The cheeseburger at the Clevelander at Marlins Park

The new Marlins Park transplanted some of the south Beach feel into the stadium by landing a 2nd Clevelander destination.  The restaurant/club area brings a VIP feel with really cool field seating just behind the left field wall, a pool just feet away as well as club-like bottle service with an outdoor area for cornhole and beer pong.

The food at the Clevelander was very good.  The cheeseburger was fresh and classic served with sweet potato tots, complete with lettuce, tomato, onion and a pickle on the side.  Try the pizza if you go too.

BURGERFI...my new favorite

Oh BURGERFI.  I have driven by your burger joint at Commercial and AIA a few times over the past few months and reserved my visit for a random day.  The day finally came.

I now wish I stopped by the last few times I saw you metal roof in my rear view.

The menu was endless.  But, this is probably the worst thing I can say about BURGERFI. 

I ordered a double with cheese, a beer, cheese fries and split onion rings with my friends.  The best thing about BURGERFI was actually not the burgers or the hot dogs or the cheese sauce.  It was actually the service.  Stellar.  I felt as if I wasn't even in south Florida.  Where did these people come from?  Someone must have one hell of a glass half full, have ready Danny Meyer's book or is just a natural.  Service this good is not just a by product of a new restaurant.  The management is really onto something here.

The ambiance was cool but modern integrating classic burger joint stuff.  Old school light bulbs hung from polished ice picks.  Stools, benches and chairs were all over for the patrons.  A list of beers and custards complimented the options.

My cheeseburger bun had the logo burned on.  I'd sum up or classify the burger as superior fast food.  No temperature asked but all the right standards, cushy, pillowy soft bun, cheese melted to perfection, patties grilled some where in between medium, Shake Shack and the burgers you remember as a child that were just what you wanted.  Awesome.

I could not resist getting more food after round one tasted so good.  I just couldn't leave without eating more.  I ordered a Chicago dog and outside of my experience at Portillo's recently I don't know how to measure up a Chicago dog, but this is now it.

BURGERFI, I'll be back.

P.S.  Please keep the service level this high.

BURGERS & SHAKES

BURGERS & SHAKES in Miami Beach, FL

 
It has many of the right ingredients but just not all there yet. The set up is right on.  The menu is great.  But, the burger needs a little more time.

 

 

I was skeptical when I wasn't asked for a cooked temperature.  You know, mid-rare, medium, well, etc...  I opted for the B&S Burger with cheese, bacon and a fried egg.  The bun was good but not the best match.  My egg was fried and not sunny side up as preferred.  The patty ended up medium well.

Overall a good lunch but not worth a drive, but maybe a step away from the beach.

ROK:BRGR

This is all you need to know about ROK:BRGR in downtown Ft. Lauderdale.

Good location,
Fully stocked bar,
And great burgers.

Recommendation: Morning Glory.  This hefty sandwich is stacked high with lettuce, tomato, onion, a hand packed, airy, perfectly cooked burger patty, two strips of bacon and a sunny side up fried egg.  An upgrade of sweet potato fries is worth it, too.  Go for the Glory and get extra napkins, you'll need 'em.

 

looking down

close up

A platter of fried pickles - the only room for improvement, the batter on the pickles.

Scheduling Horse Racing

The Live Horse Racing schedule is back in full swing at Gulfstream Park.  The track has been open for a few weeks and one can only find limited information about the Florida Derby.  It's such a surprise that most locals don't even know what the Florida Derby is and that some of the top finishers in that $1 Million dollar race will later compete in the heralded Kentucky Derby a few weeks later.

The race this year has been moved from a Saturday to a Sunday.  Most likely to stop competing against the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament games.  Incidentally the race falls this year on the same weekend as the Final Four.  No wonder why it was pinched in between the last 3 games.

The actual Derby race is normally the 10th of 12 races around 6 in the afternoon - see you there.

Please note I have no facts about the day switch, just pure speculation about a gambling facility trying not to compete with another large gambling event.

Zeke's

Zeke's Roadhouse is a great place to people watch in South Beach. It is located right in the heart of Lincoln Road and has the cheapest beer that I know of for this type of selection. They have literally hundreds of beers to pic from that are from all over the world. They sell draft beer, bottled beer, and few basic food items: hot dogs, popcorn, and something else. I believe any beer they sell is now at $4. Make sure each person in your party has their ID.

This is a picture a few months back just before they opened on a Sunday.

And this picture was a few minutes later after they opened.

Habitat for Humanity

I recently transitioned jobs and during the time in between I was finally able to check something off of one of my 'lists'. I have wanted to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity for some time but just could never fit it in. So I finally did it. I signed up online and helped work on a local house in a Habitat community off of Oakland Park Blvd West.

Here are 2 pics that were taken with my iPhone at the end of the shift.

Me and the Site Manager.

Me and the 2 guys that I worked with.

Here is a link to the local Broward County chapter if you are interested in donating your time. Habitat Broward.

Gilbert's 17th Street Grill

Taking the recommendation of the recent Sun Sentinel Best Burger poll, we went to Gilbert’s 17th Street Grill in Ft. Lauderdale the other night for dinner. Gilbert’s is a bit different from the staple 'best burger' joints one might encounter when traveling around the country. The major differentiator here being the location's age. This is because this Gilbert’s establishment can’t be more than 5 years old; where most other burger classics have 30 years plus on this newborn.

Opening up the door and entering in you quickly realize this is a friendly establishment that probably caters to a busy business lunch crowd. When you complete your order you are given a number to post on your table so the food runners know where to drop your burger baskets off.

We arrived late, 8:30ish, marched right up to the area where the ordering line forms. We studied the menu and then went to the register to place our order. Behind the counter was Mr. Gilbert himself. We didn’t know that at the time, but his caliber of service indicated that this gentleman was probably more than just an order taker and it was confirmed later when we were waiting for our baskets and Mr. Gibert was working the room to make his guests feel more comfortable. During that time he introduced himself. I can’t remember a time in south Florida where someone delivered such premiere service.

I ordered their cheeseburger after salivating by watching the grill. I wanted one of the more deluxe burgers (bleu cheese or bacon) but figured trip #1 should be with the classic. Behind the cash register you could see these heaping burgers scattered all over the grill’s hot surface. They must roll out a sheet of angus meat about an inch thick and then use a round cutter to punch out the patties. I say this because of how loose and large the patties appeared as they were carried to the grill area. I completed my order with sweet potato fries and told the gentleman medium rare when asked about my temp.

A while later our baskets arrived. Mine was cooked pretty much perfect. The outside of my burger was charred to lock in juices. The inside had a cool, completely pink center. This perfect patty had 2 or 3 slices of American cheese tossed on top. These are the fresh kind of deli cheese slices that they probably sliced in the back themselves. Then on the other side of the open face bun was fresh lettuce and tomato. Sitting behind my burger in my basket was a handful of sweet potato fries cut in perfect strips and fried off in brand new oil. I also asked for a side of barbeque sauce to dip my fries in.

I cut my burger in half and worked through it like it was my job. The ingredients Gilbert’s uses are top notch. My cheeseburger could have used some more seasoning. I’m not sure if some salt and pepper would have done the trick or maybe some additional spices. But I knew ahead of time from the Sentinel article that they opt to keep the meat unaltered and not add anything to their Angus.

Overall, great service, good quality food, and a staple location. I’ll be back.


--Note all of these photos were taken with my iPhone. You can click on each of them for a better image.--

Shake Shack no longer MIA

I was wandering around Lincoln Road in South Beach last weekend waiting to meet up with someone and stumbled into the new location of Shake Shack's restaurant to be. Tucked in off of the north west end of Lincoln Road you can find this store front cooking up. I peaked in the windows and sure enough there appeared to be restaurant equipment - possibly even the grill!

I hope the burgers are as good as the one by the Flat Iron building in Manhattan.

The new Shake Shack location is at 1111 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL (North West corner of Lincoln & Lenox).

Some recent visits...

Steve's Pizza
12101 Biscayne Blvd.
North Miami, FL

Burger and Beer Joint
1766 Bay Road
Miami Beach, FL


I posted this a few days back. I don't want to be misleading... I actually didn't even eat at either of these places but wanted to call them out because I stopped in and will be back to both.

B&B was really cool and I went there late night to enjoy some beer. Can't wait to go back.

I stopped by Steve's to pick up some pizza dough to make some pies at home. The dough worked great and their pizza looked even better.

A perfect dinner at Ola

We had our Valentine's Day dinner at our favorite restaurant in south Florida, Ola in Miami Beach.
Let me tell you, not only is the food awesome, the service is great too. I only wish they would give you more of those great rolls.

We had the lobster ceviche and the Chicharron (spicy fried rock shrimp) along with steak and pork entrees. Everything tasted great, I would eat the Chicharron three times a day.

You have to try it out.

The best news is that Chef Douglas Rodriguez is opening up another restaurant right next door to us at The Village at Gulfstream Park.

Bourbon Steak

As promised, I am bringing you details on the burger I had at Bourbon Steak in Aventura along with pics.

I ordered the regular all-beef burger from Michael Mina and it was awesome. If you haven't read it somewhere else, you need to know that burgers at Bourbon Steak are only served at the bar and in the lounge. This is a real fancy pants place so apparently burgers are not good enough for the dining area. This is not just another burger basket joint. The only other time I have been to a place with burgers at the bar only was Stage Left. The Bourbon Steak restaurant is located off the hotel lobby at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club.

When dining here you must order the fries with your burger, at least for the presentation. They come served on a wooden tray similar to a beer sampler tray except 2 x 3 instead of 5 or 6 long. The fries are in 3 groups in the back - each with a different flavoring starting with a fresh herb mix and ending with a cajun like rub salt. Each stack of duck oil fried classic fries is positioned behind a stainless steel cup of secret sauces - each one tasted great. Like I said, get the fries.

The bar burger menu is formal, a large sheet of paper with other apps, and comes complete with a click board, pencil, and check boxes to select what burger you are going with as well a section to pick what toppings you need. There are a 5 options for burgers: the classic, a turkey burger, a lamburger, a salmon burger, and a veggie burger. I opted for the all-beef classic and my fiance got the lamburger. Perfect for me to be able to taste both.

The wait wasn't that long and we wouldn't have minded waiting longer. Our server kept us topped off with beer while we waited. Burgers here come out speared with a large bamboo stick holding down a long wedge of pickle and a banana pepper. The buns are classic soft sesame seed. And then...


The all beef patty seemed perfectly ground; airy but a heavy man burger at the same time. It reminded me of Miller's except a tad larger and more formal. My choice came topped with cheddar cheese and a pinch of caramelized onions. Not the dose of caramelized onions that make some burgers slippery, but rather just enough for taste tucked below the center of the top bun. My burger came out a perfect medium-rare as requested - sweet.

If there were anything less than great worth reporting it would be that the bottom bun was saturated with all of the burger goodness dripping from my medium rare patty. It was almost soaked but nothing worth complaining about since it stayed in tact in my hands and the burger was cooked perfectly.

Bottom line is that this was one great burger and it won't be my last trip to Bourbon Steak. I'm salivating just writing about it.


Oh... The lamburger. My fiance ruined it by asking for it overcooked. The lamb was great meat with a good taste. I was so stuffed when I got to hers that I can't give the best report.

Add one to the list.

I found a new top ten cheeseburger - and it's in my backyard. More information to come on Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina.

JimNO's Place

After reading some recent articles about Jimbo's Place in local publications I had to go check it out for myself. The two articles I read in the Herald talked about the city of Miami trying to run Jimbo out. He's been around forever and it's supposedly one of those local places you have to see. Various movies have been filmed there. And then there was an even more recent article about a fire, but I was so turned off on my inaugural and final visit that I could care less about what happens.

I am a big supporter of local restaurants and bars. And I love drinking beer out of a can. But Jimbo's is something else. If you can find this place you will be able to tell right away that it is special. It's basically something in between a non-functioning campsite, a boat dock, and a dump.

We walked up and were thrown off by the whole situation. There were piles of debris, broken down vehicles, and shacks looking like they were from a Halloween set 20+ years ago waiting to fall over. Thinking back, it was quite shocking that most anything standing didn't fall over previously. As we approached the shack that Jimbo was sitting in front of, people looked at us a bit funny. No one said sit over there, welcome, or anything of the sorts. I knew when we were going there that it was going to be interesting, but not this bad. Then someone standing nearby piped up, "beersinthere." And pointed to a few box coolers inside the door filled with cans of beer and ice. I went in and grabbed for some cans under the $2.50 sign. I walked out and asked who to pay. This man sitting down pulled out a huge wad of cash the size of a fist, collected my money and tried to keep all of the change from the $10 bill I gave him.

This far into the experience was alright. I think we were singled out because we had visibly showered that day and were not one of the 8 locals already present. It was when we chose a place to sit and get a better view that the atmosphere began to really take over. The animals that were walking around really set us off. It didn't look the dogs and cats had been bathed in months. Their presence was followed by fleas and other bugs no one wants any part of.

Let's just wrap up the story by saying we took off shortly after meeting the stray animals. But not before a woman trying to bum my fiance's cigarettes try to get us closer to her Airstream style trailer. The environment seemed to be decaying right in front of us. We couldn't get out of there fast enough.

I can some up Jimbo's for you: dirty and nasty.

Random Burger Pics

I recently went through my burger pictures and realized that I had previously not posted a handful of meals. Below are some leftovers that I may have referred to but never posted previously. Enjoy!


First up, Mr. Joe's in Southfield, Michigan. I recall the great sweet potato fries. The burger was okay and came at a very cheap price.

The popcorn they served at Mr. Joe's when you sit down is a nice treat as well.

Miller's Bar in Dearborn, Michigan remains one of my favorites. The things that I remember distinctly are the honor code when paying for your meal. You just walk up to the bar and tell them what you had and they ring it up on an old cash register.

Each burger at Miller's comes to the table in a paper wrapper without a plate. There are stacks of patties ready to go by the bar. And are cooked tens at a time on a flat top. A soft squishy bun and a perfect burger. The exterior of the joint is very plain but well worth the visit.

Christy's in Starkville, Mississippi was supposed to be one of the best burger stops around. I found it mediocre but worth the stop in the small town. You can see here in this out of focus picture that they sure do serve up a classic presentation.

And then there is Jack Fry's. A classic establishment in Louisville, Kentucky. They serve a good burger topped with caramelized onions and mushrooms tucked below the cheese. This is a great place but potentially better visited for steak or a glass of wine.

El Rey de Las Fritas in Little Havana, Miami. I probably will not find another burger like this anywhere else. But I will be back to 8th Street to eat one again. The patty integrates beef with chorizo and is topped with a plethora of shoestring fries sandwiched between Cuban bread. I found this place through A Hamburger Today with an article referencing Food Network's 50 best burgers. Don't forget to try the Materva. This Yerba Mate drink is tasty.

Corner Bistro. A long term burger destination with recognized aficionados. My experience there was not so good, but I'm hoping it was an off day. Here is a shot from the outside when I was in New York and had 2 and half burgers for lunch at Shake Shack, brgr, and then Corner Bistro.

My last pic is from Kingdom. I remember my Kingdom burger to be very good. It came out in a red basket and was prepared pretty much how I would write up my favorite burgers. Condiments, temperature, and bun.

Burger Honorable Mentions

I took a few minutes today to review the plethora of burger pics I have stockpiled away and again realized I don't yet have a way to categorize burgers not made from ground beef originating from bulls or cows. I still do not intend to add them to my 'rated' list as they are not true hamburgers, but they should not be forgotten.

Bison from Proof

The first worth mentioning is the Bison Burger from Proof on Main in Louisville, Kentucky. This burger is prepared about as close to perfect as could be and if it were chuck or sirloin I'd have to slide someone down from my current top ten. Not sure how high up I'd go, but it would happen.

They serve their bison burger with a slice of Tillamook Cheddar atop sandwiched between a toasted bun illustrating the perfect burger to bun ratio. It is presented sliced in half with a heap of shoestring french fries overflowing from the center of the plate on to the crest of the grill marks on the bun.

I order medium-rare as it is perfectly cooked every time. Pink and jelly-raw in the center and seared on the top and bottom. They provide a fancy orange sauce as a condiment. I have never been sure if I am supposed to spoil the burger with it or use it for the fries. Since I despise ketchup, I dip my potatoes right in 3 or 4 at a time. I forgot to mention the bacon - a smoked hickory flavored bacon that is very crispy if not just overdone - on purpose.

I highly recommend this burger and the restaurant. The hotel that sports this hot night spot of a restaurant/bar looks like a great time as well. It is called 21C. They have a mini art museum in the lobby that always has different exihibits every time I dine there. If you are a man, you must use the men's restroom off of the lobby. You'll know why after you go #1.

Someday I'll get my own pic of their burger. I always just dive in and forget.

Lamb @ Green Street

Another good burger that I had within the last few months was at Green Street in Coconut Grove, FL. I don't remember all the particulars about it except for it being a great lamb Burger and that it made me motivated to try mixing ground lamb into my home creations more often. I do have a pic that I took with my aging smartphone. Enjoy.

My city is finally going to recycle!

Is it weird that I am excited about my city launching a recycling program? Most people already live where their community picks up recyclables. Mine will start later this year as noted on the city website HERE. My fiancee and I have been driving our plastic, metal, and glass waste to the local satellite station.

I live in Hallandale Beach, Florida and up until now recycables have only been picked up from single family residents and not condominium buildings. The city sent out a memo a few weeks back about a meeting to discuss the new and upcoming recycling program. You can look up the demographics about my city on zipskinny.com or another similar site, but let's just say I was one of the younger people there.

I guess I am so interested in this whole change for a few reasons...the obvious one being the environment doesn't place in my top 2. It's the cost savings for our trash pickup that is most important to my building's residents. For the last year we have had to pay for 6 out of 7 days for trash pickup. After I implemented an improved newspaper recycling program we were able to eliminate 1 of the 6 days. You can find my previous blog post HERE. I am looking forward to eliminating another 2 day once we get our recycling dumpster...which translates into a few thousand dollars annually. Another good reason is that I can dispose of my recyclebable waste at the end of the hall instead of a mile away.

Another benefit is that we can get rid of the 3 newspaper recycle bins that do not match. We have been putting a fair amount of money and energy into making our building look better lately and we have these 3 crappy looking bins out front. The city wouldn't give me matching ones unless the existing ones were damaged. So we had to keep the green one, the blue one, and our latest one which is dark blue.

The hardest part will be to get the residents to actually start recycling. It shouldn't be too bad as many of them think we recycle now and dispose of these containers with their newspapers. They don' take the time to read my signs. Too many words. I learned my lesson though. Signage needs to be short and sweet and in multiple languages. For us that's English, Spanish, Russian, Hebrew, French, and Polish. I'm sure I missed some.

The funniest thing about the recycling meeting was all the push back from some of the other attendees. They wanted to know why the city was making them recycle and if they had to participate. And where they would store the extra dumpster. They didn't realize that they would have about 30% less waste if they actually recycled. Or that they could use this to save money. I thanked the city and I'm just excited the time to recycle is finally here.

No to the new Marlins stadium

I get so fired up every time I see a headline regarding the new Marlins stadium proposal. The people that argue that it will bring lots of jobs to the locals are just crazy. And what proof is there that a new stadium will bring more fans? That school of thought is acceptable in communities that support their teams: Philadelphia, Detroit, or San Diego as examples. The best part of this situation was that the Orange Bowl got ripped down in preparation.

I am watching the World Baseball Classic tonight with Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico at Dolphins Stadium. This is the same stadium the Marlins play in and there are so many more fans it doesn't even compare to a Marlins game. It's great to see and evidence that if the community actually cared they would go to games.

The Marlins need to change their business strategies, marketing, and whatever else needs to be done...Not get a new stadium. Maybe if they could fill their current one with fans I'd support their endeavors. The taxpayers should definitely not be paying for this new facility. And they should stop wasting everyone's time with arguing about it.

This picture is from the Project Ballpark website.

Are iguanas invading south Florida?

Two weekends ago I snapped a few pics of some wild iguanas while visiting my mom's house. I can remember a few years back when we would only see a wild iguana once in a while. Over the years it has become more routine. And even lately there are many of them. As you may be able to decipher in these pictures...I could easily see 3 within 40 feet of one another simultaneously.I've always kind of liked checking them out sit around or climbing up trees. They eat a lot of the fruit on my mom's mango tree but seem pretty interesting when they are not all caged up.

Then I ran across this interesting article in the Herald. I guess the population is growing.

500 Brickell Condo

While driving around last week after the Snow Show we had to wait for the Brickell Avenue Bridge to go down. The adjacent condo made for a great colorful photo (displayed below). I just found the name of it on the internet: 500 Brickell