Wine Splash!

Vacations can be exciting, exhilarating, and other times just pure relaxing. Everything seems to look better, taste better, sound better, and is just more fun when you are on vacation and away from home. So how do you get your taste buds to give you an honest opinion when they are overly sensitized by the excitement? The trick is to raise the bar a bit higher at the restaurants you visit on vacation so if you are overwhelmed by the action and excitement, you are getting an honest, balanced feedback from your senses.

Strolling down Ocean Drive in Miami Beach last week, it is hard not to happen upon many restaurants in the Art Deco district and most have that South Beach vibe! Bright lights, cool music, and lots of people looking for good food, fun, and people watching. Each restaurant along Ocean Drive had a sidewalk menu to entice you to stop and have a meal. After walking most of the Art Deco strip once, we returned to the Cala Cafe at the Leslie Hotel because their menu was what we were craving that night! Definitely a full menu here that leaned more towards seafood, Mexican, Spanish, and all with a Cuban flair! There were so many things on the menu but went for an amazing Crab and Shrimp Salad with apple to start off our meal. It was very fresh, flavorful, and delicious! This salad was 5 Star rating for us! Then we shared a thin crust pizza with chicken, artichoke, olives, and cheese and that was very good as well. 4 Star pizza rating. The wine list was small but there were some decent choices on the list and the prices were good. The cocktail and frozen drink menu was enormous and I didn’t realize there were so many wild adult drinks out there! The cocktail prices seemed a bit steep but these were normal prices for most any restaurant or bar along the South Beach strip. We had a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc and a Margarita….both very good!

We were here at the Cala Cafe on a Wednesday night in March and the streets were busy and full of people. We did not have to wait for a table here and the service was very good and our waitress was very efficient. Now I can’t say the same about any of these restaurants on South Beach on a Friday or Saturday night where I am sure there is a wait for a table and the service may be a bit slower.

We enjoyed the Cala Cafe at the Leslie Hotel because of the good food, good drinks, great service and atmosphere, and decent prices. Excellent spot for people watching and is in the perfect location on the South Beach strip! It is electric and vibrant and when you mix that in with fun people, food, and refreshing drinks, then you are in Tropical Beachy Heaven! We rate the Cala Cafe 4.2 stars out of 5. We are sure to be back next year. Cheers!