Bieber fever! Thought I’d never say those words. Not only was Justin Bieber the guest on Letterman yesterday, but we were in the front row. He literally performed 10 feet away from me. Bieber is just as cute in person. The boy has swagger for sure, and did I mention he can dance? We were sitting right in front of where Dave does his monologue. It was a lot of fun. I’ve been to live tapings before such as Conan and The Daily Show , but this one took the cake. Somehow we ended up on last night’s show on tv. We were standing near the hose-cam outside the Ed Sullivan theater. Hilarious. The show with Bieber airs tonight.

When I was in Miami last April, my husband and I ate at Michael’s Genuine restaurant. Ah-mazing! No other words to describe the food here. Michael’s Genuine is located in Miami’s design district. Chef Michael Schwartz creates seasonal cuisine using local farmers, fisherman, and produce.

We had the heirloom tomato and beet salad as an appetizer and the whole roasted snapper with fennel for dinner along with roasted cauliflower with parsley sauce. The food was incredible and reasonably priced. I was so smitten by the heirloom tomato and beet salad that I knew I had to recreate this at home.

They say we eat with our eyes first. This salad is filled with bright colors, and not only looks good, but tastes good.

Beet Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette
adapted from Michael’s Genuine

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups green beans, fresh or frozen, ends trimmed
1 large loose red beet, unpeeled, ends trimmed and rinsed
1 large loose golden beet, unpeeled, ends trimmed and rinsed
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup walnut vinaigrette (recipe follows)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Danish blue cheese, crumbled

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Blanch the green beans for 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to a large bowl. In the same pot of boiling water, add the beets. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Use a fork to check for doneness of the beets. Using tongs, transfer the beets to an ice bath to shock and cool them. Allow beets to cool in the ice bath for 5 to 10 minutes.

Once they are completely cool, rub off the the golden beet skin first with a paper towel. Before remove the red beet skin, cover each hand with plastic sandwich bag or rubber gloves to keep your hands from turning red. Cut beets in half then into wedges, and add to the bowl. Add the tomatoes. Toss the salad with 1/4 cup vinaigrette to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with blue cheese and serve.

Walnut Vinaigrette
Makes 1/2 cup

Ingredients
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon onion, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
In a small bowl, add the walnuts, onion, mustard, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and oil. Using a fork, slowly whisk together the ingredients to form the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep any remaining vinaigrette covered in the refrigerator for up to five days.