BRICKELL LIFE

Good Morning Key Biscayne

2012-01-26T14:49:00.000-05:00

Shot from Brickell Bay Drive using Pano app on my iPhone 4

No Wake Zone

2012-01-23T11:20:00.000-05:00

Strawberry Fields Forever

2012-01-17T11:31:00.001-05:00

It's that time of the year again at Brickell Life. Fresh fruit and veggies are all over South Florida if you just take some time to look for them. Make sure you check out one of our many farmers markets over the weekends or take part in a South Florida time-honored tradition of picking strawberries fresh from the field down in the Redlands or Homestead. While U-Pick fields used to dot the South Florida landscape from Kendall Drive south, there are fewer and fewer options these days.

A couple to consider when venturing out for berries are Knaus Berry Farms, home to those famous cinnamon buns, and another field at the corner of Krome and SW 288th Street. The berries are ripe, plump and juicy-red this time of the year. Get out, get your hands dirty and you'll be rewarded with some of the best berries in the world straight from our local fields.

If you pick a bunch, you'll be happy to know that the berries freeze very well. Just make sure you wash and clean them before storing in your freezer. Then all you have to do is dump them into a blender, add a little yogurt or milk and you've got an instant smoothie. Or let them thaw and add them to Greek yogurt like we do for breakfast and hit them with some local organic orange blossom honey.

Pinecrest Gardens Farmer's Market

2012-01-09T14:02:00.001-05:00

Brickell Life made our first trip of the season over to the Pinecrest Gardens Farmer's Market yesterday and things were in full swing. Of course our first stop is always Bee Heaven Farm to visit and buy our week's worth of produce and fruits from Farmer Margie and her crew. They really are the best in the business. Local, sustainable, organic and fresh from her farm just a ways down the road in the Redlands. Managed to pick up some beets, carambola, callaloo, tangerines, pumelos, tomatoes, lettuce and some lychee honey. Go visit Farmer Margie and her team under the Redlands Organic tent right at the entrance to the market next Sunday and say hello from me. You can't go wrong. Check Bee Heaven Farm out on Facebook and Twitter also.

Some other familiar vendors are still there and some new ones as well including stalls where you can pick up great local jams and chutneys; Florida grass fed beef; local seafood; breads & pastries; empanadas; kettle corn; conch fritters; wood fired pizzas; gyros and Greek salads; fruits & veggies; flowers; and so much more.

The Pinecrest Garden's Farmers Market is open on Sundays from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. and is located in the parking lot under the Banyan trees of the old Parrot Jungle at 11000 Red Road, Pinecrest, Florida 33156. If you want a taste of what has been written about Pinecrest Gardens Farmer's Market here at Brickell Life, don't hesitate to search the blog or click here.

Sakaya Kitchen Downtown

2012-01-04T10:26:00.002-05:00

Find the pig - it will light the way. Much to my delight, Chef Richard Hales is methodically expanding his Sakaya Kitchen empire south from Midtown and into downtown Miami with his second restaurant at 125 SE 3rd Avenue. A lot has been said about Sakaya Kitchen here at Brickell Life and my obsession with Richard's creative funked up mix of Korean food meets classical French training in bowl of uniquely distinctive and serious flavor - and the downtown location delivers the goods.

"NO Frills just god f'n Food" is Sakaya Kitchen's pseudo mission and smarter words could not ring truer. Fast, fresh, local, organic and sustainable all combine into an eclectic mix of flavors where a majority of the chalkboard menu's components are made from scratch in-house. Sure you may order at the counter, but they are not f'ing around here.

Highlights for me at both downtown and midtown include fluffy pork buns stuffed with 8-hr roasted pork, cuke pickles and Ssamjang; bulgogi anything from lettuce wraps to angus beef ssam and a burger that gets topped with pork belly, cheese, tots, Ssamjang and spicy mayo. Also don't forget to check out the cracklin' duck herb sandwich with black plum and cilantro; honey orange ribs; kimchi; addictive spicy pork croquetas; Korean fried chicken wings; and ginger brussel sprouts that will make you a believer. They are also brewing locally roasted and jamming Panther Coffee.

And just like its Midtown counterpart, the downtown location also plays great tunes. On any given day or night, you might hear old school Sonic Youth or Mudhoney playing over the loudspeakers followed up by Louis Armstrong and then an Elvis tune. The food is as eclectic as the music and masterful in its own right.

Sakaya Kitchen's new downtown location is open Monday - Friday from 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Hit them up at 305-371-2511 or follow them on Twitter at @sakayakitchen or on Facebook. Oh, and don't forget to check out their food trucks Dim Ssam a GoGo and the Baketress Dessert Truck.

Go visit. Say hello from me and break bread with Richard and his crew. They are doing things right.

Brickell Life Balcony Garden

2012-01-02T11:25:00.000-05:00

The garden is starting to really take shape. Tomato plants are beginning to fruit and so is the eggplant. Carrots have taken root and the herbs and lettuce are doing nicely. Purple and sweet basil have already made it into many dishes in the Brickell Life test kitchen along with our oregano and flat leaf parsley.

We're learning as we go, but proving that you can grow sustainable and organic produce more than 100 feet in the air on a balcony. It just takes some planning and dedication. We're looking forward to the first harvest in a few weeks and some fun cooking with our own veggies in the kitchen.

We'll keep you posted from time to time with progress.

Brickell Bridge Operator

2011-12-13T14:09:00.000-05:00

Brickell Bridge operator - one day you and I will meet in an ultimate morning commute battle of good versus evil and I, good, shall prevail........ Stop opening that thing at 8:30 in the morning!

The Miami River Rapids

2011-12-08T10:51:00.000-05:00

Long before overloaded freighters bound for the Caribbean, lobstermen, homeless dudes, toxic waste, ship yards and the boundless cast of characters that currently make up the Miami River - it was actually a beautifully flowing body of water vital to the Calusa, Tequesta, Seminole and early settlers of the region.

It was the lifeblood to so many for so long and in a sense, it still is, but just in a very different form than what Mary Brickell and early native tribes might remember. In fact, the Miami River actually had rapids in it at one point. Over the centuries of flow out of the Glades and Lake Okeechobee, the mighty river had worn its way through the limestone basin at the edge of the Everglades falling about 10 feet over a distance of several hundred yards. The Miami River Rapids as they were come to be known were located around present day SW 27th Avenue. In was actually a very popular picnic spot for early Miamians and has been described as a place of incredible beauty.

Unfortunately, as in the case with a lot of Miami, the rapids were dynamited in the early 20th century (1908) in the name of progress. But it's all part of what makes up our Brickell Life now. There are not many images of the original rapids but managed to find this one through a Google image search.

Brickell Life Balcony Garden

2011-12-07T10:54:00.001-05:00

The Brickell Life Balcony Garden is starting to take shape. While we'll continue to make our treks over to the Pinecrest Gardens Farmers Market on Sundays to visit and buy from Bee Heaven Farm and Farmer Margie, we decided this year to see how and what we could grow in a small space on our balcony. We're taking the idea of local and sustainable about 100 feet up in the air off Biscayne Bay in a 8x4 foot space.

After researching some different growing mediums and methods, we settled on an organic container garden called Earth Box. It's this great maintenance-free growing system that controls soil conditions and eliminates guesswork while using less fertilizer and water. So far, its proved to be an ideal solution for an urban gardner with limited space.

In addition to the Earth Boxes, we have several potted plants and herbs growing as well. As of today, we've got seven heirloom tomato plants, romaine lettuce, japanese eggplant, carrots, two types of basil, oregano and flat leaf parsley.

Can't wait for the first harvest of the season and to get into the Brickell Life Test Kitchen with some ingredients that I pick just seconds earlier outside the kitchen sliding glass door. We'll keep you posted with updates from time to time on how we're doing.

Brickell Circa 1900

2011-12-05T10:51:00.000-05:00

A little over a 100 years ago, Miami was a mosquito infested swampland. The below picture (circa 1900) looks south on to the mouth of the Miami River, Biscayne Bay and Mary Brickell's home and trading post. Times have certainly changed...

Miami - You Are Growing Up

2011-12-02T14:30:00.000-05:00

shot with iPhone 4 and Pano app from 50th floor of Infinity building

Random Views from Brickell Life

2011-12-01T14:30:00.000-05:00

Been in town, traveling and generally lost in space the last few weeks. Happy the holidays are approaching and looking forward to some down time with the family and friends. A lot to be thankful for and celebrate. Here's a glimpse into what we've been up to at Brickell Life lately...

My First Glimpse of Chicago

2011-11-17T16:17:00.000-05:00

I've been fortunate in my life to have traveled across the globe. Turkey, China, Mexico, Colombia, France, Italy, Belgium, Canada, Nicaragua, Belize and England to name a few. I've even crisscrossed the United States and seen some incredible cities in our own country such as New York, San Francisco, Denver, Asheville, Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Minneapolis and Kansas City, among many others.

But a city that has always eluded me except for airport layovers was Chicago. Thankfully no more. What an incredible town - Lake Shore Drive, famed architecture, amazing food on every corner, a place where the spirit of invention still prevails, Wrigley Field, a real commitment to bar culture, Chicago dogs from The Wiener's Circle, an Ahogada torta from Rick Bayless' XOCO, a bag of Chicago mix from Garrett's Popcorn, and just damn pleasant midwestern values.

Chicago - you have new fan. My only regret is that I didn't get to spend a little more time. A day and a half on business was just not enough. I will be back.

What's for Dinner

2011-11-14T11:59:00.000-05:00

Stir fried rice noodles with basil/lemon/garlic chicken thighs, edamame, carrots, tofu and shallots. Served with Castell de Remei - Blanc Panell, a Catalan mix of Sauvignon Blanc and Macabeo with hints of green apple, peach, pear. Bright, fun and easy going Sunday night Brickell Life dinner with the family.

The Miami Circle "Brickell Lunch Break Music Series"

2011-11-03T17:15:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while I get emailed a event listing to promote here on Brickell Life. I'm usually slow to write about them, even though I should. After all, I've made my career in the communications and public relations industry. Chalk it up to indifference or just plain laziness, but it's my blog and I'll do with it what I please. With that said, I received a note about an upcoming event, which actually caught my eye. Details are below. Seems like a cool gig with some networking and local food trucks, of which of course I'm an avid supporter.

What: Miami Circle Brickell Lunch Break Music Series. Lunch with your friends and co-workers where the river meets the bay. It will feature music from the Cezar Santana Brazilian Jazz Trio. You can bring your own lunch or grab a bite from one of the five food trucks scheduled to be on-site. No charge. Open to the public.

When: Thursday, November 10th from 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Where: The Miami Circle. 401 Brickell Avenue, Miami, FL 33131

Roasted Potatoes & Whole Carrots

2011-10-10T11:43:00.000-04:00

Roasting veggies is about one of the easiest things you can do. They're just delicious, full of vitamins and nutrients, look great on the plate and make just plain good eats. Potatoes are one of the easiest things to roast, as well as carrots, which we detail at Brickell Life below, but just about any veggie tastes great when fired up in the oven. Just get in the kitchen and cook. You'll be better off for it, as will your family and friends.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Whole Carrots
Serves: Approximately 4
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Prep: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
2 pounds fingerling potatoes (we used purple spuds this time, but any variety will do)
1 bunch whole carrots
4 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
Chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Wash and clean potatoes/carrots under cold running water
3. Slice potatoes in half length-wise and put into large bowl
4. Drizzle potatoes w/ 2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle generously w/ salt-pepper, toss to coat
5. Lay potatoes out in a roasting pan, skillet or sheet pan
6. Toss carrots w/ remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle generously w/ salt-pepper, toss to coat
7. Add carrots to same potato roasting pan if there's room, otherwise in a separate pan
8. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes until golden and crispy on the outside, but tender and cooked thru
9. During last 5 minutes of cooking, finely chop about 1/4 cup of flat leaf parsley leaves
10. Toss roasted potatoes and carrots w/ parsley when cooked, plate and serve

I Run

2011-09-09T12:52:00.000-04:00

Am I a runner? I'm not sure I would call myself that. But I realized something this morning when I walked out into the dense summer air just before the sun had broken the horizon - since I began tracking my workouts exactly one year ago on my Nike+GPS app on my iPhone, I've run 553.4 miles.

Does that make me a runner? Maybe, I don't know. I do know that I've changed over the past year, both physically and mentally. First of all, I've dropped more than 40 pounds and have kept it off. That certainly feels great. But more importantly, I've started to find myself again. Running has had that strange effect on me. The reality is that it's only you, the pavement and how far you're willing to push yourself. That gives you a lot of time to think and appreciate what you have. I've never really been a "me-time" kind of guy, but I've grown to appreciate that hour or two each day at 6:00 a.m. with my thoughts rattling around my brain.

Running has also allowed me to truly appreciate the world around me. I've seen some incredible things and run in some amazing places. I've seen the sun rise over the Washington Monument while jogging the National Mall and jackrabbits scurrying across cactus lined trails outside of Phoenix. I've seen pods of dolphins swimming alongside me in Biscayne Bay and manatees and their calves surfacing for air along the seawall on Brickell Key. I've run on the beaches of Sanibel Island and climbed the Rickenbacker Causeway countless times on my way to Key Biscayne.

Am I runner? I don't think so. I do it because I have to. I do it for my wife and my three year old son. I do it for me. I do it because it's become part of my Brickell Life.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-06T10:35:00.003-04:00

A long weekend in the middle of summer - that's a perfect excuse to get out and do what we do best in South Florida. That means eating great food, drinking perfect wines, spending time out on the boat in Biscayne Bay, swimming in the ocean and enjoying good times with friends and family. Life is good, you just need to remember to step out and enjoy it.

Sunday Mornings

2011-08-30T17:07:00.000-04:00

Sunday mornings are for breakfast, right? And not a cup of coffee and a donut from Dunkin' kind of breakfast. Well, it's appropriate if you're going fishing or playing golf on a Sunday morning, but around here at Brickell Life - Sundays are for hanging with the family, opening the windows, letting the salt breeze blow in off Biscayne Bay and listening to a little Ella Fitzgerald while easing into the day. Check out what we made on Sunday...

lamb sausage, roma tomato, red onion and chopped spinach scramble with toasted baguette

Traffic I-95

2011-08-25T10:37:00.000-04:00

Daybreak Over Port of Miami

2011-08-08T10:56:00.000-04:00

While Brickell Life has been quiet over the last several weeks - I blame it on the summer doldrums - we've still been out and about. Below is series of sunrise pics shot from Brickell Key looking east towards the Port of Miami, Fisher Island and Virginia Key. Sure it's hot and sticky, but nothing beats a morning run dripped in sweat during the summer. Reminds you that you're a true Floridian - born and bread in Miami - and everything good and bad that comes with it.

Brickell Key Sunrise

2011-07-14T11:41:00.000-04:00

Robert is Here - Florida City

2011-07-13T13:56:00.000-04:00

By now I'm sure a fair share of stuff has been written about Robert is Here fruit and veggie stand down in Florida City. It's been a stop for Brickell Life for more than 30 years and quite possibly one of the best places to grab a mango milkshake in the sweltering July heat of South Florida.

But for those not in the know, Robert is Here is a fruit stand on the corner of SW 344th Street and SW 192nd Avenue down in Florida City that has been specializing in tropical fruits and farm-fresh vegetables since 1959. Legend has it that a six-year old Robert was set on that very corner with instructions from his father to sell their cucumber crop one Saturday afternoon so many decades ago. He sat there all day and nobody stopped. That evening, his father decided that there could not be that many people who did not like cucumbers and the very next day, he sat his son back down on the corner and attached a sign to each side of the table that proclaimed in big red letters that "Robert is Here." By noon, Robert had sold all of the cucumbers and walked home. The next weekend a neighboring farmer added tomatoes to the table and the Robert is Here fruit stand was born.

In the old days, payment was made by the honor system and a coffee can was the cash register. During the week, Robert was dropped off by his school bus where he worked the stand until dark. By the time he was nine years old, he had his first employee working for him while he was in school. By 14, Robert had bought his first 10-acres of land and planted an avocado grove on it. Today, Robert is Here is an institutional stop in southern Miami-Dade County and still one of the best places to pick up local fruits, veggies, homemade marmalades, sauces and some of the best smoothies and milkshakes in all of Florida. There are also some interesting animals out back that the kids can feed such as goats, turkeys, emus, turtles, geese and a few other guys that seem to crop up every now and then.

So you might be asking yourself, "Is Robert really still here?" And the answer is an emphatic yes. You'll find him most days working the cash register, talking to customers, answering questions, sharing his knowledge and passing out samples of carambola, mamey, lychee, jackfruit, mango, canistel, sapote and much more. In fact, the business is still a family operation and all hands are on deck on any given day. Robert's mom, Mary, actually created the recipes for many of the jarred items found in the store today and Robert's son is the master grower behind the stand's jackfruit, which by the way, makes one of the best and most often overlooked shakes.

The family has seen its fair share of ups and downs like any small business and Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was a devastating blow, but Robert is Here has persevered and continues to thrive. While many customers include tourists who stop in while visiting Everglades National Park, many are from the local communities in and around South Florida who appreciate a little slice of the old days when family, local food, friendship and a handshake were the strongest bond.

July 4th - Brickell Life Style

2011-07-05T10:48:00.000-04:00

We spent the better part of Sunday out at Elliot Key on the boat with the family and friends. It's my therapy. Followed that up with a few hours behind the grill cooking up provoleta, morcilla, picanha, chicken, arepas, chorizo and veggies - all while washing it down with cold PBRs. Very hipster of us, I know. But in the end, I couldn't think of a better way to lead into the 4th of July. So yesterday the Brickell Life crew kept it close to home and took in the fireworks from the point on Brickell Key. Good times.

Blessed to live this life with my family and friends.

San Francisco in Pictures

2011-06-24T13:51:00.000-04:00

Love this city. Was out there last week. Food, wine, business, hippies, eco-freaks and homeless dudes pissing in the streets. It's my kind of place. Jelly belly night marchers skipping around to the beat...

Brickell Skyline - From Biscayne Bay

2011-06-24T11:03:00.000-04:00

Brickell Key Sunrise

2011-06-22T13:28:00.000-04:00

Leftovers on a Saturday Night

2011-06-11T20:58:00.000-04:00

When you've got a bunch of leftover roasted pork tenderloin and rice, one of my favorite things to do is saute it up and top it off al caballo style (fried egg on top). Hit it up with a couple squirts of sriracha and you've got yourself some serious comfort food in a bowl Brickell Life style.

Burgers, Burgers, Burgers Everywhere

2011-06-06T17:38:00.000-04:00

There is something ethereal, yet unpretentious and simple about the burger. At its Ron Swanson most pure form - it's meat on a bun, put ketchup on it if you like, I don't care. It can be dressed up, shaken down, deconstructed or completely up-ended. My friend the Burger Beast is even making a living off the damn things.

Burgers are everywhere and that's a good thing. From food trucks like our quintessential Latin Burger & Taco to my local restaurant favs such as Sakaya Kitchen's Bulgogi madness, Burger & Beer Joint, El Mago de las Fritas and Charm City Burger Company - burgers help to define our culture and regional flavor.

That's why this weekend, the Brickell Life crew decided to throw down an Iron Chef style Battle Burger. Basically, we were all just looking for some reason to drink some beers and wine by the pool and Biscayne Bay, and well, burgers just seem to fit the mid-summer vibe.

Your's truly, Brickell Life, managed to pull off the victory with a nod to the classic bacon cheeseburger, but topped off with a fried quail egg - basically grown up people's mayonnaise. Other entries included dry-aged ribeye burgers topped with decadent bone marrow, truffled chuck burgers with seared foie gras, and lamb/feta burgers with greek yogurt sauce. Needless to say, nobody left hungry and three-year olds ate bone marrow alongside hot dogs and chips.

Pictures of some of the food and good times are below along with a quick recipe recap of our winning burger. Summer living in Miami does not get any easier. Much love to all who attended, cooked and watched the sun curve over Biscayne Bay.

Brickell Life's Short Rib and Brisket Slider topped with applewood smoked bacon, white American cheese, plum tomato, red leaf lettuce and fried quail egg on toasted challah roll.

Roasted Bone Marrow and 20-day Dry Aged Ribeye Burger

The Lamb and Feta Burger with yogurt sauce on grilled olive toast

Just sitting on the dock by the bay.....

Classic Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders
Ingredients:
Beef - 50% ground boneless short rib and 50% ground brisket. Buy equal amounts of each cut of beef.
Kosher salt
Cracked black pepper
White American cheese
Red leaf or butter lettuce
Plum tomato
Applewood smoked bacon
Quail eggs
Challah or brioche slider rolls/buns

Directions:
Remove silver skin and trim any excess fat from both cuts of meat. Cut both kinds of beef into approximately 1-inch cubes and keep in separate bowls/bags based on individual cuts of beef. Place each bowl/bag into the freezer for approximately 15-20 minutes along with the blade of your food processor. If you have one of those fancy grinding attachments for a Cuisinart mixer, you can go that route, but a simple food processor will do the trick for great backyard burgers. Then place meat cubes, still keeping them separate, into food processor and process in small batches, ideally no more than 1/2 pound at a time to ensure an even grind. Pulse in short 1-to-2 second bursts until the desired consistency is achieved, usually about 10-15 pulses.

Its important to pulse instead of letting the food processor run because pulsing tends to distribute the meat more evenly and avoids the excess heat that the blade can produce while running full blast, which can turn your beef into melted fat mush. Not good eats. Once you've ground your beef, you can loosely combine both cuts of ground beef in a large bowl and set back in the fridge until you're ready to make your patties. Grind fresh if possible and cook that day. Sure you can save it and even freeze the ground beef, but the sizzle of fresh ground beef is where burger magic tends to happen.

When you're ready to shape the patties remember - don't pack. Slapping that burger around is bad for business. Just shape a loose ball of meat in your hand and just press gently to form a patty. The more you pack, the denser the burger and the more potential for shrinkage. Shrinkage does not benefit anyone, come on now.

Aim for patties about a 1/2 inch thick. Season liberally with kosher salt and cracked black pepper only and only right before your grill. It will help give them a nice crust, while not drawing out precious juices before hitting the cooking surface. Grill them over the barbecue or sear them on cast iron or on a griddle. Never squish your burgers with a spatula, which forces the juices out. Only turn the burger once. I like my burgers a perfect medium. Cook to your tastes. If your burgers sometimes bulge in the middle, just make a little indentation in the middle of the patty before you cook so a nice even burger forms after cooking. There is some scientific explanation based on the laws of quantum physics as to why your burger does this, but I'm too lazy to look it up on the Google machine right now. Feel free to do that research on your own time.

You can certainly top your burgers however you want, but if you want to mimic my Brickell Life winning slider above, make sure you're frying quail eggs after the first flip of the burger to ensure everything is hitting the bun warm. We used quail eggs because burgers were slider sized. Otherwise, regular eggs will work on a full-sized version. You can cook the bacon before the burgers to make prepping easier, but just make sure you bring it up to temperature so its warm before hitting the plate. Also, a toasted bun is a nice touch. Lightly butter the inside of each bun and grill ever so slightly so the inside of the bread is nice an toasty and acts as a barrier to soft, squishiness of the rest of the bread. I like challah or brioche for my burgers. Great buttery, sweet, eggy bread is the way I get down to burger business. Place the cooked bacon on to the burger and melt the cheese on the burger after you flip the patty. To plate, I like bottom bun, burger w/ bacon and melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, fried egg and the top bun just tilted off to the side so everyone sees what they are getting themselves into.

You can add ketchup and stuff if you like, but I'm going to be honest, your burger won't need it if you seasoned it liberally and used really good ingredients.

That's about it. Most important part is the beef. It's the star of the show, so if you take your time and use good ingredients, it will probably go down pretty smooth with a cold beer on a Sunday afternoon.

Surgery - Basically it Sucks

2011-05-28T10:37:00.000-04:00

Funny thing about surgery. Everyone tells you that you're going to be fine. Doctors, nurses, friends and family and truth is, yes, you're going to be fine. But seriously, what the doctor should tell you is you're going to hurt like a complete son-of-a-bitch the first few days, to the point of tears when you try to stand up and move around, and that it would take intravenous dilaudid to actually deal with the pain instead of two measly percocets every 4-6 hours.

Ok, so I'm searching for a little Brickell Life sympathy, but hernia surgery recovery has been a bitch. Yes, today is better than the day before and the next day will be better than today.

What can you do. At least I have new bottle of Knob Creek to wallow in self pity with. Plus, it might give me a little more time to get back to blogging.

Upgraded to First

2011-05-13T16:08:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you just have to say thank you, sit back at 35,000 feet and enjoy the ride.

The Desert is Still in Me

2011-05-05T17:36:00.011-04:00

“Alone in the silence, I understand for a moment the dread which many feel in the presence of primeval desert, the unconscious fear which compels them to tame, alter or destroy what they cannot understand, to reduce the wild and prehuman to human dimensions. Anything rather than confront directly the antehuman, that other world which frightens not through danger or hostility but in something far worse—its implacable indifference.”

- Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire

The desert initially touched me after I read Abbey in college. First it was Monkey Wrench Gang and then Desert Solitaire. I ran to the deserts of southwestern Utah immediately afterwards. Moab, Canyonlands, Arches National Park and endless drives down washboard dirt roads across BLM land until 600 foot vertical cliffs would let my red Grand Cherokee go no further. Part escapism and part reality check, the desert was my great equalizer. It became the place for me, where for just a few fleeting moments at a time, I realized that nothing in life could be taken for granted. I miss the desert and the innocence of being 20 years old.

However, lately I've had the chance to return to the desert all these years later thanks to my work. That old red Jeep Cherokee is long gone as is my straggly goatee, Phish live CDs and New Belgium Brewery t-shirts. Today, my trustworthy 2-person North Face tent has been replaced by the luxurious comforts of the Four Seasons Scottsdale, but that connection to the desert still remains. I'm amazed by that. No matter how much I've grown or changed - that primeval bond to the silence, the dirt, the cactus, the wildlife, the mountains - it's still there.

While I didn't get the chance to stretch my legs outside the city during this trip, I was fortunate enough to take an early morning run up Pinnacle Peak in Scottsdale to catch the sunrise. It was beautiful. I miss it. I will be back.

Miami Corporate Run 2011

2011-04-29T15:14:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I participated in my first Corporate Run - 20,000 people walking, running, laughing and generally having a good time throughout the streets of Brickell and downtown Miami. The 5K race, now in its 26th year, brings together all kinds of folks from hundreds of different businesses - doctors, lawyers, restaurants, schools, communications firms, designers and travel companies, among others. It's a great opportunity to see another side of your colleagues, gain a little sweat equity with the boss, and grab a beer and a burger afterwards to celebrate a 3-mile run.

Despite a strained abdominal muscle that has been hampering me for a few weeks now and the crazy amount of people you had to dodge in and out of along the course, I still managed to finish in a respectable 35 minutes. Not bad for my first 5K ever. Definitely left satisfied and actually ready to run another.

Roast Chicken

2011-04-14T14:49:00.001-04:00

It's deceptively simple, easily messed up and one of the most soul satisfying things you can cook and eat yourself. What am I talking about? Roast chicken. Ok, Philly cheesesteaks, a pepperoni pizza, a bacon cheeseburger or a giant plate of spaghetti carbonara also probably fall into the above category, but I digress - we're talking about roast chicken today at Brickell Life.

For me, a crispy, whole, juicy bird is comfort food to the tenth degree. It's a recipe that every home cook should master because of its versatility. There are a million different recipes out there for roasting a chicken, but one in particular from Chef Michael Schwartz's new cookbook, Michael's Genuine Food, Down-to-Earth Cooking for People Who Love to Eat, most recently caught my attention. I think what attracted me to his recipe, and for that matter his cooking style in general, is to keep it simple, let the ingredients stand out and don't get in the way of good food.

Of course, when we're in the Brickell Life Test Kitchen we always throw our own little spin on to things we're cooking up, but kudos goes to Chef Schwartz and his new cookbook for the inspiration.

Recipe
Whole Roast Chicken (Adapted from Michael's Genuine Food. Down-to-Earth Cooking for People who Love to Eat)

Serves
2-4

Ingredients
One 3.5 - 4.5 lb whole chicken, preferably free range
1/2 bunch each of fresh oregano, thyme & parsley
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened
1 lemon halved
1/2 head of garlic
1 medium onion halved
2 medium onions diced
3 large carrots diced
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

Directions
Crank the oven up to 425 degrees. Remove the neck and giblets from the chicken cavity and rinse the chicken with cold water inside and out. Thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Divide the herbs, keeping half of them whole and finely chop the other half. In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the chopped herbs until combined. Run your fingers in between the skin of the bird and meat to loosen, starting at the breast and working your way down to the thighs and drumsticks. Rub the herb butter under the skin as well as all over the outside of the bird. Season the bird generously with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity of the bird with lemon halves, 1/2 head of garlic, 1 medium halved onion and remaining herbs. You can truss the bird if you want to (tie the legs together), but its not entirely necessary. Bird will cook nicely either way.

Add diced onions and diced carrots to large skillet or roasting pan. Lay your bird on top of the diced veggies to keep it from sitting in its own juices while cooking. Roast the chicken for about 50-60 minutes. To be sure your chicken is done, insert and instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh meat until it reads 165 degrees. Quick hint - if it looks like the breast meat skin is burning, you can tent it with a little aluminum foil for the last part of the roasting process.

When the chicken is done, transfer it to a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes so the juices settle back into the meat. After that, carve it up and eat it. Serve it with mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, a chopped salad or frozen french fries - honestly, whatever you want and whatever tastes good. Part of the beauty of roast chicken.

Special thanks again to the gang over at Michael's Genuine Food & Drink for the inspiration. Check out their blog The Genuine Kitchen also. Good stuff happening there. And thanks to Paula over at Mango & Lime for their cookbook I won in her contest. Paula is in the know about South Florida food.

Negative Ghost Rider - The Pattern is Full

2011-04-10T18:39:00.000-04:00

These people in Norway are insane. Wingsuit base jump fly by. Who does this? Is there a Miami equivalent?

Brickell Air Lift

2011-04-08T14:56:00.000-04:00

I've been meaning to get around to posting these pictures lately and finally just decided to take a couple minutes out of my Friday afternoon to do it. Attached below you'll find a couple shots I snapped one lazy Saturday morning a few weeks back when we were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of a lifting helicopter hoisting what I believed to be air conditioning units to the top of a new office building on Brickell Avenue. Always something interesting happening when you live the Brickell Life.

Sony Ericsson Open

2011-03-27T22:51:00.000-04:00

In my mind, you're hard pressed to find a better sporting event in South Florida than the annual Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament held on Key Biscyane. It's a rare mix of approachability, fun, casual, and cool, mixed with a hint of sophistication. Sure, you get your normal douche bags as with any Miami event - that's inevitable and part of our colloquial charm, but the tournament offers a unique glimpse into what South Florida is and can be.

The idea for an international tennis tournament in Miami, where both the best men's and women's players would play, first became a reality on February 4, 1985 thanks to the vision and execution of former player and former Association of Tennis Professionals Executive Director Butch Buchholz. With a sponsorship from the Lipton company secured and $1.5 million in prize money established, the "Winter Wimbledon" was launched at Laver's International Tennis Resort in Delray Beach, about 50 miles north of Miami. The tournament was dubbed the "Winter Wimbledon" because it was one of the few, if not the only tournament outside the majors that brought together both the best of the men's and women's fields for full 5-set matches start to finish. At the time, only Wimbledon and the U.S. Open rivaled the prize money being offered in South Florida.

The tournament bounced around Boca Raton for a couple years until Buchholz finally settled on building a premiere tennis center on Key Biscayne after reviewing other sites at Tropical Park, Amelia Earhart Park and Flamingo Park with then Miami-Dade County Manager Merrett Stierheim. The Clubhouse went up in 1989 with the stadium set to follow. However, Hurricane Andrew in 1992 had a different idea. Obstacles and legal hurdles ensued, but the main stadium was finally dedicated on February 13, 1994.

After that, the tournament took on a different look and feel and players began to talk about the stop on Key Biscayne even more. Sponsors have come and gone, but the tournament has thrived and it's one annual event that Brickell Life always enjoys attending. Today, I believe the Sony Ericsson Open has earned its place in the world as the fifth largest tennis tournament, surpassed only by the Grand Slams, with $9 million in prize money that is equally distributed between the men and women.

For more information about the tournament (thanks to their home page for info here) or to purchase tickets this week, check out their website here. Enjoy a couple additional pics below that I snapped during the Friday day session below.

Taste of Brickell Food & Wine Festival

2011-03-26T09:47:00.001-04:00

It's today. Don't forget to come on by and get a taste of our Brickell Life.

The Taste of Brickell Food & Wine Festival is open from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 26, at 1201 Brickell Bay Dr. Tickets cost $5 for Brickell residents (take an ID or business card) and $10 general admission. $25 buys you access to the festival plus a VIP room with complimentary cocktails, goodie bags, and, most importantly, air conditioning. It's rumored some Sony Ericsson stars might be hanging out there too. Wine and food will have separate price tags and be sold via separate tickets that cost $1 each (most wine samplings will cost $6-$8). (Info pulled from Miami New Time's Short Order Blog - thanks guys!)

Brickell Moonrise and Sunrise

2011-03-20T21:32:00.000-04:00

Is there really any better time to live in South Florida than spring? 80 degrees during the day, no humidity, and high 60s at night. Truly blessed to live the Brickell Life...

St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T14:50:00.000-04:00

The Brickell Life crew more than likely making some pesto (token green) for our 3-year old son tonight, but for those who have the means and the ability to get out and celebrate everything that St. Patrick's Day doesn't mean - Tobacco Road is always good times. Bonus - tons of food trucks!

Farm-to-Table Side Note: Basil is fresh from my uncle's backyard garden along with the vine-ripe tomatoes I plan to slice and dig into....

Brickell Skyline

2011-03-13T08:25:00.000-04:00

Living the Brickell Life. Skyline view from Brickell Key.

Disney World to End "Grad Nite" After This Year

2011-03-10T13:42:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's a generational thing or maybe it's just bottom-line business, but one thing is for certain - the conclusion of Grad Nite at Disney World's Magic Kingdom marks the end of an era. A right of passage for high school seniors across Florida since the 1970s will now come to a close this spring after Disney shuts down the annual event.

"With more leisure guests visiting in the springtime, it's become challenging to schedule special events during April and May," posted Thomas Smith, social media director for Disney Parks, on the Disney Parks Blog. "We've recently seen more and more students visiting Walt Disney World as part of a broader senior class trip. And activities such as youth sports competitions, performing arts programs, including performances, workshops and festivals, and educational programs now give teens chances to experience Walt Disney World virtually any time of the year."

Each spring, without fail, since the early 1970s, Walt Disney World would close the Magic Kingdom to the public on select spring nights to allow graduating high school seniors exclusive access to the park until the early hours of the following morning. Big name musical acts were always a highlight and have included groups and performers such as K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Run DMC, Ne-Yo, Fall Out Boy, Katy Perry, Paramore, Goo Goo Dolls, Backstreet Boys, and Brittany Spears. Heck, even Oingo Boingo and Miami Sound Machine made appearances. At my Grad Nite in 1992, the lineup featured Shanice, RTZ, Restless Heart, Mint Condition and MC Lyte. So Zeppelin, U2 or the Police never played Cinderella's castle, but the headliners were significant in some sort of pop circles.

In the past, the park has of course seen its fair share of incidents and unfortunate events during Grad Nite. Students have been turned away from the gate for possession of alcohol or drugs while others have passed out inside because of too much alcohol and/or drugs. Many students have found out first hand that Disney jail is a real place and that you can't get away with hitting Mickey. A lot of kids discovered that you can hook up in some pretty weird places in Disney World also. The Haunted Mansion takes on an entirely different meaning for some.

For better or worse, that was just part of the experience and part of the joy of being young, free and 18. Maybe I'm just getting old and nostalgic, but it's sad to see Grad Nite go. Those were good times with good friends and where you learned the finer points of using Gatorade as a mixer.

Carnaval on the Mile

2011-03-06T18:07:00.000-05:00

The Brickell Life crew made its way down to Coral Gables this Saturday to check out one of the classic Miami festivals - Carnaval on the Mile. This annual street party is not one to be missed. The event, which takes place down all of Miracle Mile, featured art, live music, children's activities and dozens of food vendors, including many of our favorite food trucks such as La Camaronera's Fish Box and Sakaya Kitchen's Dim Ssam a Gogo. In addition, most of the retailers along the Mile set up stations in front of their stores including my friend and South Florida wine Yoda, Jeffrey Wolfe of Wolfe's Wine Shoppe. Good times were had by all. Below are a couple pics from the weekend. Make sure you check it out next year.

Food Trucking at Tobacco Road

2011-02-28T11:08:00.000-05:00

Food trucks are cool. Food trucks are even cooler when they are in the Brickell Life neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon. Make sure to check out the Brickell Truck Rally, which takes place every Sunday from 1-5pm at Tobacco Road (Miami's oldest bar) with Sakaya Kitchen's Dim Ssaam a Gogo, Latin Burger & Taco, La Camaronera's Fish Box and the Sweetness Bake Shop's Sugar Rush, among others. Click on the above links for Twitter to follow. Pics from this past Sunday below.

The food trucking crew at Tobacco Road on Brickell

The Fish Box and La Camaronera's famous and totally delicious La Minuta Sandwich

Dim Ssam a Gogo and Sakaya Kitchen's awesome take on the croqueta. Deep fried pig crack like good.

Back to Basics - MGFD & The Brickell Life Test Kitchen

2011-02-27T21:53:00.000-05:00

"Food is not about impressing people - in fact it's just the opposite; it's about making them feel comfortable. The secret to good food is...good food." - Chef Michael Schwartz (Intro to Michael's Genuine Food, Down-to-Earth Cooking for People Who Love to Eat)

Inspired by my first read-thru of Chef Schwartz's new cookbook, I decided to get back into the Brickell Life Test Kitchen Friday night when some of our very best friends were back in Miami visiting home from San Francisco. Special thanks to Paula from Mango & Lime for the cookbook. I won my copy after entering in a contest she ran about a favorite Michael's Genuine Food & Drink restaurant experience. Click here to read more about that and check out her very cool Miami food and good living blog.

With our San Francisco friends confirmed and a few other of our favorite locals on board, we dusted off the stove, sharpened some knives and cracked open some really good wine.

Yep, we did some damage with some really good stuff.....

While the wine was fantastic, we were down to do some damage and everyone was starving. The idea was to keep it simple, use only great ingredients and just have some fun. I think that's why I appreciate Chef Schwartz's approach to food so much. Keep it fun, keep it simple, keep it as local as possible and don't be afraid to have a few laughs and pick at a platter with your fingers while sitting around a table with your very best friends.

First up, some charcuterie and cheeses, plus some empanadas from Graziano's, arguably the best Argentinean restaurant/market across South Florida. If you're planning a parillada, go buy your mojellas, morcilla, tira de asado, vacio, provoleta and more from here.

Sheep's and cow's milk cheeses, roasted peppers, olives, sardines, prosciutto and a few other bites are what we snacked on early while sipping an unbelievably great 2009 Cotes-du-Rhone from Domaine Charvin courtesy of Jeffrey Wolfe and Wolfe's Wine Shoppe - the best wine shop around, period.

Next up was an ode to my wife and her month-long craving for some tuna tataki. Not sure where it came from, but it was a night to indulge cravings so we just went with it. Seared fresh yellowfin tuna w/ a wasabi mayo, ponzu, toasted sesame seeds and a watercress/green onion salad.

After another pour of wine, we decided to get creative with some arepas. While arepas on their own are a Brickell Life family breakfast staple (homage to my wife's native Colombia), we decided to top these with something just a bit different. It's kind of the beauty of the arepa - open canvas for whatever your feeling. These included crumbled pork sausage, red onion, Point Reyes blue cheese, chopped arrugula and diced Bartlett pear. Salty/sweet kind of thing.

While tasty, we were't done yet. More wine of course and then we moved on to one of my favorite things and the first dish that we ever tried at Michael's Genuine Food & Drink something like 5 years ago - panzanella salad. It was back when Chef Schwartz was still considered the crazy dude who was spearfishing his own black grouper and cooking it in a restaurant that he opened near the old Power Studios. By the way, killer picture of bug light in the Stiltsville Channel in the front of his new cookbook. The rustic panzanella salad featured local heirloom tomatoes, garlicky fresh croutons, local basil, sea salt, cracked black pepper, olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. It's everything that fresh and local should be about while living in Miami during the growing season.

There was still more - we're a hungry crew that likes to eat, drink and tell stories. Next up were rosemary, garlic and parsley rubbed lamb chops with a salsa verde (parsley sauce from Chef Schwartz's new book). There is just something about picking up a lamb chop with your fingers and dipping it in an anchovy, garlic, caper and parsley sauce.

So that was about it. Good food doesn't need to be complicated. Just treat it right, use the best ingredients you can afford and have fun. Words to live by. Thanks for the inspiration Chef Schwartz. Thanks to Paula from Mango & Lime. Thanks to Jackie behind the MGFD_MIA Twitter handle for always being fun, playing and being social. Thanks to Jeffrey for the best wine, friendship and for continually teaching me about grapes. But most importantly - thanks to my family and friends for your willingness to always try and explore.

American Noodle Bar

2011-02-11T14:20:00.002-05:00

It's just that - damn tasty noodles, premium ingredients, unpretentious, craft beers, communal table, cheeseburger dumplings, pork belly, bahn mi, and old school kung fu movies all housed in a little nook of a restaurant inside a Biscayne Boulevard motel just north of 67th Street. It's edgy for sure, yet comfortable at the same time. Think dude with neck tattoos sitting next to a family with young kids across from a boyfriend and girlfriend out with their dog for a bite to eat. Simple, approachable, but eclectic.

Chef and owner Michael Bloise is on to something along Miami's upper east side. Plus he's down to earth, willing to break bread, a father and fun to talk to about whatever is going on in South Florida. He's got the street cred also - Johnson & Wales grad, stints at The Gaucho Room and Tantra, and a sweet run as executive chef at Wish on the Beach where he garnered much deserved critical acclaim for food that accentuated his Vietnamese-Italian heritage. I still remember to this day one of Brickell Life's more memorable meals on the patio at Wish one cool January evening so many years ago.

At American Noodle Bar, Bloise has stripped away all the noise and is clearly focused on turning out good food that makes him happy. It's a small restaurant - one communal table, a bar with counter seats that runs parallel, a handful of tables outside, and an open kitchen that stretches the length of the space. But what it lacks in space, it makes up for with flavor and deliciously fresh, kick-ass food. You order at the counter off a blackboard menu above the cash register. Basically you pick from one of a dozen plus sauces or broths (duck, oxtail, lemongrass, beef, chicken, veg, bacon, basil butter) for $7. Noodles come in your bowl along with one add-on. Each additional thow-in is an extra $1 each, but this is where it gets fun. Think deep fried soft boiled egg, garlicky pork meatballs, braised pork shoulder, smoked duck, Chinese sausage, baby bok choy, shrimp, oxtail, mushrooms and a whole bunch more. It's some serious slurp it up, couple squirts of Srichacha, noodles hanging from your chopsticks kind of action that comforts the soul.

(from American Noodle Bar's website and gallery of images)

The menu also features some "Other Stuff" where Bloise and his team crank out some of the best bahn mi in town along with some fun fried cheeseburger dumplings, grilled short ribs, big-ass egg rolls, and a changing assortment of hush puppies, among other bites. Try the pork belly and melon if its on the menu when you visit.

You know what else is cool - American Noodle Bar makes its own sodas and ice tea blends as well. I still dream about the blood orange ice tea I had on a recent visit. It was like ice tea on crack. Who remembers drinking an ice tea? I do - that's how crazy good it was. Plus they have a kicking selection of American microbrews and craft beers.

Go check out American Noodle Bar. It's one of the best values in town. Killer food, great prices, cool chef/owner and fun staff make it a great addition to the scene.

Super Bowl Grub

2011-02-07T10:39:00.001-05:00

The Brickell Life Test Kitchen was in full swing last night and game day food was on the menu. Simple, but tasty was the order of business and we ended up pulling off some garlic & herb rubbed buffalo drumettes w/ blue cheese sauce, and pulled pork sliders w/ creamy cabbage slaw & sweet pickles. If you're interested in the recipes, well let me know, otherwise enjoy the pictures below. Lord knows I'm going to enjoy the leftovers for lunch.

A LIttle Taste of the Brickell Life

2011-02-04T21:53:00.000-05:00

Nothing beats a view of the Brickell Skyline while sitting on a balcony with a glass of wine on a February evening. Living the Brickell Life.....

ING Miami Marathon 2011

2011-01-31T13:56:00.001-05:00

The Marathon. Absolutely inspiring. According to the Miami Herald, nearly 20,000 participated from 79 countries. Interesting fact though - only about 5,000 people actually completed the whole marathon, while the rest peeled off at the half. Young, old, and people of all shapes and sizes took to the streets of Miami on Sunday morning to accomplish what most of us only fantasy doing. Even the eccentric were out in full force yesterday including Coatman, who was back to do his annual thing.

It may not have the top athletes or the allure of New York City or Boston, but there is something special about the Miami Marathon. Part street party, part race and part cultural celebration - nothing beats Miami in January. I've only been running now since June to get back into shape, but so far the fever has stuck. Believe Brickell Life will at least be running the half next year. To all those who ran, big congratulations.

Brickell Key Sunrise

2011-01-28T14:52:00.000-05:00

Got up early today for a run. Managed 5-miles. Polluted that with a cheeseburger filled lunch, but did manage to snap this early morning shot with my iPhone 4 of the sunrise from Brickell Key. Nothing like smelling the salt air coming off Biscayne Bay in the early morning. It's why I live where I do.

We're 2 Years Old

2011-01-27T11:36:00.000-05:00

So much for the planned fireworks and parade, but in any case Brickell Life turned two yesterday. For those of you who actually read my dribble, thank you. It's been fun to write and we'll continue to crank out content as it happens.

If you're new to the site, well stop in and check it out. It's a little bit of everything. Life, travel, food, politics, current events and basically who and what is going on around me. I'm a proud and happy Brickell resident, father and husband. Born and raised in Miami. It's my hometown and I love it for everything it is and for everything it is not.

Bee Heaven Farm Salad

2011-01-25T09:40:00.000-05:00

A Sunday visit to the Bee Heaven Farm/Redland Organics tent at the Pinecrest Gardens Farmer's Market has become a weekly tradition for the Brickell Life family and this past Sunday was no exception. On tap for us were some just-harvested new potatoes, smoked eggs, pop-in-your mouth grape tomatoes, red leaf lettuce, carambola, zucchini, oyster mushrooms, yellow squash and some chives. We chatted with Margie Pikarsky, owner of Bee Heaven Farm for a while and since then; my 3-year old son has subsequently dubbed her "Farmer Margie." It's reached the point that the toy farm in his room is appropriately tended to by a 5-inch high action figure that he believes is of her liking.

While the fresh produce, mostly organic, is absolutely amazing, seeing my son make the connection between farm-to-table is priceless. By making regular visits to the market and driving down to the Redlands and Homestead on occasion, he understands the difference between carambola and jackfruit, and has even seen them growing on trees. He knows that he has to wash carrots and potatoes before we cook them because he has actually seen them growing in dirt in the ground. We even had a recent discussion about eating lots of strawberries now because in a few months it will be too hot for them to grow in South Florida until next winter.

So in deference to Bee Heaven Farm, "Farmer Margie," and all the great produce available at the Pinecrest Gardens Farmer's Market, we threw together a Bee Heaven Farm Salad last night in the home test kitchen.

This incredible salad included Bee Heaven Farm red leaf lettuce, roasted new potatoes, oyster mushrooms, grape tomatoes and smoked eggs. We also couldn't resist throwing in some conventional applewood smoked bacon, creamy goat cheese, cucumber and a little sea salt. We dressed it with a simple splash of good extra virgin olive oil and some balsamic vinegar. Sometimes simple is the best and when a 3-year old eats smoked eggs and salad, even better.

The Fog

2011-01-22T19:16:00.000-05:00

I'm sure there is some meteorological explanation for the fog we've been seeing lately across South Florida, but in any case, it's been interesting to photograph and wake up to. Living the Brickell Life.

Yellowtail Crudo with Grapefruit and Avocado

2011-01-20T22:23:00.003-05:00

Inspired by a delicate, yet bright and citrusy dish Mrs. Brickell Life and I had recently Sugarcane, we decided to bring it back into the home test kitchen and see what we could pull off. A quick run to the Sunday Pinecrest Gardens Farmer's Market, and a second stop for some local yellowtail, and we were in business. Worked on all levels. Special thanks to our friend Ronald for his willingness to be the guinea pig in our endeavor and for hooking up the stone crab claws as part of the kicking impromptu lunch we pulled off.

Serves approximately 3-4
Ingredients
3 red grapefruits (preferably Bee Heaven Farm's organic beauties - Pinecrest Farmer's market for now)
1 whole local fresh yellowtail filleted (Casablanca Fish Market, Whole Foods, Fresh Market)
1 avocado (we have great winter avocados available now, denser flesh and not as watery as summer)
1 pinch of good sea salt
1 bunch of daikon radish sprouts for garnish

Directions
Segment the grapefruits. That is cut off top and bottoms with a serrated knife and slice away the peel and white pith to expose only the flesh of the fruit. YouTube it if you need video help. Segment all 3 fruits and place those pieces in a separate bowl. You'll only be using the flesh of maybe 1 grapefruit for this dish so save the rest for breakfast the next morning. However, you most definitely need the juice from all 3 grapefruits for this dish.

The juice will serve as the base for the yellowtail crudo so you can go ahead and plate it on to whatever you're serving on. Next step is to slice the yellowtail fillets into thin/long pieces - as best as your knife skills will allow you to. Place 4 to 5 slices of the fish in a line, in the pool of grapefruit juice already on your serving dishes. Sprinkle each piece of fish with just a dash of sea salt. Not a lot. You want it to taste like the ocean.

Next peel the avocado and mash the fruit with the back of a fork like you were making guacamole. Again, add a pinch of sea salt to the avocado mash and with a small spoon, place a dollop of the avocado mash on top of each piece of fish. You're almost there.

Following that move, take a couple of the nicest looking pieces of grapefruit segments and cut them into small triangle wedges. Place one wedge on top of the avocado mash on each piece of fish.

Lastly, sprinkle some of the daikon sprouts on top for a peppery garnish and you got yourself one heck of starter. Clean, crisp and local. We paired it with a killer champagne we had picked up over at Wolfe's Wine Shoppe on Miracle Mile and took it all downtown. Try it - you might like it.

Foggy Bottom Brickell Kind of Morning

2011-01-19T09:51:00.001-05:00

Pinecrest Gardens Farmer's Market

2011-01-17T22:29:00.003-05:00

One of the benefits of living in South Florida in the middle of January is not only 73 degree Sunday afternoons, but also the ability to source some of the country's best and most flavorful produce. With that said, there is no place better to check out the best of what Homestead and the Redlands has to offer than the Pinecrest Gardens Farmer's Market in the parking lot and under the Banyan trees of the old Parrot Jungle. Fresh eggplant, greens, squash, grapefruit, beans, oranges, tomatoes, spring onions, herbs, mushrooms and zucchini are just a few of the items being sold by vendors from across South Florida. The Redlands Organics booth is one of the best and not to be missed. It's local, organic and everything that's right with regional and sustainable farming. There's also some pretty good conch fritters from the pink trailer plus artisan breads, pastas, kettle corn, stone crabs, empanadas, pastries, flowers, crafts, cupcakes and more. Go there, buy local and support our farmers and small business entrepreneurs.

Backyard Hangover Cure

2011-01-03T22:16:00.000-05:00

Cold pizza, three Tylenol and a double espresso used to do the trick back when I was in college at Colorado State, but times have changed. After a New Year's Eve dinner that included several bottles of Bordeaux, Riesling and Champagne; cold slices from the night before were just not going to cut it.

So we rallied the crew, threw the kids in the pool (heated by the way - thin Florida blood) and fired up the grill on New Year's Day to ease the banging in our heads. Good times with great friends and margaritas on the deck. Brickell Life is truly blessed.

rosemary skewered shrimp w/ chopped garlic, parsley rub

chicken kabobs with cherry tomatoes, red onion, green peppers and portobello shrooms

bone-in pork chops with garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley, sea salt rub

skirt steak with herbs de provence, olive oil, sea salt rub

provoleta

spicy chorizo and provoleta (over the top choripans)

sunset view from the Coconut Grove condo deck

New Year's Eve - Brickell Key

2011-01-02T21:50:00.001-05:00

It's over. 2010 is in the books and Brickell Life is on the flip side. A flooded inbox awaits me tomorrow morning, impending deadlines loom and the reality of work is banging through my head worse than yesterday's New Year's hangover. However, a week's vacation over the holidays was just what the doctor ordered and we capped it off with a crazy good time, lots of bubbly, stone crabs and a downtown Miami fireworks show. Good times had by all. We didn't do much blogging over the holidays, but we're back. Happy New Year everyone!

2010 Miami Outboard Club Holiday Boat Parade

2010-12-18T23:29:00.003-05:00

It may not have the panache of Ft. Lauderdale or a local celebrity MC like Belkys Nerey, but the Miami Outboard Club puts on a great show. Their first Holiday Boat Parade was organized in 1998 with just a few dozen boats and the tradition has grown in both size and scope over the past 12 years, attracting both members and non-members alike. Tonight's parade probably featured between 40-60 captains spreading the holiday cheer throughout Biscayne Bay, downtown Miami and Brickell.

This year's parade route began at the Miami Outboard Club and headed over towards Miami Beach, passing Monument Island, back under McArthur Causeway and up Government Cut towards downtown. The boats then hung a left and passed by Brickell Key before turning around and making their way up to the American Airlines Arena and eventually back to the Miami Outboard Club right after Jungle Island. Good times and glad to be living the Brickell Life.

A Personal Best

2010-12-18T18:27:00.001-05:00

Went for a run this morning and was rewarded with this killer view from atop the Rickenbacker Causeway over Key Biscayne before I looped back through Brickell and downtown Miami. Set a personal best for distance while I was at it. 8 miles today. It's no Ironman, but I was damn proud.

When Addiction Goes Right - Sakaya Kitchen

2010-12-17T21:31:00.022-05:00

Step 1 - Admission

I am powerless to control my urges at Sakaya Kitchen

Step 2 - Have a spiritual awakening

Consume large amounts of pork buns, honey orange ribs, ginger Brussels sprouts, Korean chicken wings and short rib salad until you see nirvana…or at least until you hear some lost b-side track from the band put out over the restaurant’s sound system. Lunch was so good today.

It’s not a traditional 12-Step program by any stretch of the imagination, but it fuels my cravings for Bulgogi, maybe the best tater tots in the universe and Bo Saam whenever I need.

Chef Richard Hales was on to something when he opened up Sakaya Kitchen a year ago today in the heart of the Shops at Midtown. He was the pioneer behind the recent rash of Asian-inspired joints that seem to be popping up all over now. Somehow he knew before the rest, something we didn’t. He knew we needed steamed buns, kimchi, pork that roasts for 8 hours, craft beers and crazy good cookies that my 3-yr old dreams awake about. I said it once and I’ll say it again - it’s kick-ass Asian funk-fusion with a Korean edge kind of food that makes the hair on your neck stand up, rocks your socks and keeps you coming back for more.

It could be quite honestly my favorite restaurant in Miami. Unpretentious, fast, killer flavor, local organic and sustainable ingredients, relatively inexpensive and Chef/Owner Richard Hales is just a really good dude and family man. He’s got the street cred also - CIA graduate, worked Azul with Michelle, wine director of Mandarin NYC. Plus he’s rocking a sick food truck, the Dim Saam a Go-Go, that hit the streets a short time ago and is slinging some great stuff across Miami, Wynwood, Design, Downtown, the Gables and few places in between. Check them on Twitter or Facebook for the latest and greatest.

Plain and simple - just go eat here. Eat often and eat a lot. I’m eating Brussels sprouts again for goodness sake. Sakaya Kitchen made me do that. Mom would be proud.

Happy Anniversary Sakaya Kitchen and thank you.

Thanksgiving Weekend in Photos

2010-11-30T13:30:00.014-05:00

Brickell Life has really been out of the loop lately. Family was in town and I was too busy enjoying Thanksgiving to really get back to blogging. But, we're back in action and ready to tackle the next few weeks before some much deserved time off around the holidays. Some new posts and recaps are coming up shortly, but in the meantime, thought I would put up some recent photos shot with my iPhone 3GS and Sony Cybershot of my adventures around South Florida. There is a little bit of everything in here from the long weekend including Thanksgiving dinner, a 7-mile run up Rickenbacker Causeway, sunsets over Deering Bay, the Gold Coast Train Museum in South Dade, fried pickles and sunrises around Brickell Key.

Miami Dolphins Tailgating - It's Just Different Down Here

2010-11-15T15:33:00.009-05:00

After way too much time on the road the past few months, Brickell Life returned to Dolphin’s Stadium yesterday to watch our beloved Dolphins go through injuries to 14 quarterbacks, a left tackle, a defensive end and probably 3 or 4 guys in the secondary en route to our first home win of the season.

Of course I was excited to watch the team actually win a meaningful game in November, but I was equally thrilled to be firing up the charcoal grill for some tailgating with friends and family beforehand.

Burgers and dogs have their rightful place among tailgating gastronomy, but we weren’t interested in upholding tradition on this Sunday afternoon. We decided to kick things up a notch, as we’ve been known to do from time to time, and throw down some grilled pizzas with olive oil, Portuguese chouriço, shredded mozzarella, creamy ricotta, sun dried tomatoes and baby arugula. We were drinking bloody marys in the stadium parking lot at 11:00 a.m. for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff - it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Grilled Pizza with Sausage, Herbs, Ricotta, Sun Dried Tomatoes & Arugula
Serves 4-8

Ingredients
1 recipe for pizza dough or go buy it from supermarket or local pizzeria (rolled out into two 8-12 inch rounds)
1 pound of Sausage/Chorizo (Italian, Portuguese or Spanish varieties will work)
2 cups olive oil
2 cups sheep’s milk ricotta cheese
6-8 tablespoons of chopped fresh oregano and basil
16-24 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese
9 ounces of sun dried tomatoes
5-8 ounces of baby arugula
Salt and pepper

Directions
1. Preheat grill. Preferably charcoal for flavor, but gas works just fine
2. Grill sausages on both sides until cooked through. Approximately 10-15 minutes
3. Remove sausage from the grill, let cool slightly and cut into ¼ inch thick slices
4. Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
5. Grill 2-3 minutes or until golden brown underneath
6. Turn over dough, sprinkle cooked side w/ chopped herbs, shredded cheese, scoops of ricotta, sausage & sun dried tomato
7. Cover grill, cook until cheese melts and reverse side of dough is golden brown for an additional 2-3 minutes
8. Remove from heat and sprinkle generously with baby arugula
9. Slice and eat

In the end this variation turned out more like grilled flatbreads than pizza, but if you want to sauce it up and go straight traditional pizza-style, by all means go ahead. Grilling pizza dough is completely versatile. Top it with whatever you want and however you want. Grilled veggies, pesto, steak, chicken, lobster, lamb and even a Caesar salad have all been known to make it on to one of my pies in some form or fashion. Fun, easy to do and impresses a crowd.

Oh, and if you’re interested, we’ll be firing up the tailgate once again this Thursday night when the Dolphins take on the Chicago Bears at the stadium. Argentinean parrillada time - choripan, mojellas, vacio, entrana, asado de tira, empanadas, homemade chimichurri and a few more surprises will surely make an appearance. Drop me a line if you want to stop by….

Why do I Run?

2010-11-08T10:56:00.012-05:00

A few months ago I began running. Slowly at first. It was hard. Sometimes I would walk. But after a while, I started to feel better. I got stronger and faster. Why did I run? Because I had to. Self-indulgence was killing me.

I run so I can be there for my incredibly beautiful and loving wife. I run because I want to grow old and see my nearly 3 year old son become the firefighter, pilot and astronaut he dreams of becoming. I run because I’ve found joy in myself in the early morning before the sun rises over the Port of Miami and Virginia Key.

I’m not the fastest and I don’t run the farthest, but I run. Since I began tracking on September 8th, I’ve run 120.4 miles to the day. I ran 6 miles yesterday. I ran this morning. I will run tomorrow. I feel better. I look better. I am healthier.

Why do I run? Because I have to. Because I want to. I run for me. I run for my family. I run so I can see the world in a different light. I run so I can see this; my Brickell Life.

New Orleans Restaurants - Good Eats

2010-11-01T22:27:00.016-04:00

“New Orleans food is as delicious as the less criminal forms of sin.” - Mark Twain, 1884

There is something about New Orleans that just does it for me. It’s a gluttonous symphony of pork, fat, spice, grits, seafood, oysters and booze that grabs me by the ankles, shakes me upside down and then has her way with me. New Orleans cuisine is like no other in the world. French, Spanish, German, Caribbean, Cajun all come together in multicultural mix of cooking methods and ingredients to deliver what is simply one of the most unique and singularly American cooking styles.

It’s one of my favorite cities in the world to visit ever since I made my first trip there for Jazz Fest more than 15 years ago. Fortunately I’ve had the opportunity to go back many times since then and most recently about a week ago for client meeting. While in town, I hit up some of my favorite spots like Cochon and Mothers while also checking out Lüke for the first time. All just damn good eats. Special shout out to my friend Frod over at the kick ass South Florida food blog, Food for Thought, for his New Orleans recommendations. Check out his posts for some seriously more eloquent thoughts on dining in New Orleans than my simple recaps.

Cochon
Chefs Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski opened Cochon in 2006 on the edge of New Orleans’ Warehouse District. In the process, they created arguably one of the country’s great Cajun restaurants. The food isn’t fancy, but simply well conceived and prepared. It all starts with whole hogs butchered in-house and transformed into outstanding charcuterie, boudin, andouille, bacon, suckling pig and game-changing headcheese. Their wood-burning oven also churns out regional specialties such as roasted oysters, seafood from local waters and fork tender beef brisket.

On this trip back to Cochon, I took down many a bourbon cocktail at the bar, plus a nice mix of bites off the menu that included meat pies, wood fired oyster roasts, fried alligator with chili garlic aioli, boucherie plates, fried boudin with pickled peppers, deep fat fried hog head cheese with field beans, rabbit & dumplings, Louisiana cochon with turnips, cabbage & cracklins, eggplant and shrimp dressing, and some peanut butter pie. Just drooled while typing.

Lüke
In homage to the old Franco-German brasseries that used to dot New Orleans, native son John Besh, a Food & Wine Best New Chef winner, added Lüke to his acclaimed local restaurant empire in 2006. The menu mixes local classics with Old World touches to deliver some of the best bistro food along the Mississippi. Moules et frites, ravioli of local crabmeat, entrecôte grillée au frites, pressed sandwich of whole roast “cochon de lait” and duck confit are just some of the culinary touches that satisfy without pretentiousness.

During my visit to Lüke, I dined solo at the bar and was well taken care of by some great folks and many an Old Fashioned. Took down a half dozen incredibly fresh Gulf oysters, a pâté of Louisiana rabbit and duck livers perfumed with truffle and country bread croutons, and jumbo Louisiana shrimp “en cocotte” with McEwen and Sons cream white corn grits and Poche’s andouille. The meal screamed New Orleans.

Mothers
While Mothers may not have the history of a Galatoire’s or Antoine’s in the Quarter, it has been dishing out some of the best stick to your ribs comfort food south of Mason Dixon Line since 1938. How about to the tune of no less than 175,000 pounds of ham and roast beef, more than 40,000 pounds of turkey, 30,000 pounds of homemade sausage, a quarter million biscuits, 90,000 pounds of jambalaya, some 25,000 soft-shell crabs and even more shrimp. It may be a stop on every tourist map, but a breakfast of baked ham, grits and debris, eggs and biscuits will cure whatever ails you.

Needless to say, I visited Mothers after a night of several bottles of Pinot, many a bourbon, and a scotch and cigar nightcap. Grits, debris, a runny fried egg and a biscuit was just what the doctor ordered.

El Corral Gourmet - Bogota, Colombia

2010-10-29T11:20:00.009-04:00

In homage to my good friend Sef, also known as The Burger Beast, I bring you the first international burger post at Brickell Life from Bogota, Colombia. While some may scoff at the notion of a burger culture in this incredibly diverse and beautiful Andean nation, I am here to tell you that it does not only exist, but also thrives.

Just like in many of our favorite South Florida haunts such as Charm City, Kingdom, Quickies or Burger & Beer Joint, Bogota’s El Corral Gourmet can bring it with the best of them. They understand what makes a burger pure, good and soul satisfying - the right mixture, hardwood charcoal, the best buns and a variety of toppings.

Founded in 1983, Hamburguesas El Corral is a Colombian fast-food hamburger chain with a serious cult following and nearly 200 locations spread across South and Central America. In 2001, the company opened its first “Corral Gourmet,” which features table service and different gourmet toppings such as aged cheeses, hummus, Argentinean chorizos, foie-gras and variety of bread options.

The beauty of the El Corral product is the attention to detail and commitment to quality. Ingredients are fresh, direct from the farm or ranch, and the supply chain is owned and managed by the brand itself. This kind of oversight ensures the customer experience is consistent and exactly what is expected.

But enough about the business behind the business, because we’re here to talk about the burgers and at El Corral Gourmet, the burgers stand out. Full of flavor, there are about 30 different kinds of burgers available on the menu along with Colombian-style hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, steaks and fish. On this particular visit, I took down the Rio Grande BBQ, which featured fried onion petals, BBQ sauce and melted Swiss. Everything worked beautifully together - the crunch of the fried onions, gooey melted cheese, rich meaty burger, tangy sauce and a slightly toasted bun. Burgerliscious.

In addition to the burger, we also ordered some onion rings and shaved onion strings to share among our group at the table. I’m there in honor of the Burger Beast - it would have been considered sacrilegious to not order up some additional deep fried goodness. Both were right on the money and the spicy remoulade dipping sauce was an added touch.

All-in-all, El Corral Gourmet and the El Corral fast-food chain have become must stops for Brickell Life when we're down in Colombia visiting the wife’s family. Place rocks and delivers exactly what you need when you’re overcome by a burger craving in Bogota.

La Candelaria - Bogota, Colombia

2010-10-22T17:14:00.004-04:00

La Candelaria is the historic heart of Bogota where the city first took roots around the small plaza of Chorro de Quevedo in 1538, less than 50 years after Columbus set sail for the New World. Guarded by the mountain peaks of Monserrate and Guadalupe, La Candelaria’s colonial architecture bears witness to the times of Spanish conquest and Colombian independence led by Simon Bolivar. Each house and every building has a story tell about the centuries of history that have passed before them.

Juxtaposed against the skyscrapers of Bogota’s international business district and modern downtown just a few blocks to the north, La Candelaria’s charm is derived from its ability to hold on to more than 400 years of history amid one of Latin America’s most thriving metropolises.

Food, music, history, dance, culture, religion and politics (La Candelaria is still home to the major federal institutions of Colombia such as the president’s office, congress and supreme court) all make up La Candelaria. The world-renowned Museo de Oro (Gold Museum) is here along with the Botero Museum, National Museum of Colombia just to the north, Plaza de Bolivar and the Catedral Primada (Principal Cathedral). Amazing cafes, bars and galleries dot the historical buildings of the neighborhood and beckon you step inside and experience the culture of this incredibly diverse city.

The Evolution of the Food Court - La Plaza de Andres

2010-10-17T22:36:00.018-04:00

When you think of the food court, typically the first thing that comes to mind is free teriyaki chicken samples and a heated debate amongst your friends as to the origins of why Chick-fil-A is really closed on Sundays. And while pizza, burgers and buffet-style Chinese food still dot most of the food court landscape across the U.S., Brickell Life stumbled upon the Darwinian evolution of the concept tucked away in the upscale El Retiro mall in Bogota, Colombia.

This place, like my friend Diana of Bogota Eats & Drinks says, is the Disneyland of food courts. Some call him an avant-garde entrepreneur while others label him a self-obsessed mad man. Call him what you will, but Andres Jaramillo of the famed Andres Carne de Res in Chia and Bogota - a must stop dining and/or partying destination for anyone visiting the region - has done it again. He took the watered down traditional food court and brought it to eleven. Enter La Plaza de Andres.

Gone are the typical fast-casual concepts and in their place are a wide variety of food stations such as a delicatessen, a grill, a seafood counter, rotisserie chicken, fresh fruit juices, salads, crepes, coffee and even a place for Colombian patacones (tostones), empanadas, calentado (mixed fried rice), paella and arepas of all sorts.

All food is fresh and made to order. It may take a little longer than a pre-made teriyaki chicken and egg roll combo, but trust me, it is was worth the wait. Fortunately I was with a big group so we were able to sample a little bit of everything. Our snacks included a patacon with shredded beef and hogao sauce, roasted chicken, home fries, plantain with cheese and bocadillo, morcilla, grilled beef tenderloin and empanadas. We washed it all down with a couple pitchers of refajo, which is a bizarre but incredibly tasty combination of a Colombian soda called Colombiana and beer. If the refajo is not enough, there is also a guy manning one serious bar cart where just about any cocktail or shot can be ordered.

This place is cranking out some seriously good eats but beyond food; Plaza de Andres delivers an experience. It has taken the food court, flipped it on its head and given it the middle finger as it kicks it out the door.

Farm to Table - Bogota to Miami

2010-10-10T09:11:00.011-04:00

There is little doubt that the American food system is somewhat broken. Large scale farming, ranching, butchering and harvesting has substituted speed for quality and diminished regional ties to local farms. Today’s American family eats whatever they want, whenever they want - as long as they can afford to pay the price for raspberries in February. At the supermarket, “in season” has become “always available.” Food trends will certainly come and go, but farm-fresh will always remain farm-fresh.

That’s why I was so happy to discover Codabas, Cra. 7 No. 180 – 75, at the northern end of Bogota when I was called upon to pull together a birthday dinner for my sister-in-law and about a dozen other people while visiting my wife’s family down in Colombia. A special thanks goes out to my friend Diana behind Bogota Eats & Drinks for pointing me in the right direction here.

Codabas is about a city block’s worth of small and large warehouses where local farmers, regional butchers, importers and a wide variety of other merchants come to sell their goods. You can find just about anything here that you could need from bottles of Sriracha to carimañolas, deep fried yuca stuffed with meats or cheese typically from Barranquilla on the north coast of Colombia.

With an idea in my head to cook a mixed seafood linguini marinara from scratch paired with a nice farmer’s chopped salad, I headed over to Codobas to source my ingredients. The place is simply awesome, more than I expected and something I wish Miami had so very much beyond our weekend farmer’s markets. I can’t remember the last time I had seen fresh garlic. This garlic still had dirt on it because it was picked earlier that morning and brought to market on a truck. It was so fresh that the skins would stick to the flesh even after I had crushed the cloves.

I had also never seen hours-old artichokes, which I ended up buying as well. Couldn’t help myself. Steamed them and served them with a quick aioli for everyone to snack on while the sauce simmered. Of course I couldn’t stop there. I also ended up making these mini arepas to nibble on, which were topped with chopped roasted chicken, pears, caramelized red onion, garlic, crumbled blue cheese and arugula.

Anything you could ever want to cook with can be found at Codabas and fresh from the farm that morning - tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, onions, basil, peppers, lettuces, citrus, berries. High-quality, just-picked produce provides a flavor profile unlike anything else – something that over-packaged, preservative-rich meals try to do with lots of high-fructose corn syrup and trans fats.

I’m not naïve. I realize the term local is relative. The plain fact is you can’t grow everything everywhere. However, given the chance, local is the way to go. It’s something we are trying to do more and more of as a family. It’s harder in Miami than in Bogota, but it can be done thanks to some incredibly passionate farmers in southern Miami-Dade County like Bee Heaven Farm, Paradise Farms, Hani's Mediterranean Organics, Sunshine Organic Farms and many others.

Thank you Bogota, you inspired me once again to seek out only the best.

Bogota, Colombia

2010-10-05T08:03:00.003-04:00

Nearly a decade ago I was bound for Bogota with my then girlfriend to visit her parents, who have subsequently become my in-laws. I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Colombia seemed so foreign. It was a place you watched and read about in the news. International travel was not new to me. I was a reporter at a travel industry magazine for many years and had the good fortune to visit some incredibly diverse places such as Nicaragua, Belize, Costa Rica, Turkey, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, among many others. But Colombia? That was the land of Pablo Escobar, nacro-guerillas and political kidnappings.

Unfortunately yes, those are all part of Colombia’s storied past, but it is not part of the new Colombia that is now featured in the pages of travel magazines top places to visit, the New York Times and other outlets and publications. It is definitely not the Colombia that I have known and come to love. My Colombia, Bogota in particular, is a thriving, cosmopolitan city on par with the great cities of Latin America and the world. Culturally diverse, Bogota is filled with amazing restaurants, people, nightlife, shopping, history, architecture and music. It’s as rich and distinct as New York City but with a quintessential South American flair. It’s now as much a part of me as my hometown of Miami and I would not have it any other way.

More to come from Colombia as Brickell Life begins another series of posts from Bogota…

Tailgating Brickell Life Style

2010-09-27T14:54:00.008-04:00

So Brickell Life decided to roll up 95 for the Dolphins/Jets game last night and catch some Sunday night football with family and friends. Sucks that the Dolphins lost and even worse that the Jets won, but it was a great excuse to get together, slosh down a couple beers and munch on some good eats. There was beef, seafood, veggies and little something in between. Here is just a sample of what we took down.

- Grilled octopus & artichokes
- Chorizo, onion, arugula, gorgonzola, pear on baguette
- Skirt steaks

Washington D.C.

2010-09-16T10:35:00.008-04:00

So Brickell Life was on the road again this week up in Washington D.C. for the International Franchise Association's 11th Annual Public Affairs Conference. It was an incredible opportunity to lobby on the Hill on behalf of franchising and small businesses. Met with Florida Senator George LeMieux (R) and other members of Congress and their staff for the better part of an afternoon.

Did you realize that according to the International Franchise Association's latest statistics, Florida has more than 60,000 franchised establishments that employ more than 728,000 people and account for more than $56 million in annual economic output? In Florida's 18th Congressional District (my district in Brickell), there are nearly 7,000 franchised establishments that employ almost 80,000 people and generate more than $6.3 million in annual economic output. Some other interesting franchising statistics to consider are that franchising accounts for 3.3 percent of all businesses nationally, 11 million jobs or 8.1 percent of all private-sector jobs, and $880.9 million in total economic output or 4.4 percent of total U.S. private-sector economic output.

Well enough of the franchise economic impact business lesson. What I really wanted to do was share some photographs I took of the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial during an early morning workout while I was up there. All were shot on my iPhone 3GS with the Pano app and tweaked using the Photoshop mobile app. I'm continually impressed by what this little phone can do.

How Dunkin’ Donuts Helped me Run a 5K

2010-09-08T21:52:00.009-04:00

Sounds unreasonable right? I thought so too. My typically Dunkin’ order consisted of a large coffee, cream & sugar, plus a blueberry cake donut. How could Dunkin’ Donuts possibly get me to run a little over 3 miles?

I was skeptical, distrustful and fully convinced it was just another marketing ploy. I’m in the PR business and the VP of a very successful boutique firm here in South Florida. I thought I could smell marketing tactics from a mile away. On top of it, Dunkin is a client. We work on their franchise development side, helping the brand sell the business of the business. But marketing is marketing, whether applied to consumers or franchisee prospects, right?

Self-help bulls**t aside, I stand before you today and can proudly claim that Dunkin’ Donuts helped me run a 5k not once, but now as part of my regular workout routine.

As part of their DDSMART menu push, the brand published a DDSMART Zero to 5K Training Program for running your first 5K. It’s an 8-week training program geared for the novice/beginner developed by a professional coach from Active.com, an online network for running enthusiasts.

It wasn’t easy. I was in poor shape after years of neglect. One too many burgers had taken its toll. I couldn’t sprint a couple hundred yards let alone jog 5 kilometers. But you know what, I had an epiphany. Here I was, 36 years old, happily married, the proud father of an amazing 2.5 year old son and I had become completely oblivious to taking care of myself. That’s when I just decided to do it. I downloaded a copy of Dunkin’ Donuts 5K running guide and literally followed it step-by-step. Waking up at 6:20 a.m. every morning to train, even on the weekends was taxing, but the benefits outweighed the sacrifice.

That training, coupled with better nutrition, smarter choices and a serious diet has led to some significant changes in my life. For one, I feel better and certainly look better. Dropped about 30 pounds now since the middle of summer and I’m regularly running that Dunkin’ Donuts 5K.

So there it is. I just put myself out there in my own quirky way through Brickell Life for the world to bear witness. Suck on that Tony Robbins. Screw liberating, this just feels weird.

Proper Labor Day Grill

2010-09-07T15:39:00.003-04:00

While Labor Day may signal the end of summer for the rest of the country, we here in South Florida know it means we’ve entered the heart of hurricane season and its going to be brutally hot for another 8 weeks. With that in mind, Brickell Life decided that it was as good a time as any to fire up the grill and cap off the long holiday weekend with a little style.

(Vacio rubbed with chopped garlic, fresh oregano, salt and pepper + feta and garlic stuffed sausage + sweet corn + smoked paprika, garlic, salt and pepper rubbed chicken thighs)

Ceviche de Corvina

2010-09-06T16:36:00.002-04:00

Summers are hot in South Florida and for me; there’s nothing better than snacking on bowl of ceviche and drinking a cold beer under the afternoon sun. I think Miami summers were designed with that exact purpose in mind. It’s that combination of acidity, citrus, onion, spice, and pepper with a hoppy beer that just works.

It’s origins are the bar debates of legend. Peruvian, Spanish, Ecuadorian or Polynesian - everybody has their own spin on who made ceviche first. But common among most ceviche recipes is the idea of using citrus juice to break down the proteins in fish, which essentially “cooks” it without heat.

Pretty much every country has its own particular ingredients it considers an integral part of any ceviche. Heck, in some countries ceviches vary region by region. Peruvians typically prefer simple chunks of raw fish, onion, chiles, corn and and sweet potato. Panamanians like it spicy with celery and hot peppers. Ecuadoreans, I’m told, add ketchup to their ceviche.

I personally like a mix of a bit of sweet and heat. Here is Brickell Life’s adapted recipe for Ceviche de Corvina.

Ceviche de Corvina
Serves: 4-5

Ingredients
1 pound very fresh corvine
Juice of 7 limes
Juice of 2 oranges
Juice of 2 lemons
1-½ tablespoons finely diced serrano pepper
2 tablespoons finely diced yellow pepper
4 tablespoons finely diced red onion
2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
Cut the fish into about a ¼ inch dice. Place in a non-reactive dish with the lime juice, orange juice, lemon juice, serrano pepper, yellow pepper, red onion and garlic. Toss to coat, cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Afterwards, add the cilantro, salt and serve. You can go fancy and drop it in martini glasses or throw it into a paper bowl and dig into it with a bag of tortilla chips like we usually do. Either way, ceviche is the perfect Miami dish to beat this summer heat.

Mary Brickell Village Sunday Market

2010-08-31T12:39:00.016-04:00

Purveyors of many farmer’s markets across South Florida such as the Lincoln Road Farmer’s Market, the Upper East Side Green Market and the Pinecrest Gardens Green Market, The Market Company is now bringing its eclectic mix of vendors to the Brickell district. Located in Mary Brickell Village in the 900 block of South Miami Avenue, the open-air market is starting to grow into its own in only in its second week of operation and runs every Sunday from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Currently they are selling specialty local foods, plants, flowers, arts & crafts, and hopefully farm-fresh fruits and veggies as the local growing season heats up.

Something sweet is definitely brewing in the neighborhood. The vendor mix is evolving and the sight of Hani Khouri of Hani’s Mediterranean Organic confirmed that local food producers are beginning to embrace the idea of a green market in the heart of the city. His fresh goat cheese and baba ghannouj will certainly have Brickell Life walking over for a weekly fix. Other vendors included The Ceviche Parlor, a honey guy, a couple tasty bakeries, empanadas, smoothies, orchids, plants, jewelry, drums, art and a few other interesting retailers as well.

We picked up some honey from a Loxahatchee farm and a couple freshly baked cranberry scones on top of Hani’s goods to cap off the morning. Must say it’s great to see the market gaining some traction after its opening weekend. There were quite a few people out mingling around, grabbing a coffee from Starbucks, having breakfast at Balans and shopping. Hope the local farms embrace the idea of a green market amid the skyscrapers of Brickell and we see some incredible produce, fruits and herbs make their way down as the weather cools and crops get planted.

So far so good.

Sunday Farmer's Market - Grilled Ahi Tuna

2010-08-23T14:35:00.006-04:00

So Brickell Life kind of just kicked it at home on Sunday. There was an open air market that debuted over at Mary Brickell Village on Sunday, but to be honest, it still needs some fine-tuning. We went in with the expectations of full-blown farmer's market, but it felt like more of an outside street fair kind of deal. No real fruits or veggies to be found. Couple local bakeries, a honey guy, ceviche stand, orchids, jewelry, etc. Definitely a good first effort, but a real, scalable farmer's market would make a great addition to the district. Hopefully it wasn't a one-time thing and the organizers continue to build it into something special.

So instead, we decided to hit the store, let inspiration guide us and fire up the grill. We ended up with ahi tuna steaks w/ a ponzu vinaigrette, shrimp and zucchini, squash and portabella shrooms. Pretty solid way to cap off a South Florida weekend. Good times living the Brickell Life.

Sanibel Island

2010-08-19T16:23:00.014-04:00

Located on the Florida’s Gulf Coast, just off Ft. Myers, is the incredible barrier island of Sanibel. Once home to native Calusa Indians and a stopover for legendary pirates such as Gaspar and Black Caesar, Sanibel today is thriving island destination known for its beaches, shelling and wildlife refuges.

The island’s curved shrimp-like shape is linked to the mainland via a causeway and thanks to early visionaries, development is strictly enforced. Most buildings aren’t more than 2 stories thanks to regulations adopted in the mid 1970’s and there isn’t one chain/fast-food restaurant on the island except for a lone Dairy Queen. Unfortunately, dining doesn’t leave much to be desired except for a couple joints here or there. Frodesnor over at Food for Thought summarized the dining scene very well in some recent posts if you’re interested in that angle.

But Brickell Life was mostly in Sanibel a couple weeks ago to check out, unwind, cook, eat and relax with family and basically let life melt away under the cool shade of a beach umbrella. It’s sort of become our yearly pilgrimage. Bonus is that it’s only about a 2.5-hour drive from Miami straight across the Alley and up I-75.

We typically rent a condo or private home for the week and let family come and go as schedules allow. Accommodations range from ultra luxurious to 1970’s chic, but you’re not there to sit inside all day. Just like the thousands of visitors who come each year, we head over each summer to stake a claim on a magnificent stretch of unpopulated beach.

Known for its amazing shelling, the beaches of Sanibel are synonymous with the legendary backbreaking "Sanibel Stoop." The island is known worldwide for its shells because it benefits from an unusual east-west orientation compared to most barrier islands along Florida's coast.

Needless to say, it is good times and a vacation I look forward to every year. Brickell Life is truly blessed.

Fried Rice

2010-08-18T15:35:00.006-04:00

In homage to a newfound Twitter friend and Miami resident, @Wokstar (Eleanor Hoh), thought we would throw down a little fried rice to kick things up at Brickell Life. Plus, my little one takes it downtown bowl after bowl. That’s kind of the inherent beauty of fried rice. It’s chock full of veggies and good-for-you eats, which makes for a solid, nutritious and certainly kid friendly meal.

Fried rice is sort of the quintessential comfort food and the beauty for the home cook is that it is completely adaptable. It can be dressed up with fresh lobster for a night on the town or thrown together with leftovers for an evening on the couch.

When most people think of fried rice, images of white takeout containers adorned with red snaking dragons come to mind. But fried rice is not limited to your local Chinese restaurant. It’s global. Thailand, Vietnam, Peru and Indonesia are just some examples of where fried rice takes center stage. One of my favorites, partly because my wife is from Bogota, is the Colombian version called calentado. Eaten typically for breakfast, calentado is meat, potatoes, rice and whatever is on hand all fried up together and topped with a couple runny eggs. Add some hot sauce and you have the makings of some serious dripping off your chin goodness.

The star of any fried rice show is the rice, of course. One of the main keys to good fried rice is cold, previously cooked rice. Some swear by day old, others by 2-3 day old rice. But if you’re on the go, cook it before you throw it in the wok and run the rice it under cold water to loosen up the starches. This will help prevent your rice from globbing up and turning to mush.

Here are the basics on what I did, but again, the beauty of fried rice is the freedom to experiment and fire up what you like.

FRIED RICE: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients
4-5 cups cooked white long grain rice
7 tablespoons canola oil
½ large white onion finely chopped
One 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
Pinch of salt and pepper
¼ cup diced carrots
¼ cup frozen peas thawed
1 pound of sliced beef, chicken, shrimp, etc.
2 garlic cloves minced
4 eggs lightly beaten
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1½ tablespoons fish sauce

The How To
Heat 2-3 tablespoons of the canola oil in a wok or a large nonstick skillet over medium-high flame. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the onions, the ginger, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the carrots and stir-fry until the carrots are soft but still have texture, about 4-5 minutes; toss in the peas and season with a nice pinch of salt and pepper. Remove the veggies to a side plate and wipe out the wok with dry paper towel.

Put the pan back on the heat and coat with another 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Add the garlic and to the wok and sauté gently until fragrant. Add shrimp, beef, chicken or whatever meat your using and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until just cooked through. Set aside on platter with vegetables. Add remaining oil to the wok and when hot, crack the eggs into the center. Scramble the egg lightly, then fold in the rice and toss with the egg until well combined, breaking up any rice clumps with the back of a spatula or wooden spoon. Return the sautéed veggies and meat to the pan and season with soy and fish sauce. Toss everything together to heat through. Spoon the fried rice out onto plates, crack open a beer or bottle of wine, and go to town on it.

It may not be authentic, but it’s what I do. Wonder if I'm on my way to being a Wok Star also….

Riders on the Storm

2010-08-04T11:31:00.002-04:00

View of thunderstorms moving across the Port of Miami this morning from Brickell Key. Shot with my iPhone 3GS using the Pano app. Living the Brickell Life.

This is my Brickell Life

2010-07-26T09:26:00.009-04:00

Brickell is where I live. It's my community. It's skyscrapers, condo towers, a burgeoning district. It's families, couples, young professionals and retirees. It's doctors, lawyers, accountants, restaurateurs, retailers and entrepreneurs. It's Biscayne Bay and the Miami River. It's homelessness, a struggling infrastructure and a desire to be better. It's my home and I love it. It's my Brickell Life.

(All of the above were shot with my iPhone 3GS using Pano app)

Crawfish Boil

2010-07-23T16:04:00.008-04:00

So the crew was sitting around on this past rain soaked July 4th weekend staring at a cooler of provoleta, vacio, chorizos, asparagus and ribeyes waiting for the clouds to break when it hit us. Parilladas are great, but damn, we’ve been doing them a lot lately. What we needed was some serious finger licking, beer drinking, funky like a monkey backyard kind of session with kids in the pool, the grill fired up and everyone munching down on something different than the usual jazz.

A bottle of South African Brut Rose (World Cup related booze) and a couple cold Peroni later and it’s decided. Crawfish boil. Huh? Here in Miami? Is that even legal? Where do we get them? How do we get them? More importantly, how soon can this happen?

A quick trip to the Google machine on the Internets and we come to find out, you can order a ton of mud bugs delivered live to your doorstep by Mr. Fed Ex anytime you want. Holy mother bleeper, Brickell is going Cajun.

Turns out there is some seasonality to crawfish and the bigger honkers are harvested usually in the early spring. But a majority of the production is now done on farms so you can get access to them as early as January and sometimes late into July and even August. Lucky for us that was the case and the Louisiana Crawfish Company came through big time.

As the #1 shipper of crawfish in Louisiana, The Louisiana Crawfish Company has this game down pat. We ordered for Saturday delivery one of their 20 lb party packs, which included 2 lbs of seafood boil, Mardi Gras beads, crawfish bibs, Louisiana Crawfish Co. Creole seasoning and step by step cooking directions. Okay, fine, we also ordered some alligator boudin also. How could you not?

Bugs come shipped live in cooler with all fixins and need a good wash down before you get to cooking. They don’t call them mud bugs for another reason. So with that in mind, we got the grill fired up because we needed snacks. Brains racked together and before you knew it, we had grilled Colombian arepas topped with crabmeat salad, diced tomatoes and basil vinaigrette. Not bad for impromptu fusion. Okay, yes, we also had some chorizos and entrana to pick on as well. We’re savages and pork must be present at all BBQs.

Then it was into the pool to down a couple cold beers and move on to the main event. I won’t bore you with the process of cooking the crawfish, but suffice it to say they came out right on the money. It was arms out to the side, Cajun spice dripping off the chin big-time goodness. Next year can’t come fast enough because we can’t wait to do it again.

Tuning Out Can Be Hard Work

2010-06-21T17:00:00.003-04:00

The hibiscus are in bloom, warm Caribbean waters lap against a white sand beach, a mango rum concoction is filled to the rim, and blue skies stretch as far as the eye can see - wait, where’s my iPhone? Did I leave it in the room? Is that project done? I think I should send that email. Oh no, did I leave that folder on my desk?

In today’s world of uber connectivity, the “out of office” reply has lost some of its meaning for entrepreneurs. According to Expedia’s 2009 Vacation Deprivation Survey, 49.4 million Americans are vacation deprived. And even when we do manage to sneak a couple days away from the office, the iPhone, laptop and Blackberry all manage to slip into our carry-on next to the tube of sunscreen.

Most of us in today’s 24-7 business world are addicted to our jobs. We’ve become stress junkies. It’s our fix. Some people like drugs or a swish of bourbon, but we gravitate to the adrenaline rush that comes from meeting deadlines and finishing a project on time. Work alleviates our anxiety and when we’re not working, all that tension bubbles up. It’s no wonder sitting on beach for more than 15 minutes at time induces a mad panic to get connected and plugged back into the game.

Some will argue that working on vacation or checking emails is simply a pre-emptive strike against what is sure to be an email inbox flood come Monday morning. Feeling out of touch is stressful, but I would argue that is the whole point.

Disconnecting a bit is healthy and especially for small business owners. The key is trust. You have to believe in your team and have the confidence that they can handle the day-to-day grind and anything that should arise. Without good people in place you’re going to be tied to that smart phone the whole time.

I’m not saying you need to spend 6 days alone in the rainforests of Belize without access to any technology to relax. But what I do suggest is that you are flexible and manage the expectations of your colleagues and clients. Let them know you are only going to check in occasionally, maybe only once every couple days unless there is a real emergency.

As the line between home and office continue to blur, I realize it’s impossible to think that you can completely disconnect. But vacations are sacred and we should not be afraid to take them. The mind and body need a change of scenery every once and a while. Sometimes you have to remember to work on not working. And if you feel compelled to check email regularly while on break, I guess its always better with a fruity rum drink in hand.

(Pulled from my recent post at Fish on Franchising, where I blog on behalf of my PR agency Fish Consulting)

Just Throw Something on the Grill

2010-06-14T15:13:00.007-04:00

Listen, there are plenty of blogs out there who espouse the virtues of organic, locally sourced, I've been wearing the same Birkenstocks since 2001 kind of rhetoric. Heck, I believe in that stuff also, but ditched my Birkenstocks ever since I left Colorado for good and came back home to Miami.

But the reality is most of South Florida buys their groceries in Publix, Winn-Dixie, Sam's Club, etc. Only a select nerdy few (myself included) actually care if our steaks came from a cow that was fed imported, organic Egyptian barley while be massaged by 6'1 blonde Swedish models who would sing Guiseppe Verdi's "La Traviata" while the steers were out to pasture. Our growing food culture is great for Miami and it's certainly an exciting time in our city's culinary history, but it's ok to buy food from Publix and throw it on the grill.

Don't get me wrong. Organic is great. Locally sourced seafood, meat and produce is how we should eat, but that world revolves around a pretty tight knit foodie blogging and twitter clique for now. I would imagine that our foodie clique probably does a lot of its own shopping at Publix also, but just doesn't blog about that. I mean, what's sexy about buying boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale at Publix when there are smoked eggs and dandelion green salads to write about?

More power to you if you can afford to shop daily at Fresh Market, Whole Foods and the local farmers markets that dot the scene. I wish I could, but reserve those trips for when it's possible. Unfortunately it's just not practical or financially viable for Brickell Life right now.

But with that said, you can do just fine for yourself at the local supermarket. Make smart choices, buy fresh ingredients and stay away from the preservatives and bottles of 30 minute marinades. What is in that stuff anyhow? Case in point - check out the pics from a recent weekend evening behind the grill with ingredients all locally sourced from the Publix at Mary Brickell Village.

NY Strips and churassco marinated with olive oil, sea salt, cracked black pepper and fresh thyme; Florida tomato bruschetta with Florida basil on Publix French bread crostinis; Grilled corn with sea salt, cracked black pepper and butter. I like fennel dusted sweetbreads and bone marrow on toast points as much as the next guy, but it doesn't have to be fancy to be good.

Just get out there and cook. Go to Publix and throw something on the grill. Everything else will just fall into place.

Elliott Key

2010-06-07T23:27:00.015-04:00

Long ago, Elliott Key was a stop over for Tequesta Indians and later for fisherman and wreckers out of the Bahamas and lower Florida Keys. Pirates, transients, drifters and dreamers have all called Elliot Key home at one point - escaped slave and 18th century African pirate Black Caesar being the most infamous. More recently, dozens of families called the island home and raised pineapples and key limes on plantations there in the early 1900s.

Miami Beach entrepreneur Carl Fisher even took an interest is the area when he opened his millionaires get-away Coco Lobo Cay Clubhouse on Caesar's Creek. By the 1950s, developers saw the key’s potential and a proposed causeway connecting Elliott to the mainland was even planned. There was even talk of a toll road running directly from Key Biscayne down through all the northern keys and eventually connecting with the Overseas Highway in Key Largo.

In 1960, the municipality of Islandia was incorporated in Miami-Dade County, which included about 12-13 islands, with Elliott Key being the largest. There were only a few families which made up the city’s population and only a handful of people like the Jones family on Porgy Key that lived on the islands year round.

Plans for Seadade, a major industrial seaport, were announced in 1962. The proposal called for the dredging of a 40-foot deep channel through the Bay's clear, shallow waters. According to developers and industrialists, this would be Dade County’s new frontier.

Thankfully a small, but vocal group initially, had an entirely different vision for Elliot Key, which contrary to what most people think, is one of the northernmost islands in the Florida Keys chain. Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Biscayne Bay to the west, Sands Key to the north and Old Rhodes Key to the South; they saw Elliot Key as part of a national park unlike any other. This park would reside mostly underwater and protect the fragile and fertile grass beds of Biscayne Bay and some of the most vibrant coral reefs in all of North America offshore. Opponents to the park bulldozed a six lane highway right down the middle of Elliott Key in an attempt to spoil the area but the park idea, spearheaded by longtime resident and Congressman Dante Fascell, eventually won favor.

On October 18, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill that created Biscayne National Monument which would eventually turn into Biscayne National Park and from that day forward, Elliott Key and the surrounding waters would forever be protected under federal law.

Today, Elliott Key is where Brickell Life goes to escape the world and spend the day curled up in its southern bights in about 4 feet of gin clear water over a sand bottom. It’s where I take my 2 year old son to swim in the ocean and learn about the fish, crabs, grasses, sponges and soft corals that dot Biscayne Bay’s floor. Elliott Key is where I track elusive bonefish on ocean side flats or dive its patch reefs in search of lobster or hogfish for a quintessential Miami barbecue. And yes, back in the day, Elliott Key was also the place where I hung with “The Element” along Sands Cut and celebrated many a debacherous youthful afternoon or Columbus Day Regatta.

Elliott Key is this and so much more. It’s part of our history, part of culture and part of South Florida’s heritage. I’m a lucky man to be able to experience it all.

Vegas Eats

2010-06-02T17:19:00.003-04:00

So Brickell Life was back on the road last week and out in Las Vegas for the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) Multi-Unit Conference and the International Council of Shopping Center’s (ICSC) Global Recon Conference. That’s a mouthful. If you’re wondering, I work for a boutique PR and marketing agency that supports a number of big franchise concepts in addition to a handful of other clients. It keeps me busy and definitely on the road quite a bit.

While I wouldn’t trade Miami’s growing culinary scene for any other place right now - Sakaya Kitchen (@SakayaKichen), Sra. Martinez (@chefmichy), Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink (@chefmschwartz and @ktchntrvwr) and Area 31 (@chefcritchley) are a few of my favs - Vegas certainly does have a lot to offer.

My biggest problem with Vegas restaurants, well specifically those on the Strip, is execution. I’m simply tired of overpriced and poorly executed celebrity chef restaurants that look dressed up and ready for the prom, but deliver a night at home in front of the Playstation.

There are however a few exceptions that consistently bring it because they focus on the basics. Now before all you Vegas snobs get your underwear in a knot; I base my Vegas dining on what I know, what’s recommended and what I read. I’m willing to branch out and try new places, but I can’t justify spending $400 on a 16 course degustation menu at Joel Robuchon. I can only expense so much...

With that said, I was fortunate enough to be staying at the Venetian this trip and received some great recommendations from my friend Paula (@mango_lime), of the great South Florida food blog Mango and Lime and from Jeffrey Wolfe (@wolfeswines), owner of the great Wolfe’s Wine Shoppe in Coral Gables. Both unequivocally said to start and end at Bouchon in the Venetian. They were right.

Arrived, dumped my bags and quickly headed down to Bouchon for a seat at the bar. Bouchon is the vision of world-renowned chef Thomas Keller of Napa’s French Laundry fame. Fashioned after the original Bouchons of Lyon after which it was modeled, Bouchon just delivers great rustic bistro classics with only the best seasonal ingredients. The food, which I will get to in a minute, is awesome, but the bread and butter. Holy bleep. I wanted to curl up in bed with it - so good. My app featured pork belly sausage with anise, new crop potato salad, medjool dates & roasted shallot vinaigrette. Dinner was roasted leg of lamb with a ragout of coco beans, piquillo peppers, merguez sausage and lamb jus. Everything was spot on and i washed it all down with several glasses of Hall 05’ Cab.

Basically Bouchon was so good, I ended up there for breakfast the next three days in a row. It won best breakfast in Las Vegas for a reason. Breakfast eats included: corned beef hash with two eggs over medium and brioche toast; white sausage with scrambled eggs, croissant and beurre noisette; and a spinach and bacon quiche. And the aforementioned bread and butter was also taken down at breakfast with crazy good in-house cherry preserves.

Besides Bouchon, also hit up Mario Batali’s Enoteca San Marco, where we bounced through the antipasti from formaggi to fritti. No wine this night. Just a couple Grey Goose gimlets on the rocks. Had some Burrata, Ricotta, Mortadella, Salumi and Prosciutto di Parma. Also sampled Pescolini (fried smelts) and Mozzarella & Anchovy in Carrozza - fried fishy goodness. And we also couldn’t pass up a chance at some meatballs. All in all, Enoteca San Marco was just alright. Nothing wowed me or would drive me to come back, unlike Bouchon.

And no trip to Vegas would be complete for me without a stop over at my favorite steakhouse, Stripsteak. See my previous thoughts on Stripsteak here, but have to say special thanks to sister restaurant Bourbon Steak (@BOURBONSTEAKMIA) for making sure we had a good time. For me, both Stripsteak and Bourbon Steak are the best steakhouses going. Modern, sleek, cool and unbelievably awesome food.

Thankfully, Brickell Life is grounded in the MIA for the next several weeks and hopefully blogging a little more. Will be back in Vegas in a couple months so if anyone has any additional suggestions, I’m all ears.

Why I Love and Fear Republicans

2010-05-20T09:25:00.006-04:00

This is why I love and fear Republicans at the same time. All you can say is God Bless America.

Sakaya Kitchen

2010-05-17T14:00:00.007-04:00

Solid Asian funk fusion with a heavy dose of Korean influence. Sakaya Kitchen has a cool menu, great vibe, real people working the line and cranking out really interesting, incredibly delicious food. Heard old school Sonic Youth playing while Chef/owner Richard Hales, decked in ink and a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, was making things happen behind the giant stainless steel counter that runs the length of the restaurant and separates the dining room from the open kitchen.

Bulgogi wraps, spicy chicken wings, honey orange ribs, pork buns and peking duck buns were just some of what was taking down on our visit. Cool that Sakaya insists on using natural meat, poultry, and seafoods, along with organic dairy and produce, some of which comes from local farms.

Their mission could not ring truer - "NO Frills just good f'n Food"

It is what it is and I'm damn glad they are doing their thing in Miami.

Follow them on Twitter - @sakayakitchen
Facebook - Sakaya Kitchen

Sakaya Kitchen
305-576-8096
Buena Vista Avenue
(Shops at Midtown)
www.sakayakitchen.com
Sunday 12noon - 9pm
Monday - Friday 12noon - 10pm
Saturday 12noon - 11pm

The Evolution of Me

2010-05-17T11:45:00.004-04:00

Most of us don’t blog for a living, especially here in South Florida. Are there any professional bloggers down here? I mean, there must be, but for the most part each and every one of us holds down a real job that pays the bills. That means the majority of folks in the South Florida blogosphere either work for/own a small business or hold down jobs at one of the many companies that call the region home.

Some of us use our blogs to promote our businesses and others are strictly personally takes on the world around us. While our blogs are amazing creative and cathartic escapes, the reality is we spend more time in our cubes and offices than we do fostering our creative passions. It’s the age old work/life balance question and something that Brickell Life continues to struggle with.

I am a father, a husband, a VP at a boutique PR/Marketing agency, a blogger and a foodie. I am this and much more. It's the evolution of me.

Brickell Life Get's a Makeover

2010-05-11T15:06:00.004-04:00

While it would certainly take more than a makeover to make me look better, Brickell Life was long overdue for a refresh. So a quick download here and an adjustment there - and we got ourselves a new blog. Feeling good and looking good, which is half the battle.

With our new look and feel, now is as good a time as ever to rededicate some time and passion back into Brickell Life. Work, life, family and everything in between had recently come in between me and my rambling nonsense. But you have to make the time and that I will. Stay tuned for some new stuff and maybe a few small business posts as well. After all, my work is part of my life so why the heck shouldn't I express it on here.

It's time to make the donuts.

Miami Corporate Run - Brickell Life's View

2010-04-30T14:08:00.007-04:00

Good day yesterday when more than 18,000 people took to the streets of downtown Miami and Brickell for the annual Corporate Run. Although I didn't participate, I did manage to sneak out to the race course with the family at the corner of Brickell Avenue and SW 8th Street.

Washington D.C. - Brickell Life is Still on the Road

2010-04-20T15:01:00.016-04:00

As the governmental seat of the world’s most influential and powerful democracy, it is impossible to steer clear of Washington D.C.’s grandeur and politics. The city’s pulse is based on it, but politics aside, Washington D.C. is one of the most inspiring and incredible cities across our nation and around the world. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity in my life to travel to many parts of the world - China, Colombia, France, England, Brussels, Italy, Nicaragua, Turkey, Belize, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and a handful of other places - but there is something special about Washington D.C.

On a recent trip up to the capital, I was fortunate enough to sneak a couple hours away from business to walk around the National Mall, stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue and wander off into some surrounding neighborhoods. It’s hard to describe the feeling that Washington D.C. instills in you while you’re in the presence of the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Building, Supreme Court or the National Archives, but in hindsight I guess its unwavering patriotism. Simply put - I love my country.
While history will always have its place in my travels, no Brickell Life trip would be complete without tasting the local wares. That’s why I decided to get on down to U Street and check out Ben’s Chili Bowl for a famous half smoke. For those of you not familiar with Ben’s Chili Bowl, well it’s basically become a D.C. institution.

Back in 1958 when the family operation first opened, the U Street corridor was known as the “Black Broadway.” It was not uncommon to see such luminaries as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole, Redd Foxx, Dick Gregory, Martin Luther King Jr., Donny Hathaway, Roy Ayers or Bill Cosby at "The Bowl." It provided food and shelter for activists, firefighters and public servants trying to restore order while the neighborhood was rioting following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Ben’s Chili Bowl also survived the construction of the D.C. Metro Green Line in the late 1980’s when it decided to stay open with only two employees while serving Metro workers and faithful regulars.

Through all the years, Ben’s Chili Bowl has managed to survive. Most recently, Barack Obama visited and ate lunch just 10 days before his inauguration and even President Sarkozy of France and his family have stopped by for a quick bite. In 2004, Ben’s won the prestigious Gallo of Sonoma 'America's Classics' Restaurant Award from the James Beard Foundation and has been featured in every kind of media from the Food Network to the Travel Channel, New York Times, Today Show, Gourmet Magazine, PBS, Oprah, CNN and beyond.

While the accolades are nice and the history impressive, rest assured the food also holds up. This is people food - no foie gras allowed. Burgers, dogs, fries, chili and slaw dominate this greasy spoon’s menu and are exactly what you come here for. No trip to Ben’s Chili Bowl would be complete without ordering the world famous Original Chili Half Smoke. It’s a 1/4lb. half pork and beef smoked sausage on a warm steamed bun topped with mustard, onions and their spicy homemade chili sauce. It’s arms out to the side, chili dripping down your chin, spicy goodness. Definitely Burger Beast style. Thank you Ben’s Chili Bowl - you’re still family operated, expanding and living the American dream. While the monuments and history of Washington D.C. may be impressive, your small business and entrepreneurship are what make this country so great.

Moules Frites – Fancy Talk for Mussels and Fries

2010-03-29T16:00:00.008-04:00

Every once in a while the inner foodie geek in me comes out to play. Sometimes I like to go simple, other times you have to crank it up to 11. So on Saturday night, I found the fridge stocked with a couple bottles of Riesling – special thanks to the wife – and a hankering for some Moules Frites. A quick trip to Fresh Market in the Grove and Brickell Life was set up and ready to rock.

Mussels are crazy easy to cook. Oh sure they look fancy, but truth is with a little prep, just about anybody can whip up this bistro standard. I don’t measure too often in the home kitchen and cook mostly by eye, but basically here is how it all plays out.

Ingredients
5 lbs mussels
Extra virgin olive oil
4 leeks, white part only, finely chopped and thoroughly washed of sand
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of white wine
½ cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
3 large Idaho potatoes

Make sure you buy good fresh mussels. If they look or smell funky, hit McDonalds drive-thru instead for a burger. Remember, mussels are alive when you buy them, so you’ll need to keep them cool and on ice while transporting and storing in your fridge. Definitely recommend buying and cooking the same day. Rinse and scrub the mussels clean under cold water when you get home. Remove the stringy beards (little hairs between the shells) with your fingers. And make sure to discard any mussels with broken shells.

Crank up your oven to 475 because we’re roasting these spuds into fries and skipping the deep fryer. Rinse potatoes well under cold running water to remove any excess dirt and slice them into long thin strips of about ¼ to ½ inch wide – French fry size. Toss those fries in a couple tablespoons of olive oil and season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Throw them into the oven and let them do their thing. Should roast up to sweet golden brown in about 20-25 minutes. When done, toss roasted fries with a couple more tablespoons of olive oil, good pinch of salt, a touch of fresh garlic and chopped parsley.

In the meantime, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a nice deep pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook down until veggies are softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the mussels and give everything a good toss. Dump in the wine, cover the pot and steam the mussels until they have all opened, about 10-12 minutes. Might want to stir the mussels half way thru to make sure they are all getting some love. After they have opened, stir in the cream, season with additional salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with ¼ cup chopped parsley. Serve immediately with the fries.

Fairly simple and knock your socks off good. Best part about mussels is the variations of sauces you can cook with. Want Italian; then add some marinara to the mix. If Spanish is more your thing, then add some chorizo, saffron and shallots into the pool. Possibilities are endless and that’s part of the beauty. Good times on Brickell last Saturday night.

Up in the Air

2010-03-17T17:25:00.009-04:00

Posting has been infrequent at best on Brickell Life lately. While the passion for my neighborhood is still there, my job has unfortunately kept me away more than I would like. Let’s face it – I’ve been spending a lot of time up in the air lately. Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Boston, San Antonio are down and New Orleans, Washington D.C., Orlando and Las Vegas again are on the horizon. I’ve become intimately familiar with American Airline’s new terminal at MIA and the ridiculous amount of walking needed to get from one end to the other. Please finish that damn tram quickly. Oh, and while I’m at it, can you buy a couple new planes or at least one that was built post 1983. American Airlines - your fleet is old and smells like wet socks.

However, a window seat on an ancient 757 on the way to Vegas does provide some pretty stunning views of the desert, Lake Meade, the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas Strip below. Seriously, how cool is the iPhone? Single coolest piece of technology I have ever owned.

But you know what the best part of traveling is? It’s coming home. It’s taking that left lane exit off I-95 and winding down the ramp towards the Brickell Avenue Bridge. It’s the glow of the Bank of America Tower and the candy-cane striped radio antenna on top of the SunTrust building. It’s the Brickell skyline looming over Biscayne Bay and the smell of salt air that can still flood the neighborhood when the wind is blowing right. It’s seeing people out walking, moving from restaurant to restaurant and making the Brickell district come alive like never before. It’s neighborhood spots like La Moon, La Provence, Roma Organic Gelato or Obba Sushi taking a chance and opening a restaurant where there were so few for such a long time. It’s families, young couples, single folks, old, young and every nationality in between turning a neighborhood, my neighborhood, into a home.

While the real estate market is preventing a lot of us from selling our condos and moving into a house, myself and my family included, I couldn’t think of a more vibrant and cool part of Miami to be in. Brickell is my home, for better or worse, and it feels right.

2010 Miami Marathon

2010-02-01T12:04:00.006-05:00

It was a little over a year ago today when I took my time-honored weekend stroll around the Brickell neighborhood and decided to launch Brickell Life. It was Miami Marathon Sunday, just like it was yesterday, and it’s still one of the most inspiring events you can go out and see. I have an unbelievable amount of respect for those people who run. I know I certainly couldn’t accomplish it, or even a quarter of it, in the shape I’m in.

What I find most striking about the event is the camaraderie between runners and the kind of overwhelming encouragement that bystanders shower on to the participants. There is an incredible energy surrounding the course and you can feel it all around you as complete strangers yell, cheer and offer words of encouragement. There is this palpable desire behind everyone lining the race course to push each and every runner just a few more miles to the finish line.

It’s an awesome example of the humanity that I know is each and every one of us.

Brickell Life’s One Year Anniversary

2010-01-28T16:24:00.002-05:00

Well, Brickell Life’s one year anniversary came and went without much fanfare on Tuesday. But despite the lack of balloons, confetti, street naming, key to the city and all the other associated hoopla that comes with momentous occasions such as this – I have to say I’m pretty proud of what I’ve done over the last year.

I’m far from the best blogger out there. I don’t post often enough. I certainly don’t cover the Brickell scene sufficiently like the name of my blog dictates. My grammar and general command of the language sometimes leaves much to be desired despite a major in English literature. I’ve proven that I have extremely limited skills when it comes to multimedia. But in spite of all these shortcomings and plenty of others, I’m generally pleased with what I’ve been able to accomplish.

It’s been absolutely cathartic to write this blog. It provides me with an escape and a place to channel my random thoughts and musings. Brickell Life has opened up a completely new online world to me that I never knew existed in South Florida. Check out my blog roll and you’ll see just what I’m talking about. There are some extremely creative, intelligent, funny and incredibly talented writers, citizen journalists and purveyors of South Florida knowledge out there. All of you are amazing in your own right and an inspiration for me to continue writing. The best part is that my blog roll only touches the surface of who is out there writing and capturing the moment across our market. There are so many other blogs that I continue to discover in South Florida, across the country and around the world that I’m amazed each time I stumble across something new. Regardless of all the amazing bloggers out there, I must throw down a special shout out to Rick from the South Florida Daily Blog for encouraging me to even begin blogging over a year ago. Had I never submitted the photo of the misspelled 2008 America’s Mayors Conference billboards to his site, I might still only be reading the Miami Herald for my local news.

Do I wish I had time to post more often? Absolutely. But a full time career, family and the responsibilities of life sometimes dictate otherwise. However, what started out as an experiment just over a year ago has now become an integral part of who I am. Brickell life is me and will continue to be my thoughts on the neighborhood, the world and the people and places around me. I hope you’re enjoying the ride as much as I am.

Colombia Series - Part 7 - Campesino Life in the Mountains of Colombia

2010-01-07T17:11:00.010-05:00

I must preface this post by saying that I have no real idea what life is like for the campesinos of rural Colombia. I only had the privilege of catching a glimpse of this life from the comforts of Jeep Cherokee while driving some mountain roads outside of the town of Apulo. It’s hard for me to imagine working the land and surviving on what you can produce. It’s the way a good percentage of the world’s population still lives, but for one reason or another, I was brought into this world in an upper-middle class neighborhood in South Miami. It is what it is – you can’t fight that.

The dirt mountain roads surrounding Apulo were a fantastic peek into the backbone of Colombia. Here, life moves by what the land gives you. Poverty is common and it’s hard for me to imagine anyone born into this life actually receiving the education necessary to escape it. While I’m sure there are hundreds of examples of the opposite that was at least my first impression. Also surprising was the fact that many campesino mountain homes we saw had television antennas, which I guess is a byproduct of the state trying to bring electricity and other modern conveniences to this portion of its population.

The mountains surrounding Apulo are sub-tropical. We’re nowhere near the denseness of the Amazonian rainforests of Southern Colombia, but the slopes of these mountains are covered in a thick jungle of hardwoods, fruit trees and even some cactus. Birds, snakes, tarantulas, scorpions and insects of all shapes and sizes inhabit the surrounding hills and are a constant reminder that we’re just visiting here.

Despite its sub-tropical nature, you still can’t see into the canopy here and it’s no wonder the FARC have been able to hide and survive so long in mountains like these. They recruit many of these same poor campesinos we saw into their life of narco-trafficking and terrorism with a promise of a better life, but that has not proven to be the case.

Despite their remoteness and rugged nature, these mountains hold an intrinsic beauty. I was amazed at the steepness of some of them and the campesinos ability to farm the land despite what seemed like a 30-40 degree pitch. Corn, mangos, guanabanas, oranges, cattle and chickens were just some of what we saw roaming the dirt roads and wood and brick shacks that dotted the landscape.

I must admit, I felt a bit invasive snapping pictures from the comfort of the passenger seat of the 2008 Cherokee I was in. I wanted to document my experience as much as possible, but at the same time trying to be as respectful. In any case, this was my glimpse into campesino life in rural Colombia and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity.

If you want to better understanding of campesino life in the mountains of Colombia, take a look at my friend Philippe Houdard's Developing Minds Foundation. He is working directly with those severely affected by Colombia’s civil conflict and towards the reeducation of former child soldiers in the country. Philippe is the real deal and deserves your support. Thank you Philippe - keep it up.

Colombia Series - Part 6 - Road Trip

2010-01-06T13:48:00.009-05:00

For many of the Bogotános who can afford it, escape from the city’s congestion, pollution, cold weather and urban stress is a must. About 2.5 hours outside the city and nearly 2,600 meters below the Andean plateau where Bogotá resides is the small town of Apulo. While still mountainous, Apulo is tropical in nature and high temperatures exceeded 90 degrees during the day. Nights are cool and vacation homes, or fincas as they’re called here, all have pools to escape the heat.

While sitting around a pool all day long sipping rum and chomping down on grilled steaks, chorizo, stuffed calamari, morcilla, chorizo and pork ribs is definitely easy living (special thanks to the wife’s family); the drive to Apulo is half of the adventure. Twisting roads and a steep descent through the cloud thick mountains down the Carretera Mesa – Girardot makes you wish you were behind the wheel of Corvette and not in the backseat of a Jeep Cherokee.

It’s an impressive change in climate as you make your way down from the thin air of Bogotá into Apulo. And while the topography may change before your eyes, the desire for good food in this part of Colombia is never lost.

Half way in between Apulo and Bogotá and hanging to a steep cliff face is the restaurant Donde Otauio. If there was a Colombian version of Food Network’s “Diners Drive-In’s and Dives” this place would be at the top of the list. What an awesome joint. Owner Don Otauio was in the house when we dropped in and gave us a wave from his chair where he was watching English Premier League futbol. The place specializes in comida antioqueña, or traditional dishes of Colombia.

Up first were some chicharrones with arepas and ají, a Colombian hot sauce. Honestly, some of the best ever. It may have been the location, the climate or a mix of both – but I could have sat there eating those chicharrones until my arteries clogged up and I passed out fat and satiated. Following the suit of those around me, I threw a little salt on top the arepa, loaded it up with a nice chicharron and topped it off with a nice dose of ají. About 6 or 7 later I settled into a Coke from the bottle (yes it still tastes different) and waited patiently for our main courses to arrive.

If there was a national dish in Colombia, it would be Bandeja Paisa, which is practically everything you could ever want thrown on to one plate. It’s a mix of white rice, ground beef or steak, red beans, chicharron, plantains, chorizo, morcilla, arepa, avacado and all topped by a fried egg. It’s simply awesome. The juicy egg yolk seeps into everything and makes it into an insanely delicious gooey mess. There are many Colombian restaurants in Miami who make a fine Bandeja Paisa, but there was something authentically true about Donde Otauio’s. I guess if you want the best, it’s always smart to go to the source.

So if you ever find yourself half way between Bogota and Apulo on the road known as Carretera Mesa – Girardot and run across the sign for Donde Otauio, stop, stop, stop and go in for a bite. You won’t be disappointed by the hospitality, food or the view. It really is simply good eats.

The video below is quick look at this part of Colombia and the winding road between Apulo and Bogota.

Colombia Series - Part 5 - El Portico

2010-01-05T13:19:00.015-05:00

Just outside of northern Bogotá off the main Carrera Septima lies the El Portico restaurant. We visited on Christmas Day, December 25th, which is basically a day when the entire city shuts down to rest from the Christmas Eve (Noche Buena) festivities. Pretty much everything is closed except for some restaurants and other hardy entrepreneurs.

To reach El Portico, you need to cross the northern section of Bogotá on the Septima, where a considerable portion of the middle to upper class live. Malls, shops, restaurants, gyms and grocery stores dot the landscape but on the outskirts of the city is one of Bogotá’s most infamous slums, El Codito. It’s an interesting dichotomy, because just 20 minutes away Bogotános go about their daily lives of work and family without notice. The parallels to my life were more than apparent. I couldn’t tell you the first thing about life in Liberty City or Overtown, which is just 20 minutes from the high rises and financial district of Brickell. Sad social commentary on class and race relations, but it’s the way the world turns.

Nonetheless, I was excited to escape the congestion of urban Bogotá for the fresh mountain air outside the city. A breakfast of fresh mango and arepas had run their course and I was hungry for some serious sustenance.

Backed up against the Eastern Cordillera. El Portico is restaurant that specializes in typical regional cuisine and features a huge open pit wood fired grill. While the restaurant is a main feature of El Portico, the place is a destination itself. Built like a small traditional village, El Portico features small houses, a town square, a church and various buildings spread out across a couple acres. Weddings, parties and private events are not uncommon and it’s also been the backdrop for many commercials and television novelas.

The restaurant was fantastic. We sat outside under the sun and enjoyed many a cold Club Colombia beer while we snacked on morcilla, empanadas and patacons with a spicy guacamole. Main dishes were varied and our group took down everything from paella to grilled pork chops and steaks accompanied by mashed papas criollas and papas con hogao. For those who don’t know, hogao is this insanely good tomato-based onion cheese sauce which is traditionally put on top of potatoes. I’ve been known to put it on everything from my eggs to a piece of bread. A man could live off this stuff.

El Portico also features some pretty expansive grass areas where kids can stretch their legs and run around along with a small store full of trinkets, toys and some cool artisanal items as well. If you’re ever in Bogotá and have the chance to get outside the city for an afternoon, El Portico is definitely a solid choice.

Colombia Series - Part 4 - La Biferia Restaurant

2010-01-04T15:18:00.009-05:00

Grilled meats can dominate the culinary landscape here in Bogotá. It’s a big meat and potatoes town. And I am more than happy to oblige. On a recent afternoon down near the Zona T, a chic neighborhood full of bars, restaurants, residential and commercial buildings we checked out La Biferia for lunch. This Argentinean-styled steakhouse delivers on all cylinders and is definitely good eats.

The two story restaurant is all about prime beef and steaks cooked over hardwood, which lends to the steak’s distinctive flavors. There is chicken, salmon, pork and fresh trout available, but come on – you’re in a joint called La Biferia. On the wall as you enter is a chalkboard diagram of a cow and where all the cuts of beef come from. The menu appropriately describes the steaks, their level of fat, marbling, texture and best serving temperature. I went with a Bife Ancho, which is our equivalent of a rib eye.

But before the steaks were served, out came some delicious French bread, chimichurri and a fresh tomato salsa. We also ordered some morcilla and a provoleta. Morcilla was right on the money and served with some fresh cheese filled arepas. While blood sausage may turn some off, I tend to order it whenever it is on the menu. The provoleta was good, but not great. I mean, how bad can melted grilled cheese really be, but it lacked the fresh cut tomato and oregano that I typically associate with the dish.

The steaks were a different story. Grilled perfectly medium rare, they were served with a nice salt crust and accompanied by our side dishes of house Caesar salads, fries and a whole peeled tomatoes with basil and olive oil. I couldn’t dig into it fast enough. Service was stellar, as it typically is throughout Bogotá. Service here is considered a job to be taken seriously and not just for college beer money.

While we didn’t have wine with lunch, I did however manage to sneak in a couple local craft beers from the Bogotá Beer Company. The Monserrate Reds I drank were nice pale ales and a surprising find. Definitely want to check out Bogotá Beer Company next time around to sample a few more brews.

All in all, La Biferia is a great choice if you’re in the mood for wood grilled meats in more of an Argentinean style. It’s definitely on the list of places I’ll be going back to.