Lion & The Rambler ⏤ Vol 53
Hello Friend. Happy October! 🎃 🍁
We are zooming through this year. I mean, my goodness, where is the time going?
So Miami was a total vibe, and I was living my best hot mom life. But how about I did NOT get a Miami Vice the entire time I was there. Our hotel pool bar did not serve any frozen drinks, and we didn’t go to the beach.
I spent five days in Uncle Luke’s city without my favorite drink. It’s cool tho. It’s not going anywhere.
JJ did awesome on the plane rides there and back. There wasn’t much time to nap because the flights were relatively speedy, but he closed his eyes once or twice.
Tell me why on our flight from Charlotte to Miami, JJ got settled and stretched across our laps about 20 minutes into the flight. Maybe 15 minutes into his sleep, the flight attendants are at our row for snacks and drinks. I ordered a ginger ale (no ice). The lady gave me a can and a cup. I popped the soda can, and two droplets of ginger ale landed directly on my baby’s face; he woke up immediately and began to make his crying face.
I was BLOWN! I couldn’t believe I fumbled his nap. Thank goodness he didn’t break out into tears, but he definitely didn’t sleep the rest of the flight.
I had @mondaylunch.co social media plans to post a cute picture of me feeding JJ at a restaurant and list out all the places we dined, but I never got around to it. My time is set up so different nowadays. I prioritize social media at the very, very end of my list.
Anywhoo. Today’s lunch is dedicated to my favorite and final restaurant we dined at during our week in Miami, Lion & The Rambler 🤤🤤!
I’ll tell you all the places we ate and what we ordered in one of our topics today because you will want to bookmark one, or more, of these restaurants on your next MIA visit.
Ok friend. Today’s first topic is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. So sit back, and let’s indulge. 🙃
Photos of the 90s
One thing I love about the 90s is its lack of technology and documentation. It’s an era in time that is still very mysterious.
The internet had just become a phenom almost overnight. In 1993 there were around 130 websites. By the beginning of ‘96, there were over 100,000.
Can you imagine a world with only 130 websites? Mindblowing.
So when I came across images of some of my all-time favorites from my favorite decade that I hadn’t seen before, I remembered exactly why I started Monday Lunch; to celebrate the decade that shaped many of our lives—this decade introduced us to some of our favorite TV shows, movies, songs, celebrities, and much more.
Let’s go back to when things were unplugged and talk about these captured moments.
Keisha & Pam of Total
If you are a real Total fan, you know that Pam was the wild one of the group. If TMZ were alive and well in this era, they would have always caught Pam saying or doing something salacious, and I loved it.
I’m not sure what drove her to make this fashion choice here, but it’s giving 90’s Pam energy because today’s Pam is saved and sanctified.
Favorite Total Video: No One Else Feat. Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, and Da Brat
Eazy-E and Queen Latifah
Now, I wouldn’t expect to see these two people in the same picture, but then again, I can see it. Eazy is a west coast gangsta turned rapper, and Queen is an iconic female rapper out of the east coast. Both told stories about their real lives, but with different approaches.
Eazy shirt says summer jam 1994, so this was the year before he passed and Queen was probably filming Set It Off because the movie was released in 1996. Man, what a time and what greats.
U.N.I.T.YYYYYYYYYYY — This song is almost 30 years old, ‘93! Fun fact, Queen was the FIRST rapper, not female rapper, first RAPPER, to perform at the Super Bowl XXXII Halftime show in ‘98.
Tupac and my Sorors
I love everything about these two pictures. Whoever the women are in these photos, I guarantee they cherish their precious piece of history with these.
But of course, Pac would be in the presence of the amazing women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
In the top picture tho, buddy curled up in the back is hilarious. He like, Imma be in this photo too.
When I see photos like this, I wish I was in college in the 90s. The energy of our culture during that time was just…everything. And I would have gone to an HBCU for sure if I had gone to college in the 90s. I probably would have chosen Grambling because Grambling in the 90s was poppinggggggg!!!
2Pac — To Live And Die in LA. A beautiful ode to the city he loved more than life itself.
Heavy D and Nia Long
This photo of this alleged couple is from 1993 while they were attending Eddie & Nicole's wedding. While there is no actual confirmation that these two did date, there are quite a few pictures of them together that span over some time. But they can also be good friends like Nia has eluded to for years.
*sidenote* How DARE Nia Long’s long-term financé embarrass the shit out of her like that. Having an affair with someone on staff.
Also, did we know Heavy D has a child with the famous chef Antonia Lofaso? I had no clue. They had a daughter in 2000 and were still together when he passed in 2011. His daughter favors him so much.
Our #1 watched channel is the Food Network, and we see Antonia on every show we watch. So this was def a fun discovery.
Antonia used to work in some of Puffy’s restaurants, so I wonder if this is how they met.
Heavy D & SILK — Got Me Waiting Remix. Heavy with the slow rap. I bet you haven’t heard this one.
Turk, Lil Wayne, and Juvenile
Talk about a pre-fame moment captured here. I have no clue when or where this picture was taken, but I can only imagine what these three were cooking up. Folks probably thought, “what are they up to.”
If I were to paint this picture, they are in someone's grandmama's house trying to catch a little AC after being outside dealing with that New Orleans heat trying to push Hot Boy mixtapes, actual tapes. Peep their shirts.
Turk had a little heat back when they first got Cash Money off the ground, but we all know where the talent lies on this couch.
Turk — It’s In Me. Gotta give him some love.
H.W.A. — Hoez Wit Attitude
I was today years old when I found out this group even existed. Founded by Eazy-E and that damn Jerry Heller, this group was supposed to be the female version of NWA.
The group came together in 1989 and dropped three albums between 1990 and 1994. One interesting fact is that RZA and ODB from Wu-Tang sampled “Eat This” on their “Black Widow Part 2” track on an album called Digital Bullet.
Jazz, Baby Gir,l and Divagaveg City Girl energy before those two were even born. Listen to Eat This, and you will see.
But why are we not shocked that this group was under Eazy?!
Mya and Bizzy Bone
While I would love to think this is a picture of these two riding down some highway in who knows what state living their best lives, it’s a picture of them from ‘98 on the set of Thugs Cry.
Mya wasn’t the only person who made a cameo in this video. You can see Lisa Raye Lisa Raying in here too. This was right aroundwhene Player’s Club hit the big screen, so everyone was trying to see Diamond.
Aaliyah, Kidada Jones, Sara Gilbert, Rosario Dawson, and Nicole Richie
What surprises me about this photo is Sara Gilbert. I thought it was a random fluke with her being in this picture with Aaliyah and dem. But Sara shows up in a lot of rare random photos with Aaliyah.
I love discovering pictures of Aaliyah. She was such a private person, and when I see photos and videos of her that haven’t circulated the internet a million times over, it makes me smile.
Like this one.
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So did you enjoy these few snapshots from the 90s? Well, that last one might be from 2000, but the rest are moments captured from my favorite decade.
What was your favorite one?
Miami Vibes
Okay, here is the rundown of the places we ate during our stay. My favorite is first, but the rest of the restaurants are in no particular order. All links are to their IG pages so you can save them!
A brand new HOTT restaurant located less than 20 minutes away in Coral Gables. This spot gives the bottom of the map a taste of California.
Their menu is set up in a tasting style, so you will order several things to complete your meal.
We had:
Their homemade foccia bread with homemade butter, and then we ordered their whipped ricotta with honey because who doesn’t like options to spread on their bread? OMFG, it was mouth-watering.
Steak tartare
Grilled gulf prawns
Gratitude garden maitake - this green-looking soup is really a fucking delicious dip you get with more homemade bread!!
Sweet corn & ricotta agnolotti - a pasta that I think I enjoyed more than Julian
And for our “main course” we split the pork chop
And after all of that we STILL had dessert! This place is worth the venture out of Miami. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
The outside of Prime 112 is nothing to get excited about. I would probably walk right past it if it weren’t so famously known and talked about from their eats and the sights.
Outside of being a steakhouse, they are also known for their martinis, which I was unaware of. So, of course, I ordered one, pompogrante, and I was not disappointed.
We had:
Two pounds of Alaskan King crabs as our appetizer. Sounds like a lot, but it was a total of 6 pieces altogether
I had the 8 oz Filet and Julian had the 12 oz Wagu Filet
For our shared side, we had spinach and parmesan stuffed tomatoes that were just OMG
For dessert, I had the most delicious key lime pie, and he had gelato
This place lives up to the hype. It’s well worth the visit and the check you will spend.
This restaurant is a chain with locations in Vegas, Dallas, DC, LA, Chicago, and Singapore.
They are known for their fried chicken and bourbon. They only host brunch on the weekends, so we went here for lunch.
We had:
Deviled eggs for our appetizer. One of the best I’ve had
Julian ordered a 1/2 fried chicken with the hot honey sauce
I ordered chicken tenders, and these were the most delicious and juicy chicken tenders I’ve ever had. And it came with three dipping sauces, but the homemade ranch was by far my favorite.
If you stay in South Beach, you can get to this spot relatively easily, within walking distance.
Located inside our hotel, SLS Brickell, this Italian restaurant was a last-minute decision. JJ was having a mini-meltdown, and we didn’t think getting into a Lyft and heading 20 minutes away was not wise at the moment, so we pivoted and were not disappointed.
We had:
Beef carpaccio and Mediterrian mussels for our appetizer
I had corn ravioli and lobster for my entree
And for the life of me, I can’t remember what Julian ate. It was either steak or lamb, but I know he ordered the brussels sprouts, and they were delicious
We had dessert, but I can’t remember, but I do recall it being tasty
Don’t let my failed memory of this spot hinder you from trying it. It was delicious. We also ordered two pizzas, one while at the pool and another as room service during our time here. So if you stay at the SLS, you are guaranteed great room service because all of their food comes from here.
This Greek restaurant by far WINS for best outdoor decor. While walking through their dining courtyard, it felt like a dream. Such a vibe, and it was bustling for a Monday night.
We opted to sit inside because it was humid and JJ was already acting up, so we didn’t want to agitate him further.
We had:
Grilled octopus and baked feta for our appetizers. My goodness, that baked feta transported me back to when I was in Greece in 2016. It tasted so fresh, rich, and authentic
Julian had lamp chops over orzo pilaf, which he tore up
And I had moussaka which was basically an eggplant and ground beef pie. It was layered as a lasagna would, and I scrapped that bowl CLEAN.
They gifted us a lemon cake since we noted we were celebrating our anniversary, and if you know me, you know I love lemon cake
Friends in LA, they just opened a restaurant there. So go check it out if you love Greek cuisine.
I know you are hungry after reading about all the food we ate during our trip. Let me know if you visit one.
See you on the 17th friend!
xo, Jemia