We mentioned a few times we were going to walk across the creek bridge and see where the rowers and small boat sailors were ensconced. Disappointing. The entire compound is behind chain-link fence. There isn’t even a sign indicating what is contained in the current building and what is going into the one being built. We learned the boats are coming from The Florida Institute of Technology Sailing Club and the new building is called Morton’s Marine Center.
Somewhere on this little spit of land, behind the chain link is the Ralph S. Evinrude Marine Operations Center which houses small outboard-powered craft and medium-sized workboats. These vessels are available to graduate students and faculty for teaching and research use in the freshwater tributaries and the Indian River Lagoon. Ok, part of the technical college. Did you get the namesake is “Evinrude”!
Also adjacent is the Melboune Yacht Club which we did not go to as they were having a fancy Commodores ball.
During this walk we did end up at a fabulous farmers market. Always a good stop. Especially when they have croissants!
Attached to the Melbourne Harbor Marina office is an establishment called Ichabods. It seemed like your average screened porch type of tiki bar. We walk past it several times a day but you couldn’t really see inside. We’ve checked out other places on our walks but until yesterday, not Ichabods—maybe its the name? We decided to have a beer there….Holy Cow, what a surprise. It’s fine dining in a Tiki-like setting. We were only going to have a beer but after looking at the menu, who could resist an app of grouper medallions? Plus, we had a coupon for $5 off and it must have been happy hour as the beer prices were lower than any we’ve seen. Fabulous find. Oh and we have another coupon—both given to us when we checked in at the marina.
One thing we learned is when you are giving family directions to find you, don’t tell them to “just plug Ichabods into the GPS”! There is a dockside location and a beachside location. Sorry Tom. So the Longtin clan came down for an afternoon to hang with us. Tom helped Joe get the outboard running better than ever. A bit of carb cleaner and Seafoam improved it but he still needed to tear out the carburetor and poke at stuff… Apparently this helped and now the motor runs better than it ever did.
We sat in the cockpit for awhile discussing camping life vs. boating life and admiring the views of both boats and wildlife. We selected a spot called Drew’s Brews for lunch. Our first choice, a Cuban Cafe, was not open on Sundays. Drew’s was fabulous. Five stars. A really nice outdoor patio. Clean, nice furniture and views of a park and the creek. We were seated under a small pergola which the Longtin boys could not help dissecting its design and product application.
Our server was truly darling. Young and cute with hot pink jeans, large lollipop earrings and the sweetest smile. One of the guys also pointed out her “up to here” long legs 😚 Boys! The menu was extensive. We soon had our brews and ordered our meals. This place served real food! Six happy people. Burgers, meatloaf sandwich, fish fry, gumbo and a grouper sandwich. All delicious. Drew himself came out to check on us and a discussion was had about hockey and curling. He was from New York and played hockey in Canada for years. He had been to St Paul several times. His Place has only been open for a few weeks. As suspected, everything was made from scratch. He smashed the hamburger patties himself and took a lot of pride in his menu. A winner! I left a great review for Drew’s Brews.
Next, stop “The Mansion”. A 1905 Queen Anne mansion about a block from the Marina and historic downtown. This home was originally built as a winter getaway for a young northern couple. It ended up being their full-time residence and they lived there hosting social events. Upon their death, their daughter and family resided in the home. In the 1970s it was purchased, painted pink and remodeled into a restaurant known as the strawberry mansion. This was a successful restaurant quickly became a beloved gathering spot among locals and enjoyed a long run as a fine-dining and social destination before officially closing in 2006.
After sitting vacant for about four years, New owners purchased and renovated the property and opened The Mansion, a “culinary entertainment complex.” This spot is now part restaurant, wine cellar, whiskey bar, craft beer joint, terrace, garden and multiple dining areas rolled into one. We enjoyed a cocktail at the top of the building on the terrace. It had a nice view of the Indian river. We also traversed the lower level cellars which contain room after room of top shelf liquors. The tequila area itself would have made a few of my friends swoon. A very interesting place. The weather that day turned out a whole lot better than it was forecast. We enjoyed mostly sunny skies and 70°.
The last restaurant Joe and I visited just before we left Melbourne made the decision for us that we will be stopping back here on our way back north to store the boat.
The authentic Cuban restaurant El Ambia was open. Ambia means Friend in Cuban slang. The outdoor atmosphere was funky and the piped music Cuban. The owner’s statement: Ambia is my Cuba, customers are my family and friends. A friendly space indeed.
“El Ambia was founded in Historical down town Melbourne, in May 2009. The owner defected from Cuba in an airplane piloted by himself right before 1994 Cuban Rafter Crisis. In 2008 he visited his oldest son an airman at Patric Air-force Base and got fascinated with Melbourne. He decide than to bring Cuban, food, music culture and history to Melbourne.”
Neither Joe or I were familiar with (or could remember) the “Cuban rafter crisis” here is a short explanation: The 1994 Cuban rafter crisis which is also known as the 1994 Cuban raft exodus or the Balsero crisis was the emigration of more than 35,000 Cubans to the United States via makeshift rafts. The exodus occurred over five weeks following rioting in Cuba; Fidel Castro announced in response that anyone who wished to leave the country could do so without any hindrance. Fearing a major exodus, the Clinton administration would mandate that all rafters captured at sea be detained at the Guantanamo Bay Navel Base.
We dined outside starting with a fruity red sangria and a Cuba Libre. All employees were Cuban with their charming accent. Our last encounter with the Cuban culture was on Big Pine Key many years ago. A gentleman we met named Mario defected having been a doctor in Cuba. I guess that would be a whole different story. This one is food porn.
We ordered and authentic “Cuban” sandwich to share. There were a lot of other dishes on the menu but we have had a interest in the sandwich since having one in Ybor city, near Tampa. This is a Cuban settlement, complete with cigar makers. We had a Cuban sandwich at Carmichael’s, which billed itself as famous. We were not impressed with the sandwich. We’ve seen it on several menus since then and thought it was time to try another in a restaurant with real Cubans. By the way Carmichaels did have the absolute best crabcake ever, it looked like a baked potato.
The other dish we shared was an appetizer, Tostones Rellenos, made with smashed then fried plantains. Each plaintain base was topped with one of their different meats: pork, shredded beef, or Piccadillo. Yummy. The appetizer would have filled us up. We ate half the sandwich and saved the rest for lunch the next day. We are hoping to hear live music on our return visit.
~Cuban food is not spicy-hot,
The only thing spicy and hot in Cuba are The Cubans
Snug in our Tug 