Yardbird

There will be places where I wasn't able to collect the menu (yet), but I want to blog about it because the overall experience was notable and very special to me. Yardbird is one of those places. I also apologize in advance because this post is going to be somewhat lengthy because so much happened during this particular weekend that is worth writing about. Enjoy!

Earlier this year in February, I took a nice little (somewhat) warm and sunny vacation down to South Beach (SoBe), Fl., for Thao's Bachelorette Party with a few of her very close friends and her older sister. It was a nice respite from the cold weather we were having all winter long even if it was a bit damp, dreary and cool while we were in SoBe.

Before heading down to SoBe, I found out that the A1A Fort Lauderdale Marathon & Half Marathon was happening that same weekend. It seemed like a good idea at first (to run the half), but I wasn't quite sure how far/close it would be from SoBe and how the logistics would work out, but heck, when will I ever go back to Miami again, right? So I signed up and worried about all the crazy details later.

I arrived in SoBe a few days before the bachelorette party guests. I came with Mark and Dave, who stayed one night in SoBe then left for Cuba the next day. On the day of our arrival, I suggested lunch at Yardbird and even made reservations, but on our way to the restaurant it started to pour and we were getting soaked, so we turned back around to get umbrellas. We waited for the rain to let up, but it never did, so we decided to cancel Yardbird and have lunch at The Delano, where we were staying. Eh, it was alright and the service was bad. I was so bummed that we didn't get to go to Yardbird after reading the reviews of this restaurant. It is a must go place to dine when you come to SoBe. Oh well-another time, right?

So now come the crazy marathon details. First, I had to figure out how the hell I was getting to the Expo (Saturday) the day before the race to pick up my bib since there was no race day pick up (I hate that). Thank God a friend of mine just moved down to SoBe (literally that same day drove down from NYC) and was willing to take me. Thank you, Yaneth! It took us 45 minutes to get the the Expo. I became worried when we arrived at the Expo because a) I wasn't about to ask her to take me back to Fort Lauderdale at 5 AM; b) how the hell am I getting back here? and c) how am I getting back? I did some research and decided on taking a cab and called a company ahead of time to pick me up at 4:30 AM. I still had to figure out how I'm getting back to the hotel.

Thao and her guests arrive Sunday morning at 9 AM with the exception of a friend, Kristen, coming in from Cali arriving at 1 AM Sunday morning. Because she was coming in so early and since I was already here, Thao asked me if it was okay for her to stay with me until they arrived later that morning. I said, "of course!" However, I realized it would interrupt my pre-race sleep because I would have to wake up at 1 AM to let her in, fall back asleep and then wake up again around 3 AM, so I left the keys at the front desk so she could let herself in and my sleep would not be interrupted. Smart move.

The alarm goes off at 3 AM, I get ready, and head out the door at 4:30 AM. Right before I walked out the front door, Kristen wakes up and greets me then wishes me good luck while she's in bed. Super sweet-thanks, Kristen! I get to Fort Lauderdale a little after 5 AM and get ready to race at 6 AM. After crossing the finish line around 7:35 AM, I was able to receive my medal and post race food, spotted a cab across the street (thank God) and arrived back at the hotel by 8:30 AM in time to prepare for the rest of the bachelorette party guests to arrive at 9 AM. Whew! Definitely one of the most craziest running stories ever. Even sweeter, I PRd and qualified to run in the 'B' corral of the Chicago Marathon even though I didn't get in to the Chicago Marathon via lottery. Whatever! My results: 13.1 miles - 1:35:51 - 7:19.

Monday, the following day, I suggested lunch at Yardbird, and since no one knew much about it, they all kind of agreed. Because Yardbird typically works mostly with reservations and since we were a big group, we decided to get there right when it opened so they would take us. It worked, and somehow I knew I was going to like this restaurant even before having their food. And apparently, it became everyone's favorite too.

The staff and server was very professional. The ambience is laid back and the decor is charming. The kitchen is open and even the bathrooms are nice. I loved the table setting and the napkin rings. The menu, which I wasn't able to collect, was outstanding. I'm glad we were a large group as we were able to order the popular menu items and share.

The food was traditional southern cuisine. I've had southern food before, but not quite like this. To start, we ordered plates to share: chicken n' sweet potato dumplings (this was more of a soup with a poached egg on top), local Florida heirloom tomatoes and watermelon, house-cut fries with buttermilk dipping sauce and 'bacon salt', macaroni & cheese (torchio pasta baked in 5 artisanal cheeses and crispy herb top), cheesy corn grits and grilled corn with lightly fried hominy and crispy cornbread crumbles. We loved all of it.

 

While I can't recall everyone's entree, I can certainly recall mine: Llewellyn's fine fried chicken, and whoever you are Llewellyn, I love you! It came with a drumstick, wing and thigh piece, citrus pepper watermelon and house-made buttermilk biscuit. The meat was so juicy and so tender. The skin was crispy and smelled heavenly. Gosh, I'm drooling just thinking about it right now and wish I had another plate right in front of me. Someone else ordered the crunchy Yardbird sandwich with house-made bacon, which looked, and was divine.

Never come between Ironman and his fried chicken. Never!

For her final send off as a sweet and single superstar, we ordered Thao a dessert called 'grasshopper sundae', which was basically mint chocolate chip ice cream topped with whipped cream. The server was even nice enough to stick a candle in it. We killed it!

Yardbird: a must if you come to SoBe. A MUST!

Yardbird: 1600 Lenox Ave.
Miami Beach, Fl.
Website

Post-Race Meal

It's triathlon day. In a nutshell, let me lay out for you how my day looks one Sunday in July (sometimes in August) for the last four years I've been doing the triathlon.

• Alarm goes off at 2 AM
• Leave the house by 4 AM
• Get to transition and finish preparing by 5:15 AM
• Head up to swim by 6 AM
• Jump in the Hudson River after 6 AM and swim 1500 meters for about 20-25 minutes
• On the bike by 6:45 AM and ride for 25 miles for about 1 hour and a half
• Run 6.2 miles at 8 AM and done in 50 minutes
• Cross the Central Park finish line around 9 AM
• Head back to transition to retrieve bike and rest of my belongings after 11 AM
• Home by 11:45 AM
• Crash by noon and wake up around 5 PM

Yup, for the last four years I have been doing just that. It's worth it though. This year was a personal record (PR) and I finished in 2:48:57. I also wanted to say a huge "MAHALO" and "THANK YOU" to all my friends that came out to support and cheer: Mark, David, Masako, Michelle and NYC.

4x NYC Triathlon Finisher

To celebrate, Mark made me another home cooked meal: pizza. Again, using the leftover dough from the ICE class, he made a thin crust pizza with red sauce, mozzarella and cheddar cheese and sprinkled it with seasonings. The dough I learned was sourdough and before he made it he kept saying, "you might not like this pizza," but OMG I loved it!

Pre-Race Meal

On the eve of my 4th NYC Triathlon, I was treated to a very nice home cooked meal. It was probably the best pre-race meal I have ever had. Because I've done so many endurance races, I know what gets my body going the next day and what foods to avoid. I definitely avoid eating pasta with red sauce and definitely anything with cheese, but I was craving some kind of pasta, so I requested that Mark make me his own version of the spaghetti dish with roasted garlic he ordered at Mario's Restaurant earlier this month. In addition to the spaghetti dish, he decided to make from scratch focaccia bread with Turkish seasoning and spices. It was so delicious!

To start, he used 1 bulb of garlic, which is all we had available, but mentioned that he could've have used 2. He used half of the bulb to fry on the stove top until it was brown and crispy. He roasted the other half wrapped in foil with some olive oil in a preheated oven at 350F for 50 minutes until it was soft, squishy and almost translucent.

While we waited for the garlic to roast, Mark began making the focaccia. Using the leftover dough he brought back home from a pizza making class he went to at Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), he began rolling and kneading out the dough with his hands then putting it in a 8x8 baking pan. He brushed olive oil to coat the dough and sprinkled fresh Turkish seasonings that he brought back with him from his recent Turkey trip. He baked it for about 35 minutes then brushed more olive oil on the top. All I can say when it was done was, "amazing!" It tasted as good as it looked. The bread was moist, savory and better than most focaccia breads I've had in restaurants and stores. Way to go!

When the garlic finally roasted in the oven, Mark began cooking the spaghetti noodles. When it was done he mixed the fried and roasted garlic with the pasta using a little bit of olive oil to coat, and salt and pepper to taste. This dish was very simple to make and required very little ingredients. It was very healthy too.

Thank you, honey, for a winning pre-race meal.

Yum Yum Too

What was supposed to be a fun night of running a 1.7 mile loop in Central Park in our underwear to kick off the NYC Triathlon weekend turned into a night of eating and drinking at Yum Yum Too, a Thai restaurant in Hell's Kitchen, followed by gawking at gay boys and dancing at Posh Bar. We can thank the rain and some drinks for that.

It's hard to tell if the owners of this Thai restaurant chain really meant to call this restaurant 'Yum Yum Two' because 'Yum Yum Three' is directly across the street and 'Yum Yum Bangkok' (1) is nearby as well. It could obviously be word play, but whatever the case may be, Yum Yum Too is a nice, small and casual place to come for happy hour and eats after work on a Friday night. Happy hour prices are $5 on selected specialty cocktails from 4 PM to midnight if you sit at the bar, but 4-6 PM if you sit at a table. Pretty cheap.

The menu is pink. What is not to love? The menu pages are littered with colorful food porn that if you can't pronounce the names of the dishes you can simply point to order. The menu found its way into my bag after I ordered. I don't even think my friends noticed.

I ordered a bottle of California Sauvignon Blanc for the table, but as it turns out, only one other person had a glass, so I had to finish the rest. Boy, oh boy was I feeling it toward the end. We shared a plate of fried calamari with cherry tomatoes garnished on top. It was decent. I ordered two appetizers as my main meal: chicken and shrimp dumplings, which were good; and Asian style pork ribs, which were not so good. There was a lot going on in the flavor, but the real disappointment was the gristle and bone fragments getting in the way of eating the meat, and speaking of meat, there was very little on the ribs. I should have ordered one of my 2 favorite tried and true Thai dishes: chicken phad thai or chicken massaman curry. If I had ordered an entree, my meal would have came with a miniature creme brulee.

After eats, we decided to go to Posh since it was nearby. This place is full of crazies and drunks. There is no dance floor, so you make your own wherever you sit/stand. The DJ happened to be playing a lot of current pop tunes, which was nice to sing and dance to. It was truly a fun night despite missing the underwear run.

Yum Yum Too: 662 9th Ave @ 46th St.
Hell's Kitchen, NYC
Website

Yum Yum Too

Carbo Load with Meat-free Meals

Days before my 4th NYC Triathlon, I decided to prepare some tasty, quick, simple meat free meals that would be healthy, easy on my tummy and sufficient for carbo loading. With the help of Trader Joe's, Boca and Morning Star products and some basic ingredients at home, I was able to do just that.

On Wednesday night, I made Japanese style fried rice with edamame, tofu and hijiki seaweed and a flame grill patty served on top. This dish can be dry, so if this is the case and you'd like to add more flavor, I suggest adding some sriracha sauce, which can make it spicy or a dollop of sweet and sour sauce to add sweetness.

Need:

• Package Trader Joe's Japanese style fried rice with edamame, tofu and hijiki seaweed
• 1 patty Boca all american flame grilled veggie burgers
• 3 eggs
• Furikake vegetable mix (or any furikake mix will do) to taste (buy at any Japanese Supermarket)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Pam

Do:

• Spray Pam in large frying pan. Heat pan. Add half or full bag of Trader Joe's style fried rice to pan (depends on how hungry you are). Allow rice to defrost in pan for 8 minutes while tossing. Add 3 eggs over the rice and scramble into rice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook rice until eggs are completed cooked. Sprinkle furikake and mix into rice. Put aside on a plate. 
• Respray pan with Pam. Put 1-2 Boca veggie patties in pan (depending on how hungry you are). Fry on both sides until well done. Put patty over rice.

The following evening, I made Morning Star chik patty burgers with Trader Joe's tofu edamame nuggets. You can obviously be creative about what you put into burgers, but I chose to keep it very simple adding only condiments. You can also make a dipping sauce for the nuggets if you want more flavor, but I like to eat them plain. A creamy aioli sauce works well or Russian dressing.

Need:

• 2 Morning Star chik patties original
• Package Trader Joe's tofu edamame nuggets
• Hamburger buns (I used Arnold 100% whole wheat sandwich thins)
• Mayonnaise, Ketchup, Relish, Mustard
• Pam

Do:

• Spray Pam in large frying pan. Place both patties and nuggets in the pan at the same time (if space is available). Continue flipping until all sides are cooked to crisp. 
• Place on hamburger buns and dress up with condiments of your choice. You can even add tomato, lettuce, pickles, etc.

So tasty, quick and simple. Enjoy!