Ginger "Whoo hooo Elite!" H.'s Profile

One word: Gross. I did an event at the hotel and when I was starving and dying of boredom, I ventured over to Kitchen 305 to try out some eats. I'd heard a lot about this place, but mostly people saying, "I hear it's good, but I haven't tried it." Well, I have tried it and I have to say, I'm not impressed. I stood at the bar for an eternity trying to get the waitress to give me a menu, and when I finally got one, I noticed the prices were a little inflated. Being that my food options depended solely on this place, I picked The New Yorker Flatbread anyway. The menu said the flatbread consisted of  "Marinara, Mozzarella and Fresh Oregano." Nowhere on the menu did it say GIANT onions, but that's exactly what was in my flatbread. Maybe, for some people, onions aren't a big deal, but I think they're vile. Had I know they'd be loitering in the New Yorker Flatbread, I wouldn't have ordered it. And hey, since it wasn't listed as an ingredient, why would I think it would be there? But there they were. That wasn't my only complaint. The flatbread was floppy, flaccid, if you will. Overall, not so thrilled with the experience. And I more than likely won't be leaving my neck of the woods to go back.

We stopped by here tonight for dinner because we're all about supporting Midtown eats. The pizza was good and fresh. And it was nice to sit outside. I wish there were more drink options, however. I'm not big on the fountain stuff. And, since we had our kid in tow, we needed a high chair, but Primo didn't have one to offer. The restaurant next door, thankfully, was happy to lend a chair so we could keep our tot at the table and not running up and down Midtown. Overall, it was a good experience and we'll be back for more, I'm sure.

I got the opportunity to check out CB2's new location on Lincoln Road the day before it opened. This place is awesome. It's packed with cool, trendy furniture you'll want to fill our pad with. Plus, it has kitchenware so you can entertain guests. Downstairs has a orange theme with pillows, rugs, dishes and more in the bold hue. The upstairs is also packed with homegoods and carries a green theme. And I fell in love with about three different loungy sofas. Lamps, rugs, pillows, this place has it all, which is a welcomed addition to Lincoln Road. And, it's affordable. Now that it's within reach you can save those extra shipping dollars and spurge on another throw pillow.

I'm giving this place three stars because they did a good job on my shoes. I'm not giving this place any more stars because the woman who works there was incredibly rude. I dropped off two pairs of shoes and was told to pay in cash when I returned. Two days later, they were fixed and ready to go. Yeah. The end.
Oh, but not quite. I didn't have the little blue tag with my order number that the man I dropped my shoes off gave me. When I explained this to the woman behind the counter she--rudely--started speaking poorly of me in her native language (I think it was Russian) to another customer in the store. I then explained to her what I dropped off and when I dropped it off. She went a step further in her rudeness and told me she has hundreds of shoes and that was not going to help her. OK ...

When she found my shoes, which literally took her a whole 2 seconds (literally, she spent more time complaining than locating my shoes)  I handed her the cash I was instructed to pay with. The total was $21 and change. I had two 20s. She bulked at the bills, rudely said something else to the customer behind me in her native tongue and then said to me, "You don't have smaller bills?"
I told her she asked for cash and 20s were the smallest thing that came out of the ATM I went to and that what she was getting.
So rude. If you want to be paid in cash, be prepared for whatever kinds of bills and have change. And have the cojones to complain about me in English so I can bite your head off before I leave. Don't hide behind a foreign language. I won't be going back here again, which is a shame because the work was pretty good.

For a month now I've driven past this place and wondered, "What the heck is that?" I couldn't find anything about it online, nor did anyone else I asked know what the space was all about. So the other day, I let my curiosity get the best of me and I dropped in to check it out. Koel is the creation of Colombian-born designer Leo Koel. Not only do they offer his high-end dresses, shoes and sunglasses, Koel also dabbles in floral and cake design. The shop is sleek and chic and just about as upscale as anything that's ever existed on this portion of Biscayne. This high-end option comes with a hefty price tag, though, but rest-assured the quality of the product is top notch. Looks like Miami's Upper East Side is movin' on up.

Cute clothes you can afford ... um, need I say more? Cheap n Chic opened up recently next to Rebel in Freckles' old spot. The store is packed with really cute clothes (dresses, tops, pants) and almost everything there is under $100. Plus, the quality isn't like the crud you get at Forever 21 that falls apart upon first wash. I found at least a dozen dresses I wanted to take home with me, and the best part was they were all under $80. Plus, the staff is super friendly, too. This place is thumbs up. Ain't nothing wrong with being Cheap n Chic.

I'm not a foodie, and I rarely get excited about restaurants. However, anything with the word cheese in the title is an instant allure for me. Seriously, you could call something Taxes and Cheese and I'd be intrigued. So when I saw the sign Cheese Course go up, I kept an eye out and eagerly awaited this place to open. And it FINALLY did, and I FINALLY got the chance to stuff myself full of cheese. Hello, yum. Today's trip (I plan to go back time and time again) was packed with a fancy schmancy grilled cheese stuffed with tomato pesto and something with olives in it. I don't even like pesto or olives, but I LOVED this sandwich. I accessorized my sammie with broccoli cheese soup that WAS TO DIE FOR. Get the soup, just do it. You'll be glad you did. I brought my tot along with me, and she did great, plus the staff didn't complain about her dumping her puffs all over the floor. (She's a toddler, cut her some slack.) My only beef, the guy behind the counter was new and made it obvious he was new. He took forever and 10 years to find the button for our sandwiches on the cash register and that was a tad frustrating. But hopefully he'll catch on sooner than later, and I'm willing to overlook this little bump in the road because the food was oh so good.

For someone who doesn't like cake, I sure have been dabbling in the cupcake realm lately. I had these tasty little morsels at a baby shower. I don't know how they did it, but these organic cupcakes had sparkles in the actual cupcake. SPARKLES! Who doesn't love sparkles? Especially edible ones. The cupcakes are cute. The icing is good, not too sweet, not too not sweet. And the cupcakes have sparkles! (Did I mention that?) From their site, it looks like the offer cakes, too. But not being one for actual cake, I'll stick with the cupcakes. And yes, I'll be eating the ones with sparkles.

Greatest. TJ Maxx. Ever.
They have Prada, Pucci, Valentino and all sorts of other stuff that should NOT be at TJ Maxx. I made out like a bandit and I will so be back for more.

I found my way to The Angler's for a baby shower. What a cute hotel. The staff is super friendly, the hotel is well-designed and the atmosphere is top-notch. The food is tasty, too. This is a great place to celebrate a small gathering for a birthday party, shower or little fete. If the rooms are as well-thought-out as the rest of the place, I'm sure it's a perfect stay.