Miami’s Top Restaurants

What does Yuca, Nemo and Wish have in common? They are all top-notch, fantastic restaurants in Miami, Florida, offering residents and tourists the best in urban, chic and fine dining and they were all voted as the best top 10 restaurant in Florida.

The YUCA , which is an acronym for Young Urban Cuban-American, is renowned as being South Florida’s original upscale Cuban restaurant that features innovated Neuvo Latino cuisine, or as the locals like to call it – Neuvo Latino. YUCA’s style of cooking includes traditional Latin ingredients lincluding a wide variety of textures, flavors and colors that when all mixed together creates a unique cuisine and nothing compares to it outside of the Caribbean and Latin America. In 1989, YUCA opened its doors and has continued to grow in popularity and has attracted thousands of diners each year, from all over the world who want to have a great gastronomic adventure. YUCA is located at 501 Lincoln Road.

Nemo, located at 100 Collins Avenue, is all the buzz around Miami’s foodies. Nemo’s offers its patron an interactive kitchen with an open counter, creating a relaxed atmosphere. Chef Mike Sabin puts together unique combinations of ingredients achieving a consistently sophisticated and fresh cuisine; he plans his seasonal menus around the freshest produce and products available throughout the year. The 2005 and 2006 Zagat Survey named Nemo as one of America’s Top Restaurants. Nemo’s is the epitome of South Beach cool and with its slick metal bar, hip jazz and darkly stylish dining rooms, Nemo has a very inviting and alluring image, which no one can resist. Nemo’s is within walking distance of most Miami luxury hotels .

Wish is the receiver of the Mobil Travel Guide 4-star Award in 2001 and 2009 and is considered a AAA 4-diamond restaurant. The interior was designed by Todd Oldham, where he created both an exotic and cozy dining experience. The exterior consists of a magical, tropical garden that is one of the most romantic al-fresco dining areas in all of South Florida. The ‘Inner Garden’ evokes the lushness of the outdoor garden with tropical plants that delightfully surround the indoor dining area, creating a most intimate of dining rooms. Since Wish opened, back in 1998, the restaurant has garnered numerous awards for its imaginative cuisine under the direction of Executive Chef Marco Ferraro.

BigO in Singapore

Most people are rather stunned when they visit Singapore for the very first time, and it’s common to wonder why it seems as though its secrets have been hidden for so long. It’s been a major world port for over 500 years, and is one of the more multicultural and cosmopolitan places on the planet. Its treasures seem to be relatively hidden in other parts of the globe, revealing just how large a planet can be, and far away its cultures might seem. It doesn’t take very long, however, before the influence of Singapore on the rest of the world is seen in its proper light, and its name starts to show up everywhere.

In truth, it is a leading contender in world culture, and has always had a far reach. Its own multicultural population combines with the influences of everything that comes into its parameters, and on some clear days this looks something like the whole world. Beyond the appeal of the fantastic hospitality of hotels in Singapore , there are cultures and countercultures to explore and get to know when visiting this island city-state.

There is, indeed, a counter-culture here, or perhaps there are hundreds. Cultural expressions run along multiple lines, and the promises of a new Singapore seem to be coming into being right this moment. It has plenty of seeds for its own awakening, and evidence of a past of minds enlightened by post-modernity, and BigO magazine is a great place to begin.

It was started in 1985, after the Sunday Monitor shut down. That was a magazine that covered pop culture and music, and the brothers Philip and Michael Cheah decided to start their own publication. Its been up and running since that time, and is one of the most exciting alternative press sources anywhere. It still has a strong resemblance to the early days of Rolling Stone, when the dream of free expression ruled, and it was hard to find traces of sponsorship anywhere in its pages. They are tracking the pulse of contemporary Singapore, and taking on the rest of the world at the same time, with splendid grace.

Coffee Carts Abound in London

When touring London and you don’t have time to sit at an outdoor cafes, don’t worry, coffee carts abound in London, run by young baristas trying to make a mark on the city’s thriving coffee scene. These convenient coffee carts do their best to be where the tourist are and they are usually not too far from a London hotel , a museum, or any of the historical sites.

The ‘Exchange Coffee’ , has a brilliant brew, such as for their espresso based coffees, they use the Monmouth Espresso blend. This small operation is located at the Northern tip of the Lewisham Street Market every Saturday, which is located in the South-East area of London.

The Brewed Boy, located between Brewer and Rupert Streets, then at the Cabbages and Frocks Market, Marylebone High Street, and at the St. Marylebone Parish Church Grounds on Saturdays. This coffee on wheels not only serves top-quality Square Mile coffee, but also totes about books as well. Look for a grey-steel van in Soho, run by an Aussie who loves his coffee and loves to exchange books, and you’ll get a great brew for only 2 pounds, a real coffee-bean deal.

You can’t miss ‘Indie Coffee’, due to a most unique coffee vehicle, which is a converted Sumatran food cart. Indie Coffee is located at 50 Church Street, and uses a La Marzocco espresso machine to brew a smooth espresso, plus you’ll get to choose from a glass case full of baked goods.

‘Pitch 42′ , located on Whitecross Street at the Whitecross Street Market, offers the finest, flawless cups of coffee served in proper glassware. While there, drinking the best cup-of-coffee you might just get to hear the sweet piccolo playing in the background and you also chow down on a chorizo sandwich or a cheese sandwich Racletts made by Pitch 42.

Located at 4 Strutton Ground is the ‘Flat Cap Coffee Co.’, whose owner was the barista champion of Brazil in 2007. This stunning black and wood set-up provides Victoria’s office workers with Square Mile coffee, pastries from Villandy and tea Pigs.

Hawaii Five-0 Remake Series

Remakes seem to be the thing right now. A few seasons ago Warner Bros. picked up a remake series of Beverly Hills 90210 entitled 90210. Now CBS has announced that they will be doing a remake of the popular cop show Hawaii Five-0. The cast, stars from Lost and Battlestar Gallactica, will have their work cut out for them as they attempt to modernize the show without shutting out fans familiar with the original series. No word yet when the series will air, but you can read more about the new series here.

Political Controversary Taking Over Miss USA… Again

For last couple of years, it seems as though the Miss USA pageant has become more about politics and less about the pageant. Last year, Carrie Prejean was faced with a question about gay marriage and this year Miss Oklahoma Morgan Elizabeth Woolard was asked about immigraton reform. Ultimately neither girl ended up with the crown, so it makes you wonder just how much emphasis is put on these questions. Perhaps they should stay out of politics and just focus on the pageant. You can read the whole story at foxnews.com

Planning Life After Graduation

Many high school graduates look forward to graduation with great anticipation. Not only because they are finished with school but also because they have the exciting new world of college to look forward to. Even though it means taking more classes, it often means moving away from home, meeting new friends, and a whole host of new experiences and new opportunities. However, after college many students are left wondering what to do. For the vast majority of their lives they have had the predictability of school and without that they feel a little bit lost.

The most logical step for most would be to find a job and organizations like the southwestern company like to hire young, energetic sales people; however with the economy in the tank and the unemployment rate continuing to rise , the job search could be quite a challenge. With few jobs available and lots of people looking, many new graduates are getting creative.

Some will settle for whatever job they can find, even if it is not in their desired field. Even though this may not be their ideal plan, it can help them gain more experience and someday land their dream job. Another option, that is also open to soon-to-be grads, is an internship. Internships offer many different options. Some are paid while others are unpaid, but all offer on the job experience that can help give you a leg up on the competition when it comes to applying for a job . Internships are offered all of the time; some internships are during the semester and some internships are during the summer, as with Southwestern Company. Internships are beneficial because they supplement all of the classroom learning with practical on the job experience.

Walking across the stage and accepting that diploma for the last time can be an exciting yet scary time. Life after graduation will be a transition. While it is important to have a plan, it is also important to be flexible; new opportunities could be waiting just around the corner.

More Trouble for Tiger

As if the sex scandal and estrangement from his soon-to-be-ex- wife weren’t enough; Tiger Woods is facing problems once again.  This time the pain is physical.  He is believed to be suffering from a bulging disk in his neck, although a CAT scan performed in the early part of the week should be able to confirm it.  The injury, common among golfers, forced him to withdraw from The Players Tournament last week.  With the proper treatment he should be able to return to golf within a few months.  More details on Tiger’s injuries can be found at USAToday.com.

Orlando Bloom’s Home Burglary: A Deal is Made

In a trial that concluded last week, 18 year Alexis Neiers, aspiring model and reality star, pleaded no contest to the charges that she was part of the group that broke into celebrity Orlando Bloom’s home and stole several thousand dollars worth of property. Bloom’s home was not the only one hit. Celebrities Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan were reported victims as well. Neiers will be spending the next 6 months in jail followed by 3 years probation. The remaining suspects will go to trial later in the month. For more information, visit freep.com.

“American Idol”: The End in Sight

For the last nearly 10 years, American Idol has been one of, if not the, top rated reality show.  From it stars like Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Clay Aiken, Mandisa, and many others have been born.  However, as much as we hate him, Simon Cowell’s announcement that this will be the last season has had serious effects on the ratings.  While “Idol” is still in the top 3, ratings are down nearly 20% from last year.  Are we suffering from “Idol” burnout or are we missing Simon already?

You can read more here.

Evolving Southwestern Products

The Southwestern Company products have been changing slowly over time for a while now. That should come as no surprise when you look around at the major changes the world has gone through in the last hundred years alone, not to mention before that. It hasn’t just been the books that they carry that have come in and out of print since then. They have also acquired new books that upon inspection it was clear that they needed to completely revise before they could send them out with the student sellers. This has always been the upside for them. They don’t just get to sell the books, but they get to decide what the content is that they are selling.

Southwestern Company is particularly known these days for a particular book series that has helped quite a number of people. This is the Volume Library , a set of books that might at first seem sort of dull, but is actually very interesting. However, it was hard to navigate when Southwestern first bought the rights to it. There was no organization to the topics at all. It was all a scramble and there was no way to know where in the series the thing you wanted to look up was. They did a top to bottom revision of it, changing what subjects were in the series as well as the way in which they were ordered among other things. This quickly became one of their top selling books.

Around the same time they bought another book series called the Student Handbook. It was a small two book set, and most people really were only interested in the first volume. It was for the most part outdated and it was not all that good for many students in terms of student needs. Surprisingly it is also still a best seller despite the advent of the internet and the ability to find out any information from a computer. Their secret is that they update it yearly to keep it relevant with school systems . They have also expanded it a lot, up to a five volume set. This makes sense with the ever increasing knowledge kids need to know in this world.