Miami Spice 2015 - Swine Southern Table & Bar

I'm sure you'll agree that nothing beats the smell of smoky, heartwarming BBQ. And I'm also sure that is exactly what you think about every time you walk down Ponce in Coral Gables. If you don't know what I'm referring to and you reside in Miami, you just haven't lived. Let me break it down for you. My next Miami Spice adventure happened at Swine Southern Table & Bar, located at 2415 Ponce de Leon Boulevard.

I'm sure I don't need to give you much of an introduction to this place. It is the sister restaurant of Yardbird Southern Table & Bar in Miami Beach, and one of the popular eateries owned and operated by 50 Eggs Inc., Miami's very famous multifaceted, culinary and hospitality firm. But most people know Swine as that awesome BBQ place in the Gables that makes the whole street smell so good.

Swine's Miami Spice Menu

We ventured out here on a Thursday night eager to see what goodies awaited us on their Miami Spice menu. While the menu itself isn't huge, the portions are. Perhaps huge is an understatement. I'm talking leftovers for a couple of days. And not just food that you put away in the fridge and forget about, but leftovers that you are looking forward to coming home to the next day.

I started my evening sipping their Homestead Bound, a sweet concoction made with Absolut vodka, Veev acai, fresh strawberres, orange, lemon, mint and basil. Of course, this is not part of the Miami Spice menu but who comes to Swine and doesn't have one of their famous cocktails?

The menu itself consists of a choice from three appetizers, three entrees and one dessert. You might be thinking, just one dessert? Yes, but sometimes one is enough; especially when it is called Death By Chocolate. But back to the starters. We ordered the Fried Green Tomato and the 1855 Black Angus Burnt Ends, and suddenly I was back in my last road trip vacation through the deep south. The Fried Green Tomato was topped with a robust Winter Park Florida tomme, pea shoots and a delicious tomato chow chow relish. However, it was the Golden Nuggets of the South, or the Burnt Ends, that totally blew me away. These flavorful, juicy pieces of meat were drizzled in their ever famous Swine barbecue sauce and served with spiced corn nuts and a creamy cornbread foam. All I can say is that it's one of those things you have to experience at least once in a lifetime.

Fried Green Tomato

1855 Black Angus Burnt Ends

On to the entrees. We decided to try the Backyard BBQ Chicken and the Low & Slow Ribs. When our server brought the dishes to the table,  my jaw dropped. The ribs in particular were stacked at three levels. I couldn't wait to stick my teeth into them. They were mopped in an apple cider vinegar,  which kept the meat moist and falling off the bone, and seasoned with a mild competition rub. I also enjoyed the homemade pickles served with the ribs. The chicken was slow smoked and grilled, and coated with the same Swine BBQ sauce. It was served with charred okra and roasted marble potatoes.

Low & Slow Ribs

Backyard BBQ Chicken

Remember the Death By Chocolate I told you about? Well this is just about the moment in time we succumbed to the sweet, pleasurable finale. Let me just list the ingredients and you'll understand what I mean: a glass filled with a rich chocolate brownie, creamy chocolate pudding, crunchy cocoa puffs, smooth chocolate ice cream, and a decadent chocolate sauce. Do you see a pattern here?

Death By Chocolate

It's pretty obvious Swine Southern Table & Bar is a must-do for Miami Spice. It's got incredible, quality food and portions to match. For more information, visit their website or call them at 786-360-6433.

The River Oyster Bar in Brickell

Even though Miami Spice is the mantra most of Miami's foodies are chanting now,  I like to sneak in a full menu review in the mix as well. After all, sometimes a girl has got to weigh all her options and play the field, right? Wait..I'm straying away from the food...Focus Maria Focus.

Anyway, I had been in the mood for some oysters for a while, so I decided to venture out to Brickell and visit one of the best places to find the freshest ones: The River Oyster Bar, located at 650 South Miami Avenue. The River has been around for a while, over 10 years to be exact, and it has seen many changes take place in the booming neighborhood. If you're familiar with the area, then you know it has been going through extensive construction and alterations, which made the future of this popular restaurant a bit uncertain. There was talk of it moving to a different building, rumors it would be adjacent to the Miami River, and everyone wondered what was going to happen to The River.

There is always an awesome selection of fresh oysters
to choose from

Well, as fate would have it, David Bracha, The River's chef/owner, and his partners, kept the restaurant going amidst all the surrounding turbulence, and the most recent development is that they are going to stay right where they are for at least another three years. That is great news for The River's fans and all those who see the neighborhood spot as a home away from home.

Photo courtesy of The River Oyster Bar

Not only are they staying, but they are completely remodeling the place and adding some new dishes to the already exciting menu. Some of these dishes will be signature favorites from Bracha's sister restaurant, Oak Tavern, which recently closed. So of course, to celebrate, I put on some heels and headed over to The River to quench my craving for oysters and a few other things. To start, some of the treats we gave our tastebuds (besides the oysters) were the Crab Cake, covered in horseradish aioli and corn salad and the Tuna Poke. What can I tell you about the tuna poke? The fact I didn't speak to my dining companion for a few minutes while I tasted, chewed and swallowed, was telling enough. It was prepared with seaweed, avocado and then bathed in sweet soy. Fantastic.

Crab Cake

Tuna Poke

We also decided to share the Crispy Skin Snapper Filet, which sounded very interesting. The fish was served with an avocado-tomato salad and plantain chips. It was colorful, light and integrated a nice mix of flavors at once. As I was getting ready to put the menu down, one of the side dishes  jumped out at me, so I figured what the heck? There's always the gym tomorrow. It was the Fried Crab Brown Rice, and our server, who was extremely helpful and quite handsome too, said it was one of his favorites. That's all I needed to hear. Bring on the carbs.... I didn't regret it though. It was that good.

Crispy Skin Snapper Filet

Fried Crab Brown Rice

You didn't think I was going to finish this adventure without having dessert, did you? We went two different routes. We ordered their Cheese Platter and their Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake. The Cheese Platter was nice, consisting of some bread, sweet fixings and a generous portion of queso. But it was the Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake, another recommendation from our cute waiter, that was insane. It was one of those experiences that brings a smile to your face and stays with you, even as you wake up the following morning. You know what I'm talking about right? You have to order it when you come here. You'll remember me when you smile.

Cheese Platter

Sticky Toffee

For more information on The River Oyster Bar, or to make reservations, visit their website, or call them at 305-530-1915.

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Recap - Rock the Tot at Bar Louie

Who doesn't like a good tot? Well, on Thursday, September 19th, I sure had my fill of them. Bar Louie locations around the country hosted their 6th annual "Rock the Tot" tater tot-eating contest and set out to break the world record of most people eating the tasty treat at the same time. I went to the location in Midtown Miami, at 3201 N. Miami Avenue, Suite 106. The place was packed and spirits were high. There was entertainment, great food and lots of beer and cocktails flowing.

Since I had never eaten at Bar Louie before, I decided to ingest more than just tots for the evening. However, I can see why they choose their tots as the celebrity of this event. They totally rocked. We tried their Loaded Tots, crispy yummies topped with queso, bacon, scallions and a spicy mix. They had a slight kick and huge flavor. I really couldn't stop popping them in my mouth.

Loaded Tots

Blackened Salmon Sliders

Mango Mojito

While we waited for the competition to start, we also tried the Meatballs Al Forno and the Blackened Salmon Sliders. While the Loaded Tots were the winners of the night, the meatballs were swimming in a tasty marinara sauce with mozzarella cheese. They were served with a generous portion of parmesan crostini. The salmon sliders were a great pick too. Served with french fries, the salmon had a nice, smoky flavor that went well with the bacon, fresh spinach, tomato and pesto mayo. I have to tell you the Mango Mojito I was sipping while the totters were rocking the tot was spectacular. I totally loved the sweet element of the mango puree on the Cruzan Light Rum blended with lime, mint, pure cane syrup and ginger ale.

Meatballs Al Forno

The winners were impressive! I saw tater tots being smothered, pancaked, and practically swallowed whole in the quest for the prize. First came the guests, then came the employees and the crowd kept cheering. Ian, the manager, took the win for the employees. He had a huge incentive: if any of them won, they got to write their schedule for a couple of weeks. Oh Ian, you were a sight to see popping those watered-down tots!

Nobody's writing their own schedule if Ian can help it!

While I whimped out from competing when I saw the level of tot eating expertise and determined faces that were all around me, I did pick up a few foolproof strategies that I plan to implement next year. Ain't nobody taking that Rock the Tot trophy from me then!

Future Rock the Tot Winner! Me!

Here are some moments we captured of the fun! For more information on Bar Louie at Midtown, you can call them at 786-879-7260.

MINI Night Out Miami - Recap

It sure feels great to be a celebrity! OK so I'm not, but on Saturday, August 17th, I sure felt like one. Living everything from VIP treatment, a chauffeur and paparazzi flashing cameras in my face, I thought I'd be signing autographs by the end of the night.

UrbanDaddy and MINI Cooper have partnered to bring four lucky cities around the country an innovative event series called MINI Night Out. The event kicked off on July 30th when their website launched at www.MININightOut.com. and then drove into Miami on August 16th and 17th. Guests were given the opportunity to reserve a ride in the brand new and spacious MINI Paceman and were chauffeured all night to different hotspots, where they were given the VIP treatment including special seating, luscious cocktails and delicious bites. At each stop, cameras were waiting and hostesses welcomed guests with a smile; escorting them inside.  One of our favorite parts were the car rides, where we'd have Taxi Cab Confession-like cameras attached to Ipads filming us as we danced and sang like the party animals Miamians are known to be. Personally, I loved the Paceman and the cool retro gadgets inside. The big round display in the middle of the console which can be used to play videos, the spectacular sound system and the double sunroof left quite an impression on us.  I am seriously considering it for my next purchase . (Hope I can negotiate including the driver with the price.)

The other three cities chosen to experience this starstruck evening were Chicago, San Francisco and New York. Not living in one of these cities? No worries! Guests can still sign up for the national sweepstakes at MINI Night Out's website for a chance to win a special night in their own city.

But back to our magic evening. Our stops included Bar Centro at the SLS Hotel in South Beach, HaVen Gastro Lounge and Wynwood Kitchen and Bar. The evening lasted into the wee hours and it was a crazy good time. Check out the pictures below and take a look at the Paceman when you get a chance.

Bar Centro at the SLS Hotel

Sangria at Bar Centro

Lettuce Wraps

HaVen Gatropub

Cheers!

Yummy Bites at HaVen

Loved the décor at HaVen

Chef Todd Erickson preparing some Nitro Ice-Cream

Our adventurous driver

Wynwood Kitchen & Bar

Some serious flavor explosion going on at Wynwood

Thanks MINI Night out for an awesome evening!