Moons Over Mihammy

No, I did not go to Denny's and order this infamous scramble; I actually visited Miami in person! I just like to name trips and events (i.e. Marge Madness) things that make me laugh :)

Moons Over Mihammy = A last minute work trip (Hawks vs. Phins). Over the course of 48 hours, I was able to soak up some serious rays, enjoy a long walk on the beach, and some delicious eats in Miami's most popular scene, South Beach.

Keep in mind this was a work trip... but when your task is to entertain clients in South Florida, it isn't hard to make work fun. We arrived pretty late Friday night, so we stayed on site at the lobby lounge at the amazing hotel we stayed at, the Westin Diplomat http://www.diplomatresort.com/ and enjoyed some serious Mojitos. I don't know about yall, but whenever I have ordered a Mojito in Seattle, it takes about a half an hour to muddle, mix and serve. In Miami, Mojitos are like Margaritas in Mexico - they come quick, strong and require lots of aspirin the next day. I enjoyed three....

Saturdays are typically free days for our guests, so I took the liberty of rising early and walked along the beautiful beach before I planted myself on a $10 beach lounge (which I didn’t have to pay for = a simple wink at a cabana boy goes a long way). Over the course of the next 8 hours, I enjoyed some of the best people watching and eavesdropping of my adult life. I also enjoyed watching our PR department frolic in the waves with a stolen Frisbee, and enjoyed two heavenly Pina Coladas... the kind with the toppers on them ;) During all of this I worked up quite an appetite, seeing as though I neglected to consume some lunch.

By the time 7pm rolled around, I was more than ready for a fab dinner. We decided to take the group into South Beach (about 30 minutes from our hotel) to Lario's, which is owned by Gloria Estefan's husband. We were greeted by a really tall, beautiful Cuban woman with big curly hair, light eyes and a rather large bottom. This to me was the quintessential Miami bar hostess... gotta love that!

Any who, the place was very low lit and smelled of amazing, authentic Cuban cuisine. They also had a live band playing what I would call ‘Mambo Kings type stuff’, which made it that much more of an authentic experience. Their bar had every kind of rum imaginable and a huge bucket of fresh limes ready for muddling. It also smelled of some cigars… the freshly rolled, by fresh off the boaters, kind…

We started off with some Mojitos of course, accompanied by some fried sweet potatoes, which were amazing! They slice them really thick and then drop them in some hot oil and serve. So good! I thought I would go all out and ordered the Cuban roasted pork. It literally looked like they cut it directly off the pig! Sounds gross but believe me, anything but gross! I couldn't even tell you what they put on it; all I know is that it was soo incredibly yummy. All their dishes come with rice and black beans (mixed together) and plantains. I have got to figure out how to make plantains... they were the perfect complement to the pork and rice and beans. I could not finish my plate but enjoyed enough to put myself into a food coma.

In hindsight it was good I didn't eat lunch.

Marge's Rating: 4 Stars and would SO go back ;)
For more information, visit http://www.miamibeach411.com/Restaurants/larios.html

I shall return to this hot spot someday... hopefully next time with some good friends :)

Viva Miami!