Travel Journal: Cafeina, Hidalgo, & Chocolate Fashion

Cafeina Wynwood Lounge

Last Saturday, we celebrated my sister-in-law’s birthday at Cafeina Wynwood Lounge in the Wynwood Arts District of Miami. She and my brother were having a celebratory staycation weekend at The Raleigh Hotel on the beach and he surprised her with a night out with her closest friends and fam. We were excited as late nights out these days aren’t as frequent as we’d like. We have a 1 year old. What happened to our pledge of keeping the same lifestyle after having kids? Hmm…we’ll have to work on that a bit.

Anyway, Cafeina was a great time and had something for everyone…or should I say something for every mood you’re in. We met our group at a couple of tables with bottle service in the indoor lounge. Dimly lit chandeliers hung overhead, embroidered rugs were at our feet, and a DJ played Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks”. With cocktails in hand, we took a walk to check out the rest of the place. A doorway in the back led to the Wynwood Exhibition Center, a 1,000-square-foot art gallery that features a different artist each month. That night we were lucky enough to see THE ART EXHIBITION FOR A NATIONAL CAUSE – REMEMBERING HEROES OF AMERICA by Leonardo Hidalgo, an Ecuadorian neo pop artist who is based in Miami. This internationally-known artist has been commissioned by Hillary Clinton, Dan Marino, and The US Open Polo Championship, to name a few. The FIRE HERO series, his paintings of skeleton firefighters with the words “I WILL DIE FOR YOU”, literally took my breath away, especially so close to the 10th anniversary of September 11th. But, my favorite piece in the exhibit was GIRL POWER (shown below). I was ready to take it home that night.

GIRL POWER by Leonardo Hidalgo

We then headed to the outdoor lounge which, surprisingly, was packed. We had been avoiding it as it’s still 80 degrees or so at night in South Florida. But, the crowd was into the live “indie/dance/chillwave” band that was playing, Krisp, and within seconds, so were we. After a few songs and some stellar people-watching, we began to break a sweat and headed back inside to the birthday girl (and our comfy leather couches). We ordered several things off the Tapas Menu but the clear stand-outs were:

Truffle Fries with cilantro truffle mayo

Goat Cheese Croquettes with homemade guava sauce

Chicken Empanadas with a spicy criolla sauce

Yu-um. Next time, I’m skipping dinner and diving further into that menu. But one of the most memorable parts of the night was the birthday cake…the decadent, Flourless Chocolate Cake from Chocolate Fashion Bakery. Absolute heaven. This french bakery in the heart of Coral Gables offers these incredible cakes, tarts, and pastries and serves breakfast and lunch daily. A second location has recently opened in South Miami too. Make sure to stop by if your travels ever bring you to Miami. With those desserts, I’m sure they’ll be around for a long time.

If you’re in Miami in the near future (nightlife changes pretty quickly in this city), I’d head over and check out Cafeina late night. They describe themselves as an “elegant hipster’s paradise”, and to be honest, that seems pretty accurate. And even if you don’t classify yourself as an “elegant hipster” (who does?), remember there’s something for everyone…fun music, vibrant art, tasty food, and quite an entertaining crowd.

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