Miami Food Blog

The Burger Beast plotting world domination.

​What's a four-pound burger to a monster? Nothin'. Who can pick a restaurant up by its fry chimney and shake out all its fast food through the drive thru window and into their mouth? The Burger Beast. Who else do you know that can scare a bull into pushing his cow girlfriend into a blazing fire just because the Burger Beast feels like eating some fresh BBQ? Nobody.

The Burger Beast comes from a long line of carnivores whose teeth display traits for flesh tearing and bone crunching. As a human, so do you vegetarian, might as well accept it, embrace it, and head up to Quickies Burgers & Wings in Hollywood (1000 South State Road 7) this Saturday to see the Burger Beast tackle a four-pound burger, and then try to eat it. Here's what the Beast himself had to say about it....

"I been training a lot this week....eating and eating to expand my stomach."

The Beast will also have his personal film crew there. That's because he just scored a deal with Generation ñ, a Latino broadband network where you can also find our friends Sound Theory Live, for his own show. The Burger Beast says:

Jacob Katel

Chef Jorge Cardenas.

​If you've ever heard a lobster's scream as it's cooked alive in boiling water or recognize the sound of claws hammering at the plate glass and steel of an oven door then you may have worked in a restaurant kitchen.

The last time Short Order saw it happen was at Ken Lyon's Cape Cod Room at the Bath Club on Miami Beach where lobster were being cooked to death with impunity. We asked Executive Jorge Cardenas if he ever felt bad about it. Here's what he had to say:

"I was working at Le Cirque in NYC at the time for Chef Sottha Kuhn. I told chef, hey I feel bad for killing all these lobster. He said, 'Take all their rubber bands off their claws (lobster claws are generally rubber banded shut so they can't fight back). There was a whole bunch of them there all together and I had to pick each one up. They were all there snapping at me, trying to get me, trying to hurt me. After that day I don't feel bad. If they had the chance they would do the same to me."

Jackie Sayet

​Big, fat, oven-roasted turkey - check.  Stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce - check.  Grilled leg of lamb with cranberry salsa verde? Oh yes! Check please!

Whether it's Thanksgiving, or a big family get-together, this twist on a traditional staple will wow 'em.  Bone-in leg of lamb has marvelous flavor and is a traditional roast for festive family gatherings. There is a great deal of versatility in this cut, but for me, it can only be prepared one way - on a grill. Slow roasted on a grill keeps the lamb really tender and moist, while adding a delicious smoky taste. The yogurt and lemon marinade help carry the deep flavors of the lamb and also help give the meat a nice crust. The lamb needs to marinate for several hours, so plan accordingly.

A leg of lamb is one of simplest roasts to carve. There are no complicated techniques involved and the only tools required are a sharp knife and a cutting board. Hold the leg bone securely with a clean kitchen towel and lift it up slightly so the leg is tilted. Slice the rounded side of the meat into thin pieces until you hit the bone. Turn the leg over so it sits steady on the board and carve the other side in the same manner. Cutting should always be across the grain of the meat, which radiates outwards from the bone and produces more tender slices.

Josh Woodward was arrested in the suspicious death of his girlfriend's unborn child, a 13 week old fetus. There was talk of a mysterious white powder found in her underwear.

According to TMZ, police investigators had cause to believe that the powder may be Misoprostol, which is used to treat gastric ulcers, miscarriage, and induce labor, and cause abortion.

TMZ also reports that one night Josh Woodward kept reaching into a plastic bag and then touching her sexually.

Joshua Woodward was arrested in an undercover sting that saw his girlfriend working with cops to lure him to her apartment. When he arrived police were waiting.

Josh Woodward is the Los Angeles-based restaurateur whose ties to Miami are the bankrupt Table 8 South Beach and his partnership in the company licensing out 8 oz. Burger Bar. Joshua Woodward has nothing to do with daily operations at the South Beach beer and burger joint.  

​Gonzalo Rivera didn't garner much attention when he took over as executive chef at the Tides South Beach last spring. A first generation Mexican-American, Rivera graduated the California Culinary Academy in 2004 and promptly got work in Michael Mina's restaurants, including a four year stint as executive chef of Mina's Nemi Restaurant. Now that he's had a few months to settle in at the Tides, Rivera is launching new lunch and dinner menus at the property's main restaurant, La Marea. Here are some highlights:

Appetizers ($10-$18) include freshly-baked and grilled naan with a piquant chipotle hummus; Australian wagyu beef sliders with fried onions and barbecue sauce; and fried, bacon-wrapped, tempura-battered shrimp served with yuzu-infused crème fraîche. Other starters come in the form of seafood crudo selections ($15-$36) and salads ($14-$18) such as organic baby arugula with roasted candy cane baby beets, Florida oranges, and a tarragon citrus vinaigrette.

Pastas ($24-$28) range from tagliatelle with wild mushrooms, red pearl onion jam, Humboldt Fog bleu cheese and porcini velouté to udon noodles with miso-glazed black grouper in coriander-scented broth and bok choy succotash. Main courses ($32-$45) include  yellowtail snapper with jasmine rice, edamame, sugar snap peas and chili-lime vinaigrette; Colorado rack of lamb with a cinnamon-scented dried Bing cherry-and-quinoa salad, with stuffed zucchini blossoms and house-made dark mole sauce; and pan-seared wahoo with squid-ink pasta, ratatouille and smoked shallot beurre blanc.  
 
All we can add is that, at these prices one would expect Rivera's fare to be every bit as spectacular as that of the Tides' former executive chef Pietro Rota. We'll see.

Jacob Katel

A slice of Comté cheese.

​Say cheese!

French cheese ambassador Cecile Delannes is on a Whole Foods America tour giving out samples and educating consumers on behalf of The French Cheese Club, "an association of five family owned French Fromageries specialized in the production of traditional French cheeses."

We ran into Cecile yesterday while researching an unrelated story (more on that later) at the Whole Foods on South Beach and were glad to try out the french cheeses she had available.

Cecile introduced us to Pont L'evêque, Livarot, and Comté, the first two on crackers, the third in slice alone, as seen above.

Cecile says of Comté, "It's a 1,000 year tradition that is something that every chef in France has. It's very good for cooking."   

Catch Cecile in person for the opportunity to win an all expense paid trip to Napa Valley. Click here for her upcoming appearance dates at South Florida Whole Foods stores.

Cecile Delannes, or as I like to call her, Cecile Fromage.

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Jacob Katel

Richie Effs and Barclay Graebner outside of Morgan's Restaurant in Wynwood.

​Get ready for real homecooked food in Wynwood. Morgan's Restaurant is a conversion from a house built in the 1930's that offers two stories worth of direct views into a neighborhood on the rise. Windows face west to North Miami Avenue club The Electric Pickle, North into 29th street and Midtown, East to an MSG Miami Style graffiti wall (and beyond to the New Times building), and South to the city from whence it draws its vibe.

The restaurant will serve modern American cuisine from a kitchen helmed by Chef Andrew Gilbert, currently of Northeast Kingdom restaurant in Brooklyn, New York.

Morgan's is jumping through the last of the city's inspection hoops before it opens at 28 NE 29th Street.

Morgan is owner Barclay Graebner's mother's maiden name. Barclay is seen above with Richie Effs, producer of Shottas, a Jamaican gangster flick starring Wyclef Jean, Kymani Marley, and Spragga Benz.

Here are some more sneak preview images of Morgan's Restaurant in Wynwood.

Picnics Diner was long a favorite when it was located in Allen's Drugstore on SW 57th Ave. A few years ago the owner died, and the diner moved to Bird Road and SW 65th Ave. In July it received a lukewarm writeup from Burger Beast. Now Picnics is out of business, and Miami's dearth of diners has just deepened.

Peppered Roast Beef - with blue cheese, raspberry cranberry relish, and greens. $8.45.

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​Rootstock: Peace, Love and Beaujolais Nouveau
We've already mentioned that this Thursday marks the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau, and that French wine producer Georges Duboeuf and its exclusive U.S. importer, W.J. Deutsch & Sons, are sponsoring a food drive to benefit Feeding South Florida. Last year, Feeding South Florida distributed approximately 21 million pounds of food (an estimated 14 million meals) to over 800 agencies in four counties and to other food banks in the state of Florida.

Here are more details: From Thursday through November 25th, the following South Beach restaurants will be serving as drop-off points for nonperishable food items: Au Pied du Cochon at 81 Washington Ave.; Café de Arts at 1360 Collins Ave.; Casanova Suites at 524 Ocean Dr.; and Clarke's at 84 1st St.. For virtual donations, go here.

Au Pied du Cochon will also be hosting a Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau kickoff party from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, featuring food, wine, and entertainment. Beginning that evening and continuing through November 25th, Au Pied will offer a complimentary taste of 2009 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau to patrons who bring in nonperishable food items for the drive.

Another Round of Beaujolais
Petit Rouge in North Miami  is offering a 3-course dinner and glass of Beaujolais Nouveau for $35 plus tax and tip. Deal starts this Thursday, November 19th, and runs through Saturday the 21st.
12409 Biscayne Blvd.; 305-892-7676.

More French Thoughts
You can get good crêpes at numerous places around town, but they never taste the same as they do on the streets of Paris. My theory: Just as Brooklyn water makes the bagel, Parisian air makes the crêpe.

In case you were wondering: The new Publix on South Beach does not stock Le Puy French lentils.