Travel Plans for 2017

If there’s something I like more than putting down my travel plans on paper it’s talking about them. I feel like the more I talk about them the more real they become. It’s already March and I have a few trips planned for the year, so here we go!

For quite a few reasons, I was torn when my older sis asked if I wanted to join her for a weekend in Cuba. My entire family is from Cuba and they fled the island many years ago because of political reasons. So, I wasn’t totally on boat with the idea at first, but after I had time to think it over I thought “What the heck! Let’s go!” I will be in Havana, Cuba for just a short weekend at the end of this month (in 5 days to be exact). I am very excited to see where my parents & grandparents grew up, as well as dance some salsa with the locals!

Thailand has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember and I am finally going this year! My older sis & I bought our flights in January and we will be in Thailand for about two weeks and a half in late May. We plan on seeing a little bit of everything including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, & some of the islands. So, to say that I am ecstatic would be the understatement of the year.

In August, my ohana and I are taking our annual vacation to Hawaii 🙂 We’re all super excited about it because we’ve never been & we’ve heard such great things from Hawaii. We decided that the best way to see the most in the least amount of time would be if we took a cruise, so we booked with Norwegian Cruise Line and will be able to see about 5 to 6 islands.

I’ve heard rumors throughout the family about Colorado in the Winter, but they’re only rumors. Other than that, I don’t know where else I might go or what opportunities might come up or where the year will take me. All we can ever hope for is grand adventure.

Until the next adventure.

Love, Rosy

OH MY GOSH!!! Brigadeiros

My Brazilian friend Nathalia came over my apartment one day and we made the traditional milk chocolate brigadeiros (if you don’t know what brigadeiros are, don’t worry I’ll explain in a minute). While we were making the chocolate, I got to thinking that there ought to be a brigadeiro shop in Miami (because Miami is heavily populated with Brazilians, it only made sense). So, I Googled it and sure enough I found ‘OH MY GOSH! Brigadeiro.’

OH MY GOSH is damn right! The name definitely suits this sweet hidden gem in the heart of Coral Gables, Miami. It is so pink! I loved everything about it – the ambiance, the friendly staff, and the deliciously rich brigadeiros. And the coffee! They serve their coffee surrounded by Nutella and chocolate chips (I mean what else could you want in this life).

A brigadeiro is a bite-sized traditional Brazilian dessert. They are made from condensed milk, cocoa powder, butter and chocolate sprinkles to cover the outside layer. What I really loved about ‘OH MY GOSH! Brigadeiro’ is that they have a vast amount of different flavors for their brigadeiros; they don’t just have the traditional milk chocolate one. They cater flavors like coconut, white milk, dark, cookies & cream, dulce de leche, OMG flavor, coffee, passion fruit, strawberry, I mean the list is frickin’ endless! 

The flavors that I had were exquisite. From the very first bite I had already gone to the moon and back, I mean ridiculously tasty. I recommend the coconut, white milk, cookies & cream, and of course the OMG Flavor, which was by far the best one.

If you’re looking for the perfect combination of brigadeiro with a sweet, sweet Cappuccino (or if you didn’t even know you were looking for this combination until now)… ‘OH MY GOSH Brigadeiro’ is the way to go.

Visit their website http://omgbrigadeiros.com/ to check out their menu and follow them on Instagram for mouth watering photos & videos (@omgbrigadeiros).

Until the next adventure.

Love, Rosy 

Top 5 Places to Eat In Miami

The Salty Donut is Miami’s first artisanal donut and coffee shop. Located in Wynwood & you can read all about it RIGHT HERE!

Latin America is my favorite Cuban restaurant in Miami (besides my mom’s kitchen). They have everything to satisfy your Cuban cravings – tostada con mantequilla, pan con bistec, platanos maduros, arroz con frijoles, I mean the list goes on & on! Their coffee is just amazing. I’m a very big fan of the coffee I make at home myself, but this is a close second.

Recommendation: Croquetas de Hamon, Croqueta Preparada

Lime is located in the heart of Pembroke Pines & this place is really good. It is usually crowded on the weekends & they have limited seating, but during the week it is fantastic. Very nice & attentive staff & I just love the whole aesthetic of the place.

Recommendation: Chicken quesadillas, cheese dip, Jarrito for a drink

Kush, located in Wynwood, this is one of my newfound favorites. My best friend told me about the chicken & waffles at this place & that I needed to go. So when I was down in Miami this past spring break we went together & let me tell you that I appreciate my best friend 10 times more after eating at Kush. The chicken & waffles here are massive & I ate it all in one sitting. It is a really small place with limited seating (I’m finding a pattern here: I usually recommend places with very limited seating). I think the coolest thing about this place is the bathroom (I know weird right). I grew up watching Mr. Bean & wondering how a man of few words can cause such uproar of laughter & in this bathroom they have a life-sized Mr. Bean glued to the wall and when I saw it I took many selfies with him.

Recommendation: Chicken and waffles & GO. TO. THE. BATHROOM.

Bakery at 186 is my favorite bakery in the Miami Lakes area. It doesn’t get anymore authentic than this! It is a small hole in the wall, so local & so authentic that their name is written in red block letters on a cardboard above the place. This is probably the most local place on the whole list. It was called Arianna’s Bakery, but the name was changed recently.

Recommendation: Pan con Bistec is to die for, the best one I’ve ever had. EVER! And I’ve had quite a few…

Below I’ve listed a few places that are on my go-to list. I haven’t eaten in any of these places yet, but I’ve heard wonderful things about them!

• Finka Table and Tap
• Crazy About You
• Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita
• Area 31

Until the next adventure. 

Love, Rosy 

The Salty Donut, Miami

Calling all donut lovers…

 

If you want to rack up on some (a lot) of calories then head over to The Salty Donut Artisanal Donut Shop and Coffee Bar, Miami’s first craft donut shop. I think its nearly impossible to formulate words to describe this place, but I’m going to try. Located in Wynwood Miami, The Salty Donut is a tiny little trailer, perched in the corner of a parking lot, a blue & white canvas cover on top, and a long line of people out the gates. Absolutely the cutest thing you’ll ever see! The donut flavors change every weekend, but they do have a selection that is always served: Traditional Glazed Buttermilk, Guava + Cheese (so Miami), Maple Bacon (this is one of my favorites), Brown Butter + Salt. Along with their donuts they also serve donut holes; this weekends flavors range from Peanut Butter + Cranberry-berry Jelly to Spiked Bourbon Apple Crisp to Oreo Cookie. I’m telling you this place is too good to be true! There is very limited seating & like I said the lines are extremely long, but it is SO worth it. They close down once all the donuts are sold out, so don’t think you are going to enjoy a decadent Nutella stuffed donut if you head out too late.

I had heard many wonderful things about this place, but as soon as I found out they were serving a Key Lime Pie donut I RAN! It was so beautiful I didn’t even want to eat it at first & when I bit into that Key Lime stuffed bit of heaven I almost died of happiness. All I could do was chew & nod at my friends in confirmation. My eyes would look up at my friends & then back down to my donut, I remember thinking “Dude, what is in this?!” Incredible. Truly incredible.

It’s also a coffee shop! I had the Cuban Iced Coffee along with my donuts (yes plural! I had two other donuts alongside my Key Lime Pie one, the Maple + Bacon & the Coconut Samoan) & it was pretty good. I’m not a good person to ask about coffee because I only really, truly enjoy one & thats Cuban Coffee. And I take it straight, but how I like my coffee is a whole other blog post. The Salty Donut is the epitome of creativity & if you’re a foodie like me this place will make your taste buds explode!

And remember, calories only exist if you count them, so stop at The Salty Donut & indulge!

Until the next adventure. 

Love, Rosy 

10 Photos To Motivate You To Visit San Francisco, CA

If San Francisco is not on your Hitlist, then you’re slipping! Picturesque city with friendly Uber drivers & some of the best food ever, what more could you ask for? Here are 10 photos that hopefully will inspire you to visit the wonderful city of San Francisco. Enjoy!

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse, San Francisco CA

 

If you’re looking to get baked in San Francisco then Mr. Holmes Bakehouse is the way to go. Featured on multiple media platforms, the famous cruffin is all you could ever hope for in a pastry. Mr. Holmes Bakehouse co-owner and pastry chef calls it the “unicorn of pastries” and trust me it lives up to that title. The flavor varies daily and remains a surprise to the customers until the doors open. You can be surprised by any flavored filling from s’mores, to peppermint, to caramel cream, to strawberry milkshake. They also only bake a number of cruffins a day, so if you snooze you lose. I went to this glorious foodie haven on the weekend (they opened at 8AM) and I got a strawberry milkshake cruffin! Words cannot express how damn good that pastry was; I recommend 10/10.

So you’re probably wondering ‘Rosy, what the heck is a cruffin?

Sit tight my friend and hold on to your seat because a cruffin is the perfect cross between a croissant and a muffin. In the shape of a muffin with the texture of a croissant, this pastry dominates the game.

I’m not going to sugar coat it any longer: this is the best place to get your sweet tooth on. They are “always looking for people committed to carbs”.

Until the next adventure.

Love, Rosy

La Taqueria, San Francisco CA

La Taqueria is the holy grail of burritos. It has been named the best taqueria in San Francisco, won an award for the best burrito in the nation, and was recognized as having the best tacos in the United States.
La Taqueria is a small hole in the wall with limited seating and a line that ends outside the door, but they are ridiculously efficient and usually have a mariachi band in full form in the background. Go in hungry and I guarantee you will walk out rubbing your belly in the good way. The carnitas were outstanding, the beans were flawless in seasoning, and they did not add rice to the burrito, which highlights the flavor of the meat. Its capability to make people genuinely happy post burrito consumption is the true power of great Mexican food.

Until the next adventure.

Love, Rosy

A Week in San Francisco CA

I was sitting in my friend Sam’s dorm room mid Spring Semester when the idea came to me of buying a plane ticket somewhere, anywhere. I had started college the previous summer and since then I hadn’t traveled anywhere other than back to my hometown.
So I brought up the idea to Sam (& Amanda, my friend back home) and within the week all three of us had purchased our tickets. We had a good three months to research the area and make an itinerary of some sorts (really just a map with the places we wanted to hit and a list of all the food places we were told not to miss). Before we knew it, it was summertime and we said goodbye to finals & hello to San Francisco, California!

What followed was a week of non-stop walking uphill, laughter, Uber, and FOOD! I knocked a few things of my Bucket List – drive through the Golden Gate Bridge, eat a cruffin at Mr. Holmes Bakehouse, see the Painted Ladies, take a trip to Alcatraz – and made memories that will last a lifetime (very cliché, but very true). My friends and I found a true gem along the way, the crème de la crème of authentic Mexican food in a small joint on Mission Street, the holy grail of burritos. I’m still dreaming about that place (and you can read all about it in my next post).

If you haven’t been to San Francisco then you should definitely add it to your Hitlist because I recommend 10/10. Beautiful city with beautiful people & a haven for foodies like my friends and me. Don’t forget to check out the travel video I made for this trip on my Youtube channel (youtube.com/rosyenroute) I’ll leave the link below.

A Week in San Francisco Travel Vid

Until the next adventure.

Love, Rosy