Postcard from South Beach

Last week at this time Jason and I were sitting by the gorgeous (and famous) pool at our South Beach hotel in Miami. As I am running around today trying to get things done before heading off to my first day at my new job tomorrow, those sun-filled days of relaxation seem nothing more than a distant memory.  A memory that I thought I should share with you in case you too decide you need a beach getaway this summer.

Ocean Drive

First of all—why Miami. When Jason and I decided to take a mini-vacation during my week of unemployment we knew we wanted to go somewhere we could relax and recharge. For us the beach seemed like the perfect fit. We originally looked at island destinations until I remembered that—oops! I never updated my passport after I changed my name post-wedding. (Note to all of you newlyweds—just go ahead and change your passport when you are in the midst of changing everything else…otherwise you will forget all about it and may find yourself in this exact predicament.) We looked into Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (neither of which require a passport for US citizens) but decided that Miami, a city neither of us had been to before, might be the perfect fit given that its location and climate.  We decided to stick the South Beach area since we could get around pretty easily without a car.

Iced coffee for breakfast-- a necessity to beat the heat while still getting a morning caffeine fix

After looking at expedia and Frommers for hotel options, we ended up at The Raleigh—a beachfront art deco hotel on the northern end of South Beach (away from a lot of the crazy hubbub) known for its pool.  The Raleigh was an excellent choice—the pool and whole outdoor area lived up to the hype and the hotel definitely has an Old Hollywood vibe to it given the art deco decor (although when we first walked in we weren’t so sure—there was a little bit of an old building smell going on). We even got a room upgrade (to one with a pool/ocean view) since our room wasn’t ready when we checked in and we stayed in a lower tier room the first night.

The view from our upgraded room

One of the best things we did while we were in South Beach was take a 90 minute walking tour of the art deco district through the Miami Design Preservation League (it was also the only real “sightseeing” we did during the trip—the rest of the time we hung out at the beach and/or the pool).  South Beach has the highest concentration of art deco buildings in the whole world and the tour gave us a brief introduction to what this period of art and architecture consisted of and showed us how it played out in the heyday of Miami and South Beach which Jason, something of an architecture buff, really enjoyed. It also gave us a little bit of local history which, as something of a history buff, I appreciated.  I’d highly recommend it if you are ever in the area.

The Carlyle--an excellent example of an art deco hotel on Ocean Drive

Miami is also known as a foodie city (it was host to an earlier season of Top Chef) and, no surprise, we enjoyed a couple of really excellent meals while we were there. The first was at a little Italian restaurant called Spiga. It was probably some of the best Italian food I’ve ever had.  We started with a prosciutto and melon appetizer (such a good summery snack and so easy—I’ve got to serve that at home this summer) and some delicious homemade foccacia.  Jason had handmade crab ravioli with a light white wine-butter sauce and tomatoes while I had quadretti (thin, squares of pasta) with tomatoes, portabella and truffle oil. Both meals were phenomenally good. But the real show stopper for me was dessert—we shared the most delicious cheesecake I’ve ever had; made with ricotta it was light and custardy (and I’m already researching how to replicate it at home!)

But we saved the best meal for last. As soon as I was offered and accepted my new job, Jason suggested we celebrate with a nice meal out somewhere. I decided we should wait until Miami and I’m so glad we did. For my celebration meal, I chose Wish which was universally described as one of the best and most romantic restaurants in South Beach. The restaurant is part of the aptly named The Hotel and most of the tables are set up in a garden hidden from the surrounding city streets by tall hedges and a canopy of leafy trees. In the middle of the already beautiful garden setting is a aqua and teal tiled fountain; needless to say, the ambiance was indeed very romantic especially after the sun went down. The food, however, was the true star of the show. It’s not cheap, but well worth the price particularly for a special occasion. I started with the lobster ravioli—fresh and delicate in flavor and texture—while Jason had the ultimate gazpacho---a luxuriously smooth soup poured tableside around a bowl of lump crabmeat and avocado. Our entrees were just as good. I had seared scallops with Brussels sprouts and calabaza squash (pureed and pickled) while Jason had a local steamed snapper with tomatoes, artichokes and basil. We finished the evening off with a Meyer lemon tart that was out of this world (another dish I am planning to try my hand at now that we’re home).

After dinner at Wish

No trip to South Beach would be complete without a little nightlife. Jason and I have pretty much outgrown the party scene and were asleep by 11 or 12 most nights while we were there. However, on our last night there (after the sensational dinner at Wish) we decided to head to the Delano (a very posh hotel complete with a lounge designed by Lenny Kravitz) for a taste of glamorous Miami. And glamorous it was. The Delano’s interior is very modern—tall ceilings, white décor--- and with the music playing it definitely had a clubby feel. Fortunately we were able to snag a table near the Rose Bar and enjoyed a little people watching with our expensive cocktails and late 90s/early 00s jams.

 The beach-- we stayed under these umbrellas most of the time to keep our very pale skin from being burnt to a crisp

Overall we had a great time on our trip to South Beach. The summer is the off season which was both good (in that things were a lot less crowded and crazy then they might have been) and bad (it was HOT—even at night it was hard to walk more than a few blocks without breaking into a major sweat). From what we saw on our relatively short trip, South Beach is an eclectic area—extreme luxury adjacent to falling down buildings. But it is a fun place and one that we hope to see again one day (hopefully when it is a little bit cooler!)