Adapted from chocolateandzucchini.com
Ingredients:
1 large zucchini, sliced thinly
goat cheese, crumbled
2 tbsps sherry vinegar
2 tsps fresh thyme
olive oil, salt and pepper
1. Arrange the zucchini slices on a plate in a circular pattern, each slice overlapping the next. Drizzle with olive oil and sherry vinegar and sprinkle with goat cheese, thyme, salt and pepper.
Our last full day was spent at the club house, poolside. We didn’t want to drive anywhere since we have to catch our flight so we sunbathed at the pool with all the gossip magazines we could pick up. I got more tanned there under a couple of hours than I did in Honduras. I devoured a medium-rare burger with my dark beer while Lauren enjoyed the chicken wrap with her Heineken Light.
Cheers!
It was sad to leave Florida. The S’s have been so nice to me. It was a bummer to end our long weekend together.
I think Sonny and I finally got along
I wish we knew there was a storm approaching New York City though, so we didn’t have to sit in the plane on the runway for several hours. Thank goodness for satellite TV and my trustworthy Bosse headphones, I got to catch up with Anthony Bourdain in Indonesia (El Bulli feature in two weeks, people!) and a really cool documentary on Tokyo.
Grouchy-looking Sonny but he was really excellent
Sonny was the best dog ever even with the four-hour delay. He would just take a peek from his bag and check if his mommy was still around. When he had that confirmed, he would just go right back inside; no whining and complaining like the two women behind us who gave the flight attendants a hard time. It took six hours to get back to Harlem instead of the expected three but I was very content with my weekend.
Sunday was still muggy but the clouds looked very angry. The sun stayed hidden so we spent the rest of the morning at a place the locals call Downtown. I wanted to cook for the S’s so we drove to Publix and bought the necessary ingredients. (I love supermarkets outside of Manhattan!) The produce looked nice even though they didn’t have Brussels sprouts. I had to rework the menu that I was initially thinking about. We went to yet another mall after that but this time to lazily check out the merchandise on sale.
The rain finally stopped some time in the afternoon so we all decided to go to the beach and take a walk. It was the only beach which allowed dogs so Sonny and Freddy came with us. The surfers were out because the winds earlier in the day brought some nice waves in. There were all sorts of dogs on the beach, big and small. I kept thinking of California while I was enjoying the scene.
My gracious hosts
Back at home, I started preparing for dinner. We all hung out in the backyard while I grilled portobello mushrooms, squash and asparagus. The oven in the kitchen was broiling bacon and apples. I made my favorite summer salad to start and we opened the bottles of Reisling I brought with me. I threw the pork tenderloin in the oven for a quick roast and put together all the vegetables.
Dinner was good and complete.
I can only imagine how bored meteorologists must be in Florida if it isn’t hurricane season. Good morning! It’s hot out today! I was packing my beach bag while the TV was on and all I could think of was, No shit. It wasn’t even 9am and it was already sweltering. And the central air was on!
The water at Peanut Island
After breakfast, we drove to the dock and took the ferry to Peanut Island. We donned our snorkeling gear before the tide started to rise for lunch time. I was pretty much satisfied after I saw a barracuda frowning at me. It was feeding time and all the small fish were out and about. There were flying fish, too. I just sat out the rest of the afternoon with ocassional dips to save my skin from melting.
Pretty nice looking man-made beach
When it got unbearably hot, we took the ferry back and ate lunch at Tiki Bar and Grill. The conch salad was a fresh starter and it only got better with fish and chips and a cold, cold glass of lemonade. (Beer would have been better but I didn’t have my I.D. with me!)
Conch salad with crackers
On our way back, we stopped by the turtle sanctuary to see this big guy:
His shell was cracked by a boat propeller and he was being rehabilitated before he will be set free in July. I pretty much passed out back at the S’s home after that. Late in the afternoon, we drove to City Place for dinner. It reminded me of Los Angeles’ The Grove, live band, fountains and all. Dinner was Cuban food at Cabana and boy, was my craving for pork ever fulfilled!
Mmmm-mm chuletas!
We also shared the ceviche mix, the plantains and the beef served with yellow rice and black beans. Two pitchers of red sangria were consumed.
My first reaction upon arriving in Florida was, Oh, my god. Can it be any hotter than this?
When Lauren mentioned several months ago that she was visiting her newly-retired parents in West Palm Beach, she extended the invitation to me since I’ve never been to Florida before. For a $145 round-trip weekend fare, I had no reason to refuse.
Palm tree galore: while driving from the airport
We arrived on Friday just before sunset. It was so hot I thought of Central America. The only difference was that it was spotless and all nicely set up–like the private communities in Las Vegas. It felt wrong to be there. Water sprinkles were spraying all over the manicured lawns. The air conditioning was blasting in every car, every room of the house, every restaurant and shopping store. It made me wonder how much energy a place like West Palm Beach uses each day.
Sonny all tired from the flight
After settling in, Mr. and Mrs. S gave me a tour of their lovely home. The ceilings were high, the kitchen fully-equipped, the garden…well, there was an actual garden! We also took a walk around their neighborhood and visited the club house with the pool. I’m not a big pool fan but I made a mental note to stop by before flying back to New York City.
Welcome to the neighborhood!
Sonny was nervous during the flight but as soon as we were on steady ground, he was the usual spoiled sweetheart. Freddy is Mr. and Mrs. S’s dog and he seemed bothered that there was another poodle in the house. He was less snotty throughout my stay but he made it known he was still king. (He would shake his fur after I would try to touch him.)
Freddy and Sonny minding their own businesses
For dinner, we drove to the Reef Grill and ordered several seafood appetizers. Everything had the Florida essence in it, from the tuna to the shrimps, the scallops to the swordfish. It was an absolutely beautiful night even though it was muggy. There’s nothing better than stepping out of a restaurant with a full stomach in a place I’ve never been before.
