Almost Foreign Miami
Aside from the cold weather, another great reason to leave town is the awful allergy season. For some reason, the Washington DC region is terrible with tree pollens; it is rated one of the top 10 worst areas for allergy sufferers. By now, all the cars parked outdoor is left with a fine coat of sticky pollen coming from ash, maple and oak trees. Even folks with no allergy problem normally are having a tough time dealing with this sticky grime. The good thing with visiting Miami now is it has passed its peak pollen season, so one can expect some relief.
The flight into Miami is quite smooth. 
The plane flies over the cumulus clouds, giving the otherwise boring ocean view some interest. The landing towards Miami turns the plane inland, giving us a great view of the coastline, the emerald color water looks very inviting.
Once the plane has landed, it’s like walking into a foreign country – everyone speaks Spanish here. The funny thing is there is very little Spanish signs and advertisements. One would think that given the large Spanish population, the airport will have some Spanish directions. For example, the rental car shuttle just says that, no Spanish.
By the time we get the car and check into the Hyatt Miami at the Blue, it’s already 4PM. Time flies when the luggage takes its merry way to come out. Adjacent to the Hyatt resort is a popular Cuban restaurant called La Esquina Del Lechon, featuring mainly beef and pork dishes. The restaurant is quite nice, comparable to the chain restaurant set up like Chili, the big difference is there is nice food and live music here; not a band, but just one performer with a Spanish guitar. His singing is quite pleasant and the patrons are having a wonderful time.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Arriving Miami, Florida
We order a seafood dish and a mix grill meat dish. The mix grill called parrillada Esq (BBQ meat?) that includes grilled chicken, skirt steak, pork rind (roasted pig skin), argentine sausage, with a side of rice and beans and sweet plantain.
Parrillada Esq Mix Grill
The pork rind is unique, kind of like the Chinese crispy roast suckling pig skin, really crunchy. Overall, the meats are a bit on the dry side, but the flavor is nice. The chicken however is dry and blend, they must have forgotten to marinate the chicken. The mahi mahi is surprisingly good coming from a restaurant featuring a piggy chef mascot. The fish is fresh and tender and goes well with the rice and beans. Overall, this is a nice place to eat, especially when it is so close to the Hyatt. Three Stars.
Pork Rind - Part of Mix Grill
With some time left after dinner, we venture out to the Coral Gables area to do some grocery shopping, the Whole Food here is quite expensive compared to Washington DC. Got to load up on essential supplies, such as water and mosquito repellent.
