I took two weeks off work to spend time with my family during their vacation to Florida this month! My younger brother Brad is engaged (the wedding is September 1!) and it was time for the family reunion that would be held in honor of the happy couple. I thought that Rich and I would take the proverbial cake for "speed to wedding" (16 months from first date to wedding!) but Brad has trademarked speed. I believe he and his fiancee will have been together about 14 months on their wedding day. I suppose when you know, you just know.
My parents arrived on Saturday the 7th, and the next few days was a whirlwind of shopping, dining, and the beach. I hadn't seen my Dad in over two years, and my Mom in just over a year. Of course Sunday was church. Monday we spent shopping at Sawgrass Mills and in Aventura. Mom and I had a lovely time shopping for dresses at Nordstrom. :) We hit Macy's just after, and I had a minor love affair with Michael Kors most recent collection. This is also when I discovered that I have finally reached a new size in clothing. After all the sweating and rejection of most delicious foods that I have been doing, I was pretty jazzed about that. :)
Who doesn't love this leather-accented pencil skirt? Because I really, really do.
This sleeveless top had leather cinching at the top, which I found really cute.
After shopping, we headed to the beach and walked down the Hollywood Beach broadwalk. We had plans to make dinner, but ended up crashing for dinner at Pei Wei. On Tuesday, Dad wanted to go out to a "nice meal" while it was still just the four of us, so we chose Prime 112 on South Beach as our dinner destination. Who doesn't love a fancy dinner with more waiters than patrons?
We began the meal with a delightful salad. Rich's enjoyment of the bacon on the salad led to Dad ordering him a "bacon bouquet." I am fairly certain that between the fat and sodium Rich consumed I should have considered giving him an entire bottle of Aspirin.
Trying to be vigilant about my health, I opted for an entree of local blackened swordfish with papaya salsa, served on a bed of arugula that was lightly dressed with lemon and olive oil. It was outstanding. Tropical simplicity.
Mom and Rich shared a 48-oz Porterhouse steak. This obscene piece of meat was served with a head of roasted garlic and house steak sauce -- a tamarind chutney.
Dad's entree was a filet of flounder with a mounded crab cake baked onto the top and served with a cream sauce. I tried it...too decadent for my taste, but delicious nonetheless.
Dad's dessert was bananas foster cheesecake. Superb. Everyone at the table agreed that it was the best dessert presented.
Mom's dessert was a bit strange. She ordered the creme brulee, which was served with glazed fruit and peppermint fudge. Although it was a very strange trio, each component was delicious.
I ordered a fallen dark chocolate souffle with "sweet cream" and Amerena cherries. It was much too rich after the first few perfect bites, so most of it was left... however, it satiated my chocolate craving for at least the next 7 days. :) Amerena cherries are small, dark, slightly sour cherries grown mostly in Bologna and Modena. Italians preserve them in sugar. The syrup is used to pour over cakes or ice cream. As with most things in life that I adore, Amerena cherries are expensive and imported. Perfection.
Read the next post for a continuation of our vacation!
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