Earlier in the month I flew to Miami, FL to visit my family. I took a 7:00am flight (which seemed like a good idea at the time, not so much when my alarm went off at 4:45am), so I landed in Florida just in time to have lunch with my mom.
My mother needed to return something to Merrick Park, which is the most stunning outdoor shopping mall. To entice me to come on that errand with her, she offered to treat us to lunch at Mariposa, the cafe inside Neiman Marcus.
Mariposa is on the top floor of the mall and when you enter the cafe you immediately getting a feel of warmth from the decor, lighting and of course, the sun beaming in through the windows.
The bar is funky with zebra skin chairs and bumble bee yellow placemats.
Originally my mother sold me on this cafe by saying, "We'll sit outside on the balcony! It's just like overlooking the burnt orange rooftops in Florence, Italy." Well, when we walked out onto the patio she turned to me and said, "Oh no, it's way too humid to sit outside here today."
We took a seat inside (in the air conditioning) and right away I noticed the neon green flower on display at our table. So pretty!
Our napkins were rolled into a silver holder that could have been a butterfly (Mariposa means butterfly in Spanish) or a flower, it was unclear.
The menu had many great options and fun headers and designs over each section, like the Go Figure menu and the kiddie menu.
While we were perusing our options, our waitress appeared with a basket and reached into it with a pair of silver tongs to reveal a muffin shaped bakery item. I made a facial expression as if to say, "What is this?" and before I could say it out loud, my mother said, "This is the famous Neiman's popover! This is the singular reason that I come here. I could eat ten of these."
The popover was light, fluffy and served warm. We were also delivered two tiny tea cups of chicken broth meant for dipping with the popover.
After making our popovers disappear, I started with the tomato and vegetable soup. The soup was garnished with fresh basil and had cheese tortellini floating in the broth. The tomato broth tasted more like pasta sauce than soup which kept me from finishing it.
My mother ordered one of the daily specials, the Asian salad with shrimp. It came in a fun presentation topped with two skinny bread sticks. She raved about this dish - fresh, tasty shrimp and the perfect portion size.
I ordered the green goddess salad, which came with shrimp. Since I don't eat shrimp, before I placed my order I asked my mom if she would eat my shrimp and she happily agreed. The salad was more like a mountain! The avocado and hard boiled eggs packed the salad with protein and the green goddess dressing was excellent. I loved it.
At this point we were full but our waitress asked if we'd like to see the dessert menu. My mom answered with her regular reply, "We always look!" I read the six dessert options aloud to my mother and we exchanged a knowing glance when I read, "Neiman's chocolate chip cookies served in our signature jewelry box."
The cookies arrived, as promised, in a silver jewelry box. We could smell them before they even reached the table.
The cookies were served fresh out of the oven and they were fantastic! I love when the chocolate chips are still melty. They had me wishing for a glass of milk! As if the cookies weren't enough, the plate was decorated with a bright purple orchid. The cookies and the orchid were dusted with confectioner's sugar.
Though I didn't experience the European style patio, Mariposa is the ultimate spot for ladies who lunch. Their servers are supremely attentive, the restaurant is beautiful and the food is decadent.
Where is your favorite place to dine with your mom?
