San Diego Days

During our big California trip, when the hubs and I cruised down to San Diego to see a couple of good friends get hitched, we decided to stay a few extra days and make a long weekend of it, to soak up as much time in our beloved city, the place we fell in love (and got married ourselves!) as possible. G had been more homesick for SD than even he knew, telling me that when he got off the plane at Lindbergh Field he instantly felt like he was at home.

(One day we'll return for good, baby. One day!)

There is much to do and explore in San Diego, so even though G lived there for five years and I for one, we can always find new places to go and see and taste and do. While we visited a few familiar haunts—Mission Bay, Pacific Beach—we checked out some new-to-us eateries, too. (In case it wasn't already abundantly clear: we love to eat and drink.) Here's a few photos, if you'd like to see...

Our friends (family, really) kindly opened up their BayHo house to us for the weekend. This is the view from their back deck. Isn't it incredible? Beats staying at a hotel! Great view and great company.

For dinner the first night, the day before the wedding, G and I went casual and visited a place we'd passed by so many times while living in San Diego but I had never actually been to: PB Fish Shop. It is a relatively small establishment on Garnet Avenue and, like always, the inside and outside patio were packed to the gills. (Bad pun intended.) But there is a good reason; the food is incredible. Super fresh fish prepared any way you like. I hadn't eaten all day so I went big and ordered a plate of fried Mahi Mahi (which I promptly doused in lemon juice and malt vinegar), coleslaw and macaroni salad. Despite the fact that the fillet was as big as a brick, I ate every bite. So good.

Friday was dedicated to wedding festivities, and on Saturday the newlyweds invited all their family and friends to a picnic at Sunset Point Park, located right on Mission Bay. The weather was perfect, it was an absolutely gorgeous day, and looking out on the water all I could think was, "I wish I was on a boat." Not usually an activity I long for but it was just so beautiful out. So I jokingly told the hubs to put "get a boat" on his retirement to-do list.

After soaking up every drop of sun at the park, a group of us were craving Mexican food so we took a short drive over to Casa Guadalajara in Old Town San Diego. G and I love historic Old Town; it's where we had our engagement photos taken! The vibrant neighborhood boasts many wonderful Mexican restaurants—I've been to Cafe Coyote, Miguel's Cocina, Fred's Mexican Cafe and Rockin' Baja—but I had never been to the colorful, large and prominently-located Casa Guadalajara. I was sadly still full from lunch so I just ordered a cup of the albondigas soup, but it was delicious. As were the margaritas. I definitely plan to return one day for a real meal.

On Monday, our final day in San Diego, we decided to go back to Pacific Beach since it was just down the road from our friends' house in BayHo. First, we stopped for brunch at Crushed a new, sweet little restaurant bar featuring killer drinks, small plates and of course, a selection of sweet and savory brunch bites. G ordered up a bloody mary while I simply had to try a mimosa flight. All three glasses were tasty but the Lavender Love easily edged out the Rosemary+Grapefruit and Blood Orange+Pomegranate concoctions. To eat, the hubs and I decided to satisfy our need for salt and sugar by sharing both The SoCal omelette and the absolutely divine Nutella Banana pancakes.

Completely stuffed, we decided to walk off breakfast with a stroll along the beach, by Crystal Pier. G took my best friend and I here when we visited him over Labor Day 2011, the weekend that revealed to us that we could be more than just friends. (The story of us, here, including a photo of us that we tried to recreate, below.) So it was a wonderful, full-circle kind of feeling walking the boardwalk hand in hand, thinking of all that has happened since that day three-and-a-half years ago. Eventually, we made it to The Wood (formerly known as Beachwood), so we popped in for one last drink, a bit longer to admire the view, before saying adios to San Diego and heading back to Simi Valley.

A Golden Birthday : Cheers for my 30th at Malibu Wines

Despite my best intentions to get back into blogging last week after my six-week long California vacation trip adventure, I was simply too busy or tired to do so. Busy because just three days after my best friend's wedding it was my 30th birthday, and then of course the packing (oh, the packing!) for our return to Florida. And tired because of, well, all that—plus it was tougher than I imagined to get back on East Coast time. The first three days we were home the hubs and I slept in until almost noon! I'm not exactly what you'd call an early riser but G is, so that was quite unusual for him.

But today is Monday, a fresh start to a new week and just a few days into a new month and I'm feeling recovered. (Even if our bags have yet to be unpacked. Oy vey.) As much as we loved visiting our friends and family in Simi Valley and San Diego, after so much time away it felt good to walk into our own place, our small, humble apartment home, and relax. While puppy Jasper came along with me on my adventure, our big girl Cali was over the moon to see us when we picked her up from the house of some truly great friends who had watched her for three weeks (!).

Since I've been in and out of the blogosphere for a while now, I have a lot of catching up to do. So much to share! Today I'll start with my aforementioned birthday—my golden birthday! I turned 30 on the 30th. 

G knew how busy and, I'll admit, stressed I had been with planning my best friend's bridal shower, and bachelorette party, and with helping her do any and everything to prepare for the wedding (dress fittings, DIY supply shopping, crafting, sign making, general MOH listening and encouraging, etc.) so he happily took on the task of planning my birthday party. While I knew something was happening on Sunday, March 29, the day before my birthday (and two days after my bestie's wedding), I didn't know what or where or who. The hubby decided to keep that a surprise. Even though I kept pestering for details! 

Funny enough, a friend had mentioned to me the idea of going to Malibu Family Wines to celebrate, which I thought was a fantastic idea since I had never been but always wanted to go. When I passed this information on to G, he told me not to worry, he already had a plan in mind and in motion. As it turns out, he was planning to take me to Malibu Wines all along! That guy. He knows me so well.

After arriving to the outdoor winery, I was greeted by a group of friends and family, waving and cheering under a gazebo reserved just for the party. We popped bottles of red, white, rosé and champagne and got to drinking. (And eating, and chatting, and playing Jenga and Cards Against Humanity.) It was a beautiful, sunny day and a wonderful afternoon hanging out with my best people. Friends from elementary and high school, friends from my days at the Acorn Newspapers, even my parents came out for the celebration. I felt so loved and appreciative that my husband put the whole thing together for me.

(A few more snaps of me and my silly, beautiful friends...)

The next day, my actual birthday, was low-key but just as nice. G and I went to breakfast with my family, I opened my gifts, and that night we went to Marielle and JP's house to hang with the newlyweds and cook dinner together. I made my go-to, crowd-pleasing appetizer, bruschetta, the hubs made his delicious sausage pasta coated in a decadent white wine sauce, Marielle made garlic bread and vanilla cupcakes, and JP poured the wine. It was perfect.

Part of me can't believe that I'm 30. I don't feel sad about it necessarily, but maybe in denial. Ha! Perhaps that's something to explore in another post. Truly though, I feel lucky to have amazing people who love me in my life and I have a feeling that my thirties are going to be even better than my twenties. Cheers to that, right? Yes, I have to remind myself sometimes but there is so much to look forward to, and many more adventures on the horizon.

Miami Memories : Wynwood Walls

Our last stop on our Miami getaway was Wynwood Walls, a kind of open-air museum in the vibrant Wynwood Arts District. A revitalization-project-meets-statement-art-installation, the graffiti garden is filled with colorful, graphic, world-class street art that has been painted by celebrated artists on warehouse walls and doors. (You can learn more about the history here.) We didn't have much time to spend with the collection of urban murals, and I'm not sure it is really my husband's scene, but I enjoyed every minute of our visit, including the time we spent poking around the über-cool (if not super-expensive) on-site shop. With the means (and maybe a mansion), I'd totally want to hang up those unique, multi-media pieces. If we ever do make it back to Miami, I'd love to have lunch at the Wynwood Kitchen & Bar and to venture outside the walls and further into the obviously creative and engaging up-and-coming neighborhood.

Tour the Walls with these snaps from our visit...

Miami Memories : Books & Bites on Lincoln Road

[ A colorful fountain at Lincoln Road Mall in Miami. ]

On our last day in Miami, after our morning walk along the beach, we headed over to Lincoln Road Mall to check out the stacks at Books & Books, considered the city's best bookstore, where we picked up Celebrity Cocktails, a large and chic Assouline volume, and the Penguin Drop Caps version of Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass". 

Once we had our fill of browsing luxury and unique titles, we walked around the outdoor "mall" that reminded this California girl a little bit of Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. I pulled my hubby into Anthropologie for a spell because I'm powerless to resist its charms, and then we decided it was time for lunch. 

While I had thought we'd grab a bite at the Cafe at Books & Books, G and I passed by a Cuban restaurant, Havana 1957, and felt it only appropriate that we have some Cuban cuisine while in Miami. The meal began with a silver pail piled high with thin and crispy plantain chips and we quickly ordered up two mojitos: Clasico for the hubs, Fresh Kiwi for me. I am not a big mojito fan since they typically have too much mint for my liking (I don't enjoy slurping up leaves-- a cocktail is for drinking, not for chewing!), but these ones were perfect. Light, refreshing, not too sweet and just the right amount of mint delicately muddled in the bottom of our glasses. 

We weren't sure what entrees to choose but, with the help of our server, finally settled on some meats: Masa de Puerco Frita (fried cubed pork topped with grilled onions, served with moro rice and boiled yuca with Cuban mojo) for me and Vaca Frita (grilled shredded beef with onions in Cuban mojo, served with white rice and black beans) for the hubs.

Even though we are back home in St. Pete, I've put it on my list to find a fabulous Cuban restaurant here in the Tampa Bay area. (I haven't done my research yet but I'm certain there has to be something good locally.) When in Rome, right? Well, "when in Florida..."

[ A room of luxury titles at Books & Books. ]

[ G browsing the stacks at Books & Books. ] 

[ Wall of lovely, wise quotes at Books & Books. ] 

[ So many books! Including volumes of Flordiana. ] 

[ My dress seemed to fit in with the colors in this room of books. ] 

[ Perfect mojitos at Havana 1957, where mojito-lovers have endless options. ] 

[ Scenes from a Cuban lunch at Havana 1957. ]

Miami Memories : Toes in the Water, Toes in the Sand

One of my favorite moments during our Miami Beach getaway was the Monday morning stroll we took along the stretch of sand outside our hotel. Even though we didn't have much time before we needed to start heading back home to St. Pete, I insisted that the hubby and I take a walk along the shore. We were in Miami Beach after all and how could we not step on the sand and poke our toes in the water when it was just steps from where we were staying? So that's just what we did. No longer the weekend, the beach was quiet and nearly empty. We almost had it all to ourselves. The sun played hide and seek in the sky, the wind tossed my hair into a tangled mess. The ocean waves were cool (but not ice cold like we're used to in the Pacific) as they lapped against our feet but more impressive was the colors. Clear, turquoise waters (also nothing like the Pacific) that gradually deepened into a perfect ombre that only nature can create before sliding into a similarly spectacular blue sky with puffs of white clouds here and there. Florida really is a beautiful place, especially where the water meets the sand. I didn't want to leave, G basically had to drag me off the beach so we could carry on with all the other things on my must-do list, but not before I resorted to one of my favorite pastimes and collected a few broken pieces of coral and shell-- souvenirs from Miami.

Now, all you really need to know about that morning, in photographs...

Miami Memories : Scarpetta at Fontainebleau

After arriving in Miami on Saturday night, G and I had a drink at our hotel bar and considered where we should go for dinner. While flipping through OpenTable, G decided to deviate from our plan and book us a 9 o'clock reservation at Scarpetta, celebrity chef Scott Conant's Italian eatery located inside the historic and iconic Fontainebleau. Our plan was to visit Miami Beach's most luxurious landmark hotel sometime during our visit and to simply get a glass of wine and an appetizer at Scarpetta since it is an extremely expensive restaurant, befitting its residence inside a luxury hotel and the fact that Conant (you probably know him from "Chopped") is a James Beard award-winning restaurateur.

But, G threw caution to the wind. Carpe diem! You only live once (YOLO!). He said we may never return to Miami Beach and he wanted to make the most of it. So he booked, we got dressed up, we went.

And the food was divine, of course.

The meal began with an abundant bread basket-- filled with three kinds of rolls-- served alongside a porcelain canoe of spreads: butter, olive oil, and what I believe were deeply concentrated tomatoes (the tomato flavor in these little bites was beyond). Torn between ordering a glass of Rosso (red) or Bianco (white), I selected the only Rosato on the wine menu: Bertani Bertarose, a 2012 vintage from Veneto, Italy. Not too sweet, just a hint, it may be my new favorite rosé. G, a red man, ordered the 2011 Pertinace Barbera, from Piemonte, Italy.

While the dinner menu was full of tempting entree choices, including Diver Sea Scallops and Fennel Dusted Black Cod, I just had to get pasta knowing it was fresh-made in-house. Plus, Conant is always sharply critical of "Chopped" contestants' pasta, so I felt I must give his a try. I convinced G of this, too. I ordered the Scialatelli (pronounced shy-uh-la-telli, I learned), which featured long, linguine-like noodles tangled up with luscious chunks of Maine lobster, arugula and basil and topped with crispy bottarga bread crumbs. (Bottarga is salted fish roe, I just discovered, which I'm glad I didn't know beforehand because I may have asked our server to hold the crumbs. But they were delicious!)

As for G, he chose the Short Rib & Bone Marrow Agnolotti (a stuffed pasta similar to ravioli), served with a horseradish and red wine jus. I tried a few bites and the pasta sheets that formed the agnolotti were so thin, so fine, so delicate, I can't imagine the training and time it takes to make each perfect morsel. The filling was deeply and satisfyingly savory, much different from my dish which was light and fresh. Both, however, were decadent and scrumptious in their own way.

Fortunately, the reasonable portion sizes allowed us to save room for dessert. While we were leaning towards the Pistachio Soufflé we opted for the Chocolate Zeppole, on the recommendation of our server. G had never before had zeppole, which could be best described as an Italian donut. But these fried balls of dough are much lighter than anything we Americans make. And these zeppole were especially good because their airy centers were stuffed with Nutella. As if that wasn't enough, the plate of five was showered with a sprinkling of crushed hazelnuts and served with a pool of spiced anglaise for dipping. The thing of dreams.

After dinner, we planned to go to the nightclub housed within Fontainebleau: LIV. Unfortunately for us, we lingered over dinner a little too long and by the time we got out at 11 o'clock a line had already formed out the door and into the (surprisingly cold and windy) Miami night. We would have suffered through the chill and the crowds to get in the door but then we found out the cover charge: $60 for me, $80 for him. Having already dropped that much on dinner (plus a tip) we decided to take our old (30-ish) butts and full tummies back to the hotel and cuddle up under the covers, to dream of giant, sparkling gold chandeliers and boats of creamy vanilla anglaise...

[ All dressed up for our fancy Scarpetta dinner. ] 

[ Clockwise: Scialatelli, Agnolotti, Zeppole, an overflowing bread basket and Rosato wine at Scarpetta. ]

[ Gorgeous, twinkling chandeliers in the lobby at Fontainebleau. ]

Miami Memories : Hilton Cabana Miami Beach

[ The Hilton Cabana Miami Beach (left) boasts direct beach access. ]

Our home away from home during our quick Miami getaway this past weekend was the Hilton Cabana Miami Beach, a brand-new luxury beachfront hotel that just opened this past summer. 

Situated on Collins Avenue at 62nd Street, the 10-story building is built in the MiMo style of architecture that originated in Miami in the 1950s and 60s. As is typical with Miami Modernism, the Hilton Cabana's design and decor is sleek and minimalist with flashes of glamour and fun. I especially loved all the vintage photos that peppered the hotel walls and our room, as well as the pops of yellow here and there, inside and out.

While we didn't have an ocean view room, we didn't have to travel far to catch a glimpse of the sand, the sun and the surf. G and I enjoyed cocktails at the poolside, ocean-adjacent Allison Bar twice-- upon arriving at the hotel, just in time to watch the sunset, and Sunday morning before heading off to the Chargers game. The on-site restaurant, L'echon Brasserie, was fabulous as well, offering us not only a convenient place for breakfast but gourmet a.m. grub. The Eggs Benedict was deliciously salty and savory and the yogurt parfait was seriously the most beautiful cup of yogurt I have ever seen. It tasted every bit as good as it looked and a mini croissant with butter and blackberry preserves was the perfect accompaniment.

My only complaints with the Hilton Cabana are minor. The bed's mattress was a bit hard for my taste. (Maybe it needs a bit more breaking in? The hotel is new, after all.) And I wasn't terribly fond of our spaceship of a bathroom, as I called it, with its brightly illuminated, high-powered mirrors. I don't need to see my pores quite that closely. Especially on vacation!

But overall we had a very pleasant stay at the Hilton Cabana and would recommend it to those looking for an upscale, oceanfront, centrally-located hotel in Miami Beach.

Now for a few more photos, if you'd like to see...

[ Vintage touches in the lobby. ]

[ Sparkling, modern light fixtures in the lobby. ] 

[ Our MiMo-style room. ]

[ If you want to see everything wrong with your face, these are the mirrors for you. ]

[ Playful, vintage-inspired mural at the Hilton Cabana. ] 

[ Vintage photographs in our room. ]

[ Scenes from two breakfasts at L'echon Brasserie. ] 

[ Ocean view from the outdoor, poolside Allison Bar. ]

[ Cocktails at the Allison Bar. A pre-Chargers game mimosa and a margarita (left). A Tropical Storm (right) upon arriving at the Hilton Cabana, though the Kappa Pisco concoction (mixed with passionfruit, orange juice and bitters) tasted more like sunshine in a glass. ]

[ Watching sunset hues dance over the water from the poolside Allison Bar. ]

[ The rooftop Cabana Pool boasted a stellar view of the hotel's beach access and beyond. ]

[ Yellow beach cabanas at the Hilton Cabana. ]