Hey friends!

How has your week been? Mine was full of sunshine, ocean breezes, and tropical foodie goodness. Yesterday, I returned home from my last-minute vacation to Miami. I had a lovely stay there, but it’s good to be back in the big city, even if the days usually differ greatly from this:

Upon my arrival, my host, Corey, a fellow horn playing compatriot took me out to Tapas & Tintos, which is a tapas joint in Espanola Way Village. We ordered the gazpacho and all the veggie tapas they had available- asparagus with capers and red onions, a selections of grilled veggies-zucchini, eggplant, peppers, and onion, chickpeas and spinach in garlic white wine sauce, and some patatas bravas with spicy tomato sauce. I especially adored the gazpacho, which was amazingly refreshing and smooth, but all of the options were quite delicious. Despite being a tapas joint, all the portions were quite large and we were unable to finish everything. I also did not photograph anything as it was quite dark and we were seated outdoors. However, the restaurant and the surrounding Espanola Way Village shops and eateries all had great ambiance and charm, and I’d really love to come back in the future.

The next day, we went on a adventure out to Homestead, which is an agricultural town within Miami-Dade County. Our first stop was the Fruit and Spice Park, which features hour-long educational tours of park grounds containing a large array of fruit-bearing tropical plants. You even get to taste samples of what is in season!

The tours are given from this golf-cart-train-majig:

…and stops are made frequently to explore the plant life…

Can you guess the names of the above? They’re all edible! (Jaboticaba, pineapple, nasturtium…tastes like arugula, and amaranth)

Our next stop in Homestead was Schnebly Redlands Winery…

Gorgeous, no? We tried a little bit of just about every wine they had available. The CocoVino (coconut) was by far my favorite and I was lucky enough to transport some back home with me to New York!! The winery uses only non-grape tropical fruits for their wines, which is pretty darn cool!

 

Anole friend! I had these guys as pets growing up…

Some other eats from the trip included:

…Mango salad and black bean soup from Jaguar…delicious vegan eats from a reputable ceviche joint

…Raw asparagus pesto pizza and green juice from Mi Vida Cafe…adorable place!

In case you want to escape to visual paradise for a bit, here are some of the pictures I took at the beach:

Do you have any upcoming spring travel plans? Have a good rest of your weekend!

xo