South Beach - very mini trip report

My husband and I made a quick getaway to South Beach from NY, escaping the winter cold and grayness. We had two days of cloudy warmth and two days of sunny warmth, which was a welcome respite. We also ate pretty well, despite not venturing far from the hotel.

Zaytinya - a Jose Andres restaurant that has locations in DC and NY that is in the Ritz Carlton hotel. The hotel itself is visually stunning inside, especially the lobby bar, and the restaurant interior is nice, if bland, but the outdoor area of the restaurant is jungly and verdant and atmospheric. The cocktails were fine, but the food was delicious, like the fresh pita bread, hummus, halloumi with sour cherry molasses (such good flavors!), smoked beet salad (never thought of smoking a beet!), and crispy eggplant (airy and served with dipping sauces). Scallops were not as remarkable in terms of flavor as some of the other dishes, but the galatopita dessert wowed. (“Semolina custard espuma, crispy phyllo, almonds, honeycrisp apple sorbet” - a lovely combo of textures and flavors).

La Sandwicherie - remains one of my top two sandwich places I’ve been to ever - a South Beach lunch must. Excellent ingredients, from the sliced meats to the cheeses to the produce (the lettuce, cucumber, avocado, and tomatoes - all stellar and not skimped on). Their vinaigrette is perfection and I love the croissant bread option (their baguette is no slouch either). They have great fresh squeezed juice too.

Sweet liberty - if you love cocktails and are in South Beach you must NOT miss Sweet Liberty. I wish we could have tried every single one. Well balanced and creative, with literally dozens of options to satisfy anyone’s cocktail craving. The Ginger McGinger and PB&J old fashioned were just two of our favorites that we sampled over two nights. Yes, we went twice because their happy hour is from 4-8 every night and heavily features oysters, which we love, but also discounted cocktails and other delicious food items. Raw oysters, oyster Po boys, and baked oysters were all delicious, and we also liked the caviar caramelized onion dip with house made chips and the beet cured deviled eggs.

I will finish my report up tomorrow!

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Fun start!

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Looking forward to trying Zaytinya next month. I’ve enjoyed the couple of Andres restaurants I’ve visited, immensely. And how can you not help but root for someone who said this:

World Central Kitchen started with a simple idea at home with my wife Patricia: when people are hungry, send in cooks. Not tomorrow, today.

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Exactly my feeling- I really admire his work and am happy to support him however I can!

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Tropezón - we had dinner here after drinks at Sweet Liberty. It’s located on Espanola Way, a street I love, and has outdoor seating as well as indoor seating. Love the decor inside although the seats could benefit from some cushioning as many of the tables have hard wooden church pew type seating at one side. I also find the tables to be somewhat close together. In places like this, I always wish I sat at the bar, but alas. What stood out from our menu picks were the boquerones fritos (encased in charcoal tempura batter), which were so unique and a great combo of textures from the fragile crispy charcoal exterior and the meaty fish inside, as well at the carrots with Idiazabal cheese, a cheese which I fondly remember eating a plate of while in Bilbao. I may try to recreate this at home, so well (and unexpectedly) did the cheese marry with the carrots. The empanadillas with braised short ribs were tasty morsels, while the patatas bravas were inexplicably and, to be perfectly honest, unforgivably boiled instead of fried. (That variation was not mentioned on the menu!) We also got the cheese and bread board, but at $45, the cheese rations were rather skimpy, thought we did pick the server’s brain for the seasoning on the absolutely perfect roasted almonds (cumin, cinnamon, fennel, salt, and curry). We skipped dessert to get crepes next door at A La Folie but enjoyed two cocktails, an excellent grapefruit G&T as well as one with sour cherry bourbon (512). Waiter was lovely and ambiance was lively but cozy. I don’t think we’d return but did enjoy those several stand-out dishes.

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Espanola Way has always been my ideal of a funky, romantic hideaway in the midst of an otherwise chaotic scene. Check out the modern townhouse at the residential (west) end of Espanola Way for a great South Beach pied-a-terre.

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Couldn’t have said it better myself! It always transports me! I feel a million miles away. Kind of European but also kind of unlike anywhere else!

A la Folie - also on Espanola Way - we have been here every time we’ve been in Miami. I absolutely love this place- it is so French feeling while also retaining a unique Miami-ness. We only had sweet crepes and coffee this time but part of the delight of this place is people watching and there was plenty of that to be had even (especially?) at the late hour we went. Crepes were delicious but even if they weren’t the nostalgia factor is big here for us.

Lido - This was a kid free getaway so we booked into the spa at the Standard hotel (which was absolutely incredible and a destination unto itself). Between massages and the steam room and the hammam and the sauna and the pool and the hot tub and cold plunge pool (I told you - destination!!!), we had a lovely lunch on the patio at Lido, the hotel’s restaurant. We were virtuous and went for one of their fresh juices over cocktails, which was a beet and ginger and carrot concoction. I had avocado toast with a poached egg on their excellent crusty bread, while my husband went for the shakshuka. Both were generously portioned and exceeded our expectations, and fortified us for another few hours of doing nothing, lol.

San Ginés - when I saw the sign, I was puzzled, because isn’t that the churro place we went in Madrid? Oh yes, it is, and they have a location in South Beach. We capped off our long weekend with an oversize order of the plain churros dusted in sugar with their rich, thick chocolate dipping sauce. Made fresh while we waited, and every bit as delicious as I remember they were in Madrid.

This is our fourth time in South Beach, and aside from it being a quick trip from NY, we so enjoy the beach, the restaurants, and the people. Yes, it is touristy, but is a unique, surprising, and beautiful place that has something for everyone.

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