Riverwalk Trust's First Annual Burger Battle — An Onmivore's Real Dilemma

I knew as soon as I heard about this event through Facebook, I had to be there. Any time you have top local chefs grilling up burgery goodness, you can bet I'll be lurking somewhere. There's something about a burger, the way it can be so delicious in it's simplicity, that just gets me. Often times, the less you do to a burger, the better it is. Season with salt and pepper, cook it so it is just pink, top it with some sharp cheddar and raw onions and stuff it between a doughy bun. That's all it needs.

While a number of chefs did just that, there were also a few that did unimaginable things to their burger creations such as the Deep Fried Truffle burger from The Riverside Hotel, which actually hosted the event on its lawn, as well as the unimaginable plate devised by the team at Weston's Stop Burger: A Kobe Beef Burger infused with Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips and topped with a Chocolate-Jalapeno Sauce and Finlandia Swiss Cheese. Say what?

There were most definitely a few standouts. For my thoughts on that, head over to DINE magazine's website and think about the craziest thing you can do to those patties during your next burger night.

Restaurant Review: Bulldog Café

Those who are Top Chef fans certainly know about Howie Kleinberg and his North Miami BBQ joint, Bulldog Barbecue. You may even know about his previous Bal Harbor gig, The Food Gang, where he was the executive chef for some time before it closed. But back to Bulldog, which, by the way, is named in honor of what a few of his fellow Top Chef contestants called him, thanks to his take-no-prisoners attitude and cooking style. It's a low-key, casual place that serves up some of the best BBQ you'll find South of the Mason-Dixon line. Before word got out, it was pretty much a locals-only kinda place. However, that didn't last long. You see, the food is just too good to stay under the radar (my pick is always the Shrimp 'N Grits). Not only is his restaurant the NBC6 Golden Local Award Winner for the Best Barbecue in Miami, it has also been named one of the Top Ten New Barbecue  Restaurants in the Nation by Bon Apétit magazine. These days, showing up for Saturday lunch necessitates a 20 minute wait, at the very least. But stick around. You'll be glad you did. Then order the Shrimp 'N Grits. I can't say it enough. Shrimp. 'N. Grits. You'll be even gladder.

Such success deserves to be built upon, and so Howie got back to work, opening another outpost of his brand, Bulldog Café, in Aventura. Located behind Publix in Loehmann's Plaza, this iteration is even more laid back — if you've ever spoken with Howie, which is highly probable as he is nearly always at one of his restaurants, manning the grill or even running food — you'll notice immediately that his restaurants are reflective of his demeanor. His nickname rings true; he's a no-nonsense, down-to-earth guy who believes in simple, straightforward food. 

The menu here is a lighter version of what you'll find in North Miami and includes salads, sandwiches, flatbreads and fro-yo. Yes, that's right, I said fro-yo, and not just your average fro-yo. You see, this fro-yo is homemade, and includes such exciting flavors as Red Velvet, Peanut Butter and Pistachio. Being a fro-yo connoisseur myself, I can tell you this is some of the best I've ever had, and I knew even before deciding what I wanted for lunch that I would not leave without tasting some of that Red Velvet goodness. And it did not disappoint. The flavor was spot on, the texture and consistency perfectly creamy, and the saturated red color of it only further excited your taste buds.

Now on to what I actually ate for lunch, and yes, sometimes it is necessary to start with dessert — that's how excited I was about the Red Velvet fro-yo. Since Mamala and I both wanted the Brisket sandwich, we decided to share that and the White Shrimp Flatbread. The Brisket sandwich, which was smoked beef brisket, caramelized onions, blue cheese, horseradish cream and crispy onions on a baguette, was a sandwich lover's dream. Brisket so tender it barely required chewing mingled perfectly with the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the tang from the horseradish. The creamy blue cheese mixed with horseradish cream seeped into the inside of the toasty baguette, making it soft and chewy on the inside, while remaining crispy on the outside.

The White Shrimp Flatbread, described on the menu as shrimp scampi, caramelized onions, roasted garlic oil and Parmesan cheese, was another revelation. While most flatbreads are square or rectangular in shape, this one had the same shape as a pizza, but was light and crispy. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and the scampi flavors were bright and vibrant. In addition to the garlic oil, I'm certain there was some pesto in there, along with two types of cheeses — Mozzarella and Parm — expertly melted on top.

 

As usual, Howie was there, with only two other employees — a waitress and another cook. He was running food, greeting customers, cleaning up the open kitchen, generally making sure everything was running smoothly. When he brought us our food, I managed to get some top-secret information, so listen up: He's planning on expanding yet again, this time, right next to Bulldog Barbecue. He informed us he bought the storefront next door, which will become Bulldog Burgers, a make-your-own-burger concept. Both restaurants will share the same kitchen and now have the added benefit of an additional dining room. Bulldog Burger is scheduled to open late summer/early fall. You heard it from the horse's mouth!

While the restaurant is cozy, seating 25 people at the most, there's also counter service where you can order a quickie to-go salad or bring home some of that luscious fro-yo. Next time, and I know there will be a next time, I plan on trying the Cuban sandwich, a twist on a South Florida favorite that includes, what else, but pulled pork. 

Restaurant Review: Ireland's Steakhouse

I had the opportunity to visit Ireland's Steakhouse at the Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center and Spa to try the property's new Sustainable Seafood menu. It was heavenly, certainly some of the best, and freshest, seafood I've had the pleasure of eating in a long time. Below is the Pan-Seared Wild Pacific Halibut with a Stonefruit Jicama Watercress Salad Coated in a Warm Vinaigrette.

I blogged about it for DINE magazine. If the above picture is making your mouth water, you can read the full article here.

Food As Memory, Part II: À la Française — Bouchons au Thon

The other night, a wave of nostalgia washed over me. I had just returned from this amazing farmer's market a stone's throw away from my office. If you live in the Boca area, perhaps you know it. It's called The Boys, and it's pretty incredible. Any kind of produce you have ever imagined is there for the taking — baby eggplant, fresh rhubarb, 10 kinds of citrus and even more apples — and at ridiculously low prices. But it was really the cheese corner that stole my heart. All the hard-to-find favorites were here, wrapped in all their waxy, stinky, creamy glory, just waiting to shmeared on a crusty baguette. And that is what brought me back to France. I spent a year there during college and managed to live off of pastries, cheese, wine and chocolate, as any self-respecting American girl would.

So when I spied the Gruyѐre, I immediately scooped it up, even though I wasn't yet sure what I was going to do with it. I also scooped up a wedge of Brie and a crusty baguette, hoping it would inspire me. It was on the way home that I remembered a quick, and quintessentially French, recipe I had recently read in Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life. You'll remember her as one of the first foodie bloggers, Orangette. In it, she has a recipe for Bouchons au Thon, a classic French dish that, in English, could only be called a Tuna Cake — Reason #857 everything sounds better in French.

The best part about this recipe is that it's so easy, but has a really elegant feel to it, and most of the ingredients are typically on hand. It's basically a one-pot meal that is turned out into a greased cupcake pan. I made a few adjustments to the recipe below since the can of tuna I had on hand were 8 ounces. I added a bit more crѐme fraîche, an extra egg and a handful more of cheese and onion, along with a drained can of diced tomatoes for a little texture. These additions made 12, instead of eight, bouchons.

As it baked in the oven, I threw together a nice big salad and made sure to bring the brie to room temperature. A nice rosé from the South of France rounded out the meal — a delicious return trip to the best year of my life, all from the confines of 404C.

This meal also provides a great two-fer. You know, those meals where the leftovers are just as good as the original and can equally stand on their own? The next day, I made an incredible tuna melt, using two leftover bouchons, a bit of brie and some of that crusty baguette. It was heavenly. Next time, I might try the whole shabang with salmon.

Bouchons Au Thon

From: A Homemade Life, Molly Wizenberg

One 6-oz. can of tuna, packed in water, and drained well

1 cup finely shredded Gruyѐre, lightly packed

1/3 cup crѐme fraîche

3 tbs. tomato paste

3 large eggs

1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

2 tbs. Italian parsley, finely chopped

1/4 tsp. salt

* Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease 8 cups of a standard sized muffin tin.

* Put the tuna in a medium sized bowl and using a fork, break it into small pieces. There should be no chunks larger than a dime. 

* Add the remaining ingredients and combine well. It will be a soft orange-pink color.

* Divide the mixture evenly into the 8 cups and make for 20 to 25 minutes, until the bouchons look set on top and around the edges.

* Transfer to a cooling rack and let sit for 5 minutes. Run a thin small knife around the edge of each cup, gently loosening them and removing them from the tin. [I found it was best to completely invert the muffin tin onto another sheet pan, as it was nearly impossible to get the bouchons out of the cups without ruining the edges.] They will collapse a bit as they cool.

* Serve warm [with a big green salad, brie and a crusty baguette.] 

Food As Memory — Matzoh Ball Soup

This year, I was too sick for Passover. This really bummed me out, as I was anticipating a delicious meal in the company of some of my favorite people. But, alas, I thought it better to stay home sick rather than show up with a box of tissues in place of a flourless chocolate cake.

One of the dishes I always look forward to most on Passover is Matzoh Ball Soup. Given that, it's odd that I have never tried to make my own, which I actually just realized now. In any case, the reason I have such a love affair with Matzoh Ball Soup is due to my Nanny. You see, she made the best Matzoh Ball Soup around. I'm sure many people have said that before, that their grandmothers made the best fill-in-the-blank-here, and all of them believe it to be true.

Nanny hasn't been with us since 2001, so it has been quite some time since I have had her famous soup. Sadly, I don't even have the recipe. But what I do have is the memory -- of her taking over the kitchen for days on end; of everyone gathered around the table; of those enormous, light and airy balls; of the sound of my family slurping up its goodness, tipping the bowl back so as not to miss a drop of it, of the fact that her soup actually tasted like love liquified.

So in an effort not to miss out on Passover altogether, and the fact that I was quickly growing bored of Chicken Noodle Soup, I decided to hunt some down. Lucky for me, I found some at Whole Foods.

This afternoon, I poured it into a bowl, warmed it up and prepared to have my own little Passover. Truth be told, it was a bit of a dissapointment. The broth was alright, but the matzoh ball itself was just mush. The consistency and texture were all wrong. As I mentioned, I have never made my own so I couldn't pinpoint exactly what wasn't right. All I knew was it that was a fry cry from my Nanny's.

Nonetheless, it still made me feel good, surprisingly good, actually. It was edible, and satisfied my craving, and just the act of eating it, despite its lack of flavor and texture, made me feel close to Nanny. I knew it wouldn't be as good as her recipe. I was prepared for the dissapointment. What I wasn't prepared for was the love that still managed to wash over me, so many years later and so many bowls after my Nanny's Matzoh Ball Soup.

Recipes Gone AWOL

As you can see from my prior post, there was no recipe included. This will probably happen quite often, and I've decided to accept that. You see, stressing over pinning down a recipe simply to include in this blog might drive me nutty. As much as I cook -- very often, dishes of my own creation -- there is rarely, if ever, a recipe involved. This proves to be a problem when someone falls in love with something and immediately requests the recipe.

I cook using the touchy feeling method, as my dear Mamala would say, meaning, I add a little of this, a bit of that, have a taste and decide where to go from there. Some of my best dishes have been created after a few minutes standing in front of the fridge and just pulling out things I think will taste yummy together, with nary a measuring spoon in sight. This is why I tend to prefer cooking over baking. While I have the biggest sweet tooth East of the Mississippi, I find a lot more creative freedom in savory dishes. I love to come up with a dish in my head and then try to get that perfectly imagined taste on my tongue.

So, if you're looking for recipes, look elsewhere. That said, if you read the blog all the way through, you'll absolutely be able to recreate any dish I've made. In fact, I suggest creating your own recipe as you read, taking notes of what you need and what to do with it, and maybe adding a touch or two of your own along the way. That way, you'll have a nice little cheat sheet, and, as an added bonus, your computer will stay clean. So while there may not be clear-cut recipes for most of my original dishes, when I write about desserts or meals I've made that do have recipes, I'll happily include them!

New Creation: Citrus Cilantro Chops

A few years ago, I stumbled upon a recipe for Orange Rosemary Chicken. I made it quite a few times and it became somewhat of a staple in my repertoire. Its deliciousness belied its simplicity and it consistently received rave reviews from the peanut gallery. The recipe basically called for oranges and marmalade and lots of fresh rosemary, boiled down until it became a thick, sticky sunset that would happily cover any breast of chicken.

I had all but forgotten about it until I ended up with a drawer full of Navels just waiting to be devoured. I also knew we had a bunch of cilantro leftover from the Valentine's Day breakfast my hunny made a few days earlier. (He claimed it was parsely, but I knew better, and thank goodness, because while parsley might be a-okay in eggs, they wouldn't have made the grade for the chops I were already tasting in my mind.) I had even remembered to take the pork chops out of the freezer that morning before running out the door to work. So everything was set in motion for my Citrus Cilantro Chops.

I decided to start the sauce with a base of onions and garlic, natch. I only had a 1/4 of a sweet onion at the house, so I figured that would have to do, though I would have preferred to use about twice as much. To that, I added three or four cloves of fresh garlic. I always like to add the onions first, allowing them a chance to sweat out some of their natural liquids. Plus, as an added bonus, they provide a nice resting place for the garlic, preventing it from burning or cooking too quickly. So into a hot pan with a combination of butter and olive oil go the onions, and then the garlic.

Now you might be thinking, butter AND olive oil? Why not just one or the other? Truth be told, I don't know that there's any specific reasoning behind it, apart from the fact that I prefer the flavor profile the combination yields over just one or the other.

Once the onions and garlic have cooked down a bit, it's time for the star of the show -- the oranges! I added two oranges, peeled -- making sure to get all that bitter pith off -- segmented and halved. Then, to balance out the sweetness, I juiced two lemons. I let that sit on the stove, covered, until the oranges broke down. Next came the marmalade, salt and pepper. That's it! I let it simmer until it formed a nice, thick sauce, about 20 minutes or so.

While the sauce was thickening, I prepared some boneless center-cut pork chops, seasoning them lightly with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. I think it's important to put a base flavor on the chops, even though it's going to be smothered with the citrus sauce. That way, every bite you take is thoroughly seasoned.

By the time the pork chops are finished cooking, the sauce should be nice and thick. All that's left to do is pour it over the chicken, add a bunch of chopped cilantro and you're ready to eat!

The best part about this recipe is that it tastes way more complicated and lengthy than it really is. It's pretty easy to throw together and doesn't require a barrage of ingredients. I also always love a combination of fruit and pork. I served with it some garlic-roasted yellow squash -- another easy staple in my kitchen -- and rice. It was definitely  a memorable meal.