Costco Hot Dogs Are Really Good

After my adventure in the kitchen on Friday (with my Smokin' Steaks) I decided maybe I should take a break from cooking for a couple of days. So Saturday, Damien, Baz and I ate out for both lunch and dinner.

For lunch, I was craving the crepes I get at one of my favorite little places in the unlikely Espanola Way section of South Beach. It's a French place called A La Folie Cafe and I just love it. Espanola Way is a pretty touristy part of town, but if you go past the pedestrian-only zone, A La Folie Cafe is a little gem slightly off the beaten path. They have their semi-rude French wait staff (although our waitress this weekend was very sweet) and serve French rose by the glass (although I couldn't really justify getting one at noon on Saturday) so it feels pretty authentic. We sit out on the sidewalk especially with Baz and greatly appreciate the fans they have set up to try and help us fight off the oppressive Miami summer heat.

Every time I go, I really just want the nutella and banana crepe, but I feel sort of guilty just eating that alone. So Damien and I split a "totale" crepe first which includes ham, swiss cheese, egg and mushroom and then we split the nutella/banana crepe afterward. Tres magnifique!

Then for dinner we ordered some sushi from Sushi Republic in Surfside. It's fine. We haven't really been able to find a great sushi place here in Miami. I have to try that Japanese Market I mentioned before. But, I didn't think of it in time last night.

Then today we had one of my favorites - Costco hot dogs! I swear they are the best. Well, that's if you like hot dogs. I happen to love them! Costco's are delicious - 1/4 pound, all beef, big and juicy. And they are a total bargain. Damien and I had two dogs, two drinks, and a chocolate frozen yogurt for less than $5 total. Of course, you can't walk out of the rest of Costco without spending at least $50. So keep your eye on the ball. Also, Costco is a zoo on the weekends, but it was worth the wait for the dogs. And I have to say, Costco is the only place in Miami with a really superb work staff. Well, maybe Publix, too. At Costco, the staff is efficient and gracious even when dealing with the worst of the worst Miami customers.

Their pizza looks pretty good, too. But, besides loving hot dogs, Damien and I are ordering pizza tonight so I didn't want to double up.

Other than that it was a great weekend. No movies. We spent most of our time trying to organize our mess of an apartment. We did squeeze in a couple of trips to the beach though. Today was a bit stormy but that just alleviated the heat a bit and made from some beautiful, dramatic skies.

Tomorrow I'll jump right back on that horse. Not sure what I'll make just yet, but I am sure it will not need to be cooked on cast iron.