#ThankYouMiami Talks Best of Miami Spice 2016

When we go out to eat, our first instinct is to order one of everything. There’s so much delicious food out there waiting to be tasted and someone’s gotta do it—it might as well be us, right? Alas our wallets are not infinite so our strategy is to work our way through the menu over several visits or to lay claim to as many dishes as possible in one meal by sharing with the table. (We’re not particularly fond of sharing our food, but we’ll do whatever it takes to eat all the foods.) Once a year though, when Miami Spice rolls around in all its prix-fixe glory, we proclaim “To hell with our cost-conscious strategy!” and straight up indulge.

Like with last year’s Miami Spice adventures, this August and September we’ve been extremely selective about the participating restaurants we’ve chosen to visit. Past experience has taught us that some spots resort to low quality food for their Miami Spice menus even if their regular menus are legit. So, these days, we do tons of research and build a priority list that will give us the most bang for our buck. At the top of our list are those restaurants that are not usually within our budget and that don’t sacrifice the quality of their food to make a quick buck.

In 2015, the stand-out for us was Bulla Gastrobar. This year, we have two favorites—a lunch pick and a dinner pick—that we’re excited to share with you because we know you will absolutely love them. While you work your way there, we’ll be strutting our stuff to Sunny’s at The Hall (their poke bowl is AH-MAZE) and to The Forge so we can complete our priority list for this Spice season. Remember: Miami Spice ends on September 30 so we only have 4 days left to eat all the foods!

Best Miami Spice Lunch 2016: Bianca at the Delano

Bianca at the Delano has been on our priority list from the very beginning. In fact, the first time we were introduced to the concept of Miami Spice was in 2012 with lunch at The Delano. During our visit, we decided to sit outdoors. The vibe is much more laidback outdoors, plus the greenery, the décor and the views are quintessential Miami. Bianca’s Miami Spice 2016 menu offers three options for appetizer, three for entrée and varied sorbet flavors for dessert. Per usual, we had a hard time picking between the various options but we took a leap of faith with the curry chicken cups and the salmon with quinoa tabouli. We hit an absolute home run with both options. If you go, it’s watcha want. Trust.

Best Miami Spice Dinner 2016: Red, The Steakhouse

Our #FoodieFriends are always raving about Red, The Steakhouse—Exhibit A: Miami Food Pug’s latest Red, The Steakhouse review—so when we were looking for a place to celebrate our birthday night we knew exactly where to go. Our meal was ex-qui-site, albeit expensive because we went ham with the upgrades and Red's Miami Spice 2016 menu has a ton of upgrade options for every course. We kicked dinner with the burrata, followed by a perfectly cooked filet mignon with a crispy outside and medium rare center. For dessert, definitely go for the panna cotta. 8 out of 9 people at the table got the chocolate option and we all suffered food envy as our 9^th friend devoured her delicious panna cotta.

#ThankYouMiami Amps for III Points and SoBe Seafood Festival

You know that pie chart that tells you how you're spending your money? The one like this graph by CNN Money that shows how American spend their money by year, income and age which shows on average people our age spend approximately 1/3 of their income on housing, 1/4 on transportation, and 1/6 on food? Well our expense chart on Mint tells us that, unlike the average American, we spend nearly 1/3 of our money on food and entertainment, confirming what everyone who follows our Instagram already knows—we LOVE delicious meals and going out with friends. We're amping to get a lot of both in as Miami kicks off our high season in October with two kick-ass events extremely worthy of our hard-earned money:

1. III Points Music, Art, and Technology Festival

III Points is a music, art, and technology festival that returns to Miami for its fourth year on October 7 - 9 at Mana Wynwood. And, while we have certainly felt its presence throughout the past three years—its logo (an upside down triangle with "iii" on the inside) is stamped all over Wynwood—the festival had never particularly piqued our interest. Then, III Points announced the 2016 three-day line-up... With headliners like LCD Soundsystem, Thievery Corporation and M83, it was hard not to grab our attention. (Thievery Corporation's 2010 show at Bayfront Park is by far our favorite concert we've seen while living in Miami.) Plus, we are excited to dance to and support some of our favorite homegrown artists like John Hancock III, Otto Von Schirach, DJ Laura (of Miami), Lolo Reskin, Pirate Stereo and Afrobeta. Seriously, we can't think of a better way to launch into Fall. Three-day GA tickets are only $125 or, if the Miami-an in you demands an enhanced festival experience, you can purchase a Foresight pass for $245 that gives you access to lounges with free beer, water, and Red Bull among other awesome amenities. Buy your III Point tickets here.

2. SoBe Seafood Festival

The arrival of the SoBe Seafood Festival elicits a Pavlovian response in us for two reasons: 1) it signifies the start of stone crab season, and 2) it means we get to eat all the seafoods. This year it also means we get to drink all the wines because Kendall Jackson has stepped in as the title sponsor. #winning! The three-day seafood bonanza will take South Beach by storm from October 20 - 22, starting with a fancy affair at Joe's Stone Crab presented by La Crema wines. The following night local chefs will compete at 12 restaurant battle stations during the Chef Showdown, where we can sample and vote for our favorite competition dishes. Among other perks, our ticket to the event includes access to a seafood world raw bar (open all night—awwww, yeah!), to the Casa Herradura experience, and to a sensory tour of Kendall Jackson, La Crema, and Matanza Creek's famous Sonoma garden where we get to taste potted fruits, as well as the wines from which they are made. (We hear this amazing tour is a Wine Country must so we're super excited to get to experience it in our very own backyard!)

On Sunday, we get to enjoy the pièce de resistance: the festival. The sands of Lummus Park will be packed with pop-up cafés featuring more than 15 local restaurants including Joe's, Cibo, Red The Steakhouse, Toro Toro, Naiyara and Midtown Oyster Bar. The universe and sponsor Breakthru Beverages are clearly looking out for us because both GA and VIP tickets include all-day open bar. That said, this year's VIP ticket holders will benefit from a substantially upgraded experience in the VIP Hospitality Village including extended event hours, $20 worth of food vouchers, private lines to access the Joe's café, and access—in case you miss it the previous night—to the exclusive Sonoma garden tour. You can review the extensive list of differences between the two ticket types and buy your SoBe Seafood Festival event tickets here. Don't forget to use coupon code "thankyou20" at check out for a 20% discount!

We can't wait to see you at both III Points and the SoBe Seafood Festival in October!

III Points images by Jason Koerner, SoBe Seafood Festival image by Derek Gil.

#ThankYouMiamiGoesToCA (And Nearly Dies On The Lost Coast)

We nearly died this past weekend...or so the locals of California's remote Shelter Cove claim. Our near-death experience surprised us halfway through a week-long team bonding trip to NorCal, during which we'd already crossed biking across the Golden Gate from our bucket list. The scene of the crime? The famous Lost Coast Trail, an 80 mile stretch of undeveloped coastline that is only accessible on foot and has several 4-mile long segments that are completely inaccessible during high tide.

The 8-hour drive to Shelter Cove was extremely foreboding. As we got closer to our destination, smooth, straight roads quickly gave way to sharp curves and steep inclines. The towns became fewer and far between until all our eyes could see was a desolate mountainous landscape peppered with stretches of redwood forest. Cell service became nonexistent. When we made a pitstop at an empty freeway rest stop, the reality of our isolation hit us when we encountered a board listing over 100 missing persons from the area. The hair on the back of our necks was at high attention as we rushed back to the car and peeled out of the parking lot.