Ok. I did it. I gave Gigi another chance. I went with a friend and my boyfriend after finishing a late night of dancing at The Pickle. I had spoken to a few other people after my first visit and was armed with a list of different dishes to try that would hopefully change my low opinion of Gigi.

We ordered the melons, the fried chicken skin and the meatloaf. When the melons arrived, we were all shocked at the amount of fruit on the small plate. Between the three of us, I think we each had a portion of one and a half pieces. There was some spiciness sprinkled on top that added a nice little kick but it would have been nicer if we had more fruit.

We decided to get the fried chicken skin because that is one of the best parts of fried chicken (and we all know how much I love fried chicken!). We received a mountainous heap of this stuff, which made it look pretty unappetizing. After eating a few pieces, it just seemed kind of gross. Since there was so much, it felt like we were eating scraps of other people’s leftovers.

The meatloaf, on the other hand, was AMAZING! So tasty and delicious. The meat was cooked perfectly and the sauce was a great balance. But it definitely was not a dish meant for sharing. Two forkfuls each and it was gone.

I ended my meal with a cute little cone of the daily flavor of ice cream, which was black cherry. My friend Phi told me about their tiny cones so I had to get one and they were only $1! The ice cream was light and flavorful.

My friend got a brownie and a side of ice cream, which was pretty good.

My boyfriend got a rice krispy treat. I feel like rice krispy treats are one of those safe food items that you think,  “Eh, they can’t really fuck it up” like rice or salad. But boy, did they fuck it up. They must have used a box of Rice Krispies from when they first opened because that shit was stale! We complained and my boyfriend got a lemon poppy seed cookie instead. It turned out to be a much better choice.

This second visit to Gigi has made it clearer to me the type of place it is. It isn’t a restaurant made for eating. It is made for snacking. The menu is set up for you to order a variety of plates for sharing but the portions are small so it’s like a tease. Gigi is basically that girl in the neighborhood that will dry hump the shit out of you but won’t let you touch her underneath her clothes. HOWEVER, the meat, like the meatloaf and the pork buns, are GOOD! They are very well done and sauced up to perfection. And the ice cream – yummy. So those are the only things I will order there – pork, beef and ice cream. The Gigi trinity.

I love the Midtown area. Mostly because Target is there and I LOVE Target. But the area is expanding with new restaurants and shops. I made a visit to Angelina’s, a self-serve frozen yogurt spot. I am not the biggest fan of frozen yogurt but this place had GREAT flavors. And it was so cute too!

There were 8 different flavors when I went - my favorites were cookies & creme and strawberry. They charge you by the ounce and you can pile on loads of different toppings that range from cereals, chocolates, candies and fruits. They also have these little cups so you can sample the different flavors. That’s really good for broke ass, cheap ass people because they can get their froyo fix without really having to pay. But it sucks for the business since they aren’t regulating the samples.

Angelina’s also offers a variety of caffeinated drinks and also WAFFLES! My boyfriend and I got hype on the waffles so naturally, we had to get one.

There is no set price for only the waffle - they just add the weight of it and charge you by the ounce.

My boyfriend and I split up our waffle with our toppings. A bit of froyo, strawberries, condensed milk and I added chocolate syrup and mochi to my half. 

It was really yummy but unfortunately, I don’t remember how much we paid. 

Angelina’s was a super cute place and I think I filled up on at least 4 ounces of samples before getting my waffle. There are definite downsides to this little cafe. I kind of felt bad that since it was a “self-serve” type of place, people were just getting so many samples, eating some of the toppings and didn’t pay! Miami people take advantage of that type of shit. But that is the shop’s bad for not conducting their business properly to prevent that. Another downside is that we went with a group of friends on a Saturday afternoon and there was only ONE girl working. It took FOREVER when we finally did order something. Once we got our waffle, we put the toppings on and had to wait….and wait…and wait to pay. I just kept wanting to eat the strawberries and mochi off but then I realized it’d be like stealing since my stupid waffle wasn’t weighed. AND my damn frozen yogurt was melting! After waiting so long, another employee showed up. I guess he was on a milk run but even his added presence didn’t make the line go any faster. They were definitely understaffed and SLOW!

If you’re strolling around Midtown on a lazy afternoon and don’t have any pressing appointments or errands to run within the next 30 minutes, then I suggest you check out Angelina’s. But if you got somewhere to be, maybe you just should throw a Haagen Dazs bar on top of an Eggo before you leave the house.

A new restaurant, Gigi, opened up in Midtown (on N. Miami Ave and 35th Street) advertising “Noodles…BBQ…Beer” all over their windows. Yes, yes and yes, please. Located on the same block as Bardot, Gigi has a really modern, hip feel with high ceilings and a chill atmosphere. I had heard really good things about the food.

All of the items my boyfriend and I ordered were highly recommended by the hostess, server and all the people who raved to me about how great this place is.

We started off with the roasted pork Gigi buns.

This is what showed up. My first thought, “This isn’t a bun..this is like a taco.” But then I tasted it and it was soooo good. The pork and the sauce were really yummy.

Next was the roasted corn with tofu shmeer. 

It looked nice. But I wasn’t that impressed. The tofu shmeer was supposed to mimic butter - I get that. But did it add anything special? No. The seasoning that was on the corn was a little spicy and a little tasty, though.

For the main dish, we shared the slow braised curry duck leg with coconut risotto.

Eh. It wasn’t spectacular. It was just curry. I felt like the duck was lacking that magical element that makes you want to eat more and more. The coconut risotto wasn’t that great of a match either. I felt as if someone was like, “Coconut is good with curry. It will help with the heat. Let’s do it.” It didn’t really work out.

For dessert, we had the Gigi Bar - Ovaltine dusted on a layer of chocolate Bavarian creme which sits on top of a layer of chocolate rice krispies and chocolate.

It was pretty good but nothing mind blowing. And it was tiny. Like it could be consumed in 3 spoonfuls. 

I really, REALLY wanted to like Gigi. I truly did. The space and decor was cool, they are open really late and the prices aren’t crazy. But the food didn’t convince me. I’m willing to give it another try but I hope it’s worth a second chance.