The Other South Beach Diet

06 Nov The Other South Beach Diet

I escaped the wretched cold of NYC and decided to have a weekend of sandy and delicious times on the beach. I had made it a point to try and have as many of my meals either on the sandy beach, around the sandy beach or at least coming right out of the water covered in sand. That was my mission. I started off Saturday bright and early with a breakfast of Café con Leche and buttered toast, in true Cuban fashion just a mere block away from the water, so that was close enough. Then I made my way to the beach. In heels. You can take the girl out of LA. But..

Posted up, coconut oil applied, and ready to get some color when I am tempted to try my hand at surfing. After embarrassing myself on the water I’ve built an appetite. I decided the best accompaniment to my salty fingers were Joes Stone Crabs. I wondered why I had never been there before.  This place was incredible! Stone Crabs so creamy and sweet, cracked and ready to suck down with a creamy mustard sauce, Manhattan Clam chowder that slapped me silly, and a lovely chopped salad that balanced everything out. Don’t bother me, don’t even look at me while I’m eating. It was that moving. I think I blushed a little. I digress. You must go to Joes if you haven’t been in Miami, what a fulfilling and fun lunch. A bit on the pricey side, but absolutely worth it!

After a little nap it was time to get excited for dinner. Nothing gets me excited for dinner than a delicious cocktail. I ninja-d my way around my friends refrigerator and found some Guatemalan Rum, some sliced Pineapple and coconut water. I muddled the pineapple and added the Rum and Coconut water and was taken back to my days in the sugar cane felids with my machete. Its true, I had a few of those days in the Dominican Republic. How my guide gave me his machete is beyond me, but memorable nevertheless.

I impressed myself with how delicious this drink was, although the Rum deserves all the credit. A dark deep Rum for this drink is essential because it is the main ingredient, so you do want to make sure you have a good quality Rum. The pineapple and coconut water is there to compliment the Rum, not water it down.

Dinner for tonight? Caribbean/Creole food. You might ask where the sand/water element for this dining experience was. Well, you’d be pleased to hear this tiny shack-like eatery was directly on the Canal with great manatee watching views. This place was called Red Light and was a bit off the beaten path, but very worth the trek. Started off with a bottle of Albarino which complimented the slight breeze off the cozy canal.  As I was enjoying the second glass of wine I was startled by what I came to find out was the “House Cat” Reggy. He came and sat by the table and took a nap right by my feet. I’m not a cat person, but I could see me and Reggy snuggling. I don’t know, something about him, maybe it was his white paws that made it look like he was wearing socks, or the fact that I felt like I was on my front porch with my childhood pet chilling next to me. Reggie was cool.

Then came the Gumbo. Filled with seafood and tender chicken and sausage, this gumbo was a perfect starter to titillate my taste buds for what was to come next. Although I did wish it packed a spicier kick, the second course of shrimp made up for the lack of spice in the first.

Third Course was one of their house specialties. BBQ Shrimp with dipping bread. This sauce clearly tasted like it had a gazillion spices and had been cooking slowly for days. I could have dipped Reggies little paws in this sauce and been happy. Of course, I didn’t but you understand.  Oh how deliciously spicy, sweet, and developed this sauce was that after the shrimp was finished, I used the dipping bread to soak up every last drop. The evening finished with a super moist rum cake that had thick white frosting smeared on top. My Caribbean dinner was now complete. No manatees, but I did find a lovable cat.