Miami Real Estate

Restaurants come and go, in Miami as elsewhere.  Few thrive.   Nino Pernetti’s  Caffe Abbracci has ranked among the top restaurants in Coral Gables for over two decades now… attracting an international jet set crowd,  an entourage of locals,  and the A-List of Miami’s ‘who’s who’.  Nino Pernetti knows them all  (Miami’s A-List and seemingly every guest that enters his doors) …  their names and  their faces Read the rest of this entry »

To receive my blog posts directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe.

Jam packed on weekends, Chocolate Fashion, at 249  Andalusia Avenue in downtown Coral Gables, has sidewalk dining and an interior reminiscent of a European cafe.  I prefer it during off-hours … when you aren’t  jostled by staff, trying to squeeze through a crowded patisserie,  ferrying  trays of delicacies (and hot beverages).  Exquisite pastries (miniature … or otherwise)… homemade…. sandwiches… breakfast….pate’… truffles…Lavazza Caffe… and fresh breads.  (Couldn’t resist ordering for New Year’s Eve!)

Chocolate Fashion is immediately south of Miracle Mile … on Andalusia,  just off Ponce De Leon… and is a charming addition to the  pallate of Coral Gables .   It’s nice  to see a new generation of small, independent restaurants and businesses thriving in Coral Gables… Here’s hoping that this particular one will continue to succeed and flourish!   Another delicious reason to visit… or live in the Gables!

To receive my blog posts directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe.

Make dinner  fun!   The price of your dinner in a handful of Miami restaurants depends on what time you place your order!  Order  between 5-7 pm and your meal costs the same as the time the order was placed!  Order at 5:37pm  and that dinner is $5.37.   Wait until after 7:00pm  though, and you’ll pay the regular price of $12 -$15.  Drawing customers in before the rush is key… and smart marketing. An empty table is lost revenue, so why not capitalize on  unconventional dining times?   Offering  incentives between 5pm -7pm,  specialty items  are rung-up at the cash register according to the time the order was placed.  

Blu’ Pizza e Cucina in Mary Brickell Village offers this … every single  day (both in the restaurant and on delivery!).  Blu’ Pizzeria  in South Miami offers the same 5-7pm pricing incentives for dining in.   Spris on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach  has also jumped on the band wagon!  Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remember  ‘early bird specials’. .. though I don’t recall ever taking advantage of them.   This new pricing module just kicks it up a notch!  Racing to place your order, and have $5.23 on the bill as opposed to $6.56  is just plain entertaining … and dinner should be fun!   Wait five minutes longer and you’ll see $15.00 on your bill instead!  (Still, $15 isn’t  a bad price even at full price … and each of these restaurants are, in my opinion,  well worth every penny of their full price menu!).  Outdoor dining spots are trendy, especially in Miami.  Each of these three restaurants offer outdoor tables and umbrellas,  and some interesting people watching.  The ”piazza”  (courtyard plaza)  in Mary Brickell Village is charming.

We stumbled across this  5-7 pm special  a couple of weekends back, at Blu’ in Mary Brickell Village… by shear chance… stopping  for a late lunch with our kids.  We LOVE outdoor dining spots… even in August (in Miami!).  Had we eaten at 8pm, we all would have ordered a single meal.  But because of the ‘intrigue’  with the special offers, the boys each ordered multiple meals.  A tasting extravaganza… to say the least!  Buon appetito!  MiamiRealEstateCafe … for  Miami Restaurant and Dining Experiences… and for All Your Real Estate Needs…  Selling Miami Better, Faster, Smarter! … Contact The Restivo Team:  EWM Realtors…  Vicki and Alexandra Restivo  305 793-1365

To receive my blog posts directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe.

The Miami  Restaurant, Puntino Downtown, in the heart of Downtown, caters to a local business crowd during business hours  and serves up traditional Italian fare  in a lively atmosphere until 11pm…. drawing  patrons from as far away as Palm Beach and Pinecrest!  Downtown  Miami seems to be growing by leaps and bounds, with new restaurants opening up and flourishing!  

Jazz  performer Leo Casino spiced up Prosecco Night at PUNTINO last night. 

Reality show participants from Italy, touring the entirety of Florida in a camper (their Florida adventures filmed and taped for TV syndication in Italy “FriendsTour“) were there,  sipping Berlucchi… invited by the Italian Chamber of Commerce.  They were on their last leg of a month long trek. From New Orleans, they had travelled the perimeter of Florida’s two coasts… literally…  from Tallahassee to Key West and up the other side. Not surprisingly, Florida was the location chosen for FriendsTour’s  month-long ‘coast to coast’  scheduled to air on Italian Cable TV’s “SKY” Reality Show. Why Florida? Florida… is the number one state …enticing Italian vacationers and second home buyers to the United States!   

Between the jazz music and the buzz of excitement over the Reality Show “FriendsTour”  I felt  as though I were somewhere between New Orleans and Italy!  Miami is quite the melting pot of diversity and culture!  Oysters, caviar, cheeses, prosciutto , stuffed pizza …  the hors’doervres  and Berlucchi certainly add to the mix.

Puntino Downtown serves both lunch and dinner ( somewhat of a novelty in Downtown Miami). The  lunch menu offers reasonably priced antipasti, insalate, panini, and pizza & pasta ($5-$10 for the most part).  Yes, they deliver!Downtown Miami is on it’s way to becoming a mini New York (with restaurant deliveries  to your doorstep!)   The dinner  menu is more varied but similarly priced …  with a nice array of appetizers, and freshly made specialties, meat, fish, cheese selections, dolci, espresso…. and Italian wines.  Neighborhood feel… nice atmosphere… warm service… Worth trying!  For dining reservations in Miami:  http://www.opentable.com

MiamiRealEstateCafe… your source for  Miami Restaurants, Local Happenings, and of course Real Estate …  everything and anything Real Estate in Miami!  Looking to buy, sell or visit ?  We Sell Miami  – Better, Faster, Smarter!  Vicki Restivo and Alexandra Restivo EWM Realtors … Miami   – Call us at 305-7931365

To receive my blog posts directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe.

EWM’s Blog has a wealth of information on not only  Miami Real Estate Market trends, but specific listings, statistics, market trends and conditions, neighborhood information, community insight, restaurant reviews, and “Just for Fun!” As reported  by MiamiRealEstateCafe.com through EWM’s Blog, Mary Brickell Village has opened a WHOLE  SLEW of absolutely lovely dining spots…  Oceanaire (elegant surroundings and scrumptious  fresh fish) …  Rosa Mexicano (to-die-for frozen-margaritas  with pomegranate juice…   heavenly guacamole concocted table side!)…  Blu’  Pizza e Cucina (umbrella-covered outdoor courtyard setting with Mediterranean fare and thin,crusty wood-burning  pizza:  ”two-for-one” each Tuesday).   Read more  in an article published by Miami.com about Blu‘! And if you want to search for restaurants, or make reservations online,  I just  stumbled across  an online service for reserving tables at fabulous  restaurants  throughout Miami:  It may be old news to some of you, but  it’s worth sharing:  OpenTable.com Which are  your favorite dining spots in Miami ?  (Brickell  restaurants … or elsewhere in Miami! )  We’d love to uncover more!

To receive my blog posts directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe.

Summer weekends offer a bevvy of  THINGS to do in MIAMI … So whether you’re hitting the beach, golfing, or heading out to the Everglades … or you’re just looking for a place to sit and peoplewatch, or for something DIFFERENT and out of the ordinary to do on any given weekend : Check out the GREAT GABLES  link.   A sampling of things to do THIS WEEKEND IN MIAMI:  

New Theater is offering $10 July weekends…

Saki 101 is this weekend at WHOLE FOODS MARKET in Coral Gables (Learn the history of saki… and about pairing saki  with cheeses!)  …  Reservations are required and space is limited 305- 421-9421.  Friday  July 17 at 7pm.

Or head over for  free SUNDAY TOURS of the BILTMORE HOTEL…. And… for one of the nicest brunch spots around…  try the interior courtyard of THE BILTMORE HOTEL!

Another truly exceptional resource for :                                                              THINGS TO DO IN MIAMI is Miami Beach 411 !         

It just doesn’t get much better than this!

To receive my blog posts directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe.

Brickell has become the  ’new’  face of Miami, seemingly overnight.  Mary Brickell Village  added both charm and infrastructure  to the up-and-coming neighborhood of Brickell Avenue/Downtown and made it come alive!    Mary Brickell Village  is basically by  SW 10th Street,  just west of Brickell Avenue…  offering vibrant night-life, with both upscale and more “neighborhood/laid-back” dining.

A brand new Publix  just opened there a month ago:  31,000 square feet  of  “Green”  supermarket on the west side of Mary Brickell Village. You’ll also find a  drycleaner ,  tobacconist,  ice-creamery, chocolatier,  Kinko’s, FedEx, and a pharmacy…       along with several delightful dining spots. 

Mary Brickell Village is a   charming   ‘center of town’      (in  the heart of the financial and banking center of Miami)…    a quick ride from the Miami  International Airport…  a stone’s throw from Brickell Key,  Bayfront Park and the Performing Arts Center…  and literally right across the bridge from both Miami Beach  and Key Biscayne (with their endless water, sandy beaches, and resort lifestyles … )  

The  neighborhood  around Brickell could definitely use a movie theatre,  and is screaming for a local bookstore (Books & Books would be a definite asset!) … but Brickell is coming along by leaps and bounds.   

The Brickell MetroRail station and People Mover offer easy access into and out of MaryBrickell Village.   Reasonably priced parking is available (street and garage). 

A few blocks north you’ll find the Capital Grille, the quaint and characteristic Miami River Waterfront  and waterfront promenade,  Il Gabbiano’s stunning waterview dining, and Tobacco Road …. And within Mary Brickell itself are newly-opening shops and boutique-style stores… Mary Brickell Village restaurants, many offering OUTDOOR dining, are worth seeking out even if you’re not living in the immediate area!)

 Among our favorites are  Balans, Oceanaire Seafood, Abokado Sushi,  Blue Martini, Grimpa, Segafredo, Blu Pizza e Cucina, and Rosa Mexicano…  (Mary Brickell Village reminds me of  what Lincoln Road brought to Miami Beach,  raising real estate  values and encouraging further development and growth in that area of the beach).

Love to hear your thoughts, and your favorite spots in and around Brickell… what you enjoy about it, and what you’d like to see added to Mary Brickell Village.

To receive my blog posts directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe.

Smack in the heart of Mary Brickell Village,  are a WHOLE  SLEW of absolutely lovely dining spots…  Oceanaire   (elegant surroundings and scrumptious  fresh fish) …  Rosa Mexicano (to-die-for frozen-margaritas  with pomegranate juice…   heavenly guacamole concocted table side!)…  Blu’  Pizza e Cucina (umbrella-covered outdoor courtyard setting with Mediterranean fare and thin,crusty wood-burning  pizza:  ”two-for-one” each Tuesday).   Read more  in an article published by Miami.com about Blu‘!  And if you want to search for restaurants, or make reservations online,  I just  stumbled across  an online service for reserving tables  at fabulous  restaurants  throughout Miami:  It may be old news to some of you, but  it’s worth sharing:  OpenTable.com    Which are  your favorite dining spots  in Miami ?  (Brickell  restaurants … or elsewhere in Miami! )  We’d love to uncover more!

To receive my blog posts directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe.

This summer  again:  Miami welcomes residents and visitors to Coral Gables,  hosting several Italian Cooking Show EXTRAVAGANZAS at the MIA CUCINA design showroom on Coral Way…. with food and wine and laughter!  This “open-to-the-public”  gourmet food fest honors various regions in Italy, and is sponsored by local restaurants, purveyors,  talented local chefs and restaurateurs …  in conjunction with the Italy America Chamber of Commerce.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the  “Mia Cucina” Italian Cooking Show   in year’s past,  held each and every summer at their  Italian design kitchen showroom on 105 Miracle Mile.  The third of four cooking shows is coming up  July 16,2009  and space is apparently quickly filling up.  Since many of you ask to be notified of upcoming events, July is here, and the next Italian Cooking Show focuses on VENEZIA and VALLE d’AOSTA!    The Biltmore’s Fontana Restaurant competes against Tiramesu… for regional fare .   YOU sample, and YOU judge:  July 16  6:30-8:00 pm Mia Cucina Showroom  105 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables, Florida.  Reserve early.

To receive my blog posts directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe.

Coral Gables Restaurant Week is back! A play on Miami Spice, patrons enjoy fixed menus at lunch and dinner. Restaurants such as  Bangkok Bangkok, Ortanique on the Mile, Spris, Tarpon Bend and Ruth’s Chris are among some of the restaurants participating in this great event. Restaurant Week, which in fact is a two week event, runs from June 1 to June 14. Don’t miss out on this chance to try some of Coral Gables’ best restaurants.

For a complete list of participating restaurants, visit the Restaurant Week site.

To receive my blog posts directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe.