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Written by Tania von Barkenhagen
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Thursday, 11 February 2010 |
We were in Miami with our good friends Ruslan and Sarabelle who were kind enough to welcome us into their beautiful home. I was still trying to recover from my horrific bout of food poisoning that had hit me late into the evening and wasn't quite yet o.k. I needed to buck it up and pull it together because Ruslan and Sarabelle were taking us on a tour of Miami today.
Keith, Sarabelle and Ruslan were all also recovering from an evening of many bottles of great wine. Keith dug into some of Sarabelle's homemade beans and rice for perfect "day after" breakfast. I tried to stay away from the smell of all the food.
Sarabelle was nice enough to have a lady she normally uses come to the house to give me a pedicure. What a treat! I'm sorry I was still feeling quite under the weather and didn't enjoy it as much as I normally would have but my feet looked 100% better at the end of it.
We finally pulled ourselves and the kids together and made it out of the house for our Miami tour. Ruslan and Sarabelle were great guides and know an amazing amount about their neighborhood and the Miami area.
One of Sarabelle's first requested stops was to pick up some Cuban coffee, a tradition here. They give it to you in a styrofoam cup but also give you a bunch of little cups to serve it to everyone with.
Sarabelle demonstrated how to pour the coffee which is quite a rich and sweet concoction.
Even the kids like a little sip of it!
I was finally starting to feel a little better, although I was freezing to death, and skipped the coffee but enjoyed some amazing freshly squeezed Florida orange juice. Yum!
We drove through the high rises of downtown Miami and somehow it looked exactly as I imagined.
I was trying so hard to be a trooper but I was still feeling so sick, freezing cold because I still couldn't eat anything and still determined to try to take everything in and enjoy the limited time with our friends. Luckily we were driving around everywhere because I definitely didn't have the energy to walk!
We stopped at a great vantage point to capture Miami in the background...BFF!
The girls remembered how much I said I liked cupcakes and coerced Ruslan into stopping by a local cupcake store.
I figured for my first bite of food for a while, cake and sugar was something my system actually could handle and although the cupcakes weren't the greatest on earth, it still tasted pretty good.
Sarabelle had a babysitter coming at 5:00 p.m. so we could go out for dinner on the town. First I needed a much needed nap, I was really just exhausted. I collapsed in the room for a nap, fell dead asleep and all too soon had to get ready asap to go out. Luckily I pulled it together in record time, got dussied up in clothes I brought just for going out in Miami, and away we went!
We took a taxi to South Beach and immediately there was a discussion when the cabbie drove onto the grass while turning around. It turned into a heated discussion between Ruslan and the cabbie with Sarah finally jumping in on the cabbie's side, which turned into another discussion about relationships and pretty much entertained us the entire 20 minute ride.
Ruslan had chosen a new Cuban restaurant, D. Rodriguez Cuba, located inside the very art deco Hotel Astor.
Yep, mojitos were a must.
The food sounded amazing. My stomach wasn't back to normal but was accepting applications so I let everyone else pretty much order so I could taste a little of everything. My favorite appetizer was the finger tacos with black bean puree.
I just had a very light and brothy fish soup and avocado salad. As boring as it sounds it was really good and more than I could possibly eat with my stomach still recovering.
Ruslan had an interesting dish that consisted of meat being cooked in a can. Yep, meat cooked in a can. To top it off they actually open the can in front of you and let you serve yourself. I kid you not. Mind you the description in the menu sounded much fancier than what I just said but you get the gist of it.
Keith had fatty crisp pork that was REALLY fatty but good, according to him.
For dessert we couldn't resist sharing their quadruple dolce di lecce, also, interestingly enough, served in a can. It actually was amazingly delicious and rich and the strawberries were to die for. All I could think of is how much my girlfriend Lili would love this dessert.
After dinner everyone checked their iPhones for emails, it was pretty funny all four of us at the table with our phones. Apple power!
Our consensus on the restaurant, good, but not fantastic and not as good as the hype or the prices. Oh well!
We caught a cab to the Cleveland and stopped in for a drink.
It was a pretty cool scene with a band playing outside over a pool area and a bar winding around palm trees. We hung out for a bit before moving on.
Of course there was a guy rolling cigars along the sidewalk!
Ruslan demonstrated his SUPER sized cigar...
We stopped in at Mango's, a South Beach tradition with scantily clad dancers and all girl band singing sultry Latino music with a beat.
Had I been feeling better I would have danced with Sarabelle who couldn't keep still but my energy level was still pretty low. Fun place!
We grabbed a cab to the Delano hotel, which is half-owned by Madonna. It was a really hip place that resembled more of a club rather than a hotel and had a really great vibe. We walked through and out to the gardens where the huge pool and cabanas were and yet another bar and dance area. Sarah and I hung out on a lounge area by the pool while Keith and Ruslan scouted out drinks.
Pretty cool place...
On our way out we stopped to pose in some of the super-sized furniture...
What a fun night! I'm happy to report the cabbie that drove us home was much nicer than our previous one and we ended on a very mellow note.
Thanks Ruslan and Sarabelle for a fantastic evening!!!Only registered users can write comments.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 02 March 2010 )
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