lara "formerly known as maria" s.'s Profile

What could be better than great meals near the beach? Not much. Front Porch Cafe has been in its Ocean Drive location since, well, I don't know how long. But, it seems like a really long time.

The restaurant is located in the Pelican Hotel. They have a large eating area outside, both on the porch and on the sidewalk. On the sidewalk there are umbrellas to shield diners from the sun as it can get quite hot in the summer time. They have a small indoor dining area.

I have been there most often for brunch, and occasionally for both lunch and dinner. They have good quality food and portions large enough to share or take half home.

Some of my favorite menu items are:
- hummus platter
- veggie burger
- breakfast sandwich
- mediterranean omelet
- yogurt with fruit and granola

My significant other loves their French Toast.

One thing to know is that since it's on Ocean Drive, parking can be a bit of a hassle. There is a lot on 15th and Collins. On the weekends, there can be a bit of a wait, but it is well worth it!

I think the reason so many people frequent Soyka is because the menu features something for everyone. From burgers and fries to hummus and pita, most people can find something on the menu they would enjoy. The service is attentive, and the atmosphere is a kind of laid-back urban industrial, with an open kitchen, exposed piping, and dim lighting. They have outdoor seating as well as a garden area- an area enclosed with windows that lets in the natural light, but keeps out the rain and heat.

They serve brunch only on the weekends, though the regular lunch menu has omelets, and it's pretty standard fare including french toast, various egg dishes, and some lunch items such as salads and sandwiches.

A three-star review for Soyka to me doesn't mean it's not a great place. I really love the location, the service, and my overall experience most times I am there. I think it's just an ok place for me because there is nothing memorable about the food. But, I always have a great time there. It is my go-to place for out-of-towners with varying tastes and I am a brunch regular when I don't feel like trying someplace new. I guess you could say it's a Miami staple food establishment. Nothing outrageous, but very reliable.

Oh, and they've recently started hosting the Saturday Green Market in the parking lot.

I love this park mostly because of its location and the free parking. Most mornings, this park is a meet-up spot for local runners and cyclists heading out through Key Biscayne, Brickell, and Coconut Grove. The park itself is ok. It has a basketball court, waterfountain, benches, and a truly wonderful view of Key Biscayne.

The park is situated at the end of a cul-de-sac of mansions. At one point in time I think Madonna, Sylvester Stalone, and Rosie O'Donnel have all lived along this street. I'm not up on celebrity culture enough to know who populates the neighborhood now, but I do know that these are really nice houses.

I love the makeover that South Pointe Park has gotten. It was way overdue, but I think it is well appreciated by many in Miami. It's located at the southernmost tip of Miami Beach and has walking/running/biking paths as well as grassy areas for dogs or lounging around. There are waterfountains, restrooms, and a kids play area with some pretty innovative play equipment including fountains.

You can follow the paths all the way up to the start of the MacArthur Causeway and on the other end, to the beach on 1st Street. The park features spectacular views of Fisher Island, Government Cut, and the cruise ships on their way out to sea.

In terms of the park as a running route, it's a bit of a short run on it's own. I often combine a run through South Pointe Park with a longer route starting in Mid-Beach. I've also visited the park in the evening for a picnic, which was nice. The edge of the park toward the water has colored lights that come on at night. Just make sure you are clear of any doggie droppings before you set up your blanket, as the park is frequented by people and their pets most of the day.

Overall, this is a much needed improvement to our green and open space in Miami and Miami Beach. I wish that the dunes trails were a bit more shaded, and that they would have included some non-paved paths. Still it's great place to visit for a run, to show out-of-towners, to people watch, to lounge around enjoying the weather, or catch the sight of a cruise ship headed out to sea.

Up front, I want to say that we didn't get to eat there, and this review is for the service we received on the phone.

We are running the 1/2 marathon tomorrow, and decided to check out Cafe Prima Pasta's early-bird special for 50% off between 5 and 6PM. Since their website says that any orders placed one second after 6PM are regular price, we decided to call up and make a reservation for 5. I never eat that early, but since the marathon requires us to be there around 5AM, I figured this would be a great time to check out the early-bird special and the restaurant.

I called up and asked if I could make a reservation for tomorrow evening. The man who answered said no, they weren't taking reservations. I said, "ok, well, are you usually busy when you first open?" He replied that yes, they are. I asked, "ok, so we shouldn't bother to come in?" And he hung up!!

Why would you hang up on a potential customer? That could have been handled much better. So, 1 star for customer service. I can't comment on their food.

Let me just say (embarrassingly) that my car had not been washed in a very long time, and the Karma guys did a great job. The cost for the basic wash for my SUV was $20 (a medium-sized car). I was a little shocked when they said 40 minutes; I thought it had something to do with the state of my car. I have since read other reviews and I see that the long wait is common. But, they do such a great job it is worth waiting. I suggest, as others have, that you drop off your car, grab a bite to eat and return about 10 minutes later than they told you it would be done. If you do that, it will seem like a good way to spend your time. I could see it being really frustrating to sit and watch them wash you car, other cars, chat, etc. for the whole time.

My car's interior was very clean. They vacuumed really well, and cleaned out the cup holders too. The outside looked good, and I've never seen my tires so shiny. Too bad they don't have air pumps for the tires or my car would really be set. My overall experience was great. They were very friendly, and everything was done just as they said. Oh, and I don't know about you, but at other car washes I sometimes have to take my money out of the ashtray because I've found it missing when I return. There was no such stealing of quarters at Karma. I guess it would be bad Karma;)

I was weary of heading out to 6th and Washington for drinks with friends, but since it was a going away party I decided to check this place out. I was super surprised by the overall ambiance of the bar/lounge, and would definitely recommend this as a great place to gather a bunch of people for appetizers and drinks. They have couches along the walls, and you can order drinks and food from servers or at the bar- making bill-splitting a non-issue since everyone orders at their own pace. I love the historic feel inside the lounge which is created by architectural detailing and the lighting. I think they have an outside garden/patio area too. One downside was that my mojito was around $13, but I guess that's what you get on South Beach. Good thing I only had one.

Tip: There's a parking lot across the street off 7th and Collins. $1/hour- very reasonable!

Casa Toscana is great restaurant. It's small, quaint, right near a residential neighborhood, and has great food. I went this past Saturday for dinner around 7:45 PM. The place had a crowd, but there was seating available. The menu looked so good that we all had to consult as to not double-up on anything so we could try as much of the menu as possible- it all looked and sounded that good.

We ordered bruschetta to start along with the spinach and Parmesan fritters. The bruscehtta came with eggplant on some pieces of bread and tomato on the others. It was served with slices of cheese and olives. It was ok. I enjoyed it, but it could've been a little more special. The spinach and parmeasan fritters were served with tomato sauce. They were very good, but a little on the salty side (ok, a lot salty, but still good). We were also served bread with a little bottle of rosemary infused olive oil. The bread was great!

For the main dishes we had pear and ricotta purses in brown butter (amazing), pesto gnocchi (good), and something else that I can't remember. After the starters I was so full that I couldn't finish my main dish, which was the purses, but I did share it and pack up the rest to take home.

Our experience was overall very good. I loved the atmosphere. The service was professional. It really felt like a treat to be there, and I'm looking forward to going back.

Master's is a Miami Beach staple for pizza and pasta. I think they've been open and on the same block since 1979. The Spinach Pie is one of my favorites, and my dad loves the Chicken Parmesan. I don't often get dessert from them, but over the years I have tried the cannoli and the chocolate cake, both of which were excellent.

They offer a lunch buffet and also have delivery. We usually order delivery or just stop in to pick up food. It's a family-owned business so I like stopping in to chat and ask about new menu items or whatever else is going on around town.

Not good. After all the great reviews I read I thought this would be a great place. We had the goat cheese which everyone raves about. It was the best thing we had but far from spectacular. It was warm goat cheese in a bowl with tomato sauce served with run-of-the-mill garlic bread. Everything else we ordered- black bean soup, tortilla, and chickpeas with spinach was not good at all. Not sure what people like about it.