Articles to come...

Lots of blog posts on their way. From my wedding and honeymoon to the expansion of the PAC-10.

Otto's

The sign says "Best (1/3 lb.) Burger in Town". I disagree.

Although it had a tasty patty, an quality bun, and fresh toppings it just didn't do it for me. Here is a picture after I cut it in half.

I was surprised when I was not asked what temperature I wanted it cooked. I no longer tell the wait staff how I prefer the meat to be cooked to better get the full restaurant experience. I of course opt for medium-rare if asked, but I am finding there are more places out there that have a predefined temperature for their burgers. These places quickly loose my interest.

Nothing really bad to say except for my fries. Sweet potato and super overcooked in old oil. I didn't send them back because I shouldn't be eating fries anyway. Otto's is just not a top ten burger stop or a reason to boast best in town. Maybe they should modify their marketing to "Great burgers with Tons of choices for toppings." You should check out the Seelbach where Otto's is located though.

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).

Man shows of my youth Part I

I was laying in bed the other night and had to spring up to grab a piece of paper to capture this short list of ideas so that I would not forget them. (Read Notepad post from months back).

Where are the Man shows of today?

When I was younger we had shows like Knight Rider, A-Team, MacGyver, and Airwolf. I thought, and still think, they were motivational and entertaining at the same time. Today's tv stations need to start showing re-runs of these shows. I want to see if I have the same appreciation for them now as I did when I was a kid.

My question is: "What are the shows like this for today's youth?" I can't figure them out. Maybe I don't watch enough tv - which is a good thing. Maybe I am just out of touch? Or maybe they don't exist?

PCH Pitstops from San Diego to Santa Monica???

**ATTENTION BLOG READERS**

My wife and I will be driving up PCH from San Diego to Santa Monica the first week in June and I would like to get suggestions on a northern route and any great places to stop along the way.

Specifically, I am looking for the best burger stop on the way to Santa Monica and for the route I am curious if it is possible to go up the coast the whole way. If not, where should I plan to get on and off the highways. From looking at maps and understanding how long it takes to travel up AIA on the southeast Florida coast I am estimating 5-6 hours of travel time plus stops. Does that sound about right?

Thanks...

respite

For the 4 lonely followers that I have...Don't worry, I haven't retired. I have many more things to say, a lot more burgers to eat (and report back on with bad photos with poor lighting), and soon enough I will have killer photos from the fairytale like honeymoon I am going on.

Oh, and for those who have not noticed, AHT ran a bracket contest of burger chains and Five Guys won. Hell yeah! I just don't have it in me to vote for the left coast In-N-Out family. Don't get me wrong, I have tremendous respect for what they offer, but for chains I am a Steak 'n Shake guy first then a newly ordained Five Guys follower.

Back to the honeymoon. I am so excited I can't even begin to tell you. Forget that! I will. We are starting ... this is probably a repeat post, but so what, it's my blog and I can do what I want. I need a Flip camera for our trip. Anyways, we are starting out in San Diego. Reasoning = finish any wedding leftovers in the states and there were no flights on certain days to our real destination. I wanted to go old school and leave the wedding site straight to the honeymoon so we are leaving from Detroit. Instead of brunch we are buying a block of bleacher seats for the Detroit Tigers game. Hell yeah. From San Diego driving up PCH for a one nighter in Santa Monica right by the pier and close enough to LAX for am easy departure to French Polynesia. We are staying in over water bungalows each night - the kind with a partial (actually small section, smaller than my tv) glass floor and our own sun deck to jump into the water and then a ladder back up. The day to day debate at home is who is jumping off first. Can you tell that I am excited? The first island we are venturing to is Bora Bora, then to Moorea, and finally Tahiti.

It could very well be the best vacation for the rest of our lives. If not, it will be a challenge to top.

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.