Bienvenido a Miami!

“Party in the city where the heat is on, all night, on the beach till the break of dawn,” Will Smith couldn’t have described my trip to Miami any more accurately. During my long weekend in Miami for my cousin’s bachelorette party, we pretty much ate and drank our way through beaches, restaurants, and clubs. After being welcomed by the sight of palm trees, we stocked up for the weekend at Total Wine & More (for all you west coasters, like a BevMo) and Publix (a grocery chain) where I stumbled upon the world’s hugest avocado (below). The next few days, we sunbathed on a gorgeous beach at our condo, and discovered which foods I can add to my “hangover cure” list (following Perrier with lime, scrambled eggs and English muffins with heaps of butter, in case you’re wondering).

We clubbed, we ate, and yes, we drank. Pretty successful weekend, if you ask me. I’ve conjured up a list of my favorite places that I’d go back to in a heartbeat.

Food & Drink

Sugarcane was absolutely fabulous and the wait (even with reservations) proved its popularity. While all staff is nice and accommodating, the food is what really shines. I highly, highly recommend the Spice of Love for a beverage choice. It’s very reminiscent of the Sacsyhuaman from Andina in Portland, but is made with fresh jalapeno, passion fruit puree, mango essence and “premium vodka” (aka something fancy?). We decided to split a bunch of the delectable sounding small plates. Here’s what we ordered off their menu, all of which I would order again:

• chicken meatballs golden raisins, almonds, polenta
• crunchy tuna avocado, spicy tempura flakes, sweet chili
• heirloom tomatoes burrata, strawberries, honey balsamic
• bacon wrapped dates linguiça, manchego
• goat cheese croquettes membrillo marmalade
• Brussels sprouts orange, sweet soy

L to R: goat cheese croquettes, Brussels sprouts, heirloom tomatoes.

Sushi Samba was on our brunch must-do list and even came highly recommended from Mrs. O! Disclaimer, if you’re hungover, do NOT order a bloody mary. I did and found out the hard way that the secret ingredient (truffle oil) does not bode well with a hungover tummy. Let’s just say that my delicious brunch didn’t stay down for very long, which was a total bummer. Sushi Samba offers bottomless mimosas (WIN!) with a choice of fruit and puree mix-ins. I ordered the miso soup, which helped get some nutrients back in me and tasted delish! Over all the food was great, and if I weren’t dying at the table, I would have tried the different mimosa combinations– everyone else was raving about them.

Looks so good, tastes so good. Does not do good for a hungover bruncher.

La Rosa Restaurant serves Cuban food and has some lifesaving chicken noodle soup. I’m pretty sure you are required to order a mojito with everything on the menu. And you should, as they are refreshing and quite yummy.

Definitely try a squeeze of lime in this soup!

I also highly recommend the Cuban sandwich with a side of plantain fries. The sandwich was a tad rich for my hungover state, but the plantain fries played a very important role in saving my life that afternoon. And they were tasty.

So much meat!

Before a night out on the town, we stopped by Primo Pizza to carb up with a slice of their Chicken Alfredo Pizza and severely decrease my chance of a hangover the following day. Can you see a trend here?

Late night NYC-style pizza is mandatory.

Clubs & Dancing

Our first night, we went to Dream Nightclub, where ladies drank for free until midnight. I’m sure that it can get pretty exciting, afterall, Kim Kardashian and LeBron James party there!, but it was d-e-a-d while we were there. We drank until our free drinks were up and then we mosied on back to our condo.. traveling all day had taken its toll.

On our second night, we started at ARKADIA inside Fontainebleu Resort. There is an admission fee (ours was waived– hollaaa for bachelorette parties!) and an upscale dress code applies. Great music, but very crowded and clausterphobic. I’d definitely go back and give it another try, though. Then, we went to the Clevelander which my seamstress raaaaaved about! Apparently, she met many an interesting individual at this bar back in the day, so I figured it would be great for people watching. We had an absolute blast dancing, drinking, and meeting all sorts of people! I can’t wait to make it back to the Clevelander asap!

When we finally made it to Nikki Beach Club in South Beach on our last night, as recommended by the fabulous Ms. Lola, we had such a blast! As you can hopefully tell from my awful photos below, the cabanas and lounge beds made for quite an atmosphere. Hooka is also available, for those interested, and inside, a DJ blared house music.

Please excuse the awful picture produced by bad lighting, drizzle, and an iPhone taking the photo.

Twas a sad, sad day when I was forced to shove all of my fun, beach- and club-appropriate clothing back into my carry-on.

I has so much fun in Miami and was very grateful for recommendations from Ms. Lola and Mrs. O! We made friends and lots of memories. When I get back to Miami, I’ll be sure to hit up the Delano Hotel for lounging by the pool, as it’s one of Lola’s favorites, and came recommended from quite a few other people.

And because I know this song has been stuck in your head, here’s the Miami music video on Vimeo. You’re welcome. P.S., who knew Eva Mendez was in it?!