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.]