I never understand when people, like my sister, could care less about their birthday. A birthday is a once-a-year celebration for just being.
Plans for a Saturday birthday gained momentum when my friend Kerry from Boston, decided to visit. Of course like all great birthdays they start before the date and if you're really lucky end about a week later. Thursday was a massage, then Friday was kayaking on the Gulf of Mexico.We rented our kayaks from Salt Water Sports on the Isle of Capri near Naples, FL. They had a few obscurely nudged up against a tiki restaurant, The Capri Fish House.
Unfortunately that day did not have the dreamy blue waters ideal for small-island-hopping. So after fighting an unrelenting tide we relented and made way to the local mangroves, passing a few dolphins along the way. (The mangroves were so trippy that I'll have to save them for another time). Afterward we lucked out with a $12 early bird special at the tiki restaurant on the water. The flounder and grouper were yum yum.
Saturday was the Delray Beach Garlic Festival. It was more like your everyday street festival with tasty, yet uninnovative food and a $10 cover charge. I expected something like garlic balls in a garlic sauce with a side of garlic salad washed down with garlic soda. It sounds icky, but I would have been impressed. I did glean a gem though: There is always a Starbucks around when you gotta pee, which beats the unsavory porta-potty experience. For the first time I was happy for a Starbucks on every corner.
Nighttime. I picked a little-known 18-person restaurant outside of Wilton Manors (a neighborhood in Ft. Lauderdale), called Café Sharaku. It's French-Asian fusion with a small and delectable menu.
Café Sharakaru was beer and wine only, so I looked for a happy hour close by that stocked the real stuff. All I could find was Red's Bar and Package Store where the review said something about "free jello shots for the ladies". Am I crazy to suspect it was a dive fraternity bar? UGH.
Don't get me wrong -- there is nothing better than a good dive, but truth be told I was a little nervous as to what I was getting my
well-dressed birthday clan in to. In fact it was a real bar's bar -big u-shaped and wooden without any small
tables or restaurant in sight.
By
the way, I highly
recommend their jello shots.
The Capri Fish House www.caprifishhouse.com
Garlic Festival www.dbgarlicfest.com
Café Shakaru, Ft Lauderdale FL www.cafesharaku.com
Red's Bar and Packaging Store: Ft. Lauderdale, FL 954-564-0233 http://www.yelp.com/biz/reds-bar-and-package-store-wilton-manors#hrid:fSkzOkaI_ZYASnBBb_Ui-Q/query:red's
Plans for a Saturday birthday gained momentum when my friend Kerry from Boston, decided to visit. Of course like all great birthdays they start before the date and if you're really lucky end about a week later. Thursday was a massage, then Friday was kayaking on the Gulf of Mexico.We rented our kayaks from Salt Water Sports on the Isle of Capri near Naples, FL. They had a few obscurely nudged up against a tiki restaurant, The Capri Fish House.Unfortunately that day did not have the dreamy blue waters ideal for small-island-hopping. So after fighting an unrelenting tide we relented and made way to the local mangroves, passing a few dolphins along the way. (The mangroves were so trippy that I'll have to save them for another time). Afterward we lucked out with a $12 early bird special at the tiki restaurant on the water. The flounder and grouper were yum yum.Saturday was the Delray Beach Garlic Festival. It was more like your everyday street festival with tasty, yet uninnovative food and a $10 cover charge. I expected something like garlic balls in a garlic sauce with a side of garlic salad washed down with garlic soda. It sounds icky, but I would have been impressed. I did glean a gem though: There is always a Starbucks around when you gotta pee, which beats the unsavory porta-potty experience. For the first time I was happy for a Starbucks on every corner.
Nighttime. I picked a little-known 18-person restaurant outside of Wilton Manors (a neighborhood in Ft. Lauderdale), called Café Sharaku. It's French-Asian fusion with a small and delectable menu. Café Sharakaru was beer and wine only, so I looked for a happy hour close by that stocked the real stuff. All I could find was Red's Bar and Package Store where the review said something about "free jello shots for the ladies". Am I crazy to suspect it was a dive fraternity bar? UGH.
Don't get me wrong -- there is nothing better than a good dive, but truth be told I was a little nervous as to what I was getting my
well-dressed birthday clan in to. In fact it was a real bar's bar -big u-shaped and wooden without any small
tables or restaurant in sight.
By
the way, I highly
recommend their jello shots.The Capri Fish House www.caprifishhouse.com
Garlic Festival www.dbgarlicfest.com
Café Shakaru, Ft Lauderdale FL www.cafesharaku.com
Red's Bar and Packaging Store: Ft. Lauderdale, FL 954-564-0233 http://www.yelp.com/biz/reds-bar-and-package-store-wilton-manors#hrid:fSkzOkaI_ZYASnBBb_Ui-Q/query:red's
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