One of my personal favourite things to do while on vacation is eat! Specifically, try new foods local to the area, popular restaurants and local cuisine that we can’t get back home.

It does involve a bit of research, but I’ve found the best way to find out is to ask around! I asked a gentleman that I met at the infusion bar, and received a lot of great recommendations! Another lovely woman joined in and added to it. Even the manager at the restaurant had some great recommendations.

It turns out, some of my google search finds corroborated some of the places they had mentioned! So let’s dig in!

Dale’s is located in a strip mall known as Morningside Shoppes, directly in Port St Lucie. At the time, they offered dine-in, curb side pick up and delivery.
It is primarily a Venezuelan restaurant that advertises healthy options for meals. Their meals are all customizable to your tastes and dietary needs, and they have a great selection of salads and smoothie bowls.

My first time here, I did take out and ate it at the airbnb, as we had had a busy day and just wanted to get home.

I ended up loving it so much I came back, and we did dine-in on the patio because the weather was too nice to be stuck inside!

Coming here was venturing outside of my usual preferences. A lot of the cuisine seems to overlap with Spanish/Mexican culture but with a Venezuelan spin.

I chose an Arepa Pabellon, which is filled with shredded beef, sweet plantains, black beans and crumbled cheese. The plantain was what tempted me- I had enjoyed them baked/cooked in multiple different ways when I went to Nicaragua in 2014, I had to experience them again!

An Arepa Pabellon with Cilantro & Lime sauce

The arepa itself is made of ground maize dough (corn), that is moulded into cakes and cooked/fried. Here, it was used as a ‘bun’ to be stuffed into a sort of sandwich. It is gluten free, and tastes amazing. I paired it with the cilantro and lime sauce they had on the menu, and it was a party for my taste buds.

The service here was nice, the staff were very pleasant and helpful. I loved the authenticity of this experience and trying something new!

The only down side is once I love something new and don’t have access to it, I tend to go back on repeat, and miss out on other opportunities! Oh well, a work in progress!

Dale’s Arepa Bar & Healthy Bistro
Address: 1758 SE Port St Lucie Blvd, Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Rating: 5/5
Highly Recommended!
Menu Item Tried: Arepa Pabellon
Pricing: Reasonable – ~10$ USD.

I’m going to be honest. I came to Florida with the goal of trying new things. My main food experience was going to be surrounding trying raw oysters for the first time ever. I had already searched this place prior to booking our flights and Airbnb as it had the best ratings in town, and when I researched trying Oysters, the online recommendations were very strict on ensuring the restaurant understands proper preparation to prevent contamination or food borne illness. This place has a 4.6 star review on google.

When I went to the infusion clinic, the gentleman Steve I met recommended this right off the hop, along with a few other restaurants. (I later found out that the restaurants he named were owned and operated by the same company, so it’s no wonder he loved them all!).

What I loved right away, was that they have the option to reserve a table online. So we did just that. Kyle G’s is also located in a strip of stores.

We arrived 15 minutes early, and they were able to seat us right away in the bar area with high top tables. The difference in location apparently means that happy hour drink specials were on all night for us, rather than the dining room which had limited happy hour menu times.

Hostess counter on entering

I didn’t so much care, as I don’t typically add drinks to my meals most of the time. I’m there for the culinary experience, and I’d rather eat my calories than drink them. Plus I’m a light weight, and wouldn’t be able to drive after, haha.

I already had an idea of what I would have to eat. I love looking at menus ahead of time, not only does it help me decide if I want to go there but it allows me to not feel so overwhelmed when I walk into a new place! Typically when I am going for an experience, I do not look at the prices. I definitely did not here, I knew it would be expensive and I didn’t care.

First up was the Oysters! We asked for recommendation from our lovely server, who recommended the Raspberry PEI Oysters that have a mild salty flavour profile and would be an excellent choice for first timers. We found it comical that we tried Canadian oysters in the USA. We opted for the half dozen, just in case the experience turned out terrible. They allowed us to mix and match, so we could have each one done differently if we chose. I had read online that you should try one without any fixings to get the true experience. So I opted for two plain, and one ‘dirty’. Dirty in this case meant that it had whipped sour cream and caviar on top.

1/2 Dozen raw oysters. Three raw, two done dirty and two large shrimp. Comes with horseradish, seafood sauce & a small tabasco sauce, all on ice. Not pictured- Oyster Rockefeller style that is cooked with breadcrumbs and seasoning, and was served separate.

The presentation alone is gorgeous on these! The server who dropped them off explained which was which and off we went. I made sure my travel partner filmed the experience for me!

You have to make sure you pry the little guy from the shell. It’s hard to maneuver your first time, or it was for me. You don’t want to lose any of the juice that the oyster is sitting in, as this is also part of the tasting experience. I peeled it off with the tiny fork, and put it to my lips. Sucked it back, and swallowed it whole. At first, it was a slimy sensation that I wasn’t sure about. However once it was done, I got this incredible salty aftertaste that was phenomenal. It was delicious! I tried the ‘Dirty’ one next, and it was even better. I think this was my favourite way to experience it, I even chewed the oyster twice before swallowing. An absolute chefs kiss here folks! Had the third one plain, also delicious.

My travel partner was trying them for the first time as well, and she ended up really liking them! It was a proud moment for the both of us! Growth definitely happens when you step outside your comfort zone!

Next, I ordered the seafood ceviche. I will be honest, the plantain chips really drew me in. I don’t think I’ve ever had ceviche before this, but for some reason I was in a trying new things mood so I went for it!

Seafood ceviche with plantain chips

Ceviche is essentially a ‘raw’ seafood salsa. At least, that’s how I perceived it. I loved the hints of cilantro and it was so nice to pair with the plantains. I loved it a lot, and will definitely be open to having it again elsewhere where it may be prepared differently! I believe this one contained scallops and shrimp and possible fish, unfortunately I didn’t get a photo of the menu and it isn’t advertised on their online menu at this time.

For a main dish, I choose off the fresh catch menu, which I gather is locally caught fresh fish priced by daily Market value. They had four options, I picked the cod. They also allowed you to pick how it is made, about five different customizable options. I picked mine to be cooked in brown butter with capers. It came with giant spheres of perfectly cooked asparagus. The fish itself was so tender and light, it almost fell apart on the fork. While I normally have some sort of fish sauce or tartar, this was fantastic without.

Cod cooked in brown butter with capers and asparagus on the side

The entire meal itself was to die for. The ambiance was chic and clean, modern. The service was wonderful. It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. I would highly recommend Kyle G and their chain of restaurants for a fancy, delicious meal!

Kyle G’s Oyster & Wine Bar
Address: 1724 St Lucie W Blvd, Port St. Lucie, Florida
Rating: 5/5
Highly Recommended!
Menu Items Tried: 1/2 Dozen Oysters, Seafood Ceviche, Cod Dinner
Pricing: Expensive – ~100$ USD**.
**Note: Kyle G’s appears to have an amazing support system in place for their staff offering a living hourly wage, benefits, tuition and promotional opportunities. This is reflected as an added 16% to your bill at baseline, but they do allow you to add an extra tip on top. I added a tip as I was so impressed with the service and the fact they seem to treat their employees so well!

While looking around for healthier options to enjoy in Miami, I came across a restaurant known as Miami Squeeze. They were built on the idea of a healthy lifestyle maintaining affordability. From what I could see there was a couple locations to choose from, some within shopping centres and a standalone place, which is where we headed off to.

We arrived close to closing time and during the middle of the week, which was likely why the place wasn’t too busy. It had received good reviews online, so I imagine it was a fairly popular place to visit. Parking was fairly easy, there was a handful of spots just outside the restaurant.

Outdoor seating at the entrance of the restaurant.

When you arrive you will notice a seating area, and a bar area that has a very tiki-like feel to it. People were seated at the bar, where you could see juice machines behind the staff at the counter. Friendly male staff welcomed us, told us to seat ourselves at the back whenever we were ready.

Heading to the back we seated ourselves in a corner. The restaurant was enclosed, had some plants and really nice light fixtures that I imagine would allow for a tiki-bar feel in the evenings when they were turned on. Odd now that I think of it, considering the place isn’t opened past 6pm.

View from our table.

It offered coverage from the sun which was much appreciated, and I am sure more so as the summer months rage on.

During our stay we had the pleasure of meeting a few little lizards who made their way onto the patio while we were dining. Initially I saw a curly tail and it scuttled off, I wondered if I had seen a chameleon! The staff member reportedly didn’t know what a chameleon was, and was sure to inform me that “All animals you see belong to nature, not the restaurant”. It was a weird interaction at best.

Curly tailed lizard.

A quick google search let me know that yes indeed, there are chameleons in Florida. However, when I typed in curly tailed lizard, a photo of my little friend I had met at the restaurant appeared, and informed me it was in fact just that- a curly tailed lizard. We saw him and one of his friends again later, which I was then able to snap a photo of.

Anyways back to the menu! There was plenty of healthy options, including vegan and vegetarian meals and substitutions. All of their juices and smoothies were made fresh in house. We had spent the day in the sun so I wanted to try the slushed lemonade. I picked a strawberry flavoured one, and was informed since they’re made fresh to order you can pick what sweetener you would like and the amount. I didn’t get a photo of it at the time, but it was pretty good and did taste pretty fresh (as in- not enough sweetener compared to lemonade stands). I did enjoy it though as it wasn’t too overpowering.

For my meal I picked the Gyro Platter as it had been awhile since I had gotten to enjoy lamb. I was presented with a large platter and various sauces on the side. I mainly stuck to tzatziki & spicy mayo.

Gyro Platter with brown rice, chick peas and a house salad.

There was a ginger lime sauce as the dressing for the salad that was very tasty. The Gyro tasted great, although it looked kind of weird being presented in cubes like this on my plate. I had to take it home as it was a very generous portion, but it definitely felt like a hearty yet healthy meal. In the future I would probably opt for a different meat if I were to try it again.

My travel partner tried a panini that she didn’t thoroughly enjoy as she found it not flavourful and didn’t know if they had added any sauce to the sandwich.

As someone who appreciates healthy restaurants, I do believe that this place is worth a shot, and I would definitely return especially if I am looking for a quick, healthy meal. I wasn’t left feeling gross or blah like you sometimes are when you consume heavy fats and lard laden meals.

Miami Squeeze

Address: 18315 W Dixie Hwy, North Miami Beach, Florida
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended
Menu Items Tried: Semi-sweetened strawberry lemonade, Gyro Platter
Pricing: Fairly Priced – ~25$ USD.

Our last meal in Florida I was determined to try authentic Mexican food. It had been on my mind the entire time, I just hadn’t had the opportunity to fit it in as it takes awhile for me to navigate menus with my dietary restrictions. 

While at the infusion clinic one of the employees has suggested Casa Amigo, touting large portion sizes and an authentic tasting experience. When we returned from Miami it turned out it was on the way to our Airbnb. We were starving after a gruelling two hour drive on the i95N so we were ready to dig in! We opted to dine-in at this location. 

We were greeted by friendly servers at the front and seated right away. There was plenty of Mexican decor and music playing along that made you want to dance. We were given a menu by a lovey gentleman and let me tell you it was extensive. There was no shortage of options here! 

Casa Amigo dining area.

We were started with drinks of our choice & complimentary tortilla chips & salsa. 

Complimentary starter tortillas and salsa!

I wanted sort of a “variety” so I opted for something from the specialties menu: Carnitas. For those who don’t know, it’s a seasoned & slow cooked pork recipe that is tender and falls apart, easy to shred. 

Before I knew it I had a massive plate of food in front of me, half of which was carnitas, the other half comprised of refried beans & cheese, Mexican rice, lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream & guacamole. I was also served tortillas (I had been given an option and chose the corn tortillas). 

Carnitas

Now I imagine this means it’s a sort of assemble it yourself taco experience, but I ended up just eating it as is- a little bit of everything on the fork with each bite. 

In the past I’ve made my own carnitas recipe in my crock pot from online recipes, and don’t get me wrong it was an experience of its own. But this meal? A culinary masterpiece. Absolutely the most wonderful party of flavours for my tastebuds. The meat was so tender. It was everything I’d hoped for and more. 

I couldn’t finish it all (obviously) and now saw why there was a sign at the front advertising a “sharing the dish” fee- because of how massive the platters were.

This restaurant is the bomb. I’m only sad we didn’t go earlier so we could more items from the menu. My only recommendation would be to share a dish with a friend! 

Casa Amigo
Address: 7950 S, US-1, Port St. Lucie, Florida
Rating: 5/5
Highly Recommended!
Menu Items Tried: Carnitas from the specialities menu, with corn tortillas
Pricing: Expensive – ~30$ USD.

With age and wisdom I’ve discovered many dietary restrictions that I’ve had to learn to live with, and am still learning to navigate with a specialist. This is why you won’t see dozens of recommendations- it’s easier for me (and less costly naturally) to cook most of my own meals at an Airbnb than to eat out for every mean. It allows me to enjoy most of my trip with the least GI symptoms.  

It also means I had more money to fund experiences over food! So while the list here is short I do hope you take the recommendations into consideration if you’re ever in this neck of the woods!