Lunch at Carpaccio in Bal Harbour was the ultimate “Miami” brunch experience.

Let’s forget about the food for a moment. Carpaccio is the place to see and be seen.

Sunday afternoon brunch, after a long night of clubbing in South Beach, is the only remedy for what long nights have to offer!

The patio offers the best people watching opportunities.

This fresh mozzarella and vegetable platter was the perfect morning after meal.

Linguine with clams…

Margherita pizza….

Angel hair pasta with basil and fresh tomatoes….

The food was going fast!

Dancing until 4:30 in the morning can make a girl pretty hungry!

Fried calamari and zucchini was the fried food fix we all needed!

These were crispy, hot, salty and delicious!

A long leisurely meal, great friends, and the post-mortem of the night’s shenanagins with a cold bottle of Sauvignon Blanc is the best way to say “Good-bye” to Miami!

We have making pizza down to science here.

And I must admit that this is due to the secret weapon in my kitchen; My Daughter!

She has the perfect touch when it comes to preparing the dough; which we buy at a local pizzeria, and she has the perfect touch when it comes to layering the ingredients!

She gets the dough just right. Thin but not too thin and she has a light touch with the cheese, which is key to proper cooking.

Her specialties include but are not limited to the Margarhita and pepperoni pizzas.

We were so confident with our skills that we threw these pizzas on the grill! First time ever and they were perfect!

Fresh oregano made the pepperoni especially delicious for th meat eaters but the overwhelming favorite was the Margarhita with basil fresh from the garden and fresh mozzarella.

I tried my hand at something a bit more fancy; spinach and red onion with mushroom and goat cheese topped off with a balsamic vinegar reduction.

The reduction came out perfectly, it was my first attempt! I simply poured about 1 cup of balsamic vinegar into a small frying pan and on meduim heat let it cook until it started to thicken.

My mistake was to pour it over the pizza before baking. I should have drizzled it over the pizza when it was finished cooking to keep the thick texture that I so proudly created!

Lightly blanche the spinach before layering on your pizza. It can dry and burn if you don’t.

Tr your hand with your favorite ingredients. Be patient. Cook with loved ones and Enjoy!

A dream come true!

Me in a sea of men surrounded by the most glorious pizzas, ever and tropical fruity cocktails served up by a cute bartender with attitude!

Luxe was host to the G2H2 Happy Hour event in Cleveland , Oh.

The food was amazing! I know it’s a social thing but given the “circumstances” I had plenty of time to focus on the food and drinks!

This portobello mushroom, spinach, goat cheese and balsamic reduction pizza was my favorite.

Chef Marlin Kaplan knows that a light touch of fresh potent ingredients is the way to go!

I couldn’t get enough of this pizza and made myself a fixture at the buffet!

This is definitley something that I want to try at home.

Chris was adorable and he knows the food.

This tomato basil was fantastic; fresh and delish!

The setting was elegant but casual.

Sweetheart! Jen kept the fresh hot pies coming my way

Tomato and herb.

Chicken, rosemary and goat cheese was a big hit.

What would the evening be without a spunky bartender serving up the one-liners with the best mojitos in town?!

Lee was a delight!

Inspired by a visit with my favorite aunt, I felt like nurturing her with her favorite flavors and some new decedant treats like cheeses and bread!

We enjoyed the leek and mushroom pizza on tuesday at the restaurant, however, we did have some issues.

We thaught that there was too much “sauce”. It was cheese or something, we couldn’t put our fingers on it but it over-powered the delicate flavor of the leeks and the mushrooms seemed non-existant.

I sauteed my leeks in olive oil with about 4-5 cloves of roasted garlic which I had left over and I used shiitake mushrooms.

I use the shiitake because of the intense flavor and the rubbery texture. They stand up to cooking and the flavor is rich and earthy.

I also used fresh mozzerella; about 5 1/4 inch slices then sprinkled on some parmesan; not much. Pizza is best with a light touch.

The leeks had the sweet, delicate onion flavor that I was hoping for and that sweetness accented the shiitake perfectly.

Arugula and tomatoes with feta cheese and a splash of oil was fresh and flavorful! I threw in some fresh basil for a peppery/licorice punch!

We are already missing her and looking forward to the next visit.

OK! So it wasn’t Steve Carell but it was a real fantastic pizza!

This guy was hilarious and ate up all the attention that his “Steve Carell-esque” similarity would allow!

This pizza, on the other hand, was the real thing and Delish!

Thin crispy crust with a light touch of fontina cheese and the freshest basil pesto and olive oil.

Gently roasted cherry tomatoes “pop” when you bite into them and ooz warm tomato-y goodness.