Miami Beach (USA) part 2: the most beautiful beach, the stone crab, lobster roll
I hope you are doing well. We just got back after a 2 weeks road trip in Florida so the articles (and videos for those who follow us on YouTube) will be posted aswe go.
We’re trying out the VLOG format on YouTube, just for fun, test the format, see if we like it. Much of what is told in thisn’tebook has been shown on our vlog, I invite you to watch the video here :
For those who prefer to read the blog, don’t worry, we keep on blogging, and there are more details on the blog than on video because we have no (character) limit here hihihi
So, this morning, we go to TimeOut, a luxury canteen present in many cities like Lisbon, New York… The idea is to bring together in the same place the best restaurateurs of the city. Some of them have their main restaurant in the city center and a branch here, others exist only at TimeOut. I don’t know why we keep going, because all TimeOut restaurants have more or less disappointed us.
To get there, we take the trolley provided free of charge by Miami Beach. As I’m filming and taking pictures of the trolley, the driver waves to me and stops there a little longer, saying “go ahead, take the pictures”, it’s nice 🙂 There is even an app (not very well done) to know exactly where the trolley is and to estimate the waiting time (with a ladle).
Unfortunately, this TimeOut, which is very expensive and of poor quality, disappoints us a little. In addition, the tip is added automatically without our knowledge (15%), we were fooled by adding a 2nd time the tip (when paying by card, we choose the amount of the tip directly on the screen).
In short, it is a place very frequented by the tourists but we advise you against it. On the other hand, the Lincoln Road next door, with a lot of nice stores, is worth the detour.
South Pointe Park Pier
We take a CityBike (JB explained this system equivalent to Velib here) to get to South Pointe Park Pier, probably the best place to swim in Miami Beach. Contrary to other places, the water is almost free of algae, the sand remains white and fine; it’s very pleasant.
There is a pier where you can fish.
And we saw the artificial islands, where millionaires have a luxurious apartment.
Cruises departing from Miami are numerous. Usually they loop all the way to Nassau in the Bahamas, the rates are quite expensive for what it is, but the advantage if you go through MSC or Costa is that you can stop on one of their private islands in the Bahamas.
Remember, we went to the Bahamas from Miami by opting for the cheap version (A/R in the day aka I put my feet there then I come back).
A 5-minute walk away, you can taste the lobster hot dog called lobster roll at The Lobster Shack. If I remember correctly, it costs about $25, with half a lobster in the hot dog. The lobsters are very fresh, come from Maine (it’s the place for lobsters), to be tested at least once.
Joe’s Stone Crab
For a more luxurious version, not far away is Joe’s Stone Crab, which is very famous for the claws of the delicious Florida crab. It is recommended to go there very early because the restaurant does not take reservations and it is a must stop for the gourmands. The restaurant is only open between October and the end of July, since the stone crab season is only between October and May. Already, when coming in July, it is specified on the menu that the stone crabs sold there have been frozen and then defrosted.
There are 2 parts: the restaurant, normal, and the raw bar. The raw bar = we sit at the counter and where we are served raw or cold seafood. It gives a more relaxed atmosphere, but the prices seem to be exactly the same. There are seafood restaurants so small that they only have the raw bar.
This time we chose to sit at the normal restaurant. We knew it was expensive but not that expensive. 5 crab claws for 60$ (+taxes + tips). Each claw is a bit bigger than my hand. Luckily it’s very good, the taste is clearly better than the lobster claws, for a size almost the same.
The awkward question arises: why only eat the pliers? I must admit that I hesitated a lot before coming here.
Because the claws were taken from live crabs. They will take one of the two claws of the crab, and release it. The stone crab has the ability to grow back its cut cla w in 18 months. And since the crab’s body itself does not have much meat (the claws have a lot), Florida prohibits for economic reasons, to sell the crab. It only allows the sale of its claws. Yes, stone crab is a specialty of Florida and brings in millions of dollars every year, it is better to keep the crabs alive so that it grows back $$$$$
How do they know if a crab has already given a lot? Well, they don’t know, so it is quite possible that a crab, as soon as its claw is pushed back (it will take 18 months), will be deprived of claws again.
However, there is a minimum clip size to be respected. But it has been shown, via statistics, that a crab losing a claw has only a 50% chance of survival, and a crab whose claw is cut a second time has only a 25% chance of survival – because with only one claw left, it is harder for him to defend himself and find food (harder to open an oyster with only one claw). In short, I am ashamed to participate in this cruel economy…
The 2nd specialty of this restaurant is the Key Lime Pie, a lemon pie, huge & at the same time sweet and sour as it should be. 10$ a share, but it’s so good that you have to order 1 share per person. This type of pie is sold a little bit everywhere in Florida but according to Tripadvisor, this is the place to come and try it.
That’s it for today, I give you an appointment for a last travel notebook on Miami (and not Miami Beach).
To reread the first Miami Beach travel diary, please click here to make an appointment as well as
our guide: 14 day road trip in Florida
