I’m fixing to fight the rain + head to the airport for a long, holiday-filled weekend in the Great State!
Before I go, I wanted to wish you all a very:
Enjoy the holidays!
Catch y’all on the flip. xx from Texas!
xx, L
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It’s been 3 weeks and I have to tell you… I’m still thinking about my time in MIAMI! I definitely wanted to let you guys know about all the amazing stuff we got into in case you’re planning a trip there soon! (Or better yet…a Bachelorette Weekend!)
Every part of the weekend was marvelous, but if I had to distill the amazingness down to 5 key points they would be as follows:
1. Hotel Gansevoort – OK, so I may be a tiny bit biased. When I lived in NYC, I spent far too much time and FAR too much money sipping cocktails on the roof deck of Hotel Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District…and I don’t regret a single minute or a single cent of it. So when I checked in to the Miami location, all that good nostalgia came rushing back the second I saw the logo.
But the enormous and gorgeous rooms, top tier customer service, inexplicably green tea scented air and the fact that there is a BIG DROP in the lobby I think more than support my positive feelings.
(For those of you who don’t know about Big Drop – it is only one of my FAVORITE stores in the whole wide world. I could go on and on. I got the most spectacular yellow dress and turquoise earrings and could have happily left the rest of the contents of my wallet there as well. Click HERE for more information and locations)
Also worth noting were the TWO pool scenes they had going on. We spent the majority of our time at the 3rd floor pool, gazing out from the infinity pool to the ocean while lounging 12-deep on cushy beach chairs while delightful servers brought cocktails, frozen fruit, and ice cold water. It was so serene and blissful, I never wanted to leave.
The other pool option? The roof deck. I am here to tell you that there was a line around the block to get up to the roof deck pool and it was full of ladies in stilettos and bejeweled cover ups and dudes with hair product. I was intrigued so my girl Ashley and I went up for a little walk-through and that party was BUMPING. People dancing in cabanas, standing shoulder to shoulder in the pool, bottle service, the whole 9. It was rumored that several famous athletes and Justin Bieber were there that weekend and if they were…I either didn’t recognize them or see them, but suffice it to say – a total 180 from the oasis on the 3rd floor, but just as awesome.
Hotel Gansevoort South Beach…I love you.
2. The Big Pink – We did some good eating in Miami, but I really got a kick out of the Big Pink.
It’s this total beach place with huge long family style tables running from end to end and the portions are ridiculously enormous. I got a chopped salad and I’m sure the entire contents of a produce section of a grocery store made it onto my plate.
Looking down the table I also saw mounds of French toast, omelets, French fries, and all kinds of other delicacies sure to cure the damage we did to ourselves the night before at the W Hotel.
3. Taverna Opa – These people are professional partiers. If you are bringing ANY kind of group situation to Miami, I think Taverna Opa should be on your list- no question.
We parked our party at one of their sturdy wooden tables and for a mere $25/per person, they brought us mounds and mounds of delicious Greek food and threw stacks of paper napkins at us as we danced on the tables and generally had a ball. Opa is always a good, rowdy time.
4. Sushi Samba – I’m sure you’ve all been to a Sushi Samba in one city or another. I had NO IDEA they had such a cute price fixe menu for a group! There was literally something for everyone. We started with edamame and salads and the regular fare and ended with a platter of amazing sushi, but we had some very interesting stops along the way such as sea bass on skewers and grilled octopus – it was absolutely perfect. When can you open a location in the ATL, Sushi Samba?
5. Fontainebleu/Arkadia– We did a fair amount of partying that weekend, and it was very hard to pinpoint my favorite lounge, but we really had a great time at Arkadia in the Fontainebleu Hotel.
We got a table and totally felt like VIPs as we bypassed the enormo line and sashayed right down stairs to a freezing cold, almost totally empty club. We really appreciated both the temperature and the moment of quiet before the place totally filled with people and we had a blast dancing on floor, the banquettes, and everywhere else.
I will admit, I could have had fun just about anywhere with the group in attendance, but that weekend in Miami was something special…
Next up? Bachelorette weekend for my girl EZ in HOUSTON this weekend!
Further bulletins as events warrant…
xx, L
Tags: bachelorette, blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol, bridesmaiding, careful cowboy!, Moxie? We got it., PLU, Texas Texas yeehaw!, Things that are awesome..., Things we love!, Yowza.
I’ve said it once. I’ll say it again. I love Texas. I haven’t lived in the Great State for almost seven years, but I frequently visit + I know for a fact that my affinity for anything Texas is one of the first things Slick will reference when he tells people who I haven’t met about me. Big hair, big cars, big attitude – I’m a big, BIG fan! I mean, “God (even) blessed it w/ his own hands…” So, when Slick informed me that the Fox Bros. (Fox Bros. BBQ) were opening a Tex-Mex joint named Big Tex Cantina in Decatur, I was immediately game.
We planned to meet our fellow Fox Bros. BBQ-lovin’ friends, Scott + Elizabeth, to try out Big Tex last week, so I conducted some serious menu research throughout the days leading up to it. I needed to know what I was getting into, y’all. On the day of the dinner, Slick successfully talked me out of wearing my cowboy hat. (So I was excited – sue me!) Nevertheless, as soon as I stepped into the restaurant, I felt like I was home.
Check it:
I’m pretty sure that the chandelier was my favorite Texas-inspired decoration, but it’s hard to say for sure…
After oogling the walls for about 15 minutes, we sat down and perused the extensive menu.
Without a second thought, I ordered up a Mexican Martini, which I am sure was inspired from my beloved Trudy’s in Austin. It wasn’t nearly as good as Trudy’s world-famous MM, but it did the trick.
Elizabeth opted for the Texas Bloody Mary which arrived with an olive + a green bean. She enjoyed it, but we both agreed that a Bloody Mary is an awkward dinner drink.
My favorite item we ordered for dinner was a special we all saw on the chalkboard outside of the front door: the Bacon Taquitos. They were absolutely mouthwateringly good! No joke. AMAZING.
Slick, Elizabeth + I all ordered tacos for dinner. Each of our plates looked similar to Slick’s pictured below. From left to right:
The Tex Taco: Chopped brisket with a spicy mustard sour cream, BBQ sauce, griddled jalapenos, diced onion + shredded lettuce. (Very tasty + the house special.)
The Carinta Taco: Chopped pork, griddled jalapenos, diced onion + shredded lettuce. (It was so incredibly salty, Slick + I couldn’t eat it. I do not recommend.)
El Guapo Taco: A flour tortilla filled with refried beans, a crispy taco shell with house ground beef, lettuce, cheese + pico de gallo. (My favorite! It was like a fancy Cheesy Gordita Crunch from Taco Bell! And, I’m pretty sure it weighed about three pounds. Judge me.)
Scott ordered the enormous Big Tex Chicken Chimichanga: a huge tortilla filled with pulled chicken, pinto beans, pico de gallo + cheese rolled and fried, topped with their signature Texas queso + pico de gallo. Did I mention how enormous it was??!
It was a feast, to say the least. (Rhyming!)
Are they a cute couple or what?!
I can’t say that any of us actually finished our massive meals, but we truly put in some serious effort. NO room for dessert, although the Red Velvet Cheesecake sounded tempting. After we settled up with our server, we walked around the restaurant again and discovered a substantial party room in the very back complete with TVs, pool tables + skeeball! This space is totally ideal for a birthday party or a fun night out with a group!
Big Tex Cantina was very enjoyable. It’s priced well, the restaurant doesn’t accept reservations but it’s large enough that you wouldn’t have to wait forever, + they’ve done really well with the Texas-themed decor (at least in my book!). The menu is extensive + I have faith that the restaurant will be successful. Having the Fox Bros. name behind it, at the very least, means something. If you are trying to satisfy a random Mexican food craving, I probably wouldn’t recommend making the trek to Decatur to test out Big Tex over heading to Taqueria del Sol. BUT, if you are into trying out new spots, you love the Great State as much as I do, or you are seriously hungover (get the Chimichanga - trust me.), Big Tex will do the trick.
YeeHAW, partner!
xx, L
Big Tex Cantina
308 W. Ponce de Leon Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030
404.377.3939
http://www.bigtexcantina.com/
Tags: Beef., careful cowboy!, comfort food, don't judge, Lets hear it for the boys, LMR, slick, Table for Two, Texas Texas yeehaw!, That'll do Pig, Things that are awesome..., You Can Find Me in the A, Yowza., zweigels