Blog No. 30 of 2025

Hi there, it’s me!!! Hope you’re staying cool in this sweltering July heat. I haven’t even had the courage to go to the beach here in Miami. Maybe this weekend, we’ll see.

So here goes…

Friday night we did a proper date night and a belated birthday dinner for Vance at Luna Pasta e Dolci Ristorante where we enjoyed two amazing plates of pasta and delectable dessert. My light and refreshing glass of Italian Pinot Grigio was perfect with my fettucine bolognese with a robust, hearty homemade beef ragu (yes, I had white wine with red meat, I don’t like red wine), and Vance enjoyed the ravioli verdi, a spinach and ricotta ravioli with fresh tomato, eggplant, basil, pomodoro sauce and calabrian chili. We split the almond apple tart a la mode with vanilla ice cream. Overall, a fantastic meal. We may be going there again tomorrow with our friends Kevin and Michelle who after our meal that night we immediately thought “they’re gonna love this place.”

Dessert at Luna Pasta e Dolci

Bar at Battubelin

And as we always like to do, we went for an after dinner drink and decided to finally try Battubelin Italian Restaurant on 79 St. It’s a lovely place where we now know we want to return for dinner but the outdoor patio and bar area was the perfect place for a nice nightcap. The ambiance is rustic and romantic with candles and abundant foliage and I will say, the bartender slings a nice cocktail. My I guess you can say it was an Italian-themed night and it was bellisimo!

Decor at Imperial Moto Cafe

Motorcycle at Imperial Moto Cafe

My gorgeous papers and envelopes from the Miami Paper & Printing Museum.

Saturday I finally made it to the Miami Paper & Printing Museum in Little River. They were open and having a great sale in preparation for their move to a smaller space at the Bakehouse Art Complex in Wynwood. I picked up a fantastic haul of gorgeous paper and envelopes. Afterwards, I went to the nearby Imperial Moto Cafe where I picked up a snappy ginger shot, a frostly cold coke and a fantastic chicken burrito being sold under a tent outside in their patio area. It was a great Miami afternoon.

Sunday was a quiet, leisurely day around the house. Nick, Vance and I watched the Marlins game and then grabbed some ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery (thanks Monica for the gift cards!) in Aventura and then a little north of there to walk around Esplanade at Aventura. Esplanade is an open-air shopping and dining area nestled in the Aventura Mall parking lot.

Julian in the cap and Erika on the right, joined Nick and I at trivia this week. We were the Cul de Sac Crew!

Wednesday my neighbor Erika and her son Julian joined Nick and I for trivia at Old Tom’s Sports Bar & Cafe in the Ramada Inn in Miami Springs. Our team name was Cul de Sac Crew, because we’ve been just that for more than 20 years! We had an awesome time and I’m hoping they join us again!

Thursday I had a leisurely lunch with my friend Monica in her neck of the woods at Luka Restaurant in Plantation. It’s a lovely spot in an unassuming strip mall but the food is on point. The menu is a blend of Colombian/Venezuelan/Peruvian/Cuban favorites which means there’s something for everyone! And actually, coffee is a really big thing at this restaurant too and their fresh squeezed juices are great.

Things to do…

Tonight, if you’re in my neighborhood you can listen to great jazz during Jazz at MOCA at the MOCA Plaza in Downtown North Miami.

Saturday, head to the Design District for Dale Zine’s Print Fair from noon to 4 p.m.

This weekend, you can hit up a Farmer’s Market. Most of them open early so you can beat the sweltering heat. I love picking up Mediterranean dips and other homemade goodies while supporting small businesses.

And if you want to just peruse events happening this weekend and into next, click here to see the South Florida on the Cheap calendar.

If you’re a fan of cars, the Miami International Auto Show comes back to Miami Sept. 26 through Oct. 5 and they’re already offering a discount.

This week, I leave you with a parting shot of this lovely Northern Cardinal in the bird feeder.