Baseball and Women

First of all, I'm giving a shout out to my best friend, Evan, for his twenty second birthday! Check out his blog about spending time in Akron, Ohio this summer. I'm really sorry I missed this birthday, but I'm sure we can find time to celebrate it in true twenty-year-old style when I return.

I know I let y'all down by not posting yesterday, but I promise I will post Sunday to make up for it. The truth is, I spent the whole of yesterday on my way to Dallas to go see a Texas Rangers game. They played the Detroit Tigers and won 13 to 9. The best part to me though was having my new camera to capture all the merriment so I could share it!

I really love three subjects (that I can think of) in photography: people who are normally ignored in society, interactions between people, and abandoned things.

Robert also would have been included in this picture if my arm was longer

I really loved her hair and hat

We went on a great night: dollar hotdog night! However, we didn't sit in the all-you-can-eat section as one of my new friends suggested we should.

Robert and I with our Overly Attached Girlfriend Faces

thank God for baseball pants. . .

Nicole and I practicing our duck faces

... was going to show them what's up

the pitch . . . 

. . . the slam

 Baseball Life Quote (apply liberally): Being with a woman all night never hurt no professional baseball player. It's staying up all night looking for a woman that does him in. - Casey Stengel

Eating Miami

One of the best parts about traveling is eating new food, and I'm going to let you in on a few restaurants I have eaten at on my travels and here in Miami. Some of these are chain restaurants that constantly deliver great food, while others were exploration. Enjoy and go do some exploring of your own!

Pappadeaux - DFW Airport

Beringer Founders’ Estate, 

 Cabernet Sauvignon, California  - Absolutely excellent

Crawfish Etouffee with white rice - Amazing!

We also had a slice of their sweet potato pecan pie that was super delicious. This restaurant is a go-to favorite of my mother and I. The servers are always well-informed and take great care of you. Their sister restaurants are just as impressive!

Sushi Maki - Coral Gables

This place had THE cutest and most artsy decor!!

Delish iced green tea.

spicy tuna amazingness

dragon roll!! best cooked sushi I've had

on the chopstick package they had different uses your sticks :)

I really enjoyed this place. Our waitress was super friendly and attentive. My mother was less than pleased with her rice noodle dish: Tai Pad Rice Noodles extra spicy. I loved that they had a bubble tea selection on their menu and my sushi was amazing.

Carrabbas

limonfresca - it was too much for me, so I got a wine instead 

PASTA FIORENTINA

LIMONCELLO BREAD PUDDING

I apparently didn't look like I was having enough fun, because halfway through my  decanter, my waiter brought me another one... "on de house". 

Carrabbas is ALWAYS great. They always have great staff and great food. This particular restaurant I really enjoyed. Their tables are always pretty dark though so if you have trouble seeing, make sure you take reading glasses!

Casa Larios

sangria!

Lamb stew with black beans and rice and fried plantains (shown below) 

my camera had a bit too much sangria ...

the remains of a great tres leches dessert 

our beer for the night, a Dominican beer: Presidente

All of my pictures from this restaurant turned out like crap since it was so dark already when we went out. The food was really good, although I was expecting more flavor. I also had a bowl of black beans with my meal. I loved the plantains, beans and rice, and black beans! The lamb was really tender and cooked well. 

John Martin's 

I had to get an Irish beer... and I've been informed I like Ale, so it was an easy choice!

Brie Cheese Toast on Baguette 

NY Strip Steak, Gaelic Style with Mashed Potatoes (if you go to an Irish Pub and don't get SOME kind of potato, you aren't living)

Key Lime Pie - note the heart of sauce

Creme Brulee - my mother's dessert

Every dish we ordered was great: very well presented, well flavored, cooked exactly to order. The only thing I found disappointing was that there seemed to be a lot more French and Italian dishes than Irish. Other than that they music, service and food was all amazing.

Thoughts on food: The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook - Julia Child