a wise woman once said...

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.

-Virginia Woolf

no thank q

Wow, I must say when I try a new place I always expect the best and hope I am not wrong. Well, in the this case it could not have been more of a let down. Q the American Barbeque is the sorta of place you hear about and want it to be successful and everything you imagine. The location is great in my new favorite part of town the Design District the menu full of BBQ favs sound appetizing but, as soon as you walk in your hopes and dreams sort of melt and as you get into your meal all you want to do is walk out and say never mind. To be fair our server was very enthusiastic and sweet but, thats about it. There is not anything authentic about this place and nothing "American" except the domestic beers on the liquor menu. Food came out room temp even cold at times including the beans and apple crumble. Ambience was ummm how shall I say...kind of depressing there was no vibe or energy about this place. The concept of BBQ is a great one but, there are so many great ways of bringing such a thing to life especially if you want to be down, dirty and authentic about it.

Unfortunately, I really encourage this time around not to try this place for yourself it is just not worth it. I was with 4 hungry men that love to eat and love BBQ and we all felt exactly the same after just incase my opinion shouldn't matter to you.

If your still curious, below is the info to check it out! I havent done it but, maybe for drinks and some live music it could be cool to go hang.

dining on a dime

There are very few authentic diners left in our town...Burger Bobs is one of them! What a super place! Hidden in the Gables on the Granada Golf course its a great place to grab a bite after or before a game of golf with your buddies or just if your hungry. They serve breakfast most of the day. The burger is obviously awesome and starting at 4 bucks and change it somehow tastes extra good. Not to mention the crispy green view is beautiful, and a little tip go a little after the lunch rush to avoid smelly sweaty golfers unless your one of them.

2001 Granada Boulevard Coral Gables, FL 33134
(305) 567-3100

words to live by....

“Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”

-Julia Child

i scream, you scream, we all scream for....

Hi There...if you live near a Whole Foods market and your an ice cream lover, like myself. Here are a few unusual treats that hit the spot!

Q-Bees! These all natural wonders are so delicious and combine two of the classic all time bestie sugary favs rice crispy treats filled with ice cream! Yes, they do exist people....vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and more choose from your fav flavs and enjoy!

www.qbeetreats.com

BUBBIES Mochi Ice Cream Bites are marketed as made with "aloha" from Hawaii. Bubbies might be most familiar to you from Sushi Joints around town. My intro was a quite sweet one (pun intended)...after meeting my (at that point boyfriend, now husband) I moved to NYC to pursue my dream to work in the fashion industry in the most exciting city in the world. One day on the job he sent me a surprise of Mochi Bubbies direct from Hawaii to my office! Not only were they awesome it also helped me make some new friends around the office so I will forever be grateful to him. He had discovered them at an International Food show (he's in the biz) and after getting married and moving back to Miami he once again uncovered some at Whole Foods!

Bubbies, come in all different flavors my favorites being Green Tea & Lychee. These bites of love are covered with rice paper with a chewiness and filled with creamy ice cream!

www.bubbiesicecream.com

greek breakfast delight

Quick Recipe that will impress the rest for breakfast.

1 cup of Greek Yogurt (whatever fat % you prefer I go for 0%, personally)
Fresh Berries (I do this on Mondays and leave a Tupperware in the fridge to have around)
Granola (Whichever you prefer but, I HIGHLY recommend Nature's Path PUMPKIN Flavored Flax Plus Granola with Omega 3's)
Honey

In a bowl put the yogurt, berries, granola and a drizzle of honey...makes 1 serving.

Eet Smakelijk!

easy peasy dinners...

After an awesome weekend with friends, the girls and I got to talking about the overwhelmingness of entering the Super Market and how all ideas of making dinner get replaced by anxiety. Well, I had a few little tricks up my sleeve for healthy and easy meals that don't take much time and no need to get worked up because before you know it its already served on the table.

Feel free to mix and match protein, green & carb however you'd like...

Protein...

Rotisserie Chicken (whatever flavor you prefer pre-made from your fav. grocery store)

Cherry Tomatoes

Lemon Slices

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 250 bake transfer your chicken to a baking pan and toss some cherry tomatoes around the pan with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Slice the lemon and decorate your chicken with them and squeeze some juice on the chicken....let this heat up in the over for around 15-20 minutes.

Sole (preferably wild caught)

Shallot

Lemons

Salt/Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 350 bake place the sole filets in a baking dish lined in tin foil (to make clean up easier) salt and pepper on each side of the filets, squeeze juice of the lemons over the filets and finely chop half or a whole shallot whatever you prefer and sprinkle them on top. Lay some lemon slices on top of the filets and bake for about 8-10 minutes...monitor the oven some take a little longer some a little less because sole filets are usually very thin so does not take too much time.

Filet Mignon

Rosemary

Salt/Pepper

Butter (only if you need it)

For those with an inside grill (GF kind, Panini Grill, etc) pre-heat the grill to med-high. For those that don't get a pan put a cube of butter and get it med-high right before you decide to throw them on there. Salt and pepper each side of your filets and toss them on the grill/pan keep checking till you get it cooked the way you like. When you serve go ahead and put a sprig of rosemary for some fancy factor.

Greens...

*I say asparagus but, you can do this with any veggie or mix a few for example...zucchini, spinach, green beans, broccoli, etc.

Asparagus

Garlic

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

3 ways to do this.

1. Sauteed...medium heat...garlic, salt, pepper olive oil.

2. Roasted...broil them in the oven on 300 for 15-20 minutes on a baking sheet with garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil.

3. Steamed after steamed dust with salt/pepper for tasting.

Carb...

CousCous (NearEast Brand is the bomb.com)

Any flavor is great or if you want to be a bit more daring then feel free to jazz up a plain or whole wheat plain version like so....

1 Box of CousCous (plain or whole wheat)

Chicken/Veggie Stock

Cherry Tomatoes

Mint or Basil

Cucumber

Feta Cheese (optional)

Dressing...

Olive Oil

Lemon Juice

Salt/Pepper

Follow the directions on the box of CousCous to cook I prefer to use stock instead of water for the flavor factor. While its cooking cut the cherry tomatoes in half, cube the cucumbers and chop the herbs. When the CousCous is at the turn off the heat and fluff stage add the goodies, wait on the cheese till the very end. While this is heating and fluffing to make the dressing add olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste over the CousCous till you feel its to your liking and toss. Waa-Laaa.

Small Red Potatoes

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

Rosemary

Garlic

Pre-Heat broiler to 375. Cut up the small potatoes into 4's. On a baking sheet toss potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, sprigs of rosemary and garlic and put into over for 25-30 minutes.

Dessert...

Strawberries

Raspberries

Blueberries

Wash and cut how you like and put them in a serving bowl

Store bought angel food cake

As is...

Nutella

Heat it up a bit in the microwave and serve in a saucer.

Serve together. YUM, enjoy.

I hope these recipes will help out in a bind. At least it will help get you going in the right direction, hopefully.

Eet Smakelijk!