It’s not even May yet and we’re already getting that hot, humid Florida summer weather. I mean, I love the warm temperatures, but I didn’t even have time to prepare! It went from one extreme to the next. Last weekend was insanely hot — so hot that McKenzie and I didn’t even last a half hour on the beach. That sun really gets to you. It knocked us out the second we hit the sand, but as soon as we both woke up and were dripping in sweat and dying of thirst, we hightailed it outta there. Although, I have to say, it’s nice having a good tan in mid-April. 🙂
So that same day we survived the Florida heat, we decided this Sunday Funday called for a little adventure down to Miami for the evening. We knocked off another one of the restaurants from South Florida Foodies “10 South Florida Restaurants You Must Try” list, and had dinner at Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink. First we headed to Lou’s Beer Garden for happy hour. This place was totally not what I imagined it would be. I mean, Lou’s Beer — obviously that makes me think of a bar loaded with lots of different kinds of beers, kind of like a Yardhouse or (ironically) Biergarten. But NOPE! It is very Miami, entirely outdoors with an in-ground pool right in the center of all the tables and lounge chairs. The bar is small but stocked, and there are really cool artsy paintings all over the walls. It’s pretty hipster, with a touch of that Miami beachiness. The drink menu is extensive but the food menu is not, which is a good sign. Since there is a limited number of options, careful attention can be paid to everything. We ordered an app and shared two of their signature cocktails.
The first one we got was a ginger mojito. No joke, this was the best tasting mojito — and one of the best tasting drinks in general — I have ever had. We made a mental note of all the ingredients so we could recreate its amazingness. I don’t know what it is about ginger, but lately I have been all about it. It’s my favorite ingredient and it can be used in so many ways. I love using it to season veggies, especially in stir-fries (like my Pineapple Stir-Fry). I have even used it in smoothies. The other drink we got was a twist on the traditional margarita.
We got the snapper ceviche to munch on with our drinks. That’s another one of my favorite things — ceviche. I tend to get it almost everywhere I go and I like to compare all the ingredients used in each one. This was probably one of the best and the presentation was pretty, too. It had lots of avocado, red onion, flying fish roe all bursting with citrusy flavor.
We loved Lou’s, but we were both really excited to go to Michael’s since it would be a first for both of us (McKenzie has been to Lou’s a few times before.) It’s such a highly acclaimed restaurant and you know how much the two of us love to try out these top-rated places. Luckily, there wasn’t a wait and we were even able to get a table outside. It’s located in the art district in midtown Miami, so the location is really nice. The menu is extremely diverse with everything ranging from beet salad to pig ears — which McKenzie ordered. Eh, not my cup of tea. I got the house salad to start out with ‹ arugula with goat cheese, radishes, thinly sliced peaches and toasted pistachios. I really liked the touch of salt from the pistachios paired with the sweetness of the peaches. Most house salads are simple and boring, but this was far from that. McKenzie got the *cough-gag-cough* pig ears and we shared the thick-cut potato chips with panfried onion dip. That dip. Oh My God, that dip. I could have licked the bowl clean. Guess what was on the menu for dinner? Octopus. Guess you know what I ordered! Chargrilled octopus overtop a mix of roasted peppers, tomato harissa and white beans. There were olives too, but I don’t likeolives, and McKenzie loves them, so I gave all of them to him. He ordered apan-roasted chicken dish with a side of cheesy grits.
