Hungry for more…NYC–

KAPOWY!  Back in New York City and gobbling extremely tasty grub at Osteria Morini on Lafayette Street in the Soho section of Manhattan.

For today’s din-din I am ingesting an arancino, a crispy grilled octopus, a garganelli with cream, peas, truffle butter and prosciutto–DELECTABLE, and a grille misto with lamb chops, sausages, and skirt steak all cooked a perfect medium rare–DELIGHTFUL.  Everything is washed down with various glasses of blanco and rosso. . .perfecto!

Michael White is still the king of pasta of New York City, in my humble opinion, and Morini is still rockin’ it. . .please come down here for lunch or dinner the next time you are in town. . .you will love it–I gar-ron-taaaayy!

To see more magical images from around our teeny tiny planet simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .dive on in. . .the world awaits you NOW.

It’s lovely out there.

Diner extraordinaire…Chicago–

BAM!  Here we are doing some major gobbling at an extremely tasty joint in the Fulton Market section of Chicago: Little Goat Diner. . .let’s check it out and see what’s happenin’.

Little Goat Diner is right across the street from Girl And The Goat…both of these places are owned and run by Stephanie Izard–superstar chef of deliciousness.  Girl And The Goat is one of the best restaurants in town, but we have never tried the diner…and now we are glad that we have tried it because the grub they serve here is DELICIOUS!

Little Goat Diner is a diner on magic mushrooms…super-heightened feeding experiences can be had here.  During this visit I am sipping on a kimchi bloody mary–FABULOUS…and I am ingesting a bowl of housemade corned beef hash with sausage gravy, bacon, and three perfectly-cooked overeasy eggs all mashed together–TOTALLY SATISFYING!  Plus, I am drinking bottomless cups of black coffee that are intense, rich, and super-coffee-ish. . .mmm, aaaahh!

Please come to the Fulton Market section of Chicago in the West Loop the next time you are in town. . .do lunch or breakfast at Little Goat Diner then dinner at Girl And The Goat…this will be a food experience that you want again and again.

To see more magical images from around planet Earth simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .dive on in. . .so much to see and sooooo little time.

It’s lovely out there.

See and do Chi-town–

YES!  There is a lot of theater to see in Chicago…everything from touring Broadway shows to homegrown stuff at Steppenwolf to down-n-dirty up-n-comers workin’ things out at Second City and in any storefront or basement or black-box space that can accommodate a few actors and patrons willing to check them out.

Plus, there is a ton of good grub in Chi-town…Au Cheval…Stephanie Izard’s goat empire with the Little Goat Diner being a delicious option, etc….and then tons of watering holes for whiling away the evening or afternoon after dinner or lunch–Lone Wolf being one of BILLIONS of options.

Make your way back to Chicago some time soon. . .this town continues to rock and is here waiting to entertain and feed you. . .mmmm, aaaahh!

I send you midwestern big city vibes from The Windy One…feel them…they are good for your well-being.

It’s lovely out there.

We like it hot–

KAZOWY!  One hundred degrees in Chicago. . .just a few weeks ago…now those days are gone for at least seven or eight months–ugh!  I miss summer already.

It has to be at least one hundred degrees here to make even the thought of swimming in Lake Michigan bearable. . .we don’t get in there unless it’s hot, hot, HOT!…so these are perfect conditions for a dip.

Strolling along State Street, that great street, in the heat is most wonderful…folks are scurrying about here and there making their way from one air-conditioned building to another…we are all feeling the heat–mmm, aaahh!

The L is up above…the buildings rise high…the sun pops up over the shores of the lake and LSD (Lake Shore Drive)…no actual lsd needed as the heat opens all of our psychic doors of perception and makes us feel the life-giving presence and power of our solar friend.  “We are nothing without you, solar friend…we are nothing without you…thanks for the warmth and light.”

I send you enjoying-the-moment-vibes from the streets of Chicago…feel them…they will make the hairs on your arms stand on end.

It’s lovely out there.

Storm and drink–

POW!  A tropical storm hits us here in Miami Beach, and we simply retire to the restaurant for a nice drink or three.  Oh, we throw in some food as well, and we are good-to-go.

There is never a bad day at the beach. . .let the storm rage, the winds blow, the waters churn, and we simply soak it up and roll with it.

Miami Beach is gettin’ under our skin. . .the Atlantic Ocean has been under our skin forever. . .warm breezes make us go, “aaaahh!”  We can do this for a long time, methinks.

I send you moist vibes from the meeting place of land and sea. . .feel them. . .they will make you spellbound.

It’s lovely out there.

A taste of “home”–

BAM!  Here we are puttin’ on a major feed at the Miami Beach branch of Upland, one of our favorite New York City dining spots, and we could not be happier.  In fact, this Upland slightly edges out the New York Upland as our favorite simply because of the weather: hot, hot, and hot all of the time down here in Miami…mmm, aaaahh!

Upland serves outstanding grub: during this visit we are inhaling grilled prawns, a seafood/avocado salad, deep-fried lobster tail, and a spicy pasta of some sort. . .all of this is washed down with a tasty Macon. . .BOOM, scored!

The Miami Upland is located in the SoFi district below South Beach on the island of Miami Beach…the staff here are welcoming and easygoing…the atmosphere is cozy and a bit lively…the food is wonderful…and the drink is satisfying. . .we will eat here again and again, we hope.

I send you fully satiated vibes from Upland Miami Beach…feel them. . .they will help you sleep deeply tonight.

It’s lovely out there.

Brekky at the beach–

MMM!  This 11th Street Diner in the heart of the South Beach section of Miami Beach is rockin’ my world…jaaaa!

During this visit we are gobbling crabcake benedict, a tasty waffle, and a pile of fried chicken. . .all of this is washed down with delicious bloody marys and bottomless cups of coffee…luscious way to start the day.

Please do the 11th Street Diner the next time you find yourself in South Beach. . .you will find all of the sustenance that you need in this rockin’ feed spot.

To see more magical images from around planet Earth simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .do it. . .you can go just about anywhere that you like right here, right NOW.

It’s lovely out there.

#1 bar, Miami Beach–

Here it is: Mac’s Club Deuce…the supremo and number one bar for sippin’ and chillin’ in the South Beach section of Miami Beach. . .mmmm, aaaaahh–we love Club Deuce, and you will too if you ever make your way in he-ya.

Anthony Bourdain used to love this place…he filmed an episode of his TV show here…he chatted with the owner, a dude called Mac Klein, and became enamored with him as so many others have before and after his visit.

Mac Klein moved down here after World War II, bought this bar, and owned it right up until his death back in 2016.  Mac liked keeping this place going…it’s hot outside and it’s cool inside this joint ALWAYS–just the way Mac liked it…oldest bar in South Beach…great 2-for-1 happy hour from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m!…pool table to keep you busy if you need to be busy while sipping beverages…and interesting characters coming in and out all day and all night long. . .what more do you want?  Not much, really.

This place can’t be beat as a premium dive bar–Mac’s Club Deuce ROCKS. . .please pop in here the next time you find yourself wandering around South Beach…Mac has passed away, so has Anthony, but this place lives on and on.  Cheers!

To see more magical images from around our teeny tiny planet simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .do it. . .you can go just about anywhere that you like right here, right NOW.

It’s lovely out there.

Hello, Nikki–

BAM!  Things are poppin’ down here on Nikki Beach in the South-of-Fifth (SoFi) section of Miami Beach. . .let’s have a look around and see what’s what.

South-of-Fifth refers to the area of Miami Beach below Fifth Street.  This is below the South Beach section which runs from Fifth Street up to about 30th Street or so…30th up to about 60th is Mid Beach…and above about 60th is North Beach. . .all located on the island called Miami Beach.  Man, I love geography talk, don’t you?  Yes, you do.

Nikki Beach is a beach party hangout/restaurant/party venue that was created back in 1998. DJs play music all day and all night…folks hang on the luxurious beach beds all day and all night…and in general it is a party and snacking scene that reaches varying levels of intensity and delectability depending on the time of day, day of the week, season, etc.. . .but the beach is always here, the sand is always here, and the Atlantic Ocean is always here–you can chill here whenever you like as long as there is not a tropical depression or hurricane bearing down on us. . .maybe it’s even better in this case, though I doubt it.

This Nikki Beach hangout/party concept thing is so popular now that Nikki Beaches can be found all over the world…mostly in the party locations like Ibiza, Saint Tropez, Koh Samui, Barbados, Dubai, Monte Carlo, etc.. . .check them all out, I have a funny feeling that you will love them all too much…jaaaa!!

I send you thumping brunching vibes from Nikki Beach Miami Beach…feel them…they are good for your circulation.

It’s lovely out there.

North Beach gobblin’–

This is grub from The Strand Bar and Grill in the Carillon Resort in the North Beach section of Miami Beach, and everything here is quite tasty.  Let’s check it out.

Carillon is up on 68th Street about a mile north of the Fontainebleau. . .The Strand is tucked away behind the main lobby of the resort–this is kind of kooky because there are a couple of doors leading outdoors, and every time someone opens one of them a big gust of wind whishes through the dining room…so North Beach, so Miami Beach, so delightful.

The restaurant has only been open just over a year, and the staff are still working on finding their legs…nevertheless, everyone is nice to us and doing their best help us enjoy our dinner experience here.

The chef is a dude called Patrick Ochs, and this guy can cook–jaaaa!!  For our meal we are gobbling octopus, a seafood salad, a sea bream, and a salmon…EVERYTHING is cooked perfectly and full of flavor.  Patrick is expediting and inspecting all dishes before they are sent out–we can see him in the open kitchen–and his work is spot-on.  We wash everything down with a nice Pinot Grigio, and we are good-to-go.

The wind is blowing, the staff are working out their service kinks, AND the food is outstanding.  We hope to return to North Beach again and again to eat at The Strand.  Get on up here some time…you might like it as well–jaaaa!

To see more amazing images from around planet Earth simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .dive on in. . .so much to taste and sooooo little time.

It’s lovely out there.