Pinchers with Bourgeois Bob

With the long Memorial Day weekend stretched before me, I made sure to get out of dodge. I had not visited my dad (aka Bourgeois Bob) and stepmom since before the Holidays, so a trip down to South Florida was the perfect destination. 

Big surprise, I was not the only person who decided to travel this holiday weekend. A mix of oversold flights and bad weather did not lend to an enjoyable traveling experience. My quick afterwork Thursday night flight turned into a Friday morning fight to an airport 2 hours from my actual destination and then a car ride across the Everglades. 

After cancellation, delays, detours and a few road bumps, I finally made it. I had just enough time to shower and throw on a sundress before my dad was ushering us into the car in order to make Happy Hour at Pinchers Crab Shack.

I love coming to Pinchers when I visit. You are guaranteed a great cut of fresh off the boat fish that is lightly seasoned with heaping side options. I hate when fish is over-sauced and spiced.

Unlike NYC, where we get excited about $1 Oyster Happy Hours, Pinchers has Oysters, Calms, Shrimp and Wings for $0.70,

I told you we rushed to make Happy Hour. We started with Oysters. Not as meaty as our Long Island Blue Points, but less salty and very tasty.

Next were the steamed clams and butter. I haven't had clams for the longest time, I had forgot how incredible they are.

I do not like wings so Dad and Denise took care of those.

I was almost too full to order, but then decided...what the heck, I'm on vacation! Dad and Den ordered the Crab Cake. They were in love with the coleslaw...another thing I hate.

I opted for the Blackened Grouper. My sides were string beans and homemade french fries. Everything was so fresh and delicious. Nothing was over sauced or salted.

The cool thing about Pinchers is it is also a fish market. Not the cheapest, but the fish is about as fresh as you are going to get.

Gosh the sun felt so good after months of frozen tundra.

Love my Daddio. More to come about South Florida adventures from Naturally Ginger and Bourgeois Bob later this week.

We may or may not have had a dinner party and invited this guy to come along.

I could just pinch your little cheeks. xoxo thanks for reading.

Family Visits, Cousin in NYC

This past weekend my cousin Cathy came into town. I only have two cousins in the whole world, so I was very excited to show her my NYC. After her train ride down from upstate, I met her at the Empire Hotel. We quickly hopped into a cab and headed out to sightsee.

Our first stop was lunch at McGee's. Cathy is a HUGE "How I Met Your Mother" fan. I learned that McGee's is the bar the friends in the show frequent. There was a ton of show paraphernalia and Cathy was elated.

Being the quintessential tourists, Cathy decided we should take a horse drawn carriage for a loop around the park. I hadn't done this since I was maybe 7 and it was actually a blast. 

It was such an incredible day Saturday, we stopped for a drink at Trump International Hotel and Tower off Columbus Circle. We were lucky to snag a table outside overlooking the park and sat there until the sunset.

Cathy stayed at the Empire Hotel during her visit, so we had to check out the rooftop. The view of the northern half of the city was breathtaking.

After a good sleep in Sunday, we met up at none other than Buvette (they have a new website since I last blogged, make sure to check it out...looks yummy!).

We started with a favorite, the Duck Rillettes.

I finally got to try the homemade croissants. The whipped butter and homemade raspberry jam were so delicious.

Here comes the rest. We had 3 egg dishes for brunch. First, the Steamed Eggs with Prosciutto over toast. Second, Steamed Eggs with Goat Cheese. Finally, a Croque Madame.

We didn't get any cocktails, but I love sitting at the bar watching them be created.

After Cathy and I parted ways, I wandered around Soho before heading to church. I, of course, couldn't help but pick up a sweet treat at the Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck. I went for my favorite Mint Chip.

xoxo