Vacay 2011

I never thought in a million years that I would be going to Miami and the Bahamas for cooler weather.  Um….seriously, 106??? 

We had a really great trip with Megan and AB.  I will be recapping over the next few days. (Luckily, I now have something to blog about!) And maybe I will even throw something else in there so you don’t get too bored!

Let’s start with Miami.  I had never been before.  It was definitely a whole different world down there! I definitely saw some outfits I never thought I would see.

The first night we did the South Beach Culinary Tour and it was so fun!  Basically, you go to six different restaurants and have food and/or drinks at each one. 

First, we started out at La Ventana, a Columbian restaurant. 

We started out with drinks and I cannot for the life of me remember the exact name of these or what is in them, but I am pretty sure it was Columbian beer mixed with orange drink and pineapple.  Surprisingly, it was really good.  Even Megan who doesn’t care for beer liked it.  (And while we are being honest, I am not a big beer fan myself.)

We were also served an appetizer of empanadas and patacones, which are plantains fried and topped with pork.

Andy and Megan were fans.  Since I don’t eat beef, I kind of just nibbled…probably should have asked for a vegetarian option.

In addition to going to the restaurants, we visited several art deco sites and learned more about the history of Miami along the way.

Our next stop was David’s Café where we sampled more beverages.

I am pretty sure this was a Café Cubano.  Basically, it was espresso with a ton of sugar. 

We washed that down with some kind of smoothie. I cannot for the life of me remember what it was. (And that is probably why I am not paid for blogging.) I liked it. The rest of the group – notsomuch.

Do you love the background of this picture???  I had to include it, though, because Tommy is actually looking at the camera without blinking. (This actually baffles me that he HAS to blink before the camera actually takes the photo. However, in his defense, I am pretty sure he came by this through genetics.)

Next, we saw where Versace was slain.  I actually recalled which year this was based on my summers spent watching MTV.  For those of you not glued to MTV, the year was 1997. (Sadly, I have not matured much based on my love for The Real World, Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant.)

Next stop was Bice. (Pronounced Beach-ay. Who would have ever known???)

At Bice we were served gnocchi and a glass of wine.

Our next stop was The Cevichery.  This was the group’s favorite stop foodwise.

We started with Pisco Sours, which is a Peruvian drink that is made with pisco liquor, sugar and lemon and frothed with an egg white.  Yes, that is correct – an egg white.  Honestly, it was pretty good.

Next we were served a fried potato filled with beef, olives and raisins and topped with candied peppers.  I only ate the outside (the whole beef thing), but everyone else raved about it even my non-raisin and olive loving friends..

Our last stop was to Milani Gelateria.

I had the Stacciatella, which is basically vanilla gelato with chunks of chocolate.

The night ended with another sweet treat – a Venezuelan chocolate bar.

The tour lasted about 2 and half hours and was really fun and educational. (I am a huge nerd!) I would definitely recommend it if you are ever in Miami.