Cuban Food, Mojitos, Calle Ocho and more Cuban Food

A visit to Miami won't be complete without a Cuban food feast. It was hard for me to get myself out of South Beach because that place was just too much fun. Thankfully, my love for food was greater than my love for the beach so I dragged myself out of South Beach and drove to Little Havana for some Cuban food trippin'.

Picture: Versailles Facebook Page

Located in the heart of Miami's Cuban community and along Calle Ocho, Versailles has been serving authentic Cuban dishes since 1971.

Ceviche Tropical for appetizer. Fresh fish cured in lime, cilantro and jalapenos served with diced avocado tomatoes and boniato chips.

Picadillo ala Cubana and Ropa Vieja afterwards. Each dish was of course paired with white rice and sweet plantains.

Cuban mojito to drink. Aaahh.. Life is good!

There was no room for dessert so I ordered Cafe Cortadito, an extremely rich and sweet coffee to finish of my hearty dinner.

Can't get enough of Cuban food so I visited Mojitos Cuban Cuisine located on the ground floor of the Dolphin Mall the next day.

Mango Mojito for starters.

Boliche Asado Con Arroz Blanco y Maduros. Pot roast with onion gravy with white rice and plantains.

And the best Cuban dish I've ever tasted so far... Palomilla Mojitos Suprema. Palomilla steak rolled with ham and Swiss cheese, sliced and served over Demi Glaze sauce. I've probably said this a thousand times but it's worth every calories! This dish still hunts me in my dreams. =)

Juice and Java in Miami

A lot of times I wish I live in Florida. Especially on January when the weather difference between Miami and Wisconsin Dells look like this.

I wish I run along South Beach every morning or practice yoga by the beach on January just like what they do on 3rd Street.

Picture: 3rd St. Beach Yoga

I also wish I could go to Juice and Java everyday.

Picture : Juice and Java Facebook Page

 One of my favorite food spot in Miami is the Juice and Java. Located along Washington Avenue, this little restaurant is flocked by health buffs, tourists and locals for their wide variety of healthy offerings.

They have the healthiest food selection. Last time I was there I feasted on grilled chicken breast, organic brown rice, a side of pesto and veggies. I paired this healthy dish with one of their all natural smoothies and a shot of wheatgrass. It  felt so refreshing to have this kind of breakfast after a night of alcohol abuse.  

For lunch, grilled salmon with organic brown rice, veggies and herb sauce. All their uber healthy platters comes with a choice of organic brown rice, organic quinoa, steamed veggies or baked sweet potato but I'm a true blue Asian so its rice all the way.

This was a food shot from my Miami 2010 trip. Tilapia platter with rice.

Picture: Juice and Java Facebook Page

Next time I want to try their Cranberry Spinach Salad with Grilled Tofu. Looks yummy! =)

Chronicle of My Florida Fall Escape

I went to Florida just before Thanksgiving last year. It was my second time and as the cliche goes, it's sweeter the second time around. It's because every time I visit a place for the first time I have this "see all, do all" attitude. I have to see everything and do everything. I spend a hell lot of time in Googling things, reading Trip Advisor and watching Travel Channel episodes. I have a day to day itinerary of all the tourist spots and restaurants I want to go to. It's pretty exhausting but it's absolutely rewarding. It's also the best way to get exhausted. Really. Anyway when I visit a place for the second time, it's mostly for pure fun and relaxation. 

First stop in Florida is Jacksonville. I stopped for a night to meet with a friend. 

That's me with Nina (the one in hot pink) with two of her friends. They call themselves Asian barbies. Haha! They're so hilarious. =)

We went to Pancitan Atbp., a Filipino restaurant along Beach Blvd. We feasted on authentic Filipino delicacies. 

Pork sisig. I stopped eating pork since May of 2012 but there's always an exemption to every rule. Pork sisig was too good to pass up.

I left hastily after lunch because I want to be able to walk around St. Augustine before it gets dark.

Photo: cityprofile.com

Aerial view of Castillo de San Marcos. The best view of the fort. Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the US. It's built mainly to protect the city of St. Augustine from pirate raids of the British during the war.

Inside the masonry

The view from the top of the wall was breathtaking.

I of course needed to do a little bit of camwhoring while enjoying the view.

ME..ME..and more of ME..

I also walked around downtown and saw a great deal of Spanish influence in the architecture of the city.

I fought the urge to sit in a bar and have drink. I went back to the car and started driving to Miami. Woot woot!


The only thing I did in advance in Miami is book a hotel. Other than that, I had no plan of what to do, what to see or where to eat. It turned out to be the best plan ever.

One of the many mojitos

I used Cuban mojitos to keep myself hydrated under the heat of Miami sun. I was lightheaded all the time but that didn't matter because I was having too much fun.

I ate tons of sinfully delicious meals.

Seafood Paella from Cafe Carlyle

Tuna tartare from Cafe Cardozo

This was probably the healthiest meal I ate during the course of my Miami getaway. Grilled chicken breast with pesto and organic brown rice from Juice and Java.

I also met with old friends who recently moved to Miami.

We took tons of  pictures endlessly.

We wandered along South Beach aimlessly. Super Fun!

I was sad to leave Miami. But all good things must come to an end. So until next time Miami!

I made one last stop in Florida before I started the long and miserable drive back to Wisconsin. I went to Honeymoon Island in Dunedin Florida. I was so excited to go because I've read about this place before in Travel + Leisure and Travel Channel.

Honeymoon Island is one of Florida's State Parks. There's tons of fun activities to do in the park but it's a really popular wedding venue among other things.

I saw two beach weddings on different parts of the island when I was there. Both weddings were intimate and oh so romantic!

There's just one thing that visitors should beware when visiting the park.

This caution sign was displayed by the state park entrance. I was surprised to see it because the articles I've read before about Honeymoon Island never mentioned rattle snakes. I had to double check if I have my insurance cards in my purse before I got out of the car.

I still had fun walking along the beach despite the rattle snake scare. The weather was perfect, the beach was so beautiful and the atmosphere was so tranquil and romantic.

Can't help but snap a photo of this guy watching the sunset.  Postcard perfect scene.

I waited for the sun to set before I left the park. Before I left paradise.

2012 Holidays, Travel Escapades and 2013 Travel Bucket List

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

That's what my living room looked like on Christmas Eve. Too bad I wasn't able to enjoy this much since I spent very little time at home. I was busy working the entire holiday season. Plus I was too sick. =( 

It was really disappointing because I get sick only once a year and it had to be on Christmas. Aside from choosing to stay miserably sober on Christmas parties, I had to work all the time which just made me feel ten times worse. The highlight of my Christmas was opening my Christmas presents under the tree two days after Christmas because that's when I had the time. Most of the gifts came from myself, which was pathetic by the way. 

Anyways, I had my share of fun times before I got sick. I went to Chicago with three of my girlfriends to celebrate Katrina's birthday. 

And partied with the Karoo girls in Jonathan's surprise birthday party.

I was feeling a little bit better on New Year's Eve so I hosted a mini pre-NYE party at my house.

All dolled up and ready to party!

This was the one and only decent picture that night. I didn't bring a camera in WETT because I forgot my camera the last time after too many shots.

It's now 2013 and I'm looking forward to a better and a more productive year. I set a lot of big goals this year and I hope and pray that I'll be able to make it happen. 

One of the many things I'm looking forward to is traveling. Unlike most people my age, My biggest expense is not mortgage, not car payments nor shoes and bags. My biggest expense goes to my travel fund. 

I've been to a lot of places in 2012 and I'm so thankful for it. I've been to New Orleans during the Mardi Gras festival. I had more fun in Bourbon street than in Vegas. True story. 

I also went to Niagara Falls and New York City. It cost me a fortune but its totally worth it. 

And just before Thanksgiving, I went to Florida. (I'll share a more detailed account on my upcoming posts)

mojitos, Ocean Drive, South Beach and palm trees. A piece of heaven on earth. =)

with a quick stopover in St. Louis Missouri 

midnight walk in downtown (which is not advisable by the way)

and Nashville Tennessee.

almost bought a pair. Seriously. It's too tempting. 

This year, I have two ambitious trips on my travel list. First one would be a western road trip that looks like this.

  

I am going to need a lot of time and moolah for this trip. But I am determined to make this thing happen. I have delayed this trip so many times. This year, it'll be a dream fulfilled. I'll check out all the National Parks along the way. Live young, wild and free in Vegas. Drive along the Pacific Coast Highway 1. Eat all I can in San Francisco. Explore Seattle. I have this big smile on my face while typing this. I'm so excited! 6,000 miles of pure fun!

Next destination on my list is a long shot. I want to spend my next Christmas in Manila. Yes. That's right. I pray for this everyday. I miss this city so much I'm dying to visit. I miss my family, my friends, the Christmas traditions and the weather. Oh Manila! 

I miss you everyday.

So there. My travel plans for 2013. I will have more travel post coming soon. I think that's what I'll be doing while waiting for this gruesome winter to pass. 

Do you have any travel plans yet for 2013?