven wrong. And don’t just tell me to eat it fried with mayo.

Trucha Alpina a la Plancha

Grilled Arctic Char, Sauteed Market Greens, Roasted Delicata Squash, Coco Beans, Fino Sherry

It tasted like good grilled fish. I don’t remember much of it. Remember? Sangria, sangria, wine wine wine?!?!?!… But I LOOOOVE delicata squash – so I’m always up for trying ANY dish with it. [Unless smoothered in goat cheese...]

We were supposed to get the Hanger Steak as well….. but I was completely loopy from all the sangria and wine :] Delicious times….