Mmmmm.....cuban food

It would be a crime - at least as far as I'm concerned - to go to Miami and not get Cuban food. Friday night we planned on meeting my mom, her boyfriend Charlie, and Charlie's daughter Jessica for dinner. I had suggested to Mom that we get Cuban food. She mentioned it to Charlie and Jessica who were in agreement. Jessica's stepfather is Cuban and he recommended a place to us, Havana Harry's. He said it was the best traditional Cuban food in Miami. Since the restaurant was in Coral Gables, Jessica picked us up so we could all go in one car. Yay for not having to drive! We had a lovely dinner complete with sangria. It was really good to see my mom!

Saturday was more Cuban food. Brian's conference finished up around noon. We ate lunch and headed out to the beach. Brian mentioned that his students, Casey and Mamta, has asked if we wanted to go out with them Saturday evening. Of course we do! They had done a great job on their presentations and Brian was very proud of them and everyone deserved a night on the town. After an afternoon of playing in the ocean, I was definitely ready for some food. We decided to head to the Lincoln Road district in South Beach. This is an outdoor mall that runs from the beach to the bay and is lined with restaurants, shops, bars, some theaters, and just filled with people. We had the cab drop us off at Yuca, a Cuban restaurant that specializes in Nuevo Latino cuisine. We hadn't decided where to eat but Casey and I had both read about Yuca so we figured it was as good a place as any to start. Neither Casey nor Mamta had eaten Cuban food yet, and we liked the menu and the look of the place so we decided to go for it. The food was incredible, the service was fantastic - and entertaining - and we had a great time. They had the best mojitos, too. I really like not having to drive.

After dinner, we decided to walk and around and check things out. Now this is South Beach so even though it was 11 p.m. everything was open and there were people everywhere. We had fun checking out the different stores and restaurants. Brian started making fun of all the little dogs we were seeing, and started going on about how it's only a matter of time before people have a closet full of little dogs that they can choose from to coordinate with their outfits. This progressed into different little dogs being in style, and people getting picked on for having last season's little dog. I was walking a little in front of Brian, Casey, and Mamta when I hear "That is so last season's dog" and tons of hysterical laughing. My husband is not right, but pretty funny. After we walked for awhile, we decided to find a club/bar. We hailed a cab and headed to Ocean Dr in the Art Deco District. We went to Mango's Tropical Cafe, which is a hotspot, but the place was just packed and there was a pretty sizable line. None of us wanted to stand in line for an opportunity to stand in the club like a bunch of sardines in a can. There wasn't even enough room to dance. We went a couple of places up the street and sat in an outdoor bar and hung out for a while longer drinking and talking. It was a fun evening!