The 3rd Annual Burgie Awards

Burger lover and all-around good guy, Sef Gonzalez, aka The Burger Beast got quite a crew together for the 3rd Annual Burgie Awards this past Saturday at Magic City Casino.  The event was huge!  There were 40 food trucks and 12 restaurants set up in the parking lot, creating an enormous outdoor food court of sorts.  The Beastman reached out to me and asked if I'd help him by being a judge for the best burger category.  I was one of 7 judges on the panel selected to taste 22 different burgers (12 restaurants, 10 food trucks) LIVE in a blind tasting.  The rest of the panel was made up of The Chowfather, 954 Burger Boi, Carlos Acosta aka "Certified Ill", a couple of people from Copperpot's, and Short Order writer and Chowfather arch nemesis, Laine Doss.  A motley crew indeed.

At 5pm the burgers started floating into the VIP tent to the judges table and the carnage began.  Having attended the Burger Bash at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival last year, I knew that I had to pace myself in the beginning stages in order to make it to the end.  With 22 burgers to sample, any overindulgence would be sure to bury me.  I stuck to that plan and survived.  The Chowfather did not have a game plan and, against my warning, went heavy on the first burger.  By burger #9 he wasn't looking too good.  By burger 15 he was banged up bad.  After burger 22 let's just say some Magic City palms got some angus-filled fertilizer.

The quality of burgers ranged from awful to awesome.  My qualifications for a great burger start with the patty.  It's gotta be fresh and seasoned.  That Sysco crap doesn't cut it.  Matter of fact, it's pretty disgusting.  After that, the bun has gotta be solid.  If the bottom bun can't handle the juicy burger and becomes soggy, that's a partial fail in my book.  With patty and bun out of the way, it's all about the toppings.  If the toppings provide good flavor enhancement without getting too crazy and/or sloppy, we've got a winner.

Here's a look at the contestants.  First up, the restaurant entries:

Burger & Beer Joint - Judges' Choice for Restaurant Best Burger

Charm City Burgers

Cheeseburger Baby

Georgie's Alibi

Gilbert's 17th Street Grill

JR's

The Local - Judges' Choice Runner Up for Restaurant Best Burger

Tobacco Road

Quickie's

Sakaya Kitchen

Pincho Factory

La Camaronera's Lobster Burger was a waste of time and lobster.  It was a burger competition.

 Here are the food truck entries:

Bite Gastrotruck

 

Dim Ssam a Gogo

Jefe's Original - Runner Up for Judges' Choice Food Truck Best Burger

gastroPod - Judges' Choice for Food Truck Best Burger

Latin Burger was DQ'd for delivering their own burgers.  Don't worry, they didn't go to waste.  I hooked up some homeless folks on my ride home.

Miso Hungry

Latin House Grill

El Rincon del Coqui

Purple People Eatery

The Rolling Stove

My top burgers in the restaurant category went like this:

Burger & Beer Joint - burger patty seasoned beautifully.  Worthy bun.  Bacon, pickle, and just a touch of bbq enhance the flavor.  This is the one to beat.
The Local - tender patty cooked to a nice medium-rare with bacon flavor present.  Nice bun.  Went a little overboard with the mustard but not too bad.  Cheese and onion added nice flavor.  Side of crunchy fries flecked with salt were fantastic but did not factor into the scoring plus I only had two to save room.
Sakaya Kitchen - toppings rule this one with green onion, tots, cheese, and ssamjang (a thick, Korean spicy dressing) combining for an interesting flavor combo.  Just wish the patty wasn't lost in all of that.
Gilbert's 17th St Grill - this one was huge.  Patty had a great char on it but wasn't seasoned enough to survive without the nice slab of bacon on top.  English muffin was an interesting choice for a bun but worked for me.  Egg and cheese rounded out the flavors

My top burgers in the food truck category were:

gastroPod - perfect size, seasoned patty, perfect med-rare.  Runny egg, spicy mayo sauce, and thin sliced homemade pickles had this mouth party rockin'.  Potato bun held it all together.  Kickass burger.
Jefe's Original - All-American burger with decent patty flavor.  A replica In-N-Out burger with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and secret sauce.  Clean fresh flavors here.
The Rolling Stove - nice char makes the bun nice and crisp.  Equal char on the patty provided good flavor and seasoned well too.  Sauce a little strange, slightly sweet but not bad.  Onions were a little strong here but overall a standout burger.
Purple People Eatery - great med-rare temp on this one.  I disagreed with some judges who didn't like the blue cheese.  I liked it and on my burger it wasn't overdone but added nicely to the sprouts and tomato.  Seemed to have a sweetness there which after further inspection may have been onion jam but can't be sure.
Dim Ssam a Gogo - Kinda dumb to have this one again as it's the same as Sakaya Kitchen but regardless where they make the burger it's still a pretty good one.

I will admit it was rough getting bites from all of these burgers down the hatch and after the competition was over it was even harder to stand amongst the food court smelling nothing but burgers.  Luckily, a buddy had brought some Maker's Mark which aided the digestion process.  In the end, I was happy to have participated in my 3rd consecutive Burgie Awards ceremony (2nd straight live).  It was a great event and much congrats due to the Beast himself for putting it all together.  Another victory in his battle to raise more awareness to the American food that he loves best - the burger.

2011 Taste of the Grove Lacks Flavor

During this past week while traveling the Pacific Northwest for business, I was catching up on some blog reading on the Miami New Times Short Order blog when an article reminded me that the Taste of the Grove would be held this weekend.  The article also made the ridiculous claim that over 30,000 people attended this event last year.  I'd really love to know where that "fact" came from considering last year the event was held in January and it was freezing cold and rainy all weekend.  I'd be surprised if even 3,000 people attended.

Anyhow, I was happy to be in town to be able to attend and met up with a friend to walk in and check it out.  We purchased $20 worth of tickets and began to do a walkthrough to see what sort of offerings were available.  We quickly realized we would need more tickets after buying two beers at $5 apiece.  I guess I was thinking that was acceptable for an "event" beer but it bothered me later on when I attended a movie at the O Cinema in the Wynwood district and got a Brooklyn Lager for $3. 

After grabbing more tickets we decided on the mixed ceviche offering from Panorama.  I'd had a few meals at this restaurant that were ok but I mostly enjoy their spot on the 8th floor of the Sonesta for a mojito and a great view of the bay.  The ceviche was a nice portion for $8 and contained a variety of seafood.  Clams, scallops, calamari, and even some octopus were tenderized in citrus and mixed with onion, cilantro, and some Peruvian cancha.  For a dish marinated in citrus it really lacked that flavor.  Instead an overpowering dose of garlic was the main flavor punishing our palates.  It was too bad because other than that the dish was quite tasty.

As we looked for our next bite to eat, a highschool band took the stage and began cranking out covers of Nirvana before launching into some death metal that I couldn't recognize.  It was really awkward at a food festival like Taste of the Grove.  I guess they took anyone that wanted stage time.  As we neared the end of the last tent, I smelled smoky barbecue and found a booth offering some ribs, chicken, and conch fritters.  I think it was called Master C Culinary or something like that.  I'd never heard of them but we were hungry and barbecue sounded great.  We had $10 left in tickets and were able to negotiate a deal for a plate of ribs and two conch fritters (instead of 4) with the nice people in the booth who also recommended we had some hot sauce.  The ribs were tender and I was impressed with how meaty they were but the sauce wasn't anything special.  The fritters were just ok.

I was pretty disappointed in the lack of variety at the Taste of the Grove.  Most of the food sold at each booth was stuff you could find at any carnival, fair, or average outdoor festival.  There were sliders, greek gyros, barbecue, and pizza.  Wow, big deal.  It all amounted to a bunch of overpriced, underwhelming food.  Popular Grove spots like Le Bouchon, Greenstreet, and Lulu didn't even take a booth at the festival.  I guess it shows the culinary state of the Grove these days isn't really too impressive at all.

Tales of the Distiller

Definitely something I'd be checking out if I was in the West Palm Beach area.  I'm not quite sure what Sou' Easter is.  My guess is a cocktail with a southern (southeastern) twist.  Regardless of what it is, this is a great value for this restaurant and you get to enjoy a nice bourbon too!  Not to mention that one of the "prized aged whiskeys" might be the Michter's 25yr old.  I've always wanted to sample that.  Report back if you're able to attend!

Sol Kitchen - Sol Sundays Menu - NFL Week 11

Hut...hut-hut...blue forty-two...hut-HIKE!!!


Sol Kitchen 'back to pass' on some Sol for your NFL Sundays!  Now get all 3 Designed Plays for one great price!  Each game day package includes utensils and paperware and is designed to feed 6 hungry fans for $150.  Check out this week's menu and send your order inquiries to solkitchenmiami@hotmail.com.

Pre-game

Mulled Sangria Blanco ‘Gell-O’ Shot – grapes, pear, shaved smoked pecans

Cane Sugar Kettle Korn – corn nuts, toasted cocoa

‘1^st & 10’ Charred Scallion Dip (aka crack dip), kettle chips

Designed Plays

‘Tom Turkey‘ Quesadillas – grilled corn~poblano salsa, queso Oxacan

Sol Biscuits & Gravy – cherry~bock braised shortrib, buttermilk biscuits

‘Grid-Iron Wings’ – pastrami  brined, kraut dip

Sidelines

smothered green beans, smoked bacon, caramelized onions

stuffin’ bell peppers, sage~chorizo, cornbread

2-minute warning

Wild Turkey  Pumpkin Newtons – ‘drunken’ bourbon raisins

Better Late Than Never: My Thoughts on This Year's Iron Fork Event

Ok, so Iron Fork took place a little less than a week ago and I attended with good friends Paula, David, and their buddy Mike.  As Paula would say, the event is our "Fork-iversary".  I met Paula and David at the inaugural Iron Fork event in 2008 and we have been good friends ever since.  Awww...

I thought the Iron Fork event last year was fantastic and a HUGE improvement on the failure that was the 2008 event.  Unfortunately, the 2010 Iron Fork did not measure up to its predecessor.  In my opinion, it sucked.

The event this year was held at a different site which had me skeptical already.  I thought a huge reason for the success of the 2009 event was the location at the Bank of America building downtown.  It allowed plenty of room, easy access to tables, and even an outdoor area with great views of the city.  For 2010, the event was held at Grand Central, a club space that occupies an old rail terminal (or so the story goes) in a gritty section of downtown.  The venue was much smaller than the BoA building and everything felt crammed.  They did have a tented area outdoors with booths and music but the music was way too loud and you had to yell to have a conversation. 

We got there early with passes that let us in at 6pm, an hour before the main crowd was let in.  We met up with our good friend Chef John Critchley, Executive Chef at Area 31 who was defending his title as Iron Fork Champion against Jose Luis Flores, Sous Chef for De Rodriguez Cuba.  Chef Critchley joined us as we picked up a few beers and inspected the tables for some good eats.  Unfortunately, there weren't many to be found.  The only standouts for me were a mango barbecued pork offered by Chef Allen's, a tuna tartar by Gibraltar, and a short rib offered by The Grill on the Alley.  Whisk Gourmet also did a great pulled pork w/ southern slaw and cornbread and laughed when I called them out for repeating last year's dish.  Hey, if it works, it works.  Most other offerings were pretty weak.  If you wanted sushi you had about 8 freakin options.  Cupcakes?  About 5 or 6 options (at least it seemed like that many).  Indoors got crazy crowded once the majority of the rumored 1200 attendees arrived.  It was impossible to get to certain areas at that point.  The outdoor tent was basically all bar food - wings, sandwiches, and an inferior frita from El Rey de las Fritas.  Let me repeat, when it comes to fritas - El Mago es El Rey!!

It was hot as hell inside the venue too.  Some sushi restaurant passed out little fans that some appreciated.  I stayed cool with Famosa beer until they ran out at about 8:30pm, a mere 1.5 hours after the main crowd arrived.  I guess bribing the beer girl for whole bottles rather than little cups paid off in the short term but cut the supply short in the long run.  Oh well, just an excuse to have the smokin' hot chicks from Bombay Sapphire saunter over with some refreshments, one of the few highlights of the night.

The battle for the title of Iron Fork Champ finally got underway and was interesting.  Chef Allen was a pretty good MC and Chef Critchley even busted out some liquid nitrogen for a dish but the panel unfortunately chose Chef Flores as champ.  Kudos to Chef Flores.  Both chefs produced dishes that sounded very tasty.  Honestly, I would've been surprised if they picked Chef Critchley as champ two years in a row.  Just doesn't seem like they would want the same dude winning year after year.  Either way, it looked like the chefs had fun competing and both put on a good show for the crowd.

We bailed on the event after the competition.  Honestly, had it not been that my friend was competing on stage I'd have exited at 7pm, a mere hour after arriving.  There just wasn't much to see, taste, or learn about and the offerings were very weak.  Hopefully the 2011 Iron Fork is a much better event. 

Food & Garden Festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden

Yo!  Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden has it's annual Food & Garden Festival going on this weekend!  I'm out of town and unfortunately can't make it but I thought I'd spread the word.  It sounds like a fun event and a great chance to learn about various plants found on the grounds and see chefs using them to make delicious dishes.  Plus, you'll get to see cooking demos and meet local culinary celebrities like Simply Delicioso's Ingrid Hoffman (who is also behind the Latin Burger & Taco Truck), Wok Star Elenor Hoh, and Mango & Lime's Paula Nino.

For more information, tickets, and even a $5 coupon, click on over to Fairchild's site here.

Taking a Stroll with Johnny Walker

This past Friday, I met up with a few friends and headed over to the Adrienne Arsht Center to check out The House of Walker Experience - a Johnnie Walker tasting event.  After all, having given The Macallan single malt scotch a try at a tasting on the previous Thursday, I thought it was only fair to give a blended scotch whisky it's fair shake. 

We arrived a tad late and missed the opening appetizers and cocktails.  One of the staff members named David told me we could stick around afterward for a cocktail and he would be happy to get us some apps.  He was the first of many of the event staff we met that night that was friendly and accommodating.  We entered the House of Walker to find long, white leather couches and tables lining three sides of the room, with projector screens on each of the three opposite walls.  In front of each seat inside the House of Walker, ingrained in the table was a little box with the brand logo and circles for the five blends of Johnnie Walker we would be sampling - Black, Red, Gold, Green, and Blue Label - though only three were present and filled when we arrived (black, red, green).   A video of a Scotsman taking a walk educated us on the history of Johnnie Walker and his blended scotch whisky.  It was a really cool video.

When the video ended Master of Whisky, Stephen Wilson, walked onto the stage and began to drop knowledge of all things Johnnie Walker on us.  We started with the Black Label which Stephen said was his favorite everyday whisky.  The Black Label was light in color, nose, and flavor with hints of fig and spice coming through on the palate.  It's a smooth scotch.  The next Walker brand we tried was the Red Label but first Stephen had us take a sliced strawberry from the little dish in front of us and dip it in a mixture of ground black pepper that was also sitting on the table.  The combination was surprisingly fantastic!  The sweetness of the strawberry and heat from the pepper really worked well and helped cleanse our palates.  We then sipped the Red Label.  This was my first time trying Red Label and I found it to be far less refined than the Black Label.  It had a heavier alcohol burn and I didn't enjoy the flavor as much.

The next glass in front of us held Johnnie Walker Green Label but we skipped that for the time being as lovely ladies entered the room carrying chilled glasses filled with Gold Label which is comprised of whiskys aged anywhere from 18-20 years.  Chilling the whisky in the freezer makes in more viscous.  That's what we learned as we swirled the alcohol around in our glasses, watching the "legs" form on the sides of the glass much like they do with wine.  The Gold Label had a honey, sugar nose and I tasted notes of vanilla and cake batter.  The texture of this particular whisky was velvety and creamy and there was less of an alcohol burn than the previous whiskys we had tried. 

The lovely ladies vanished and it was time to sip the Green Label, aged 15 years.  Before we took a sip, however, Stephen had us use the eyedropper on our tables to place a few drops of the whisky into the palm of our hand and then rub our hands together and take a whiff.  Doing this really brought out the scent of the wood barrels used during the aging process, giving my hands a nice woody, oak scent.  The whisky tasted grainy on the tongue as well, with a hint of sweetness in the finish.

Oohs and ahhs could be heard throughout the room as it was announced that the final Johnnie Walker we would be tasting was the ultra premium and ultra expensive Blue Label.  We learned that Blue Label is produced from a variety of aged whiskys.  It's expensive so it must be good, right?  Not if you ask me.  It had a grainy, floral nose to it but to me tasted flat and lacked definition.  If I were a Johnnie Walker drinker, I'd ignore the Blue Label altogether and stick with the Black or Gold Label whiskys. 

With the tasting now finished, Stephen took questions from the audience and then talked about "Swing" briefly but I didn't understand what Swing was?  Scotch?  What's the difference?  There wasn't an explanation.  Stephen also introduced us to Johnnie Walker Double Black, a smokier flavored Black Label that would be coming out soon.  At that point the event was over and we filtered out into the lobby.  My friends and I took David up on his offer and stayed for a cocktail, talking with him about the event.  David brought Stephen Wilson over and we had a nice chat.  Of course I had to ask if he enjoyed bourbon and he indeed said he did.  We sampled a few appetizers that were being passed around for the next showing of the House of Walker Experience and then hit the road.

So, what did we learn?  Well, I learned that I'm more of a fan of a single malt scotch like The Macallan as opposed to a blended scotch like Johnnie Walker.  However, from a presentation and brand building standpoint, I thought the House of Walker Experience was a far better produced event.  The staff was organized, guests were treated to appetizers and a pre-event cocktail (to be fair, I arrived at The Macallan event late so I may have missed apps and cocktails if they did that), and Stephen Wilson did a great job of walking us through the many different flavors of Johnnie Walker.  I also thought the venue showcased the brand extremely well.  Before tasting each whisky, the lights in the room would turn the color of that particular "Label" and a brief video would come on.  Even the furniture was impressive and had the brand worked into it.  The House of Walker was indeed an Experience and a good one at that. 

Macallan Scotch 101

The other day I got a message on Twitter that someone had actually read my blog post where I talked about my latest great purchase - Japanese Ice Ball molds.  She invited me to a Macallan tasting event hosted by The Macallan Brand Ambassador Graeme Russell at the So Cool eVenue in Miami, just up the road from my place in Coconut Grove.  As ridiculous as the name of this venue sounds, it was actually a decent spot.


Being the PR helper that I am I recruited a bunch of friends to check it out after grabbing some good pie at Joey's.  After all, who doesn't like free whisky?  Notice that the spelling of "whisky" is the Scottish form.  That is one of the things we learned.  That Scots spell whiskey as "whisky".  Simpletons...  There was a lot of whisky wisdom passed on.


We got to sample Macallan 10, 12, 15, and 17 year fine oak scotch whisky and an 18 year sherry oak whisky.  At least I'm pretty sure that's what the breakdown was.  Not bad stuff but scotch just doesn't do the same for me that bourbon does.  Scotch is much more mild and dry and I find the flavors are less bold and more muted.  Nevertheless, this was pretty good scotch and a nice change of pace.  We also got to see the Macallan Ice Ball Machine at work which was pretty cool.  It'd be a lot more cool if it wasn't so frickin expensive but I guess it gives you something to aspire to.  For now I'll stick with my methods.

Check out the Macallan Ice Ball Maker in action with genuine Scottish narration!

The Inaugural Burger Beast Miami Burger Tour

Sunday night, I participated in the inaugural Burger Beast Miami Burger Tour, organized by the big guy himself.  It was a gluttonously good time.  When I got home, I posted a hilarious video of what the tour reminded me of, a scene from one of my favorite movies of all time - Hamburger: the Motion Picture.  Today I'm getting a little more serious and providing my commentary on the restaurants that participated and the burgers themselves.

But first, a song to get you in the mood.  Hamburgers for America!



If you aren't familiar with the Burger Beast, take a minute and check out his blog where he writes about burgers 'round the clock.  I first met the Beast a few weeks ago at the Latin Burger & Taco Truck.  I had purchased a ticket to the Burger Bash at the South Beach Wine & Food Fest but then booked a business trip that overlapped, rendering my ticket useless.  I knew if anyone would be able to help me sell my ticket it was the Burger Beast himself.  He took the ticket off of my hands as a surprise gift to his wife, Marcela.  Yup, he's a real Softee.  We chatted while I beasted a Latin Macho Burger and I asked if he really eats burgers every day.  Much to my surprise, he doesn't actually eat burgers every day.  Ok, so it wasn't a big surprise and I commented that had he answered, "yes", my follow up question was going to be, "So, are you and your plumber on a first name basis?"  The Beast told me he was in the process of organizing a Miami Street Food Fest, inspired by all the mobile eats that had popped up all of the city as of late and later on he informed me that there was a lone seat left on the Burger Tour he had organized and asked if I wanted in.  Luckily, I was in between business trips and was able to attend.

The lineup for the Burger Beast Miami Burger Tour consisted of The Taurus in the Grove, The Filling Station in downtown Miami, and Burger & Beer Joint on Miami Beach.  Transportation to and from each stop on the tour was provided by Gus and Michelle of the Miami Tour Company who also run the blog, Miami Beach 411.  I was happy to finally meet Gus in person as he and I have exchanged comments on a few blog topics in the SoFL blogosphere and I've always thought he was a standup guy.  I was right.  Both he and Michelle are great and it's no surprise that their tour business is booming.

I met the group at The Taurus in the Grove, a mere couple of blocks from my home in Coconut Grove.  I had had tried their burger previously and recommended it to the Burger Beast while noting that the fries are the best I'd ever had.  The Taurus did a great job as leadoff hitter for the Burger Tour, setting each of us up with a 1/2 portion of their burger and a bunch of baskets of their truffle fries.  The burger was cooked medium without being too dry.  I usually don't like toppings on my burger but they didn't overdo it by piling toppings on too high so I scarfed down the burger, tomato, lettuce, and all.  It was a good burger but nothing to rant and rave about.  The fries, however, were a huge hit.  Fried super crispy and coated with truffle oil and a blend of seasonings, these fries were not long for this world.  Jen, from Dine Magazine, made the mistake of sharing a little basket with me.  I think she maybe got 4 fries.  I inhaled the rest. 

We loaded the tour bus and began our trek to the next stop - The Filling Station.  It was pretty cool that the bus had the tour audio going, dropping little nuggets of Miami history on us as it chugged through Coconut Grove and into downtown.  I was surprised to see that the Filling Station was located right around the corner from where I used to work when I had a job downtown.  We walked in and were greeted by a very friendly staff and this sign.

 

This burger was obviously gonna be awesome based on name alone

The Filling Station is a tiny joint with a menu that packs quite the variety of sandwiches and burgers along with some apps and salads.  The burgers all have auto-associated names like Julie's T-Bird (turkey burger), and more interesting burger combos like the Speed Racer (burger with sautéed spinach, mushrooms, jalapeno jack cheese, bacon and a fried egg) and the Super Sport (burger w/ creamy peanut butter(??!!??), peppered bacon, red onion and lettuce).  Steve's "Respect" Mobile sure earned my respect.  The burger was cooked to a nice medium and topped with a nice jerk-sauced pulled pork.  I had just had this combo at a bar in Minneapolis recently and loved it and the Filling Station's version was even better with the buttermilk ranch served on the side for burger dunking.  They also served up some tater tots with the burger along with some iced tea.  I thought the burger was very good and I'm definitely going to make plans to go back and try the Super Sport sometime as I'm dying to know what peanut butter on a burger with bacon tastes like.  More than anything though, I was really impressed at how friendly the staff was, from the owner on down the line.  Everyone seemed really pumped to be a part of the Burger Tour.  Hell, they aren't even open on Sunday night and opened just for the Burger Tour!

Once again, we boarded the tour bus and traversed over the causeway to Miami Beach to the last stop on the Burger Tour - Burger & Beer Joint.  I was already a huge fan of B&BJ, with my first experience detailed here.  Because of that, I wasn't too worried about the fact that I was already pretty full after 1.5 burgers, tots, and truffle fries.  I had been there, done that.  Burger & Beer Joint served up a slider version of what we thought was supposed to be their Thunder Road burger (burger, cheese, bacon, bbq sauce) along with some gigantic onion rings.  The burger was not the Thunder Road and instead was just a tiny patty with a little lettuce on top.  It was also cold which sucked.  If I wasn't already full and if this burger wasn't magnificently seasoned, I'd have been majorly disappointed.  But, even cold and sad looking, it was still pretty good.  The burger was cooked to a perfectly pink medium and the meat tasted fantastic and melted on the tongue.  The onion ring was impressive in size but just ok in taste.

Jacob Katel, from the Miami New Times Short Order blog, asked me what I thought about the tour and if I'd do it again.  I said that it was a great time and that they were probably going to have to wheel me outta there because I was so full!  I think I would definitely do the Burger Tour again but I think it would be better if it started a little earlier.  We got delayed a bit at the first stop which resulted in the last burger being consumed at 10pm at night, not very conducive to the whole digestive process.  All in all though, I thought the Burger Beast Miami Burger Tour was planned properly and executed well.  The Beast did a great job making sure everyone was set up for a good time and the value for the dollar was phenomenal.  Big thanks to the Burger Beast and the Miami Tour Company!

2010 Taste of the Grove

Yesterday with football on all day and with the the Taste of the Grove food festival ending early due to the cold and rain, I didn't have a chance to walk into the Grove to check it out.  Today the temperature dropped even lower than yesterday and the wind picked up but the rain held off enough for me to walk down to Peacock Park to get some lunch at the Taste of the Grove.  All things considered, it was pretty good.

I left the house wearing a t-shirt and sweater.  It was pretty cold but I knew I wouldn't be gone more than an hour and I like to soak up a nice chilly day here in South Florida.  In hindsight, I probably should've worn a hat too because the wind while walking down the hill of South Bayshore and at Peacock Park was howlin'!  When I got down to the event, I hit up the ticket booth for $10 worth of tickets and went to search for my lunch.  There was a band playing some good jazz/funk music that people were enjoying and there was plenty of cover in case it did rain. 

I first spotted Ideas Restaurant's booth and went for some white bean soup with chorizo ($4) to help me warm up a little bit.  The soup was nice and warm without being too hot.  I liked the bits of chorizo and the flavor of the soup but there was some sort of pulp in the soup that was very stringy.  The texture just threw the whole dish off for me.  I'm not sure it was worth $4 either.  I finished off the soup and went in search of something a little more hearty.  I stopped by Panorama's booth and liked the looks of both the raviolis de aji de gallina and the lobster ceviche but the tax was too high at $6-$8 each (I forget the exact prices).  I just didn't feel like getting more tickets to give it a try and I was in a hurry to make it back to my place to watch the Patriots/Ravens game.  Glad I rushed for that...

I saw the booth for Atchana's East/West Kitchen and remembered that they had some good value there last year and figured that I could fill up on something with the 6 tickets I had left in my pocket.  I checked out the menu and saw something simmering in a foil pan and figured that was a good option.  Turns out it was curried chicken and rice which could be had for $5.  "How hungry are you?  This is a pretty big plate..." was the reply I got from the guy in the booth after asking for a plate the curried chicken.  He wasn't kidding.  He set up a nice pile of rice and ladled some of the yellow curried chicken on top.  Then he let me know they had some hot sauce if I wanted, which made me happy.  I squirted on some hot sauce and found a standing table in the sun to dig in.  I'm not sure if I was seeing things when I saw the curry in a foil pan, or if it was really that cold but by the time I took my first bite the dish was barely warm.  No matter, it was good.  The rice was a little sticky and clumped together but I'm certain the cold had a lot to do with that.  I thought the flavor of the curry was deliciously sweet without being overpowering and it made for a great combination of spicy/sweet when I worked in some of their hot sauce.  There was plenty of chicken in the dish and the vegetables were nicely cooked while staying crisp.  I'd like to give this one another shot when I can get it hot off the stove.


I stuck around for a few minutes while the band played on through the wicked winds that battered the park.  I noticed that Johnsonville Brats had a HUGE setup in the back by the stage.  It was some sort of mobile big rig with a bunch of bbq grills.  There were about half-a-dozen people standing at the booth, most likely workers that were to man the grills and pass out marketing schwag.  Talk about Ma Nature making a mockery of your PR efforts, geesh!  It must've been two days of standing around chatting in the cold for that poor booth. 


It was not the best conditions for the Taste of the Grove this year but the vendors showed up and did their best.  The cold weather keeping crowds away did allow me to have two dishes in about twenty minutes though and that curried chicken dish was pretty darn good albeit a little cold.  Perhaps there will be "Another Taste of the Grove" this year when the weather is a bit warmer? 

Paradigm: Redux

Art Basel - an international celebration of all forms of art.  The city of Miami serving as a canvas for sculpture, paint, clay, paper, metal, photography, and many other casual ways to stimulate one's mind.  It really is a sight to be seen.  However, it is also a sight to be tasted.  After all, food is art, isn't it?  Well the group at PH2 put together an event to showcase just that, pairing a local artist with local chefs for an event called Art|Dining|Culture.

I attended the dinner event on Friday night.  The art of Stephen Gamson was featured along with the gastronomic art of Chef Kurtis Jantz and Chef Chad Galiano.  Having experienced the chefs' cooking before at Neomi's, I was fired up.  These guys really shine when given the opportunity to create and I knew they would be placing a heavy emphasis on pairing dishes with Gamson's artistic style.  Since my artistic style with the iPhone camera isn't so hot, I didn't take many photos of the dinner but Mr. Frodnesor has posted some here.

A horrible picture of the menu

I'm gonna go with my gut and say that the first course meant to say "Stick" Figure Antichuchos.  Skewered grilled baby octopus and skewered fried chicken liver plated vertically with whole slices of lemon and lime lying on the plate resembling "heads" for the stick figures captured the playful simplicity of Gamson's art and made for a nice presentation.  The octopus was tender with the right amount of chewiness for me but the chicken liver was my favorite.  The liver was fried in a flour mix that included a substance called Trisol that I had read about on Chef Chad's blog previously but never experienced.  It allows for a much crispier texture when used for tempura or fried food and the chicken liver really showcased just that.  It was a perfect crisp that stayed that way even after sitting in a tiny pool of aji panca sauce which paired well with the liver.

The next course featured 2 different tails - oxtail in the form of a meat pie and lobster tail in a lobster salad.  The meat pie came with a nice glob of pepper jelly on top that provided a little heat and moisture to the crisp dough of the pie, while the filling was warm and tender.  I enjoyed the crisp green beans in the lobster salad as well as the flavor of the airy micro-corn cake that came with it.

Apparently, a few months back Chef Kurtis asked for Mr. Food for Thought's mom's pickled shrimp recipe and obtained it with ease.  He apparently worked on his own rendition, pairing the pickled shrimp with a crisp slaw made of shredded brussel sprouts and honey mustard, giving homage to the recipes' origin by naming the dish, "Frod's Shrimp Dickles".  Homemade cheez-its provided a difference in texture along with a distinctive cheesy flavor that I enjoyed but a few others questioned the relevance of.  Surprisingly, for someone that prefers hot dishes over cold, this was one of my favorite dishes of the night.  Perhaps a Chef Kurtis vs. Grandma Frod "Throwdown" is in order?

"Meat"

Getting back to food as art, our next dish went back to the basics of simplicity both in it's title, "Meat", and its presentation.  A styrofoam tray with a slider-sized patty of 45C beef tartar that had been mixed with a 64C egg yolk, onion, and parsley and then shrink-wrapped placed in front of each table guest.  A few tiny salt dishes filled with caper salt and some tiny squirt bottles of "whas dis here?" sauce (say it fast) also made their way onto the table.  We were instructed to sprinkle some caper salt on the meat and top with a little of the sauce.  The couple next to me looked a little mortified.  The guy had come to the dinner at his girlfriend's request to do "something different" and this was clearly different.  Nevertheless, they both threw caution to the wind and dug in just like the rest of us.  I liked the saltiness of the caper salt with the tartar and managed to ration my whas-dis-here sauce appropriately so its flavor didn't overpower the dish.  The couple next to me seemed to like the dish as well, or at least I got that impression upon seeing both of their plates clean.

For our next course, the chef's channeled their inner Aesop and produced a Golden Egg, its regal self presented on a pauper-like egg carton.  The top of the eggshell was removed and the shell emptied and then refilled with a portion of black pepper and truffle scrambled eggs.  This was another simple yet wonderful dish that had many diners near me declaring their love for all things truffle.

The last course before dessert was a hearty hunk of pork belly topped with a banana foam and cilantro cocoa kettle corn.  A few spheres of yogurt that had been sprinkled with a white chocolate powder flanked the pork belly on each side.  I loved the combination of banana and pork flavors.  Definitely something I'd never had before.  Adding in the white chocolate powder mixed with the yogurt made the dish even more savory.  This one would have been my favorite overall but my hunk of belly was more meaty and didnt have as much of that fat that I love.  Thinking about that though, it was probably a blessing in disguise as my pork belly intake has been somewhat high as of late.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I am not a dessert guy.  Dessert for me usually consists of cheese and/or a nice bourbon, grappa, or port wine.  However, dessert was part of this meal so it was only right for me to eat it.  Pastry Chef Jenny Rissone was responsible for dessert and the presentation was beautiful.  A dulce de leche gelato encased in a green sugar globe sat on the left side of the plate with a little pile of what I suspect was a raspberry powder next to it.  To the right, 3 crisp meringue "walls" stood erect, with bits of monstera deliciosa fruit sitting in between them.  A green stripe of what I think was the coloring used to color the sugar globe went from east to west on the top part of the plate, so perfectly applied that I thought it was actually part of the plate design.  The meringue was phenomenal, so crisp that you had to apply a little pressure to slice through it.  I loved its sweet flavor and crunchy texture.  It was my first time trying monstera deliciosa and I loved it.  It had a slightly mushy texture and a fruity flavor that reminded me of jackfruit (another fruit I experienced for the first time recently).  The gelato/sugar globe combo was way too sweet for me but others seemed to enjoy it.  I also liked that you could add in a little of the raspberry powder to change up the flavors if you wanted.  This non-dessert guy enjoyed dessert.

During the meal, Steven Gamson was introduced and talked about his background and the inspiration behind his art.  It was cool to learn a little more about the artist and what motivated him but it got a little lengthy and somewhat sales-pitchy at a few points when his agent chimed in.  It was a tad awkward and a bit of a turnoff.  I did enjoy a few of his pieces, however, and was pleasantly surprised when I saw some of his works gracing the walls of Coral Bagels diner when I went for brunch the following morning.  To me, its simple art that allows you to create your own story and/or interpretation of what it means.  Cool stuff and definitely has a local Miami vibe.

Overall, I thought the meal was phenomenal but there were a few things that bugged me.  For one, tickets originally went on sale at $200 or $350 if you wanted to attend a cocktail hour and receive a limited piece of artwork from the artist.  As part of the Cobaya group, I received a $50 discount which made the price of having dinner a little more feasible and I liked the chefs so I purchased on the day tickets became available.  Well, I was a little miffed when "black Friday" came about and a $100 discount was offered.  A Deco Drive promo also offered a $100 discount a few days before the event.  So, in other words, I made a commitment to an event only to have ticket sales come up short and thus a greater discount offered.  This left me, a supporter of the event, feeling like I got a bit of a raw deal.  But whatever, I was there to support Chef Kurtis and Chef Chad anyways so I got over it. The other shortcoming for me was that I thought that the wine that was offered during the dinner was a bit pedestrian for the price of admission.  Luckily, a few diners by me brought bottles of wine and were generously sharing with our end of the table.  I guess my point is that I've been to many dinners that were very similar to this concept, sans artist, and most weighed in at $75 (BYOB wine) to $120 (wine featured as a part of the meal with a different vintage paired with each course) with anywhere from 8-12 courses featured.  In fairness though, previous dinners have been held at restaurants and not in a private location that I imagine deserves a little coin for offering up the space.

Again, the meal itself was a home run.  Chef Kurtis and Chef Chad put on a great show in the kitchen, on the plates, and in showcasing that they are comfortable in this type of setting where the chef is not only cooking but interacting with the diners as well.  I keep waiting for the day that these two are lured away from Sunny Isles to an area where they can gain more exposure and I'm certain it will happen someday.  Until then I'm hoping to see them featured at a Cobaya dinner or another event like this PH2 event.

Getcha Sticky Icky on at RIBFEST 2009!

Did you know that people who specialize in cooking ribs are called Ribbers?  Well, you do now!  This weekend at Homestead Air Reserve Park will be the site for Ribfest 2009.  This year's event features a dozen Ribbers rubbin', smokin', and saucin' down some serious ribbage to determine who's ribs will stick with the title of Best in Show. 

In addition to glorious mounds of ribs to scarf down, there are family games, hay rides, and other activities.  There will also be some music acts that some may have heard of.  On Saturday, Joan Jett & the BlackHearts take the stage after a set by Blue Oyster Cult!  Holy 80's!  Sunday goes country with Tracy Lawrence and Chuck Wicks.

Tickets are $15 with a parking fee of $5 per car.  Not bad.  The event takes place on Saturday from 11am to 10pm and Sunday from 11am to 6pm, so be sure to carve out a little time this weekend to check it out.  With the weather poised to be perfect, its a can't miss.

For more information, check out the official Ribfest site here.

Heathy Eatin' at Slow Food Miami's Conference

For me, food is more than just a necessity to survive.  It's a hobby and something I enjoy educating myself about.  After all, knowledge is power.  When my friend Paula from the blog Mango & Lime told me about an upcoming dinner at the Slow Food Miami Conference that was to be cooked by local Red Light chef Kris Wessel, I thought it would be a good opportunity to check out what the organization was all about.  The dinner was held last Thursday and it was a nice event.

The Slow Food organization basically sets out to be everything that fast food is not.  It focuses on reminding people that fresh, healthy food is readily available for consumption and attempts to reconnect people with where this food comes from.  It's more than hippies and John Deere.  There were all sorts of people at this event, all of whom were interested and probably concerned with where our society currently stands in regards to what we eat.  For me, it wasn't as much of an eye-opener as it was a nice reminder.  With my job requiring that I travel frequently, I always seem to end up eating fast food while on the road at one point or another.  I hate that but many times there really isn't a way around it.  When I'm home I eat out almost every night, using the excuse of "travel leads to spoiled food in the fridge" and my love of dining out as excuses for not cooking at home more often.  It's really just laziness and an easy way out.  That being said, I do try to eat healthy when I dine out and I often buy fruits to keep in the fridge and snack on rather than junk food.  The Slow Food Conference reminded me that good, healthy, and locally sourced meals don't always have to be an ordeal and that I should be looking for fresh and healthy meals that I can make at home more often.

I didn't really get any pictures of any of the food because I really didnt feel like taking pictures and with Paula, Trina from Miami Dish, and Jackie from Kitchen Interviews & the New Times' Short Order in attendance, I knew there would be plenty of picture coverage.  I basically ate and hung out with Paula's husband, David, all night, cracking jokes and having a good time.  The event was buffet style with 7 different stations offering various dishes.  I've never been a fan of buffet-style dinners because the food can sometimes get dry as it sits but this one wasn't bad.  I enjoyed everything at the game grazing table that had braised rabbit, "Little Haiti" style goat, and local quail.  The oyster pie was also very tasty.  I had a fruit called rambutan for the first time and liked it.  It reminded me of the lychees I used to get from the lychee nut tree I had in my yard when I first moved to Miami.  The standouts of the night for me were the chocolate rice and the cucumber quinoa.  There isnt much to say about chocolate rice besides that it was surprisingly good.  The cucumber quinoa had a refreshing taste and was loaded with protein.  I could eat that stuff every day.

The Slow Food Miami Conference was a nice event with interesting people and dishes assembled with locally sourced ingredients.  I enjoyed spending time with friends, meeting new people, and talking about our shared interests with food obviously being a main conversation point.  I also reminded myself that I really gotta get over to Red Light soon to get my grub on.  I've heard nothing but good things about the dishes that Kris Wessel prepares there.  Having had the chance to get a taste at this event, I'm certain I'll come to the same conclusion as those who have advised me to go there.  In the meantime, I'm going to make an effort to take advantage of the more healthier options at the Fresh Market here in the Grove and slow down my life enough to enjoy a nice home cooked meal.