Dinner Pick: Ocean2000

Bosco’s Revenge with Ron Botran rum, Fragoli strawberry liquor and mint sprigs is like a mojito.

I am a sucker for restaurants with a view. Food just tastes better when you’re looking at waves crashing onto the beach, OK? But restaurants with a great view and food? Are just on a different level. (Do I need to explain again why Steak 954 is my favorite restaurant in Fort Lauderdale?)

The view from the porch at Ocean2000

I discovered a new favorite recently when I stopped by the Pelican Grand Beach Resort for dinner at is new restaurant, Ocean2000. The high-end restaurant located in the boutique hotel (maybe one of the prettiest Fort Lauderdale hotels I’ve stepped into) offers breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner and the option to sit inside or outside. Outside seems like a no-brainer because you’re seated literally steps away from the ocean. With modern, white chandeliers, big comfy leather booths, romantic lighting, and a glimpse of the ocean from large windows, inside seating is enticing too .

The ceviche at Ocean2000 was one of my favorite dishes. Marinated in lime, cilantro and red onions, and served with the flakiest little crackers, it’s hard to stop eating.

Hot Red Mess martini with Absolut Orient Apple, apple cider, strawberry and fresh ginger.

The Warm Chocolate Brownie was so good. It has caramel popcorn and bourbon ice cream. I’m not into bourbon so I was a little hesitant at first, but the flavor was subtle, and the texture and sweet-salty flavor that the popcorn added was wonderful.

I love trying new things and don’t often like eating at the same restaurant twice, but I can honestly say I will be back for another meal at Ocean2000. This is a great restaurant for a date or to take out-of-towners (I can totally see it eliciting that awed “this-is-where-you-live?” reaction.). Plus, their brunch menu in sounds amazing – I think that’s next on my list.

Check out my original article on Ocean2000 in Gold Coast magazine’s May issue.

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Still need a last-minute gift for Mom? I put together the Mother’s Day gift guide in this month’s issue of Gold Coast magazine, and the original 13 picks shown above were expanded to 23 in our digital edition. My favorite finds are the Hermes camera (can you imagine owning a $25,000 camera?), the custom what’s-in-my-bag illustration, the nude lip from La Prairie and the Dior floral sunnies.

There are lots of other cute things in our expanded edition, like Henri Bendel luggage and an awesome graphic iPhone case. Take a peek!

My life on Instagram.

If you want to know why I love living in South Florida, look no further than my Instagram account. These are some of my favorite shots from the past few months.

The view from my room at the from the Boca Raton Resort & Club. I was lucky enough to be able to stay there for a weekend back in January.

This is how it’s done at the Boca Resort. Delicious, fresh tapas by the spa’s private pool.

Downtown West Palm Beach a few minutes into 2012. I spent New Year’s at a house party on Singer Island and then dancing with my friends at Respectable Street.

A weekend at the South Florida Fair.

Love these kinds of rides.

I went to my first ever polo match at International Polo Club earlier this year.

Hanging out with Nila at polo.

Oceanfront dinner at Ocean2000 at the Pelican Grand Beach Resort.

 

I love Ceviche. Ocean2000′s was stellar.

The best thing about living in South Florida? The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is only a short drive away.

And one of the best things about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter? Its proximity to The Hulk, my favorite roller coaster.

My first ever 5K, the Riverwalk Run back in March. I was so nervous, but I survived.

A weekend getaway to Orlando. Read my article on the Omni Orlando here.

Shooting some things for the magazines’ Mother’s Day gift guide. Scroll through our picks here!

The second (or maybe the third?) time I’ve met Ted Gibson at his wonderful salon (probably the best I’ve been to in Fort Lauderdale).

Photographing some dishes at Pelican Cafe for this Jupiter Magazine story.

Sitting in the stands at the Sony Open. Very cool experience!

I don’t go to Miami often, but if I had to pick a travel destination in the area, I’d pick the Wynwood Arts District.

Speaking of Miami… row 3 for my first ever HEAT game. Thanks to the It’s a 10 team for my invite!

My roommate and me in the stands at the game.

The drinks at Rodney Mayo’s latest endeavor, Hullabaloo in West Palm Beach, are delish.

 

I had so much fun with my coworkers at the Henderson Mental Health Gala.

Can we talk about how amazing brunch at Foxy Brown is? The s’mores waffles are amazing.

Follow me on Instagram for more adventures!

Home Decorating: Glass & Mirrored Desks

Images found on Pinterest, from here and here.

Due to an incident earlier this year where a glass of water toppled over onto my Macbook, I was placed in the unfortunate situation of having to buy a new computer. I… don’t want to talk about it.

Anyway, instead of buying another laptop, I decided to go for an iMac desktop instead. This also meant I needed a bigger desk (the tiny $20 IKEA one I splurged on when I first moved into my apartment wasn’t going to cut it anymore.) To prepare for this purchase, I spent a lot of time on Pinterest and just about every site that sells furniture searching for the desk. I spent a lot of time looking at pictures of home offices and decided I wanted a translucent, glass desk. Something super simple and clean looking. Easier said than done. Most of the glass desks I liked were way out of my price range. After weeks of searching, these were some of my favorites.

1. Glass Desk, at Wisteria, $499 | 2. X-Base Gold Leaf Desk, at Shop Ten 25, $1,247
3. Tesso Desk, at cb2, $329 | 4. kathy ireland Office New York Skyline Laptop Sofa Table, Plumeria White, at OfficeMax, $250 | 5. Ava Wood Desk, at Pottery Barn, $299 (sale!)

Image found on Pinterest, from here.

And then I came across this image, and my entire search changed. While I liked a lot of the glass desks, there wasn’t one that I loved enough to throw down $300-$500 on. So I started hunting for a mirrored desk instead, and I was surprised to find a few affordable options.

1. Beveled Mirror Desk, at Shop Ten 25, $1,612 | 2. Lola Collection Mirrored Console Table, at Lamps Plus, $299
3. 36″ Chappell Mirrored Console Table, at LuxeYard, $295 (on sale!) | 4. Mirage Mirrored Console Table, at Kohl’s, $256 (on sale!) | 5. Mirrored Console Table, at JCPenney, $700 (though I’ve seen it on sale for $350)

So which did I go with? The Kohl’s mirrored desk (#4). It was the best for my price range (plus I had a 30 percent off coupon). I also love that it has two drawers. That really helps me keep clutter off my desk. It looks super luxe in my room and just inspires me to sit at my desk and blog all day. Mission accomplished.

A peek at my desk

Fotobar: The Best Place to Print Your Smartphone Photos

Fotobar in Delray Beach, Fla.

I am sort of addicted to taking pictures. Even when I don’t have my DSLR with me, I am always clicking away on my iPhone and ‘gramming the images. So it goes without saying how excited I was when I heard about Fotobar, a new store in Delray that focuses entirely on smartphone photo printing.

The top 6 things I love about Fotobar:

Mounted art

1. The fact that the first in the country is planted in our own little Delray Beach

The first Fotobar opened last month at the new Delray Marketplace. Founder and CEO Warren Struhl hopes to take the country by storm with this project, with plans for 10 more stores in major cities like New York, Boston and Las Vegas later this year. Struhl, who is from Boca Raton, headquartered the business in Boca, and he gets hundreds of e-mails a week about his concept. He hopes to ultimately open thousands of shops worldwide.

The Fotobar storefront in Delray

Acrylic art

2. Printing my cell phone photos on the most luxe materials

There’s just something about seeing your own creation printed on bamboo. Fotobar offers endless ways to print your images – framed and mounted or printed on canvas, metal, lucite, acrylic or bamboo. The store is constantly testing new materials, from marble to Gorilla Glass (the glass many smart-phone screens are made of).

What a workstation at Fotobar looks like

3. Like Starbucks or Apple stores, it’s a cool place to hang out

“We studied all the best retailers,” Struhl explains, adding that he wants people to stay awhile in the shop. With crisp white walls and furniture, the room is open and inviting. Comfortable seating lines a long column of computers, and each customer gets a complimentary bottle of cold water while they print their photos.

Framed art

4. With classes and meet and greets, it’s a great place to socialize

The store plans to offer smart-phone photography courses and meet and greets with popular Instagrammers. “You see them online, but you’ve never met them,” Struhl notes. It’ll also host children’s birthday parties and private parties with wine and cheese.

There are books and timelines aplenty on Polaroid’s history in the store, along with several vintage camera models.

5. It’s a mini Polaroid museum

The Polaroid brand has been around for 75 years, and the store has several vintage cameras on display and timelines documenting the history of the company and its place in photography.

Vintage camera

$1 prints at Fotobar

6. There are printing options for every price point

Prices start at $1. Yes, you read that right: a dollar. A hundred pennies will get you a Polaroid-esque cardboard print that fits in the palm of your hand. The prints can be used as coasters, pinned up on inspiration boards, or attached to a photo mobile like pictured below. >> More printing options

A myriad ways to display the $1 Polaroid prints.

Metal art

Framed art

To read my original article on Fotobar in Boca Life magazine, click here.

Boca Boutique Obsession: Encore Plus

Chanel goodies at Encore Plus

 

I try not to be materialistic, but I admit it. I spend time thinking about what I would buy if I had some spare cash. OK, maybe a lot of time. But hey, there are a lot of things I want… Tory Burch flats, a new camera (a Canon 7D would be ideal, but I’m realistic and would settle for a T4i), a mirrored dresser and side tables, a boat… you know, the list goes on.

One of the items that visits me most in my daydreams has been some variation of this Valentino bag (seriously, I just look at it and all I can think is BE MINE). So when I stumbled upon Encore Plus, a luxury designer retail boutique in Boca Raton, of course that bag was the first thing on my mind. And while I didn’t find it there, I did find tons of other treasures.

In love with these spiked Louboutins, which were marked at half what they were being sold for at Saks.

Racks and racks of Manolo Blahniks, Louboutins and Chanels.

The shoes were all in good condition.

This Louis Vuitton is so gorgeous it almost makes me forget about the coveted Valentino.

One of the most iconic brands the store stocks is Hermes. It sells everything from scarves to handbags to small leather goods to shoes.

The store also has a nice selection of vintage costume jewelry from Palm Beach and Miami.

And of course there is a ton of apparel here, too – both vintage items from the ’90s and new, mostly unworn clothing from today. There is even an alterations room on-site to ensure a great fit.

Quilted leather Chanel bag at Encore Plus

Have to admit, I wouldn’t mind lugging one of these babies around when I’m traveling.

Super nice touch – the owners offer complimentary mimosas, champagne and muffins to shoppers.

The boutique at a glance:

• Brands include: Missoni, Hermes, Valentino, Christian Louboutin, Chanel, Roberto Cavalli, Pucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Givenchy and many more.
• Items are acquired from wealthy women living in Palm Beach, Boca and Miami; many of the items are unworn and in mint condition.
• Clothing is 70 to 8o percent off retail price
• Shoes are 50 to 60 percent off retail price
• Handbags around 50 percent off (though some brands like Chanel and Hermes are an exception, as these brands often increase in value as they become outdated)
• Alterations available on-site
• Tip: You MUST follow the store on Facebook. The page is updated several times a day with pictures of new items. It’s the best way to stay in touch with what’s in the store, and to figure out when to snatch something up before it gets sold out!

OK, so I didn’t find my Rockstud Tote, but I did find another Valentino bag to crush on…

All I can say is: BE MINE.

To read more about Encore Plus, check out my article that appeared in the March 2013 issue of Boca Life magazine.

PS. Sorry for the delay in posts. It’s been a while, but I have tons to share and hope to be posting more regularly!

My Hair in 2012: 3 Hair Treatments and Salons I Tried in South Florida

My hair usually? Dark brown, medium-to-long, straightened. My hair for half of this year? Well, it was kind of red. I’m not typically a risk taker when it comes to my hair, but editing the beauty section of our magazine has convinced me to be a little more daring. I straighten my hair (which is naturally curly) several times a week, and beyond that I try to avoid doing anything to my hair that can be damaging. So beyond lightening my hair for a couple years in college, I had never dyed my hair before this year. But when you get invited for a coloring at Ted Gibson’s salon at the W, it’s kind of hard to say no.

A review of some of my favorite hair moments from this year:

1. Dying my hair red at Ted Gibson’s salon at the W Fort Lauderdale:

Right after getting my hair colored at Ted Gibson.

I have always wondered how I’d look as a redhead and with everyone saying “YOLO” every other minute this year, I thought, why not? I figured I will only be young and cute once, so now is as good a time as ever to experiment with my hair.

Season in South Florida – 3 of the Best Things I’ve Done Recently

Red velvet cupcake from Sweeter Days Bake Shop

It’s that time of year. During season, we get incredibly busy in and out of work. That means I end up having so much I could blog about, that when I sit down to actually do it I get overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. I have a lot individual restaurant, boutique and travel posts (I still have to share the rest of my Europe photos) that I’m hoping to catch up during the month of December, but in the meantime, these are some of the best things I’ve done lately.

1. Researching the “Best of South Florida” issue for Gold Coast and Boca Life

It’s always fun to do our “Best Of” issue. I love local businesses and it’s great to get a chance to scope out the best ones. I learned about a lot of great new spots this year, from a cafe that serves creme brulee French toast (Hibiscus Cafe) to tourist trip that’s worth venturing to for its amazing Key lime pie (Bob Roth’s New River Groves) to a shop with more than 50 types of freshly made donuts (Dandee Donuts). Managing Editor Nila and I were the photographers on this one, which meant we got to meet a lot of the shop owners and gain an even better appreciation for their businesses. Here are some of my shots for the piece. Read the full “Best Of” on our website.

I have been obsessing over food trucks lately, and Nacho Bizness has some of the most fresh, flavorful Mexican food I’ve tasted.

There are stacks upon stacks of old records at Radioactive Records.

Radioactive Records.

Radioactive Records

Sweeter Days Bake Shop, also known as um, heaven.

I think this some of the prettiest food I’ve ever taken a picture of.

The “Morning Joe” After

Buttons given out at the filming of “Morning Joe” in Boca

I haven’t covered hard news in years, so I was a little unsure what to think when my publisher Bernie asked me to join him in Boca to photograph the filming of “Morning Joe” at Racks Downtown Eatery + Tavern Restaurant. Wake up at 2:45 a.m. to cover politics in a paparazzi-like fashion? Not exactly my comfort zone. As a magazine editor, I’m used to interviewing people with carefully thought-out questions, not stalking them with a camera hoping to get close enough to catch the back of their head.

But somehow I found myself at Racks at 4 a.m., and within minutes of arriving my attitude began to change. Adrenaline started to kick in, and I started to feel more like I was having a once-in-a-lifetime experience than like a fish out of the water. I thrived on shoving my way through the crowd to get up-close shots, and I’d keep shooting until someone told me not to. I confess: I could not stop texting my mom. I felt so proud to be in Boca as it played a part in a historic election. The full story appears in our magazines here: http://bit.ly/RUyz7N

In the meantime, here are some of my favorite shots from that morning.

Restaurateur Gary Rack, owner of Racks, prepares for the crowds.

Willie Geist of “Way Too Early” was one of the first celebs to make an appearance.

Michael Stephen Steele, the first African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee

Some members of the crowd decided to get pretty patriotic, including this woman who lives near Mizner.

Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski interacted lots with the crowd.

Tom Brokaw didn’t pose for too many pictures, so I was excited when I was finally able to grab this shot!

Most of my Brokaw shots were more like this.

I’d bet 4 a.m. is probably the earliest the Racks’ bar has been open. (Or the latest, depending on how you want to look at it).

John McCain even made an appearance.

Thanks to Racks for letting Gulfstream Media Group cover the taping of “Morning Joe.”

For more photos and the full story, click here.

Tomorrow Night: A Red Carpet Event in Fort Lauderdale

Fundraising event this Friday

You might’ve heard about it on the radio. There’s a great event in Fort Lauderdale tomorrow night, and several celebrities will be in attendance. Walking With Anthony, a non-profit dedicated to the rehabilitation of spinal cord injuries, is hosting “Movement for Change: It’s Time to Soar” to raise funds for its cause. …