Cibo Wine Bar, Miami

My break from work provided me with the perfect opportunity to fly right on over to the sun shine city of Miami for the purpose of visiting one of my very good friend Angelique. She and her husband recently made the decision to move to South Beach to leave the brutally cold winters of Hoboken New Jersey behind. They are now able to take full advantage of the fantastic weather, beautiful beaches, exceptional shopping, and a unique culture that makes this city such a desirable place to reside.

Pictured here is their fabulous wrap-around balcony that provides an amazing view of the city. I probably could have stayed here perched on this balcony the entire time and would have been perfectly content, but I don't know if anyone would read a blog post called "Angelique's Balcony". So onward bound to discover some places in Miami besides this lovely view.

Angelique, being the organized, energetic, type A personality that she is, assured me that of course every detail of our weekend had been planned out ahead of time. I would not expect anything else from her. I have been friends with her long enough to know that she and her husband love having company over to stay and visit with them. In fact, their calendar is usually booked solid months in advance with friends and family who anticipate going over to visit. I'm glad they were able to fit me in. :)

Knowing my taste in restaurants and also taking my blog into consideration, Angelique chose the perfect spot for us to go for a girls night to be able to catch up over drinks and dinner.

An Italian wine bar named Cibo in South Beach was the destination on this particular Saturday night. This modern, beautifully designed, very sleek restaurant met all of the requirements for the absolute perfect girls night out done right. The atmosphere is that of a more upscale place where you certainly should dress to impress.

After grabbing seats at the bar, we began to perusing the wine menu which was amazingly abundant. It didn't take me too long to realize that the uniqueness of Cibo does not only lie in the attractive scenery and creative ambiance that exists here, but also in the sense that the restaurant has a pretty unique method of storing and delivering the patron's wine selection. Of course, I was definitely focused on finding out more about this. All I had to do was ask and the "wine angel" herself appeared out of nowhere to take me on a tour. Wow! This is truly an amazing sight to see.

The 2 story wine cellar was surrounded by glass walls so it was visible to the entire restaurant. I was lucky enough to get an up-close and personal look inside this fascinating glass wine room to see just what the wine angel's duties entailed.

Like a cirque du Soleil performer, she attached herself to a harness to be lifted up and float elegantly amongst the many rows of wine bottles. I watched attentively along with the other patrons in the dining area, as she did a few upside down turns and twirls then she collected the desired bottle to be delivered it to guest's table. The performance was quite captivating.

What a brilliant way to showcase the restaurant's immense wine collection while at the same time serving as a form of entertainment to patrons as they dine.

I picked out a bottle of red that was highly recommended and returned to the table to join Angelique and two of her friends that were joining us for dinner.

The food menu was diverse with an Italian flare providing many options such as salads, soup, pasta, and steaks. I chose the gnocchi with spicy Italian sausage. It was fantastic....my brief regret for ordering this indulgent meal dissipated after I realized that I most likely would be accompanying Angelique and her husband on their routine 4-mile jog along the beach. With this in mind, I ate every last bit of it. What a great meal!!

Of course, our night would not have been complete without a visit to the rooftop deck. This magnificent outdoor area was a great place for us to grab one more drink before heading out.

What a great night out on the town in South Beach. I am very thankful to my friend Angelique and her husband for their hospitality. I enjoyed the food, the company, the atmosphere, and especially, the opportunity to see the wine angel spring into action to perform her wine duties. This was just an added bonus to the already remarkable restaurant.

#cibowinebar #miami #miamibars