Goat curry, a Filipino buffet and (several) trolley rides
how I spent a spontaneous few days in Miami
I’m writing this while many miles up in the sky, flying back to NYC after a few unplanned, chaotic days in Miami. My decision to head further south instead of back north to NYC after my time in Ohio was spontaneous and most likely avoidant (although I didn’t put enough thought into it to even categorize it as such). One of my best friends lives there, she has a spare bedroom, I have credit card points and a desire to escape reality so the math was math-ing. Bon voyage!
I’m just gonna go ahead and say it: I love Miami. I think it is such an underrated city and by that I mean it is highly overrated for things I don’t think are that cool or special (partying in south beach comes to mind) and very underrated for quite literally everything else. I will not be so brazen as to claim any deep level of knowledge about a city I’ve barely spent any time in but over the years, my appreciation and love for the magic city has grown immensely. Every trip I find something new to love about it and this trip was no different.
The fact that I took a trip without involving an excel spreadsheet was a big step for me. Normally this sort of erratic behavior has the potential to send my plan-oriented self into a spiral but I’d argue it’s the reason everything felt so extra magical this time around. I don’t think it’s any big secret but I’ve been going through a breakup (side note: for god’s sake how many of those am I going to be forced to survive? Glaringly obvious answer: as many as it takes for me to learn my lesson🤡). It’s been about 2ish months and now I am *actually* in my healing era after an obligatory (at least for me) stint in the hot mess party girl era. Which is to say I’m in a real “live and let live” type of mood. Open to where life leads me, open to whatever comes my way, yada yada & namaste. And I suppose that mentality extended to my time here.
I wasn’t worried about “wasting time” or not “making the most” of the trip because I was staying with my friend Melanie who is the same brand of neurotic as me and this neuroticism manifests most palpably in the way we stay *doing things.* We will go from Barry’s Bootcamp and salads in the morning to dirty martinis and foie gras at night with a self-guided history museum tour and Filipino buffet peppered in between all within the span of a single day. The range goes absolutely crazy (and so does the step count).
So let’s chat Miami. What I ate, what I drank, what I did, and what I think you might like if you have such distinguished good taste as to subscribe to this newsletter :)
Where to eat/drink:
Tam Tam
(99 NW 1st St, Miami, FL 33128)
order the grilled oysters with salted duck yolk, scallop crudo, salt + pepper frog legs (my personal fave) and the goat curry noodles (if khao soi and goat curry had a baby - another fave)
pro tip: pair the meal with a chilled light red (preferably a liter-sized bottle), share some with your bartender, and drink *just enough* to request “Gasolina” from your uber driver and dance all the way home.
Manila Kantina
(245 E Flagler St, Miami, FL 33131)
this a grocery store with a pretty epic buffet inside. Not sure how often the items change but if it’s anything like my experience, try the pork dinuguan, pork adobo, lechon, and pork kare kare (are you sending a theme here?? Pork city, baby!)
pro tip: don’t skip the condiment station. Get yourself some chili-infused vinegar and chili oil for dipping/drizzling.
Sunny’s
(7357 NW Miami Ct, Miami, FL 33150)
order the parker house rolls, scallop crudo, oysters (but only if you’re willing to use the shells for oyster shooters), chicken liver mousse with seasonal tropical fruit mostarda (ours was guava, heck yes), Caesar salad (with a side of anchovies/boquerones if you know what’s good for you), crab agnolotti & hanger steak. To drink: a martini shaken tableside (or 2. or 3 – you’re in Miami after all). Gin, extra filthy, blue cheese olives.
pro tip: don’t splurge on the steak, splurge on the sauce. We got the hanger steak (one of my personal favorite cuts & their cheapest option at $38) and listen – I love me a steak but it’s, you know, steak. What really supplements the steak-eating experience is the literal bevvy of accompanying sauces to choose from: everything from a classic Bearnaise to potato butter (kind of like aligoté potatoes…just go with it) to bone marrow vinaigrette. Get a few, have fun with it, and complete the circle of whimsy with a side order of fries that bear an uncanny resemblance to the crunchy, perfectly seasoned pool-stand variety. Oh, and lastly, even though you’re going to be hella full, don’t even think about skipping dessert: the passionfruit mousse with shaved foie gras was semi life-changing. Bonus points if you go for the sauternes pairing.
Gramps Getaway
(3301 Rickenbacker Cswy, Key Biscayne, FL 33149)
order the conch fritters, roasted prawns, and a zesty lil michelada to wash it all down.
pro tip: the logo may feature the silhouette of a dark-bearded man but as it turns out, there are several bearded men who work there, not all of them are the owner, and maybe don’t proceed to call your bartender “gramp.”
El Sitio Coffee Bar
(19 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33132)
according to google, this Venezuelan coffee shop/restaurant has quite an extensive menu but I tried one thing here and one thing only and I can say without a doubt the cachapa queso de mano is one of the best I’ve ever had. Trust.
What else to do:
*disclaimer: this is not a comprehensive overview of sh*t to do in Miami (of which there is plenty). It’s just a little listicle of a few of the things I enjoyed this time around
Learn about the history of Miami
(HistoryMiami Museum: 101 W Flagler St, Miami, FL 33130)
The HistoryMiami museum makes for a perfect “between meal” excursion in downtown Miami. It was fascinating to learn about the evolution of the city from the Native American tribes who have called it home to the waves of immigrants that have diversified and defined its culture. When I went there was a special exhibit on swimwear through the decades called Waves of Style which was groovy.
Take a not hot, but definitely kind of hot yoga class
(Brickell Yoga: 452 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33130)
Remember that “range” of activity I referred to earlier? This is a prime example. I’m actually not a yoga girly; I’m far too un-chill, un-zen, and generally unrelaxed for it. I’ve always been more inclined towards the spin classes and bootcamps of the world. However, in an effort to improve my overall health (which includes the mental/spiritual kind) as well as use up some of my forever-expiring ClassPass credits, I decided to go along with Melanie’s suggestion that we take a 75-minute (is she insane?) Power Vinyasa class with her favorite instructor, Johan. She promised it would be a tough workout that would satisfy my need for intensity and let me tell you - it delivered. It’s technically not a hot yoga class but Johan *did* periodically raise the room temp to around 95 degrees then cool it down with fans and repeat. By the time we reached shavasana, I could have sledded through the room on my back - it was schvitz city.
Ride the trolley
(all over the city)
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Melanie over the years, it’s that she is morally opposed to getting inside a car at all times. She’ll take a 45 minute walk to dinner in the thick AF Miami heat or traverse NYC via CitiBike obstacle course before ever considering calling a car but during this trip, I discovered her passion for another mode of transportation: the Miami trolley! I had no idea a trolley system existed in Miami but it’s free, it’s efficient, and the trolleys are so cute. Is this an activity? Not really but it *does* get you to your activities. So yeah, I recommend.
