Day trip to Miami...BBQ and all.

Took the Tri-Rail down to Miami yesterday to meet up with Eva to play frisbee golf (otherwise known as frolfing) and get some BBQ from a popular local joint. First of all, I highly recommend taking the tri down to Miami provided you have a way of getting around once you get there, it saves you a ton of $ in gas (it's only $10.65 for a roundtrip weekday ticket, and buying roundtrip saves you $2), saves you from being caught in rush hour traffic, and for me, it saves me from getting lost. But I would recommend bringing cash for the machines, yesterday they weren't accepting credit/debit cards.

We went to lunch at a BBQ joint, Shorty's, that's been around for 60 years. When you walk in, it's a seat yourself restaurant and has picnic benches throughout the place so chances are you will be sitting near someone you don't know. I had the BBQ Beef Brisket Sandwich and an appetizer of Fried Okra, it automatically comes with a side of coleslaw as well. There are a few BBQ sauce selections but my personal favorite is the one that came with the sandwich, it's a vinegar based sauce. The sandwich itself had a good bun, my only issue with the brisket was it was slab style as opposed to some brisket that I've had where it's been shredded and chunky...the slabs had good flavor but it would have been nice if it was a little warmer. But overall, good sandwich. The okra was good and from what I hear, fried is the way to go in terms of taste and texture. It also came with a buttermilk ranch sauce. If you've read any of my previous blogs, you will know how I feel about coleslaw...this coleslaw didn't have too much mayo (which was nice), cabbage had a decent shape/cut to it, but it was a little heavier on the liquid than I like. I like my coleslaws to have a little more body to it. But I would recommend checking it out if you're in the area of Shorty's, they have multiple locations including Boca, Davie, Doral, etc.

Went to a local park down in Kendall called Kendall Indian Hammocks to play the frisbee golf. The park itself was beautiful and although we didn't get a chance to go down the nature trail, it's definitely a place I'd like to check out in the future. The only complaint I had with the park was the frisbee golf course, I'm not sure if they didn't have the proper layout or ran out of room or what, but I would recommend scouting it out otherwise you may want to just walk away from it after playing 6 holes. In terms of the course, it had a decent amount of difficulty to it by the location of the branches and the trees and various other obstacles...definitely check it out whether you are planning a picnic or birding or frisbee golf.

http://www.shortys.com/davie_bbq_menu.php

http://www.miamidade.gov/parks/parks/kendall_ind_hammocks.asp

Slightly hidden, cute spot.

Had a Living Social coupon to try out the Backyard Bar in West Palm. It's a cute spot and has a good amount of outdoor seating, but in S Florida...I wouldn't count on it not raining. If it is raining, there is bar seating but it is very limited. We went on a Tuesday and it had Happy Hour all day but when using a coupon like this, they charge you regular prices.

We had their spareribs with a garlic bbq sauce, stuffed mushrooms, charcuterie plate and a cheese plate. If you are looking for a strong garlic flavor I would recommend tempering your expectafions on the bbq sauce but overall it was a good flavor. The charcuterie plate was good, the salami had good flavor and the ham was decent...although the little biscuits they provided with the crackers didn't really work.

Overall, it's a great little spot to try something different from the rest of West Palm but if you are looking for a decent wait when ordering your food...you may want to go somewhere else. Their kitchen is tiny and if they have over 10-15 ppl ordering, your wait will seem like years. Remember, it is also a bed n breakfast that hosts wine parties as well.