Swine

I had been wanting to go the restaurant,Swine Southern Table & Bar, for a while. It's right in Coral Gables, which is not that far. I mentioned it to my friend, Meli, and she had been wanting to go too, so we decided to try their brunch. It was delicious.

Our waiter was so helpful. Everything on the menu looked, so good we were having a hard time narrowing it down, but he recommended some really great dishes. To start, he recommended a great cocktail, the Homestead Bound. It was delicious and fruity, but not too sweet.

We wanted to try so many things on the menu, but we finally decided to split the Mac & Cheese, Brisket Steak and Eggs, and the Waffles with Bacon. The mac and cheese was awesome. It tasted like real cheese and was topped with breadcrumbs and bacon.

The brisket steak and eggs was a huge plate that was so good. It came with an amazing hash brown casserole. The brisket was tender and just the right amount of smokey. It also came with two eggs, which were great with the brisket.

Meli wanted the waffles with bacon more than me, but I ended up LOVING this dish. The cheddar waffles were crispy and fluffy, and the bacon was actually pork belly (so amazing!). This also came with a bourbon maple syrup, which gave the waffles a little kick.

We had a great time at Swine and were totally the dorks taking pics of everything we ordered. It was so good, we just had to share.

I would love to go back to Swine with a bigger group to be able to try more dishes. The ambiance of the place is laid back and country feeling. And the service is really great. Yeah, it's a little hipster, but the service is amazing and so is the food.

The Re-Heat!

The Miami Heat have won another championship! And I'm sorry to all of your hometowns, but no one celebrates like Miami. There's no need for noisemakers from the store, just grab a pot and a spoon and take it to the streets.

This video is from last year's championship, but it encompasses the craziness of Thursday night or any big win for a Miami team. This is just a little slice of why I love my hometown so much.


La Carreta: The Miami Celebration Spot from Belvedere Stories on Vimeo.

Renaissance festival fun

This weekend I headed out to the Florida Renaissance Festival with my friends Karina and Mary Lou and all of the kids. It was their first time going to a Renaissance Festival, and I hadn't been to one in years. It was held at Cauley Square in Homestead. It was a great atmosphere for the festival.

We walked around and checked out all the people in costume and then we saw a few of the shows. First, we caught the fire juggling show. These two were amazing. I don't know how they can do all that with things lit on fire.

We walked around more, caught a couple of more shows, had lunch and headed to the joust. The knights were a bit old, though. Definitely not Lancelot material!

But when the joust began the aged knights proved why they were up there. It was so cool seeing an actual joust.

The kids wanted their chance to get into the renaissance spirit, so they tried their hand at fencing. First the boys, had their chance.

And the girls, didn't want to be left behind in the fun.

Somehow, I managed to take my DLSR with me, but left the battery charging at home. So, please excuse the iPhone pics. But even with that slight snag, we had a great time at the Renaissance festival. It was so much fun. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day or better weather. We'll definitely have to come and check it out again next year.

Have you ever been to a Renaissance festival?

A day at the ballpark

Yesterday, I went to my first baseball game at the new Marlins Ballpark. I had gone to tons of games when they were held at Joe Robbie Stadium (I know the place has a different name now, but I always call it Joe Robbie), but I had never been to the new ballpark, so I was excited to check it out.

I headed to the ballpark with grandma. One of her sisters-in-law had an extra ticket, and I got one to go with them and check out the new stadium. It was a rainy day, but that was no matter, cause the Marlins Ballpark has a retractable roof.

We got inside the new air-conditioned ball park about 20 minutes before the first pitch, so I wasn't able to explore too much, but what I was able to see was great. There are tons of new and different food vendors, including sushi, Sir Pizza (a local pizza place), and the usual stuff--hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts and cracker jacks. Grandma wanted some nachos and coke, so I got those for her and made it back to our seats just as the game was starting.

We had a great view of the field, and I don't know if it's because the stadium is still so new, but the seats were really roomy. Unfortunately the Marlins lost, but we did get to see some really good plays. There's nothing like seeing your team score live. It's so much more exciting than watching it on TV.

I even sported my Marlins orange (well maybe not that bright). Grandma and I had a great Sunday at the ballpark. We'll definitely be back next year, hopefully when the Marlins will actually be winning.

Have you been to any sporting events lately? Or have you checked out a new venue in your area?

Family birthday celebration

Saturday I finally went to the restaurant I'd wanted to go to for my birthday with my parents. We went to Latin House Burger and Taco Bar, it's a new place literally down the block from my house. My brother, Angel, has been a fan of Latin House since they had their food truck. And Angel's recommendations for burgers are always spot on. So we went to finally check the place out.

There had been some electrical problems in the building earlier in the week, so they were running on backup generators. The power was iffy and even went out for like 15 minutes, so it was a littler warm inside. But the power finally came back on and thankfully the food made up for it.

We got some nachos to start and they were really good. But after we got them I was so glad that Grandma didn't come with us. They were covered with an avocado lime sauce and Grandma is severely allergic to avocados. Mom got a grilled chimi burrito and Pop and I both got burgers. The burgers were so delicious. I don't know if it's the fact that I haven't had a burger in months or that it was just really good, but the meat was delicious. The fries were thin, and left a bit to be desired, but the burger yumminess more than made up for it.

sneaky nachos with ribeye / madlove burger
grilled chimiburrito / american & swiss international muffin tops

After gorging on burgers and nachos we were all super stuffed. Angel had also recommended their dessert, "Balls to the Wall," but we were just too full for it. We did go next door to the Sweetness to grab a few shots and cupcakes to take home for later.

I'm totally happy that I waited until I felt better to go to this place. I got to really enjoy the food. The only drawback was the whole power situation and the slack service (which I'm not sure if it was also due to the power or we just got a slow, inexperienced waiter). 

It was a really yummy way to celebrate. I'd totally be willing to give the place a try again though, preferably when the power is fully on.

Wings Over Miami

This weekend my friends, Julie, Frances and I went to the Wings Over Miami Air Museum. We stumbled upon this place online and went by on Saturday to check it out. This place truly is a hidden gem. The museum is located inside the Tamiami Airport off of 137th Avenue in Kendall.

photo by Joe May

The museum is located inside of a hangar in the airport and has an awesome collection of artifacts, from uniforms to models and actual planes. One of the first displays you see is about the Women's Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs). It was awesome to see something about the ladies in flight during WWII.

When we got inside the actual hangar I was blown away. All of the planes were amazing. The F-14 Tomcat they had on display was so huge, I couldn't believe it. It was awesome to be able to be so close to these planes. The majority of these planes are still out there flying, it's so crazy to see them that close and know that they can fly.

 

They also actively restore planes at the museum. If you pass by during the week you might be able to see someone working on one of the planes.

We were so happy to have found such an awesome place right in our own backyard. Wings Over Miami truly transported us to another place and time, and it was such a great experience. Plus everyone we met there was so nice and totally willing to help us and tell us about what we were seeing. You should definitely go check out Wings Over Miami, it's a can't miss look at classic and military planes right here in Miami.

Knaus Berry Farm

This weekend my parents and I took a drive way down south to Homestead to go to Knaus Berry Farm. It's a farm and they have u-pick strawberries and tomatoes when the season allows. But they also have a farm stand store and the real draw here is the baked goods. They make all kinds of goodies and Mom wanted to get some cinnamon rolls for Christmas breakfast the next week.

the farm stand/store

We left pretty early to avoid the lines. The lines for cinnamon rolls on the weekends can be really killer there. We waited in line and Mom checked out the local produce they were selling on the other side of the store. It all looked so good.

Once you got closer to the inside of the store you got the smell of all of the baked goods. It's intoxicating. The real draw are the sticky cinnamon and pecan rolls, but they also have jams, local honey, pies and fresh breads. There is also have a little ice cream and milkshake stand too. But 8:30am is just too early to have a milkshake (at least for me it is).

We got to the front and behind the window were racks and racks of cinnamon rolls. It feels like they never ended. We got some to have that day, and Mom got some frozen ones for Christmas day. We also got some Mountaineer bread, which was delicious.

On our way back home, we stopped at Pop's mecca, Harbor Freight. Harbor Freight is to Pop as JoAnn's is to me & Mom. It's a ridiculous huge hardware store, more like a big Ace Hardware than a Home Depot type of place. But unfortunately, they didn't have small mechanic/work gloves that would be able to fit me. :(

After that the smell of warm cinnamon rolls was filling up the car, so we headed home to sample the goodies we bought. That breakfast was well worth the drive and the wait.

Are there any cool local farm stand type places you like to go to in your area?

Sweetness Bake Shop & Cafe

A little over a year ago, Sweetness Bake Shop & Cafe opened its doors just around the corner from my house. I noticed the cute little bakery and planned last year's Etsy party there. And from my first taste of their cupcakes, I was hooked. Sweetness is a true family business with a whole family working together to make all of the delicious sugary sweets.

Cinn City Cupcakes

When you walk into the Sweetness you get a look at the day's cupcakes, but at the Sweetness it's not just your run-of-the-mill cupcake flavors. They have 5 house flavors that appear every day: Thrilla in Vanilla (vanilla with vanilla buttercream), Chocolate Cubed (chocolate cake with chocolate chips and chocolate buttercream), Red Velvet (with cream cheese frosting), Guayabera (guava cake with guava maramalade and cream cheese frosting) and Oreo Overload (oreo cake with oreo buttercream). Each day you also get 3 special flavors which are always rotating and on special days are even themed. I was there on Cinco de Mayo, so they had Tequila Sunrise (with real tequila), Margarita cupcakes (also spiked with booze), Cinn City and Churros con Chocolate. Just follow them on twitter or facebook to find out the day's flavors. The cupcakes are all amazing, plus they are mini-sized, so you can try more than one flavor without getting sugar overload. And at about a dollar a piece, you can't beat that.

Margarita Cupcake

But Sweetness isn't just all about the cupcakes. They also have dessert shots (black forest cake is my favorite!), cakes, pies, cheesecakes, pretty much anything you can think of, but they all have that Sweetness slant on it. And the G.O.A.T. cookies are just insane! G.O.A.T. stands for greatest of all time, and that is the truth. They are chocolate chip cookies on the outside and have a gooey, fudgy center. So freaking good!

Sweetness also has a food truck called the Sugar Rush. Though I haven't visited the Sugar Rush yet, they are stocked with the best of the Sweetness and some truck-only specials like deep fried cupcakes and cake and shake milkshakes.

I couldn't help it... I had to eat one!

Besides the fact that they make all sorts of deliciousness, the best part of the Sweetness is the people. They are just so nice and really get to know you. It's great in a big city like Miami to have that mom-and-pop shop feeling when you go somewhere. They are also super supportive of Handmade Miami, and we've had a few workshops and crafter-noons there. We will also be holding the Etsy Craft Party and Handmade Miami 1st Anniversary at the Sweetness on June 10th.


If you are ever in Miami, I totally recommend hitting up the Sweetness. It's not in the glitzy touristy areas like South Beach or the Design District, but you'll get to see what the locals really love. And taste the delicious sweet treats that they have in store for you!

Appreciating the Miami Heat

And I'm not just talking about our fabulous basketball team that just won game 2 of their series against the Celtics! White Hot HEAT! (Sorry for all you haters... hehe)

I'm talking about the actual heat outside, which right now is 86 degrees, but feels like so much more. It's pretty much officially been summer here for at least about 3 weeks now. Going out to lunch is a struggle of heat and trying not to sweat to death before getting back into the car.

But I did have a stroke of luck today. Being a natural redhead, the sun and I are not good friends. Last summer I lost my beloved straw hat that I use for the pool, beach or really anything that involves being outside. Well I just found a great new replacement! Do you like it? I def need this for my hanging at the pool this weekend, which is what my mom wants to do for Mother's Day on Sunday. Plus it's pretty plain, which means I can jazz it up with some DIY flowers or even a cool fabric band to match every outfit.

Now this fabulous hat has to be one way that I can appreciate the Miami sun and heat. Cause wearing something like this in the midwest just might be a bit odd, but poolside, looks just right.