City Crab in Miami, Florida

People who know me very well know that I love seafood! I will tear up some shrimp, snow crab, crawfish, lobster and certain types of fish (fillets only, no heads, no bones, no catfish). I was recently introduced to conch by my male bff aka my little brother and I'm hooked! So imagine my excitement when my favorite blog on the web (aside from my own) bloggingblackmiami.com/ started bigging up a new seafood restaurant named City Crab Miami.

Here is my review, short and sweet:

I went there craving garlic crabs but had to settle for shrimp because they had run out. How do you run out of crab when you are named City Crab? I was instantly annoyed and thought to myself "This is why I go to chain restaurants" until I feasted on the shrimp. The owner put his foot in that meal! It was to die for. It left me wanting more so I looked up the number to call today to see if they had crab delivered so I could pick up dinner. Surprise! The phone is disconnected. I find myself thinking those chain restaurant thoughts again... Small business owners, especially black small business owners. We MUST do better. If you are going to start something up make sure you have enough to meet your supply and demand. And above all, make sure your utilities are on at all costs! It is VERY tacky to have a disconnected business number. I hope this gets squared away immediately because I would love to see them flourish and spread out into different cities. With food that delicious it's very possible!

After I posted the review on another site I realized that I might hurt the owner's feelings. I considered e-mailing the webmaster and having them remove my post. However, I thought twice about it. If you're in business for yourself you have to have thick skin, and you MUST have your business affairs in order. Me typing about these issues is nothing compared patrons experiencing them, stereotyping your start up as a hot ghetto mess and going to Joe's Crab Shack. So with that being said, I hope that this message reaches the business owners and that they take this how it is meant- a sincere concern for them from the heart in hopes that they take the criticism constructively and improve. After all, if I didn't care, I wouldn't waste a keystroke speaking on it. Nor would I attempt to return. It's all love! Now order an extra case of snow crab legs! :)

The 41st Annual Pink Tea & The Men's Fellowship Summer Music Series

Host:	The Church Of The Open Door, Miami Florida
Type:	Music/Arts - Concert
Network:	Global

Date:	Sunday, July 26, 2009
Time:	4:00pm - 6:00pm
Location:	The Lyric Theater
Street:	819 NW Second Avenue
City/Town:	Miami, FL
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Phone:	3057590373
Email:	pinkteatattler@gmail.com

It’s the concert event you won’t want to miss! On Sunday, July 26th, The Church of the Open Door will present the third and final concert in its 41st Annual Pink Tea and the Men's Fellowship Summer Music Series. Miamis favorite jazz and gospel sensation NICOLE HENRY will be blazing the stage with songs of praise and worship.

Tickets are $45 for one ticket, $80 for a package of two tickets, and $99 for a package of three or more tickets. Drinks will be available for purchase.

The concert kicks off at 4 p.m. at the Lyric Theater, 819 NW Second Ave. Call the church at 305-759-0373 or Kervin Clenance at 954-559-0927, or e-mail pinkteatattler@gmail.com for more details!

One Stop Shop

Google is so cool! I love it's clean design and no fuss execution. Yahoo just has too much going on for me. Anyway, for those of you who are always asking for a calculator, or who wonder who won last nights game, or who want to know how far it is from Point "A" to Point "B", look no further!

Click here! I promise it's not porn, spyware, a virus or some annoying online quiz!

I think I'm in love! Bookmark the link if you feel the same!

Smoochez!

Moving Right Along...

I may not have a lot of money. I may not be the picture of perfect health. I may not be exactly where I want to be in life. But you know what? i am HAPPY. For the first time in my life I can say I an truly happy even through all lifes trials and trips.

I think it has a lot to do with me going back to church. My grandmother begged me for years to get back active in church and I resisted her at every turn. In a nutshell I thought church was for losers. Yes I loved The Lord and considered myself to be a God fearing individual. But sit up in a holier than thou sweaty hot church all day on a Sunday when I could be napping, eating out, on the beach, or just staring at the four corners of my living room? No thanks.

I found myself walking through the open door at Church of the Open Door on First Sunday, March 1, 2009. I admit I was skeptical. I thought I'd find myself in the midst of naive old ladies pouring their life savings into some charlatans fat daddy pockets. Said fat daddy would be pushing a benz through the streets of Miami while the little old ladies tinkered around in 1987 Dodge Darts. Suffice to say I was VERY pleasantly surprised to be greeted with warm embraces, open hearts and kind words. I truly feel that my church- yes, MY church because I took my new member vows on Sunday May 2, 2009- accepted my girls and I as part of the family and I have never felt so tranquil. So at ease. So lovED and lovING. People warn me not to spread myself too thin in working for the church but I love servicing and doing the work of The Lord. As I pinned pink flower after pink flower, made pink bow after pink bow and toiled away to awash The Lyric Theater in pink my mind was in a calm state of nirvana. I was humming. ME, humming!

I could go on and on and on, but I think it's obvious that I an passionate about my faith and my church. I can't wait until tomorrow! We kick off our 41st Annual Pink Tea and paint the city of Miami PINK! I got the cutest matching outfits for the girls. One is almost 18 and the other is 15- far too old for dressing alike but the outfits were so hot that I had to get them for the girls. I will put up pictures of the event sometime next week.

In the meantime here is a picture of our wedding cake tasting that took place today.

We decided on a 5 tier buttercreme cake with 3 layers in vanilla rum, the other 2 in amaretto. The picture to the left is what it will look like except with the extra 5th tier. The flowers on top will be baby pink and white. It's going to be soooo beautiful! The closer I get to our wedding day and the more we confirm details the more excited I become. I'm practically bouncing off the walls at 1 in the morning!

Miami Herald Spotlight: Pink Tea at Lyric Theater honors heritage

Posted on Friday, 05.08.09

BLACK IN TIME | BY DOROTHY JENKINS FIELDS

Pink Tea at Lyric Theater honors heritage

BY DOROTHY JENKINS FIELDS

Special to The Miami Herald

History will be made when the historic Lyric Theater in Miami's Overtown hosts an inaugural performing arts series in the setting of ``the Pink Tea.''

The occasion is the Church of the Open Door's 41st anniversary Pink Tea and a celebration of the performing arts from 4 to 6 p.m. May 17.

Church history states ``the Pink Tea originated many years ago by the Church of the Good Shepherd in Chicago, Il. Other churches adopted the idea and held World Mission Pink Teas where ladies dressed in costumes of other countries.''

In Miami, the Pink Tea idea was introduced at the Church of the Open Door by Pastor Emeritus, Reverend Harold D. Long.

From the outset, the Pink Tea at the Church of Open Door featured outstanding concert artists and local talent. It began as an annual fundraiser and continued on the church's campus in Liberty City. Kervin Clenance, chair of the Pink Tea and the Men's Fellowship Summer Music Series said ``the decision was made this year to combine the annual Pink Tea with a performing arts series in Overtown at the historic Lyric Theater connecting us to our heritage and community's roots.''

The 2009 Pink Tea performers, Samuel Eudovique, tenor, and Marshall Davis Jr., tap dancer, will salute Sammy Davis Jr. Eudovique and Davis will bring back the genius of Sammy Davis Jr., who during racial segregation was equally at home on Miami Beach and Overtown in the 1950s and 1960s.

The great grandson of Overtown pioneer Bishop Randolph Williams, of the Church of God in Prophecy, Marshall Davis Jr. began tap dancing in Liberty City at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center. His honors include the coveted 1991 Star Search Teen Dance Champion.

Samuel Eudovique was born in Barbados and was exposed to classical music at an early age by his grandmother. He has performed with the Coral Gables Symphony, the Miami Lyric Opera and the Opera Company of Brooklyn.

The Pink Tea will follow immediately after this performance. The ladies of Circles I, II, III; the Men's Fellowship; the Youth Group and Young Adults will host their respective tables competing for the title of ''Winner'' of the annual competition. Each table will contain pink pastries, tea sandwiches and the traditional pink punch.

According to longtime decorating committee member Shirley Archie ``both the outside and inside of the Lyric Theater and Welcome Center Lobby will be decorated in pink. Everyone is encouraged to wear something pink.''

The Men's Fellowship Summer Music Series is comprised of the John Hobbs concert on June 21 and the Nicole Henry Concert on July 26. Born in Miami, Hobbs grew up with his grandparents in Augusta, Ga. A self-contained performer, he plays guitar and piano; sings gospel, jazz, pop, and adult contemporary music -- from traditional to classical.

The performance series ends with internationally renowned jazz artist Nicole Henry. Born in Philadelphia and raised with a mom who played classical music, Henry is a singer/songwriter with a voice that combines jazz with pop to produce soulful music. She performs regularly around Miami.

Beginning at 4 p.m., each performance promises an afternoon of music, culture and fun. For ticket information, call 305-759-0373.

Dorothy Jenkins Fields, PhD, is a historian and founder of the Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida Inc. Send feedback, questions or news to djf@bellsouth.net.

Full Day

Yesterday started out at snails pace. I took a Zyrtec pill at around 630am and I was super drowsy at work. I found myself passing out at my desk several times. I don't know how I made it but even with one of my feet in dreamland, the other in reality I managed to accomplish so much yesterday. I was so proud of myself I bragged to my brother, sister and fiancée about what a busy bee I was! I completed:

1) The first pre-martial counseling session with my pastor and my fiancée. It went very well and I was so happy that my man opened up to someone who, in essence, is a complete stranger to him. I see these next 4 meetings being very productive and I can't wait until next month to tackle more marital solutions. We also put the official date on the pastors calendar, and booked the church for the actual ceremony.

2) I was on the fence about which bakery I was going to choose to do our cake. In the end, the lack of a selection from Bakery A made me go with Bakery B, which is Cake Designs by Edda. I made an appointment for us to have a tasting next Saturday and let them know which cake I was leaning towards so that they would definitely have that sample available.

3) I took a power nap on my fiancée's lap. It felt sooo good! I don't require a lot of sleep to survive but I was crashing yesterday. I woke up charged and ready to go after 9pm last night and this is when I accomplished most of my tasks.

4) I FINALLY completed our first wedding guest list. There are 180+ people on the list. I pray that 80 people decline though so I can get the number right at 100. LOL! No seriously I wish we had room for every family member and every friend that we both have but we are paying per plate and as anyone who has ever had a big wedding knows - it can be very expensive. Most of the people we invited have to come from out of state to attend so there may be a lot of declines from NY, Jamaica, NC etc. But everyone in Florida will most likely make it so I know that a wonderful time will be had by all.

5) I sent out requests for physical addresses for all invited guests. They have started filtering in as of this morning. It seems like maintaing this will be a lot of work so I will probably ask my matron or maid of honor to keep the list updated for me.

6) Finally got my brother to take the HUGE bag of clothes out of my living room to be donated. The bag was heavier than a dead body and packed with brand new and gently used teenage clothes. I tried to donate them to my church by they keep their pantry small so it wasn't an option. My brother knows of a place that gives away donations to domestic abuse victims and of course I was happy to oblige. It felt good knowing that someone else can benefit from us.

7) Began working on a grass roots publicity campaign for our 41st Annual Pink Tea. You can click the link for details.

I think there is more, but that should be enough for now. I do know that I have made a comittment not to take on any more projects. So...

My wedding
Helping my grandmother get her fiances back in order
Preparing my 15 year old for her boyfriends senior prom
Readying myself for a prospect I have been working on for years
The 41st Annual Pink Tea.
Weight Watchers

Are on the front burner right now. Everything else will have to wait until after the wedding. My plate runneth over!

Reason #4080 To Eat Home Cooked Meals...

Those who know me IRL (in real life) know that I recently joined Weight Watchers to shed these unwanted pounds. Now make no mistake, your girl is fly even though there's more of her to love than there was back in the day. But I definitely need to lose a lot of weight to be healthy and have more energy. The pictures below affirm what I already know- eating out isn't always the healthiest choice, and, can at times be straight up FILTHY, NASTY, AND DOWNRIGHT UNSANITARY!!! The pictures below are from New China Restaurant on 1805 Montana Avenue in our nations capitol, Washington DC!!! This is how they "prep" their fish for those fish and chip platters people eat up every day and probably scrape the plate afterwards. GROSS!