LDPR's Meredith
Phares is just back from a three-day press trip to Bal Harbour,
Florida....
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| Jan Schroder, Emily Leaman, Jacquelyne Froeber, and LDPR's Meredith Phares at St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort |
Upon arrival in
this chic South Florida destination, we met for lunch at Mister Collins, the
new restaurant at ONE Bal Harbour Resort & Spa serving
interesting takes on classic American dishes. We feasted on tuna tartare,
homemade guacamole, warm pretzels to start and I followed with a roasted beet
and citrus salad. Perfectly sated, we embarked on a tour of Bal Harbour Quarzo, a
boutique hotel with spacious suites, just a short stroll from ONE Bal Harbour
Resort & Spa.
To prep for an
evening out in Bal Harbour, we stopped at Gee Beauty, a new makeup and
skincare studio located in the iconic Bal Harbour Shops, for a
professional makeup application. With glowing skin and refreshed energy, the
group headed to Neiman Marcus (the first Neiman Marcus outside of Texas!) for a
Bal Harbour Art Chat. The evening was entitled, "A Collecting Life,"
and featured Ruth and Marvin Sackner, founders of the Sackner Archive, the
world's largest private collection of concrete and visual poetry from 20th
century art. Dinner followed at Makoto,
Stephen Starr's new restaurant. From spicy tuna crispy rice to short rib robata
(my favorite!) to frosty kobe fried rice, we tasted many of Chef Makoto's
specialties before heading back to ONE Bal Harbour Resort & Spa, where I
sank into my king-size bed.
The next
morning, we toured the nearby The Sea View Hotel and had a cup
of joe at the charming poolside coffee shop alongside the Olympic-sized
swimming pool. We then checked into our next hotel - the brand-new St.Regis Bal Harbour Resort,
which opened on January 19. While it was quite difficult to leave my oceanfront
balcony, the thought of fresh seafood and al dente pasta lured me out the door.
We met again at Carpaccio, a local favorite at the Bal Harbour Shops known
for its classic Italian food and world-class people-watching. Leisurely
window-shopping and afternoon spa treatments filled the afternoon (isn't life
in Bal Harbour tough?).
To celebrate our
last evening in Bal Harbour, we sipped creative cocktails in the lobby bar - my
cucumber martini was quite refreshing - and then sat for dinner at J&G
Grill. We shared some of Jean-Georges' signature appetizers ranging from black
truffle pizza to Florida hearts of palm salad and selected some of his most
popular entrees, based on the waiter's recommendations. But there's always room
for dessert! The Grand Marnier Souffle and Salted Caramel Ice Cream Sundae
(with peanuts, popcorn and chocolate sauce, no less) stole the show.
Posts
Hello! Just sent an email about attending the upcoming bloggers press trip to Bal Harbour - I'm a lover of Bal Harbour, visiting every year - cannot get enough! I'm a shopping, fashion, and lifeestyle blogger and cannot wait to find out more! We used to stay at the Sheraton Bal Harbour every year. I'm the shopping blogger with www.yummymummyclub.ca, too!
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