If I had to pick my favorite burger joint so far, I would pick Heavy Burger in Aventura; their Motley Burger was insanely good and so was the vibe of the place and the service.
Now that's just me. To get a more general idea of what people consider "good" burger joints, Urbanspoon, a website where people can write reviews and rate restaurants, has put together a top 50 list of the best burger places in South Florida.
The list is made using complex algorithms that combine positive and negative reviews. Whoever has more and better reviews comes out on top. The results in the list show that by far Five Guys Burger and Fries is the people's choice.
Here are the first top 10 burger joints on the list:
1. Five Guys Burgers and Fries in Kendall/Pinecrest (13440 S.W. 120th St.)
2. Five Guys Burgers and Fries in Kendall/Pinecrest (10471 S.W. 88th St. Ste B-10.)
Heading to Yard House at the posh Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach I wasn’t planning to do a review—in fact I wasn’t even planning to eat a burger.
The place looks like a high-end mix between a pub, a bar and a restaurant; it includes elements of all three: a huge selection of beers, deep leather booths, dark wood tables, outside seating and a massive open kitchen.
The menu cover the entire realm of American cuisine, from pizza and sandwiches to anything seafood.
As far as the burger offerings go, they got my attention. Most burgers go for about $11. Here’s the burger menu:
Avocado Swiss: lettuce, tomato, red onion and roasted garlic aioli. Classic Cheese: lettuce, tomato, red onion, roasted garlic aïoli and choice of cheese. BBQ Bacon Cheddar: applewood smoked bacon, rum bbq sauce and roasted garlic aioli. Hawaiian: fresh chopped pineapple, pepper jack, aloha sauce and roasted garlic aioli. Pepper Jack: roasted green chiles, roasted garlic aïoli and pepper jack. Turkey Burger: house made, roasted roma tomatoes, mozzarella and roasted garlic aioli. Pepper Crusted Gorgonzola: marsala sautéed crimini mushrooms, caramelized onions and baby spinach. Béarnaise: classic béarnaise sauce and fried onions. Surf & Turf: maine lobster sautéed in garlic butter, grilled asparagus, Swiss cheese and tomato béarnaise.
I had the Pepper Crusted Gorgonzola burger
Let’s start with the meat. The patty looked to be eight or nine ounces even though the menu didn’t specify. Flavor wise it was great: really smoky, juicy but not rare and good chunky grounding.
Everything else was not extremely tasty but served to add layers of flavor.
If the menu didn’t say the cheese was gorgonzola I would have thought it was brie; it was very creamy and rich. The crimini mushrooms tasted more like a roasted green pepper and the caramelized onions I could not taste at all.
The potato bun did not stand out but was in tune with the rest of the burger.
Overall the burger was very good and beats out burgers I’ve tried at some of the so-called gourmet burger joints. The patty was the main character in this act and that’s very important. The other ingredients were a fitting supporting cast.
Here's what other people are saying about Yard House:
David D. - Great location, often crowded and noisy indoors but worth the wait. Extensive menu with something for everyone. Good burgers, sandwiches, and main dishes as well. Try the vodka spiked Brazilian Lemonade for a refreshing drink.
Patricia K. - This place is NOT GOOD. Its a nice place to go watch a game, but the food here is embarrassing- specially the salads and burgers, which are usually the only eatable things at bars. The service is lacking, and I recommend you don't bother with the truffle fries!! (worst truffle fries ever) TVs, onion rings, and beer are the only things that I would go to Yard House for.
Megan W. - My bf and I split the lunch sized Mac and Cheese and the Bernaise Burger. The food was very good and reasonably priced.
Sergio F. - My BBQ burger was actually well done as requested while retaining some juicyness. The included BBQ sauce was thinner than most other places but at the same time sweeter and spicier than Ive had lately. Big WIN on the sauce!
Chef Michael Symon knows a thing or two about burgers.
In 2010, Bon Appetit Magazine included his Cleveland restaurants, called B Spot, on its list of “Top 10 Best New Burger Joints.” And B Spot’s Fat Doug burger won the People’s Choice award at the 2011 SoBe Wine and Food Festival Amstel Light Burger Bash.
Here is his recipe for his "Lola Burger," which has a burger patty sandwiched between muffin halves along with pickle slices, red onion, bacon, an egg, and spicy ketchup. Via foodnetwork.com:
Lola Burger
Ingredients:
8 slices bacon
24 ounces ground beef, 75 percent lean
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
4 thin slices Cheddar
4 English muffins, split
4 large eggs
1 dill pickle, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Pickled Red Onions, recipe follows
4 teaspoons Spicy Ketchup, recipe follows
Cook's Note: Symon's favorite mix of meats for this burger is chuck, sirloin, and brisket
Directions:
Build a medium-hot fire in your grill or preheat a stovetop grill pan.
Cook the bacon in a saute pan over medium-high heat, turning once, until crisp, about five minutes. Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain. Reserve the bacon fat in the pan.
Form the ground beef into four patties, each about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Season the patties with salt and cracked black pepper, to taste. Put the burgers on the grill or in the grill pan and cook for 3 minutes. Flip and top each burger with a slice of cheese. Grill for three minutes for medium-rare. Remove them to a plate. Add the English muffins to the grill or grill pan and toast for 1 minute.
Cook the eggs sunny side up in the bacon fat while the burgers rest.
Build the burgers by sandwiching them between the muffin halves along with pickle slices, red onion, bacon, an egg, and some spicy ketchup.
Pickled Red Onions:
2 pounds red onions, sliced
White wine vinegar
Sugar
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
4 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
Pack the onions in 2 (1-quart) jars and cover with enough water to come within 1/2-inch of the rim. Pour the water out into a measuring cup. Note the volume, pour off half the water, and replace it with vinegar. Add two tablespoons of sugar and two tablespoons of salt for every three cups of liquid.
Pour the vinegar mixture into a nonreactive saucepan, add the mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, garlic, and bay leaves, and bring to a boil over high heat. Allow the liquid to boil for two minutes, and then remove it from the heat.
Pour the hot liquid into the jars to cover the onions and screw on the lids. Refrigerate for up to one month.
Spicy Ketchup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
Kosher salt
5 Fresno chiles, seeded and minced
1 ancho chile, seeded and minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 cinnamon stick
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 cups water
In a nonreactive 2-quart saucepan over medium heat add the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, and a large pinch of salt. Saute until translucent, about two minutes. Add the Fresno chiles, ancho chile, and red pepper flakes. Cook for one to two minutes. Add the brown sugar, cumin, cinnamon, tomato paste, and vinegar and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in 3 cups of water, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook over low heat for two hours.
Remove the ketchup from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick. Puree the mixture in a blender and strain through a sieve, pushing down on the any solids. Let cool and pour into a storage container. Cover the container and refrigerate for up to one month.
Check out this video of chef Symon making his signature burger at ABC's The Chew:
A few weeks ago I wrote that tickets were available for the 2012 Amstel Light Burger Bash, a food gathering that brings some of the most renowned chefs in the country to compete for the best burger title.
The only problem for some of us is to have to dish out $250 per person for tickets. I just found the solution: don't go. Save the cash and head to Magic City Casino for the 2011 Burger Beast Burgie Awards on Nov. 19. It's free.
Over 40 food trucks from as far as Tampa and Orlando will also be at the event duking it out in their respective category.
The event will take place from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Magic City Casino is located at 450 N.W. 37th Ave. in Miami.
Sef “The Burger Beast” Gonzalez started blogging about burgers in 2008 much like me, because he loved to eat them and was trying to find the best one. Now, he also blogs about other types of comfort foods and has been putting together the event for the last three years.
There will also be a showing on a big screen of the documentary called Hamburger America.
Here's a list with the burger joints participating in the competition:
Burger & Beer Joint (South Beach)
Charm City Burger Company (Deerfield Beach)
Cheeseburger Baby (South Beach)
Georgie’s Alibi (Wilton Manors)
Gilbert’s 17th Street Grill (Ft. Lauderdale)
Jr’s Gourmet Burgers (Miami Springs)
The Local (Coral Gables)
Pincho Factory (Westchester)
Quickie’s Burgers & Wings (Hollywood)
Sakaya Kitchen (Wynwood)
Tobacco Road (Brickell)
Another national chain of semi-fast food restaurants jumps on the gourmet burger wagon that’s sweeping through South Florida.
This time is Smashburger, a Colorado-based chain of burger joints with over 100 locations nationwide that’s set to open its first South Florida restaurant on Nov. 15 in Coral Springs, according to Broward New Times.
The name of the place comes from the way the burgers are prepared: by smashing the patties on a 400-degree flat grill using a metal plate to sear in all the juicy flavors.
Besides the Coral Springs location, two other Smashburgers are set to open in Kendal and North Miami Beach. I’ve actually seen the “coming soon” sign and Smashburger logo outside the soon-to-be NMB restaurant, which is going to be located near Florida International University's Biscayne Bay Campus.
All three locations are part of a plan by the company to open close to 200 restaurants nationwide by 2012, writes Inc.com.
A few weeks ago I went ahead and asked Smashburger through Twitter when their NMB location was going to open:
It seems like plans have delayed a bit.
Local food blogger Burger Beast says Smashburger's menu will have new items just for the South Florida market, including:
Spicy Baja Black Bean Burger: Pepper Jack cheese, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, onion, spicy chipotle mayo and jalapenos on a spicy chipotle bun.
Skinny Chicken: All-White Meat, grilled or crispy chicken sandwiches combined with toppings such as goat cheese, spinach, avocado, mango, pineapple or grilled onions.
The Coral Springs’ Smashburger will be located at 1840 N. University Drive.
Food Network star Guy Fieri probably has the best job in the world. In his show Diners, drive-ins and dives, Fieri gets to travel the country sampling the best, greasiest comfort food the 50 states have to offer.
But he's also got some skills in the kitchen, here's his recipe for an inside out (read two huge patties with ingredients sandwiched in between) burger with Worcestershire tomato ketchup. Via foodnetwork.com:
Ingredients:
1/4 pound bacon, chopped
1/2 cup minced red onions
3 tablespoons fresh uncooked chorizo, out of casing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds ground chuck, 80/20 mix
1/2 pound Swiss cheese, thinly sliced, about 8 slices
4 kaiser rolls, split and toasted
Worcestershire Tomato Ketchup:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup diced red onion
8 Roma tomatoes, skinned, seeded, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch allspice
Pinch celery salt
Pinch mustard seed
In medium saute pan over medium heat, add oil and onions. Cook until brown and caramelized. Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook for a few minutes, just to soften the vegetables. Then add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.
You can either serve the ketchup chunky or puree it in a blender first and serve it smooth.
Directions:
In a medium pan over medium to high heat, add bacon and onions, cook until the bacon is rendered but not crisp. Add the chorizo and cook until done. Remove the bacon mixture to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool.
Divide ground chuck into eight equal parts. Form into a loose ball, and create 4-inch patties. Layer one piece of cheese onto the center of one patty. Top with 1/4 bacon mixture, another slice of cheese, then add another patty on top and gently seal edges and form into a patty, about four inches wide and one and a half inches high. Repeat with the remaining patties to make a total of four large patties.
Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat. Place all four patties in the pan and cook for three to four minutes on 1 side, then gently turn over and cook for another three to four minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and pop it in a 250-degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, place onto rolls and serve with Worcestershire tomato ketchup.
If you're too lazy to read the instructions, you can just go ahead and watch Fieri as he makes his burger recipe:
My experience at Duffy’s Sports Grill had been positive, so I decided to check out Miller’s Ale House, a sports bar in North Miami Beach, to see what they had to offer in the burger realm.
Miller’s Ale House is arguably one of the biggest sports bar chains in the country. While most locations are in Florida, others are also spread out in Georgia, Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania.
I’ve been to two so far, the NMB one and another one in Orlando. Both looked exactly the same: a larger version of Flannigan’s—with its wooden walls and all-American feel—minus the fishing artifacts plus more TV screens.
The burger menu was extremely uninspired and claimed all burgers weighted 8 ounces, which I soon found out it wasn’t even close to that. Here are NMB Ale House’s burgers:
Basic Burger: half pound (8 ounces) of fresh broiled sirloin.
Cheese Burger: choice of Swiss, American, cheddar or provolone
British Burger: topped with swiss cheese and bacon strips.
Bistro Burger: stacked high with cheddar cheese, bacon, sliced pickle, an onion ring and bistro sauce served on a toasted ciabatta bun.
Turkey Burger: no description other than “seasoned to perfection.”
I had the Bistro Burger
Let’s start with the bread. On paper, a ciabatta bun seemed like a creative and unusual option that could have added a layer of garlicky flavor to the burger, but in practice it was a total failure. The bun was tough and quite dry.
The patty was tiny, closer to 6 ounces than 8 ounces. Although it did have some nice charbroiled flavor the execution was totally off—the meat was cooked “well done” making it very dry.
The high points were the bacon and the bistro sauce.
The bacon was good because there was a lot of it and it was perfectly cooked; not too crispy that when you take a bite it breaks in pieces and not too raw. The bistro sauce tasted like a mix between Argentine chimichurri and ranch dressing--it was the star of the burger.
Conceptually, the Bistro Burger seemed like a good idea, but NMB Ale House completely failed to deliver on their promise. I’m sad to say it was by far the worst burger I’ve had since I started the blog.
This is what others are saying about NMB Ale House:
Ivonne Marie C.- I ate at the North Miami Ale House for the second time in my life last night. It was not bad, it was not great. Our waitress was nice, very friendly, perhaps overly friendly. I ordered the zinger tacos, which is a new menu item. They were good. I should have thought that I'm not a big fan of buffalo sauce, but hey, my hubs is and I saved one for him, which he had after his burger and he loved it. Thought it was better than the burger itself. It had medium sauce, and according to him it was the right mix of spicy and mild to not cause your stomach to explode. He had their main burger, can't remember the name right now, the ones that comes w/the onion ring. It was alright, I've tasted better - but don't take it from me, I'm not a burger person.
David G.- I was looking for some good, cheap bar food after kayaking all day at Oleta State Park. I really didn't expect too much... maybe a good burger. It's funny how bad this place was
Ric Stolz-I've had a couple burgers and some salads here. The salads were surprisingly fresh. The burgers were ok. My sweet potato fries were cool-ish, but otherwise good. The service is lacking - it always takes forever to put in your order. Getting it takes even longer. Getting your check is a hassle. And the staff is always trying to up-sell you - "NO! For the tenth time, I don't want a shot."
