Uptown Cafe

I have been so busy lately with Wedding planning, traveling, and work... sorry for the short story but not so sorry as it doesn't really deserve a rave review.

I went to Uptown Cafe a few months back and had a great meal. This time was a bit different.

I went in hoping to order a burger, get in, and get out. This didn't happen. I started with some fried oysters and then got to wait a while for my burger. Let me just keep it simple by saying bland, bland, bland.

This cheeseburger desperately needed some spice or at least some salt and pepper. I'm think the cooks in the back forgot to add something in the meat. The picture was taken with my iPhone in the dark. Good pickle presentation.

Overall, an editable meal that took forever at a fair price. I'd probably give Uptown another try with a burger because my gut tells me that this was just a fluke.

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.

Bunz

I tried Bunz today in Louisville on Baxter Ave. The various restaurant reviews online that I found last week spoke about how much better the establishment was compared to the prior eatery so I figured I'd give this burger restaurant a try. I scheduled a lunch appointment with a co-worker and ate there earlier today.


The sign above the joint is appealing and is followed up by the huge menu above the flat top drawing in your attention upon entry. Bunz's menu offers many choices for burgers and a list of free toppings. Upon entry, the woman behind the counter was very friendly and explained our options presenting us with a smaller printed menus. When I asked what I should get, she directed me to the Baxter Ave Burger. I obliged after reading that it came complete with two burgers, cheese, and a fried egg. After my semi-recent endeavor at Genny's, I slimmed down this double and requested it to be a single only.


After a short time, our burgers were served in classic baskets with wax paper atop in an 'Order 'up fashion'. Their presentation was classic and the fries were great. I think all of the salt on my fries won me over. My burger came out medium-well and after being cut in half was dripping with egg yolk - which the woman gave me fair warning about. Either she didn't ask or burgers here are served one temperature only.


I'd go back to Bunz, but with a bigger appetite and get the full deal next time. A good burger, but not on my top ten. Read into that how you'd like.

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.