The dining experience is very different these days, especially on Valentine’s Day in Miami ever since Covid hit; new restaurant rules can give you indigestion for your Valentine’s Day dinner.  If you are going to spend any time in Miami, make sure you go to one of the Adrienne Arsht Center’s outdoor concerts featuring South Florida artists. We finally have two good Chinese restaurants in Miami and a third one on its way.  People from all over the world will be in Miami, February 15 to 19th, to attend The Miami International Boat Show and the Miami Yacht Show.

Get Ready for Outlandish Prices with Dining Deadlines

There is no doubt that every restaurant lost a lot of money during the pandemic, and they need to make it up as fast as possible.  The only trouble is that many of the new restaurant protocols have forced many of us to lose our taste for expensive meals that have a time limit. Just look at what Juvia, one of the most popular roof top restaurants on Lincoln Road, posted in a Facebook advertisement. Their romantic dinners are priced at $185 per person for a two-hour experience.

Once the 120 minutes are up, it’s skidoo to you and your party. Knowing that you are expected to vacate your table at a certain time kind of takes a lot of the joy away from a celebration. Who can eat that much food, at record speed and be expected to pay that kind of price tag?

I will never forget a year or two before Covid, Eliot and I went to Prime Fish, one of my favorite restaurants, for Valentine’s Day. As we were escorted to our table, the hostess warned us that we only had the table for 90 minutes. I had never heard of that before and was startled by that demand.

We rushed through our meal in order to meet the dining deadline. Apparently, an oyster appetizer, a tuna entree, a chocolate dessert and two Cosmopolitans squeezed into a short timeframe did not agree well with my digestive system. I threw my guts up at 3 am after sleeping for a few hours. I will never forget how miserable and scared I was standing over my toilet. By the time I was confident enough to go back to bed, I promised myself never again. That didn’t last long. I’m going back to Prime Fish this year.  I’m giving them another chance.

This time I will pace myself. I will try to remember what goes in, shouldn’t come out.

Moon Over the Music

The Adrienne Arsht Center’s outdoor concerts featuring South Florida artists, located in a courtyard called the Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts. It’s absolutely wonderful to experience music while the moon is casting its light on you. That special glow makes you feel like all is good in the world.

It’s affordable. Tickets are only $20. It’s really a treat. You don’t have to spend big bucks for a night’s entertainment. The venue also offers lite bites. Be careful. The food can cost more than the music.

We went to a concert in the courtyard last Thursday night with our friends Ruth and Howard Greenberg, Steve Greenberg, and Robert Armada. We listened to the sounds of Leslie Cartaya. She is a singer songwriter and Grammy nominee. It was 75 glorious degrees outside. We felt so lucky to finally find a concert with people our own age enjoying a night out.

You can sign up for upcoming events and performances.

Doors open at 6 p.m.
Happy hour pricing available until 7 p.m.
Performance starts at 7:30 p.m.

Good Chinese restaurants Come to Miami

1- Tropical Chinese

2- Tanka

3- And Now Philippe By Philippe Chow Is Coming Soon To South Beach

The one thing we miss about living in New York City is the Chinese food. We used to eat our delivered dinner from the east side China Fun (63rd had Second) several times a week. The dumplings, the Mongolian beef, dim sum, fried rice, wonton soup, egg rolls, shrimp and lobster sauce, and peanut noodle dishes were just the best. I can taste them right this minute.

The great thing about New York is that you can order Chinese Food and have it delivered to your door in less than 15 minutes. It was such a pleasure.

For years, if we wanted we wanted authentic Chinese Food in Miami, we had to drive a half hour away to  Tropical Chinese in South Miami. It was certainly worth it. The Peking Duck was one of the best we have ever had. The nice thing about Tropical Chinese is that they prepare the Peking Duck in the pancakes for you and then stack them in a long rack with holes. They almost look like ice crème cones. The hoisin sauce is so delicious that I kept scooping it up in a spoon after I finished the duck.

Other specialties are:  Emperor’s Prawns in Grand Marnier Sauce, and Lobster Song in Iceberg Lettuce Cups. The ambiance is just perfect, you feel like you are in China without having to travel 17 hours. The Asian lights and wallpaper are just the perfect finishing touches. We went there the other night Steve Greenberg, Robert Armada, and Susie Proenza.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, we recently went to Tanka, an excellent Chinese restaurant just over the MacArthur Causeway in Edgewater. We live on the beach. Our friends Alison and Jan Gerits took us there. We were delighted. We are thrilled to have a Chinese restaurant so close to where we live.

Tanka, located in the Doubletree Grand, is the latest creation of Chef Taek Lee, known as “Chef Taka,” who previously worked as executive sushi chef at Zuma in Miami and Makoto in Bal Harbour and was also executive chef at the defunct Monkitail in the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood.

Tanka also has the most delicious Peking Duck served with steamed bao buns, hoisin sauce and chili oil. There’s also wagyu dim sum, duck watermelon salad and Ora King Salmon with Asian mushrooms and aged truffle soy. You can’t ask for anything more. www.tankamiami.com or 305-374-8888

I hope the new Philippe By Philippe Chow turns out to be a decent Chinese restaurant. We will be the first to test it out. It’s exactly two blocks from our condo. If it’s a success we will truly feel like we are living in New York again, but this time with good weather.

Feb. 15-19. The Largest Boat and Yacht Show In The World  

The Miami International Boat Show and the Miami Yacht Show have merged to create the Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show. This is now considered to be the largest boat and yacht event in the world.  We attend the show every year even though we don’t want to own a boat. We love to rent. We also love to hire a captain who navigates the waters for us. That doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy looking at all of the new vessels. This show allows us to see everything from kayaks to superyachts and the latest aquatic innovations.

The on-land portion of the event will take place at the Miami Beach Convention Center and Pride Park.

The in-water show will take place at Venetian Marina, One Herald Plaza, Museum Park Marina, and IGY Yacht Haven Grande at Island Gardens.

There is no box office onsite at the show. You have to purchase your digital tickets in advance. Your digital ticket will be scanned as you enter the show. Access to the boats during the show is at the discretion of the broker, dealer, or manufacturer.  GET THE DETAILS.