Mini Golf, Movies, and a Garden Oasis in
the Upper Eastside
Professional landscaper Kelly Crawford opened
the Upper Eastside Garden this past April, and together with
Peter Rozek (the mini golf part) has turned it into a cultural
haven. A small sidewalk garden equipped with a doggie drinking
bowl is the prelude to a lush sanctuary of rare and exotic
plants, an array of antique patio furniture, and a curiously
unique miniature golf course – and everything is for
sale.
Crawford and Rozek transform the patio area into an outdoor movie
theater on Thursday evenings, when $7 gets you a Janus Films
movie viewing, a bag of popcorn, and a piña colada. Yes,
a piña colada. A complimentary piña colada is also
provided to miniature golfers. Each hole of the course is decorated
with sculptures created by local artists. The project is sponsored
by Havana Rum, hence the piña coladas.
When the Upper Eastside Garden isn’t hosting movies and
mini golf, it offers all the services of a garden center. Here
you’ll find everything from succulents and tropical lush
to sought-after Cali bamboo fencing products. Crawford specializes
in hard-to-find plants such as the flowering cananga tree and
michelia champaca, a magnolia. He can locate any plant available
in Florida. Crawford also employs a team of professionals for
all garden-related services.
The Upper Eastside Garden staffs an all-encompasing gardening
service team, including lawn and hedge service, irigation and
lighting service, tree service and removal (by a certified arborist),
garding service, and landscape consulting service by owner, Kelly
Crawford. Some of Crawford's clients include Barry University,
Soyka Restaurant, and Miami-Dade College North.
For hours of operation and more information about the Garden
Center Contact K. Crawford at 305-308-0151 or visit the web site www.curbappealmiami.com. For
movie listings and more information on the artist shown at the
on the golf course contact P. Rozek at 305-999-9999 or visit
the website at www.uppereastsidegarden.com .
Miami City Chefs Brings the Restaurant Atmosphere into Your
Home
Armed with a BA from Florida International University in hospitality
and management, Said Shehadeh has been working with hotels
and restaurants in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and his native Kuwait
for almost a decade. He is also the lead chef instructor at
the famed Le Cordon Bleu College of the Culinary Arts in Miami.
All the while he has worked as a personal chef throughout his
career, which sparked the idea for a new business venture: “I
figured, why not take this a step further?”
The result is Miami City Chefs, a company that offers romantic
dinner packages, private multicourse dinners for groups, elegant
barbecues, brunches, breakfasts, and personal meal services.
The weekly meal services bring the food and the professional
chef to your residence. “We want to bring the restaurant
to the home,” says Shehadeh. “What I believe differentiates
us [from a regular catering service] is that we customize our
menus.” A customer may request certain specific foods
or require meals that suit a particular diet. The client can
also choose to purchase the food him or herself and pay Miami
City Chefs an hourly rate for the cooking service alone. A
sample package of five meals a week for two people could cost
$380.
Miami City Chefs employs servers, bartenders, and of course
chefs who either work in the industry or are instructors. They
are all on call. To reach Shehadeh call 305-438-9467 or write
him an e-mail at info@miamicitychefs.com. For further information
visit www.miamicitychefs.com.
Cosmetic Surgery for Your Home
Tired of looking at those nasty brown stains in your tile grout?
The Grout Doctor is ready to offer his services. Elliot Gerstein
is the manager and new owner of the Miami Grout Doctor, a
franchise that since 1992 has spread to 60 different locations
nationwide. Grouting, says Gerstein, serves two purposes:
beautifying your home and strengthening the bond between
your tiles. The Grout Doctor offers a technique called grout
staining, which provides maximum, long-lasting protection
and minimizes maintenance. Grout staining lasts longer and
is less expensive than regrouting, Gerstein says. The company
also gives free in-home estimates and maintenance tips with
no obligation.
Gerstein’s expertise ranges from entryways, tubs, and
showers to patios and fireplaces for both residential and commercial
properties. The Grout Doctor’s services include grout
cleaning and sealing of natural stone, recoloring, regrouting,
recaulking, and grout and tile repair, all of which utilize
products unique to the franchise. As a special, customers receive
10% off any service up to $100. The Grout Doctor is available
seven days a week. To contact Elliot Gerstein at the Miami
location, call 786-522-5433 or visit the website at www.groutdoctor.com.
The Stars Shine at Biscayne Tennis
Record-setting table-tennis champion Steve Federico opened
this tennis specialty store in North Miami about 35 years
ago. Biscayne Tennis soon established itself as the place
to purchase anything tennis, thanks primarily to popular
nearby tennis clubs like the Jockey Club and the Sans Souci
Tennis Club. Word-of-mouth since then has brought in such
clients as Robert De Niro, Whitney Houston, Sophia Loren,
Julio Iglesias, Jerry Lewis, Don Johnson, and Sting, among
many others. Pictures of them line the walls.
Federico believes his shop has become so popular with tennis
professionals and the entertainment elite because of his dedication
to service, high-quality products, and fair pricing. Biscayne
Tennis offers a wider selection of tennis goods – especially
tennis shoes and apparel – than large, all-encompassing
sporting goods stores. In addition, Federico’s employees
also have extensive firsthand experience with the sport. This
highly knowledgeable staff will help you choose the proper
equipment the first time, and will string, regrip, and custom
balance your rackets while you wait.
Biscayne Tennis is located at 12733 Biscayne Blvd., North Miami.
Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and
Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Closed Sundays. For more
information visit www.biscaynetennis.com or call 305-891-1728.
Walkin’ in a Window
Wonderland
Windows are swell. Seriously, imagine a world without windows.
You couldn’t enjoy the view, couldn’t tell if
it were day or night, couldn’t even spy on your neighbors.
Yes, windows are great. No one agrees with that more than
Carlos Mendez, owner of Express Windows, a shop that sells
nothing but windows, while also offering window repair services.
Express Windows rose from the ashes of a previous business,
the family-run Quality Windows, once located on NE 2nd Avenue
and 31st street. Mendez was a loyal customer who discovered
that the owner was retiring and saw it as the perfect opportunity
to purchase the place and revamp it. Today is specializes in
windows of all kinds: sliding glass doors, French doors, roller
windows, and let’s not forget screens. The company deals
in anything involving glass and aluminum. Customers, most of
whom are homeowners, call up for an estimate and choose a style
once an employee has taken measurements. The company does not
install the actual windows, but will put you in touch with
competent installers. Got a broken window or a torn screen?
They will send someone out to repair it. Express Windows also
sells “impact windows.” These special hurricane-resistant
windows now make up almost half of Mendez’s sales.
Contact Express Window at
305-403-4379 or visit
www.expresswindowsmiami.com.
Football Sandwich Shop:
Home of the Zonker
Situated right off the Little River in Little Haiti, Football
Sandwich Shop pays tribute to football (of course), old Hollywood,
and New York-style subs. Owner Richard Hage decided 33 years
ago to open his eatery after noticing a deficiency of restaurants
that served good sandwiches. Coincidentally, the Miami Dolphins
had just played the NFL’s first perfect season, giving
Hage the perfect idea for his shop’s theme.
Today Hage, along with his son-in-law Doug Estes, run Football
Sandwich Shop like a well-oiled machine, and still manage to
call regulars by name. Their goal is to serve up your food
fast, but without compromising quality.
The shop offers an array of New York deli-style salads, sandwiches,
and subs, most of which boast a Dolphins-themed name. Their
most famous sandwich, for example, is The Zonker, named after
ex-Dolphin Larry Csonka.
A collage of past football greats and old Hollywood stars such
as Elvis Presley, James Dean, Humphrey Bogart, and Marilyn
Monroe set the mood in the shop’s indoor dining area.
Or you may choose to lunch outdoors and rub elbows with some
of Miami’s Finest, who are a daily presence at the shop.
Football Sandwich Shop is located at 8484 NE 2nd Ave., Miami.
Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. For more information call
305-759-3602 or 305-756-7996.
Café MAC Opens
in Little Haiti
For more than 40 years MACTown in Little Haiti has quietly
cared for many of Miami’s developmentally disabled
adults. May 17 marked the grand opening of Café MAC,
an innovative project started by former MACTown CEO Ray Nagel.
More than 50 family members and neighbors joined MACTown
staff for the festive opening.
Started with a grant from the Able Trust, the sidewalk café at
6310 NE 2nd Ave. serves quality food at reasonable prices,
and would be like any other lunch spot were it not fully staffed
by disabled adults. Many are carried over from MACTown’s
Adult Day Training program, which teaches job skills. Café MAC
allows these skills to be used in a real workplace setting,
giving employees a sense of reward and community involvement.
What employees do depends not only on their abilities but also
their personal goals, and while both
workers and MACTown are hoping for a modest income from the
venture, it is mainly a chance to bridge the professional transition
to places like Publix, a major employer of developmentally
disabled adults.
Cafe MAC is open weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Sandwiches
start around $4.
Feedback: letters@BiscayneTimes.com
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