MenuPirate:Miami

Beers, Buddies, Burgers, and Big Screens (and Babes in the case of Hooters.); apart they are good but together they can make even an 0 - 7 Dolphins team watchable.

Over the past few weeks I’ve watched a good share of football around town. Usually my favorite football spots are Duffy’s Tavern, and Sunset Tavern but I’ve been catching a games at the chain places a bit more often this season.

Hooters restaurant has always been a great place to grab some cheap pitchers and watch a game specifically the Doral location on SW 87th Ave and NW 13 Terrace. My brother and I decided to catch the end of a Dolphins game there a few weeks back and The server while not only extremely pleasing to the eye was incredibly on the ball. Even with a packed house of irate Dolphins fans they kept up with our orders. The food itself was also a pleasant surprise, I had always thought that Hooters was only good for chicken wings ( Which I despise…) but my brother introduced me to their Bronze Platters.

Now I can’t seem to find these things mentioned on Hooters’ online menu , they were posted on the actual menu during my visit in a slide in specials sheet so this may have been a limited time menu item or a specific item to the Doral location but I must say I hope it makes the permanent rotation because the Blackened Herb Chicken and Caesar salad Bronze Platter was excellent.

As I remember,you have the option of deliciously seasoned Grilled Mahi or Chicken and a Caesar or Side salad on a large platter for about $7.99 for the chicken platter and market price for the Mahi. I can’t speak for the Mahi but the grilled Chicken was great and provides a good bang for your buck. The Chicken breast was HUGE and the salad was adequately sized but a bit heavy on the dressing in the case of my Caeser.

The Not So Final Verdict: Not a lot of options if your trying to eat healthy, while catching the game but the beer is cheap, the TV’s are huge and the service is awesome. If you like chicken wings this place seems to be the chain restaurant Mecca but if your like me and you’d rather have an alternative, ask about the Bronze Platter.

Below are a few quick reviews of some local independent sandwich shops.

Sub Serious

Located centrally in downtown Coral Gables, Sub Serious offers dine in and delivery service (Very Quick, by the way) to the downtown Coral Gables area. The place has a large menu including salads and other items to break away from the “Sandwich & Chips” model. This place kind of became my default lunch location for a while since they were they only shop that would deliver to my old office, plus their online ordering system is incredibly helpful in getting large lunch order or even regular orders out of the way quickly and brought to you accurately. I recommend the Hot Turkey Sub or Steak and Mushrooms.

Hungry Bear Sub Shop

Great Sub shop. Similar subs to Sub Serious and other indy sub shops but the bread really sets this place apart. Sub Serious’s bread can get soggy if your big into lettuce, tomatoes, etc. but the bread stays crisp here. Hungry Bear has 3 locations;

3399 NW 72nd Ave # 112, Miami, FL - (305) 592-2515
10521 SW 109th Ct, Miami, FL - (305) 595-8385 (Across from MDC Kendall Campus)
10408 Taft St, Pembroke Pines - (954) 704-8800

I’ve only been to the SW 109 ST location across from MDC, in a shopping plaza tucked away behind the Shell Gas Station. Great spot, big lunch time location for MDC students. The shop itself is very small and offers no indoor seating so be prepared for take out or you can take a seat outside on a few picnic tables.

I have a few others I’m gonna follow up on but let us know a bit about your favorite local sub shops… always looking for a new place to grab a sub.

I’ve had this burger almost half a dozen times and I can say it never loses its edge. I had the pleasure of introducing fellow pirateer to the glorious meat, after much insecent nagging. He was right, it’s an expensive burger far out of our way; but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the flavor once I conned him to go. I am a burger and overall meat purist; that means that I like my meat with bread and usually nothing else on it. I like to be able to feel the meat melt in my mouth as I chomp down and water it for my taste buds. I want to taste each chunk that slowly falls from the tender meat center.

The Triple Prime is cooked well, made from excellent beef, comes on the most unique and flavour-adding buns, is accompanied by perfect fries

Ruby Tuesday prides themselves on “fine American dining.” Translation: food that you get everywhere else but on fancy white square plates for a bit more money and in a “memorabilia wall” environment.. oh, but is it worth it! Tuesdays is a place I go to maybe once a month, mainly because it’s a bit out of the way and partly because the staff isn’t the best (at least at Deerwood Plaza). But when you want to be shown how American food gets done right, with style and flavor, Tuesdays is the place to go.

Despite the bright reds and yellows on the weather radar and all of the advice against it, I still felt it imperative to get out on the bicycle yesterday for a 40 some odd miler. Leaving the Gables area with an equally crazy friend around 2 PM we ventured down 8th street, up Biscayne Blvd and across the Venetian Causeway ultimately arriving hungry and soggy on the Beach.

After weaving through the crowds on Lincoln Road and Washington we strolled up on Sandwich Q Bano . I remember seeing this place a few weeks ago and putting it on my snack list, hungry and decidedly against Pizza, I figured there was no better time then now to stop by.

The place occupies the corner unit of a 5 story condo and office building on the corner of Washington and 2nd St. Parking would usually be a hassle but seeing as it was a rainy Sunday afternoon and we were on bikes that didn’t seem to be a problem.

In short the place serves up Cuban style sandwiches in a cleaned up franchise like environment. If your looking for Cuban Coffee or any type of fruit shake or “batido” your shit out of luck here. This took a little bit of adjustment for me at first, the place smelled like new concrete instead of brewing coffee or cigar smoke. There was no water jug outside or window I could order from… I actually had to walk in and sit down after ordering my food and most unsettling of all; there was soccer playing on the giant plasma TV hanging on the wall on not one mention of Fidel within ear shot…

Esto no pasa en Cuba Little Havana.

Once I bit into my Media Noche all those reservations went away. The sandwich itself was very good and on par with most of the stuff you get back on the mainland. Thick but not overwhelming and the bread was nice and fresh. Better still it went down just fine with a Jupiña Pineapple Soda (one of my favorites). The price at about $5 dollars was on par with what you would expect and for Beach lunch standards I would venture to call the place a good deal. The best part of the sandwich itself was the unexpected addition of a garlic “homestyle” sauce which can be seen the in the picture above in the little condiment container. This sauce really makes a difference and adds a unique taste to what would have otherwise been a run of the mill lunch.

The menu includes many other sandwiches among them, a Hawaiian sandwich which combines Pineapple, Ham and Mozzarella cheese on French Bread and a few salads to round off the menu.

Final Verdict : Not one of the best Cuban Sandwiches in Miami, Sergio’s and Sarussi share that honor but if your ever looking for some lunch South of 5th Street around the South Pointe area , it’s worth a try.

…is awesome.

From the “texas toast” style bun to the thick patty of tender meat the thing is simply burger perfection. I had it with all the fixings ; cheese, lettuce, onions , tomatoes and a few carefully selected after market modifications from the unlimited salad bar I had as an appetizer. The Ruby Tuesday’s website describes the Triple Prime as …

Triple Prime Burger
100% USDA Prime beef with prime tenderloin, prime rib eye and prime sirloin fresh ground, blended and grilled. With garlic mayonnaise.

But it’s a lot more than that. it shares a rectangular plate some excellent fries. I’d still have to say Friday’s has the better fries but sitting next to this burger they do a great job of rounding off the meal.

The burger is between $10 and $11 dollars which is a great price for a truly premium burger. Finding a Ruby Tuesday’s isn’t quite as simple as say, finding a Friday’s or Chilli’s but the locations are out there if your willing to find them or fortunate to live by one. I visited the Deerwood Plaza location across from Metro Zoo on SW 152 ST right off the Turnpike. If you interested in locations from West Palm to South Dade click here.

If you’ve never been to a Ruby Tuesday it’s comparable to TGI Fridays, Chilli’s, or Applebees. Well rounded menu structured around a few signature of featured items. Lots of random junk hanging off the walls as usual with this class of casual dining establishments. Rumor has it though that the corporate powers that be may be dropping the “casual dining” style, switching the emphasis of their menu to higher quality dishes and premium beer and wine. (thank you wiki!)

I’d also recommend the Sliders (Mini Burgers) and their soups are pretty good too.

A lot of eateries have come and gone on the corner of 57 Ave and Sunset Drive. Off the top of my head I can remember about one or two attempts at a Japanese place and one Italian style restaurant. I can also vaguely recall an earlier attempt at Mexican food on the intersection across from Dan Marino’s. When I saw the Cacti emblazoned logo of Qdoba Mexican Grill going up at the location I was unaware that it was not some start up but rather a pretty large franchise deal with locations across the US. I assumed it would fold as so many others have in the area.

Of course being a pessimistic person doesn’t necessarily detract from my intense love of Mexican food so needless to say I had to try the place and I must say It was great. The first thing you notice is that the restaurant is very slimmed down as far as presentation. No sombreros or over the top Mexican theming just subtle accents which seems to help create a laid back atmosphere.

When you take a gander at the menu it seems to be laid out in “plain english” and gets pretty much to the point. Their claim to fame is the naked burrito which consists basically of the filling of a burrito (rice, beans,chicken or beef etc.) poured into a bowl with an optional tortilla. I usually get a Steak or Chicken burrito which always fill me up and taste exceptional. The fact that you can choose what goes into your taco, burrito or quesadilla every visit adds a lot of return value to the place as you can have the steak burrito five or six times and have it taste a little different each time by switching from pinto to black beans or changing any of the other optionals as you go. The ability to customize your meal is what makes this place a great lunch spot as they turn out fresh tasting Mexican food quickly for only a couple of bucks more than Taco Hell Bell you can’t go wrong with this place.

If your looking for authentic Mexican food on the other hand Qdoba is bit off that path. The selection of ingredients is really cut and try and the place is far from mom and pop as locations have been springing up all over the country. Just within the last year three locations have sprung up in South Florida with one on Miracle Mile ridiculously located a few spaces down from Baja Fresh and another coming up down in Pinecrest to compliment the South Miami Town Center location.

If mama and papa style Mexican is what your seeking Qdoba is not for you. But if your out to lunch in the South Gables or South Miami area and you want good Mexican food in a hurry without the inevitable guilt or gastrointestinal fear of slipping through a Taco Bell drive thru then Qdoba is the perfect place to stop. Their simplified menu and fresh ingredients make the place worth a visit. The ability to customize your food makes them great for catering as well which I imagine would be a hit at any meeting.

What better place to sink my teeth into whats cooking in Miami than one of the many and might I say awesome pizzerias off US1 or as I like to call it, Miami’s Pizza Corridor. Read the full post for a complete review but if your interested in the quick and dirty just check out the vital statistics.

Vital Statistics

Casola’s Pizzeria & Subs
2437 SW 17 AVE. Miami FL, 33145Phone: 305-858-0090
Delivery : Yes , $15 Minimum , Call for Delivery Fee Info.
Payment Options: Cash only for Dine In, Credit Cards Accepted for Delivery
Hours:
M - Th : 11 AM - 2 AM
Fri - Sat : 11 AM - 4 AM
Sun : 11 AM - 1 AM
Detailed Menu & Info Available at Casola’s Website

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