john h hanzl (author)
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ICW 5 – Oh How the Mighty Have Fallen (or is it the oppostite?)
STUFFED
Okay – so it’s all about the means to the ends, right? Actually, before talking about what happened for the past two days, I want to say Amy and I are working on this entry while sipping a glass of wine in the salon of Sequel! It’s pouring out – with lightning flashing around the boat – but, unlike our loft, it’s not raining inside!
Right – so let’s back up a moment. We’ve been hanging out in Miami because Amy is planning a program for a group that’s executing in October (oh and if you don’t know, Amy and her business partner Lisa run an event planning company called Paramount Planners that do high end events all over the world). I, like the slug I am, tag along whenever I can because they only go to the best places and do the most amazing things. And part of the “amazing things” bit means eating at the most amazing places. And when they are checking out restaurants to see if they work for a given event, well, I become a professional eater. Tough job I know!
Case in point – yesterday. We were staying at the St Regis hotel, which is a stupidly off the hook amazing hotel. Here’s my poorly executed walkthrough of the place:
Amy and Lisa were off doing their thing while I suffered through a day on the beach. We met up for a dinner extravaganza (and the point of my post), with them already suffering from a food coma after a luncheon feast at Yardbird, though Amy was so full she didn’t even want to say all they ate. But no worries – I’m about to detail the eating that follows next.
So we went to Michael Mina 74 in the Fountainebleau and met with their contact for the property and had a “light snack”…
and ate… tuna tartare, ahi and hamachi poppers, crab summer rolls, Japanese wedge salad, duck confit and scallion crepe, lobster pot pie, Rocky Road profiteroles and Macallan 18 beignets – along with some very cool cocktails and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.
Amy’s quote of the night was found in the ladies room (I did NOT take this picture)
So full – beyond full. EXTREMELY full.
But then we had to go out to dinner. Onward to 1826 Restaurant and Lounge, and yet another eager contact who wanted to show us the best the place had to offer.
And we ate… leek croquettes, king salmon tartare, summer truffle risotto, lobster and crab poached with scallop dumplings, wild ramps and pastis, chicken roasted and confited with polenta orange and spring vegetable fricassee, plus more cocktails and vino. Ugh – not complaining but so damn full!
All I wanted to do was sleep, wake up, and drive the 90 some odd miles to Jupiter, FL to see Sequel – but mother nature had other plans and dazzled us with hours of insane lightning and spine tingling thunder – the like I’ve not seen in a long time.
But finally day broke and we headed out – a cloudy morning giving way to extreme southern Florida heat. And finally, after literally months of waiting, planning and dreaming, there she was!
We made it – and though I have much more to say, I think it needs to wait till tomorrow. Suffice it to say it’s been a loooong day of prepping, shopping, storing, discovering, and yes – getting rained on. But that’s a story for later. So I’ll leave you with one last picture – and the reason for the title of this post. Oh, how the mighty have fallen, and how glad are we for it!
Till then (and tomorrow’s Friday the 13th)…
John
john h hanzl (author) 
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Thanks for the update; seems like you’ve got it tough John. Tell Amy I recommended her company to mine in the event they are ever in the need for professional event planners. It is rainy in Boston today and the last few days have been like early May. You are not missing a thing! Safe travels and make sure you take a few group selfies on the way so we can see how your tans are coming along!
Bea
(Maggie’s mom)
________________
Bea Fischer-Bean
Charles River Associates
200 Clarendon Street, T-32
John Hancock Tower
Boston, MA 02116-5092
email: bfischer@crai.com
direct: 617-425-3311
fax: 617-425-3132
http://www.crai.com
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