Conscious Living Retreat Miami - December 1, 2007

~ HEALTH - SPIRITUALITY - RELATIONSHIPS - ABUNDANCE ~

Lectures - Raw Foods - Fireside Chat - Camping - Yoga - QiQong - Music

more info http://www.centerofbeing.org/splash.asp

It Isn't Always Bright and Sunny

Check out these dark low lying clouds over Miami today. This is what late summer/early fall often looks like. Makes you wish there were changing leaves instead.

Earth Dance Miami

September 15, 2007, at 7PM EST, nearly half a million world citizens in over 60 countries and 350 locations worldwide will join together for the world's largest synchronized music and dance festival for peace and to support humanitarian causes through the global language of music and dance. The defining moment of each Earthdance event is a synchronized link-up, when every event around the world plays a specially produced song called "The Prayer for Peace" at exactly the same time.

It will be an all day event with tons of music, performance art, yoga, and more. Doors open at 2pm. Tix are $15 in advance, $20 at the door, and here's the real bargain: get there before 4pm and get in 2 for 1.
EarthDance Miami
EarthDance International

Roma Organic Gelato

After hearing some great reviews of Roma Organic Gelato from Critical Miami, I just had to stop by for a taste. It is located in Mary Brickell Village right next door to Grimpa (or behind Starbucks towards the metro mover).

Roberto and Mauro are two very friendly Italian guys offering the best gelato around. It is all organic - right down to the milk, berries, nuts, chocolate....all of it! And the flavor is just WOW. Pistachio and Hazlenut were my two favorites last night, but coconut, dulce de leche, chocolate and all the rest were really amazing. And the owners are very welcoming which makes you want to come back the next day!

By the way, they also have sandwiches, salads and wraps which I plan on checking out someday for lunch.

Daily Candy also has a great review of Roma Organic Gelato.

Roma Organic Gelato, 901 South Miami Avenue, in Mary Brickell Village (786-252-5276).

Wow This Sucks

"Boom of Condo Crash Heard Loudest In Miami"

Organic Eco-Friendly Pizza

"Saving the Earth, One Pizza at a time"

Wow, I just came across this. It's an Organic Eco-Friendly Pizzaria in Ft. Lauderdale & Deerfield Beach. Plus they have a bunch more locations coming soon, one is Aventura, YES! Another in South Beach!!! Oh how awesome!

They have 2 vegan pizzas on the menu! & deliver via hybrid. Hey Shawn, coming over this weekend :)

http://www.pizzafusion.com/

Here is some info from the website: (they have lots more info on the website)

Our Sauce:

Our delicious pizza sauce is made fresh every morning using only 100% Certified Organic Ingredients: the tomatoes, the sugar, all of our “Secret” herbs & spices as well as our olive oil! We are proud to use Christina’s Organic Tomatoes, Florida Crystal’s Organic Sugar(milled from the ONLY Organic Sugar Farmin the U.S.) and Spectrum Organic Olive Oil to make our sauce for you, your children and your loved ones.

Our Dough

Our pizza dough is made from the finest “00” all-natural flour, imported from Naples Italy. And we take pride in only combining with 100% Organic Ingredients. Our Whole Grain Multi-Grain “Healthy Crust” is made with Certified Organic flour and ingredients. Dough is allowed ample time to proof, giving it true flavor.

Our Vegetables

All of the vegetables we use for our Pizzas & Sandwiches are 100% CERTIFIED organic*. However, there are times when certain organic items become available due to weather problems which can affect farming. In the event that we replace an item with conventional produce, we will CLEARLY note these items on our “Specials board”. Our mission is to uphold the highest level of integrity in your food. Your health is our #1 priority.

Our Salads

We are proud to use both Newman’s Own Organics and Earthbound Farms Spring Mix and Baby Spinach in all of our salads. These two companies are THEE leading farms for organic salads and haved paved the way for organic eating. All of our dressings come from our friends at Annie’s Naturals.

Our Meats & Poultry

We are proud to use only all-natural meats from Applegate Farms. All of our select cuts of deli meats are free of any nitrates, antibiotics or chemical preservatives. Our NY Strip and Ground Beef from Grateful Harvest is 100% CERTIFIED ORGANIC and is free of any hormones, pesticides, antibiotics and insecticides. It is fed a diet of 100% Organic feed and roam freely in their natural environment. We use all-natural, free-range chicken for our pizzas and salads.

Slow News Day for Sun Sentinal?

The South Florida Sun Sentinal has on their home page the headline "Are Hollywood starlets getting too thin?" with pictures of Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie above it.

First of all this story is sooooooo old. I know the date of the story says August 22, 2007, but this was "news" almost 2 years ago. Where has the Sun Sentinal been all this time?

Second, earth to Sun Sentinal!!!! Nicole is pregnant and hopefully getting "fat" and Lindsay is in rehab and is said to have never looked better. That's what everyone is talking about now. Get it right! DUUUUHHHHH

Birthday Dinner at The Forge

The official birthday dinner night was reserved for Elad. As part of my birthday wish, I asked him to pick out a place for us to eat. He picked out 5 and made reservations at all of them. After a few weeks of indecisiveness, we picked The Forge.

The Forge is known for its steak, wine and romantic dark lighting. There are multiple rooms you can choose from when you make a reservation. Honestly I don't think there is any restaurant like The Forge anywhere else in Miami. I felt like I was transported back to NY to some amazing unique restaurant that I couldn't afford there either. There is the main room, the wine dining room, the dome room, the library and I am sure a few others. Elad chose the library because it is known to be cozy. The room literally looks like a library in a person's home. Floor to ceiling bookshelves with glass doors. I peaked inside one and found law books (Southern Reporter). Also, there are large stained glass windows that make you feel like you are in a church or temple. Not that it is religious. There is nothing religious about it. It is just dark and heavy and gives that feel of importance.

We were seated at a table which had a couch as well as two chairs across from it. We chose to sit next to each other on the couch. First the wine menu is presented to you. We picked a savignon blanc by the bottle. The wine comes out along with a cone full of bread. The bread was hot and really good and came with a butter mixed with herbs. There was sweet, salty, cheesy and seasoned bread. Beware of over consuming the bread - there is a lot more ahead of you!

Next the HUGE menus come out. Literally the menus were as big as the table. There was a large variety of fish and meat. Meat is their thing. They have all cuts of steaks and they are known for their aged-super steak. (Although I was advised it ain't all that "super" and you can do just as well with getting the filet.) Elad and I have this little thing that goes way back that I was supposed to get lobster at some dinner out. So if its gonna happen - why not at the Forge? So Lobster for me and filet mignon for Elad. We also ordered a tuna tartar appetizer and a side of creamed corn and sweet potato mash.

As we perused the menu, a little taster came out. A small plate with a shrimp with a cold creamy sauce. If this was a taste for what was coming, we were headed in the right direction.

The tuna tartar came out fast. It had a mango salsa decorating the plate, as well as kimchi and eel sauce. Elad is kinda obsessed with sushi right now so he was loving the raw tuna. I agree - it was really well done.

Let me just break from the food to tell you about the service. We must have had 5 different people waiting on our table. They were constantly refilling the water, pouring the wine, cleaning up after us, checking to see if everything was OK. There is no lack of attention to detail at this place.

The main course came out and I was surprised because it was actually fast. I thought I would wait awhile but before I knew it there was food in front of me again. The meals come out on large plates covered in a metal dome to keep it hot. After the meal is put down and all the side dishes are present, they lift the dome and WHALA there is your lovely meal.

The lobster I got was on special that night. It was a lobster tail from South Africa. This thing was HUGE. Literally the biggest lobster tail I have ever seen in my life. Can easily feed two people. It was cooked on a tuscan grill and served with macadamia nuts and a few pieces of veggie tempura. It has been a very long time since I have had lobster and with a payoff like this it was worth the wait. It was tender and meaty and so filling. The only problem is that I could have used some buttery sauce, but this lobster was not going for the traditional butter thing so I didn't ask. I fully enjoyed it nonetheless!

Elad had the filet and it was perfect. Great consistency, size and flavor. It came with a small kabob of grilled veggies.

As for sides, I think you can skip on it. The creamed corn was good but nothing to rave about it. The sweet potato mash was too sweet. They must have added something to sweeten it up but it just went a little too far for my taste.

So at this point I couldn't breath. I was so full I could barely sit straight on my seat. But it is my birthday and what is a birthday without dessert? We ordered this chocolate pie (The Forge Blacksmith Pie). It had multiple layers of cream and chocolate and a cookie crust. Very tasty but I could only get two bites down and decided it would be best to take it home and eat the rest later.

This dinner was really amazing. And don't think the check didn't reflect that. All I could do was laugh hysterical at how expensive the meal was. I think Elad shed a tear as he handed over his credit card. But we can't deny that the meal was worth it. We didn't cheap out in any respect and really took full advantage of what the Forge has to offer. It might not be often that we can eat like we just won the lottery and I am extremely lucky to be treated so well on my special day! Thank you, Elad! I love you!!!!

Review: Miami Spice Month at Wish

My wonderful friend Pinc took me out to dinner the night before my birthday to Wish. It was the official kick-off to the birthday celebrations!

Wish is located at The Hotel, 801 Collins Ave. in South Beach. The cuisine is mostly an American style with the decor styled by Todd Oldham. Bright tropical colors and dim lighting make it a lovely and comfortable place to dine.

On their regular menu there were some interesting offerings but the spice menu has plenty that I wanted to try. We actually picked Wish because of the rocky road cake dessert. Rocky Road is my favorite ice cream so I had to see what the cake variety would be like.

We did try out a savignon blanc by the glass. I believe it was from Richard Hall. Very good wine and the price was not bad.

Their spice menu:

APPETIZER (choice of one)
-Crispy Chick Pea Ravioli
With Greens and Sweet Ginger Dressing
-Golden Beet Salad
With Curried Goat Cheese, Raisins, and Radicchio

ENTRÉE (choice of one)
-Seared Organic Chicken
Lemon-Basil Spaetzle and Vietnamese Black Bean Sauce
-Australian Sea Bass
Japanese Eggplant Griddle Cakes with Bell Pepper Nage and Marjoram
-Roasted Pork Chop
Chorizo-Clam Hash, Sweet Potatoes, Corn, and Thyme

DESSERT (choice of one)
-Crème Caramel
Florentine Cookies and Basil Anglaise
-Molten Rocky Road Cake
With Vanilla Milkshake

Pinc and I both had the chick pea Ravioli salad. There was a hot fried ravioli filled with creamy chick peas (a la hummus) on top of a simple green salad with tomatoes and a light creamy dressing. A good start to the meal. The ravioli was the best part (can't beat anything fried) and the salad was simple and good.

For the main meal, Pinc had the Sea Bass which looked really yummy. She says she enjoyed it and by the looks of her empty plate at the end, I don't doubt it. The fish was on top of an eggplant cake which I tasted and was very good.

I had the pork chop. I must admit, I have never actually had a full fledged pork chop before. (Blame it on the jewishness) But over the past few years, with thanks to Pinc, I have opened my eyes to many varieties of pork. Oh, how did I live so long without all those yummy baby back ribs? Anyway, we were talking about pork chops. And specifically this one, albeit my first ever, was so yummy! It was tender and roasted simply with salt and pepper and maybe some other simple spices. The chop had a lot of flavor and was a huge cut. Very filling and satisfying.

On to the much anticipated dessert. We both went for the rocky road cake. And of course Danya thought ahead and when she made the reservation with Open Table* she noted it was a birthday dinner. So out came the cake with a candle and in chocolate it said "Happy Birthday" on the plate. So cute! The dessert came with a little vanilla milkshake served in a shotglass. Nothing fancy, but still it was good. And the cake. THE CAKE! It was rocky road in the hot version. There was chocolate. There were nuts. There were even marshmallows! And it was all in a round shaped cake with a gooey chocolate center. Kinda like a molten cake except it had the rocky road flavors added in.

Overall, my experience at Wish was excellent. The food was great, the portions were perfect, the atmosphere was lovely and of course the presence of Pinc and celebrating my birthday made it all that much better!

*By the way, Open Table has a special page just for Miami Spice. You can just type in the time and date you want to eat and they will tell you what Miami Spice restaurants have openings. Just remember that not all restaurants participate in Spice every night of the week, so make sure to confirm what nights there are spice menus at the Miami Spice website.

Review: Miami Spice Month at Grass

Grass Restaurant and Lounge is a hidden spot tucked in the Design District on 40th Street right off of Miami Avenue. It is hard to spot from the street but once you get inside it is an open air (no roof) dining hotspot. If you are going on Friday night make sure to make a reservation because they were packed.

Luckily, we thought ahead. We were seated within a few minutes of arriving. They were just ending their Friday BBQ Buffet. Looked good, but we were too late and we were really there for the Spice Menu.

We did look over their regular menu. All looked great but very expensive.

Options on the Spice Menu:

APPETIZER (choice of one)
Savory Goat Cheese Crumbles
With Hydroponic Arugula and Soy-Balsamic Drizzle

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
With Chunky Crab Salad Garnish

Miso Marinated Asian Chicken Salad
Napa Cabbage, Radicchio, Endive, Pickled Mango and European Cucumber

ENTRÉE (choice of one)
Homemade “Herbs Du Provence” Roasted
Breast of Free Range Chicken Parmesan and Truffle Tossed Shoestring Fries

Toasted Brown Miso-Sweet Soy Glazed Florida Yellow Jack
Julienne of Vegetables and Grilled Scallion Beurre Blanc

Marsala-Tamari Marinated Skirt Steak
Seasoned Sweet Potato Chips

DESSERT (choice of one)
Cashew-Crusted Pineapple Cheesecake
Pistachio Ice Cream

Chocolate-Hazelnut Beignets
With Chocolate-Ginger Sauce

Tasting of Sorbets and Gelatos
Amaretto

Elad and I are big on sharing. We had:
Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho and Miso Marinated Asian Chicken Salad
Homemade “Herbs Du Provence” Roasted and Marsala-Tamari Marinated Skirt Steak
Cashew-Crusted Pineapple Cheesecake and Chocolate-Hazelnut Beignets

Elad wasn't a huge fan of the Gazpacho, I think because there was fish in it. But I actually REALLY enjoyed it. Very light and refreshing. The Asian salad was really yummy, especially the fresh mango and citrus fruits incorporated into the dish.

The roasted chicken was perfect. They put slices of lemon under the skin of the chicken while it roasts. I think that makes it more flavorful and tender. Very yummy. Elad was a big fan of the steak, which had a good marinade but wasn't the tenderness that I usually go for. But still, it was very tasty. And it came with a chimichurri that was tasty.

And finally...the dessert. AMAZING! I don't know which one I enjoyed more. Seriously the cheesecake had an explosion of flavor that was matched perfectly with the nutty crust and ice cream. It was a great smooth consistency and the portion side was good. The beignets were warm and gooey. They had a fudgy chocolate center that oozed out when you bit into them. You got 4 small beignets which doesn't seem like a lot, but after a big meal it was perfect.

I totally recommend people trying out Grass. Just take into account that there is no A/C shield from the heat and that your service might not be as prompt as you like. (I don't think the servers are used to this many people). They do have large fans set up around the dining area and occasionally they shower the restaurant in mist. The food is totally worth it and the music is great too! There was a live DJ that night playing hip hop mostly from the 90's. If you go on a Friday night try to show up a little early and let me know how the BBQ buffet is.

A Real Tropical Storm...Coming Soon

Right now "Tropical Depression 4" is out in the Atlantic somewhere southeast of Florida. Today this depression is supposed to turn into Tropical Storm Dean. And by Friday it could be a Hurricane.

Of course, a bunch of weather factors could move the storm further away from the coast of Florida, so make sure to stay on top of the forecast at the National Hurricane Center.

And here is a summary of the messy weather situation in the US right now.

Miami Ingestion

Spice Month(s) are coming! During August and September, some of Miami's best restaurants open their doors to those of us without fat wallets, but with high quality appetites. For a mere price of $22 (Lunch) or $35 (Dinner) we can all eat like Dukes and Duchesses.

The list of restaurants is here. If you're looking for me at all during Aug or Sept, check out any of the sushi places on that list. (Speaking of which, be sure to check out Sara Liss's expectational review of Sushi Samba Dromo, a top contender for places I must try.)

Miami in Construction

The ultra-active Boom or Bust: Miami concluded their 3rd Quarter tour of new constructions around Miami this week, the last entry focusing on the the area between Edgewater and downtown.

Some highlights: The Opera Tower (future landmark), The Yorker (love those rounded balconies), Cite (home of my bank), Star Lofts (cool shape!), Ten Museum Park (Oppenheim is King), among others.

Some very impressive buildings and it's real nice to get these updates. I think the editor should upload these to that Google Maps Streetview thing for prosperity and also so he can have links directly to Google Maps for those of us planning sight-seeing tours. But, oh well. I'll take the pretty pictures for now.

English as a Second Language

This morning on my drive into work I heard a local news story on NPR (WLRN in Miami) about summer school for kids in elementary school (I believe it was 3rd grade). Thousands of children failed the reading comprehension portion of the FCAT. Most of these children come from homes where English is a second language. The children in this summer program scored a 1 (out of 5) and should be at around a level 3.

And it got me thinking...why are so many children failing these FCAT tests? Is it simply because the parents don't speak English? When I grew up in NY most of my friends were first generation American. Their parents were from Colombia, Israel, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan - I mean you name the country and I had a friend from there. But somehow we all excelled in reading comprehension despite the fact that our parents spoke a language other than English in the home.

So what is the difference? Is it simply that these kids aren't forced to speak English enough? Growing up in NY we didn't have an opportunity to use our parent's first language outside of the home - but I know that in Florida the case is exactly the opposite - you are encouraged to use Spanish every where you go.

So now that kids are being "left behind" and can't pass reading comprehension exams - is it time to make some changes? Change the test? Change how kids are raised?

Best Of Miami

It's Here!!!!

The Miami New Times has put out its annual "Best of" List for everything under the sun (restaurants, shops, music, city life, etc)

Notable categories: Best Inexpensive Italian Restaurant (Luna Café), Best Natural Foods Restaurant (A), Best New Dining Trend
(Use of locally grown foods), Best NonVegetarian Restaurant for Vegetarians (Lido at the Standard), Best Restaurant to Open Past Deadline (Michael's Genuine Food & Drink), Best Carnival Center Parking (NE First Court between Thirteenth and Fourteenth Streets), Best Class Disparity (Biscayne Boulevard between 69th and 70th streets), Best Criminal Conviction in the Past Year (John Couey), Best Local Girl Made Good (Ulrike "Uli" Herzner), Best Place to Meet Single Men (Playwright Irish Pub and Restaurant),

A special CONGRATS to Critical Miami for the well deserved "BEST WEBSITE" award!

(And just in case you are interested, Broward has a Best of, too)

#1

Miami worst road rage city

Miami, What's Up This Weekend?

You all know my LOVE for the 2nd Saturday of each month - Art night in the Design District and Wynwood.

This weekend a special event is being hosted by Sara Liss at the Zeitgeist Showroom (3886 Biscayne Blvd, Design District). Check out the flyer above.

From Sara: There will be cocktails by Rain Organic Vodka and plenty of interesting folks to mingle with. The event will probably go until 10 pm so drop by on your walk through the Design District.

At the event, there will be presentations by dynamic personalities involved in green businesses or projects. The format is 20 slides, 20 seconds to talk per slide so it will be fast (only 6 and half minutes per presenter) and not boring (hopefully!). Sort of like a fast, fun, lecture with images.

And what is a good event without a great after party? Head over to Grass Lounge (28 NE 40th St, Design District) - one of the newest hot spots in the Design District that I am just dying to check out.

So all of you come out and get Organic Vodka and take in the scene!

(click here for a previous post with more details about the Design District and Wynwood)

It's Starting!

Atlantic's first named storm forms early

Subtropical Storm Andrea. Oh fun!

And lucky us, South Florida has been covered in a blanket of smoke from brush fires on the West Coast and Northern parts of Florida. The winds from this tropical storm have caused the smoke from up north to travel down south.

And you thought California was alone today in their wildfire chaos.

Spotlight on Midtown Miami

Today's cover story from the Miami Herald shines a light on the true urbanization of Miami, the bustling Midtown/Design District area and the new pedestrian-friendly neighborhood around the Performing Arts Center. Also, namedrops Michael's and the Charter Club!

Thanks to Transit Miami (my new favorite blog) for the link.

Part Two of Transit Miami's Walk-Across-Miami

This episode, Gabriel continues his tour of downtown and moves away from the construction ghetto near the American Airlines Arena and into the downtown retail district. I was there a few weeks back and was surprised to see a dense area of buildings in the otherwise scattered area. It's too bad it's so dirty and deserted, especially at night.