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

New Lake Worth restaurant.

Update:

This place has since closed. Sorry folks.

Lake Worth has a new food spot called Pietro's Plump Tomato. Tried the Chicken Mozz Panini and Eva had the Pesto Pasta.
My Panini was delicious, the mozz was fresh, the chicken was moist and not dry at all, bread was nice and crisp, and of course the pesto was the star of the dish.
The huge pluses to the restaurant was its location, for Lake Worth to not have a place that caters to vegans, foodies, and people who like to eat organic...Pietro's is a great addition.
The inside is cute and does have a big screen tv, but because the restaurant is downtown, if you can, sit outside and enjoy.
Pietro's Plump Tomato

Dinner at The Living Room.

A few days ago, I continued on my quest to try 1 more entree off the menu at The Living Room.

I ordered the Tomato Bisque soup as an appetizer and the BLT as an entree...now before you think sandwich, know that most things here come with a twist. This was a BLT but in salad form and it came with an Avocado dressing. The salad was good, my only issues were that the lettuce was in large chunks/strips and was sometimes overwhelming. Also, the dressing didn't have a strong Avocado flavor...which could be a good or bad thing. Overall, pretty good.

Dinner at Gratify.

Took Mama, Miss Sylvia, Eva, and Emily to my West Palm spot, Gratify. A great thing to do here is to order a bunch of small plates and share amongst the group, and seeing as how we had 5 people with 5 different ideas...it was a perfect way to dine.

We had the Risotto Balls, Veggie Burgers, Palm Cakes, Bacon Mac n Cheese, and Chicken Meatballs. The Risotto Balls are delicious--Risotto with cheese and it's coated and deep fried with a nice Aioli on the side. I would recommend if you want the Veggie Burgers and the Palm Cakes...pick 1. The only difference is the Veggie Burgers have buns and the Palm Cakes are just the cakes. The Chicken Meatballs were good, although I think out of everything, they may have been my least favorite...but not by much. We also had the Bacon Truffle Mac n Cheese, although I didn't partake. (They are known for their homemade bacon).

Overall, it was delicious and they are also well known for their eclectic beer selections. Check them out! Plus, afterwards you can go check out the new pier on the water.

http://www.gratifypub.com/

Avett Brothers concert.

Went to my 1st Avett Brothers concert with some of the girls.

Big Sit Event @ Green Cay Nature Center.

Helped volunteer for the Big Sit. Sectioned off a portion of the back area and birded from there. Got 50 birds and 2 audio ID's. Success!

Dinner @ Sheila's.

I had the 2 fried pork chops, mac n cheese, and fries. Eva got the cracked conch, pigeon peas and rice and fries. Yummy. They have a nice lightly flavored batter they dip everything in and nothing is greasy.

Country fried steak dinner.

Eva made me Country fried steak last night. Amazing! Steak, brown gravy, white rice, and corn. Yum.