8 oz. burger bar

   After the travesty that was Barton G. our next visit to Miami had to make up for it. We found a place that exceeded our expectations: 8 oz. burger bar. Located on the corner of Alton and 11th ST, the brainchild of Govind Armstrong is a clever response to the current economy. The most expensive burger on the menu is only $14. As nice an incentive as that was, we still had me make sure the food was great, so we decided to give it a shot.

   Armstrong began his culinary training at the age of 13 at Wolfgang Puck's Spago restaurant in West Hollywood. He is also the chef and co-owner of Table 8 Restaurants in Los Angeles and Miami and 8oz Burger in Los Angeles. He has appeared on the Bravo series Top Chef as a guest judge as well as a contestant on Iron Chef America.
   The first thing that struck us as we walked in was the size of the place. The restaurant and the bar area are very big. The ambiance is similar to that of a sports bar, they had four big plasma screens on the wall showing different games. The menu is also very impressive. The House Burgers included interesting choices such as a Wild Boar Burger ($13) with Honey Thyme Glaze, Roasted Mushrooms, charred Escarole and Humboldt Fog Cheese. Their house blend consists of Sirloin, Tri-Tip, Short Rib and Chuck cured in a Himalayan Salt-Tiled Locker. Their Special Creations ask that you make no substitutions, but our very friendly server Luis was glad to bend the rules for us. 

   We decided to start off like we usually do, with cocktails. Their drink menu was quite interesting, offering traditional cocktails, and more unusual libations. They have quite a large variety of draft beer, and they make cocktails out of them. I ordered a Mixed Berry Mojito ($11) and Evan had the Dr. Brown's IPA ($10) which consisted of dark beer, vanilla cognac and rootbeer liqueur. Both were very tasty. For an appetizer we wanted to have the Truffled  Potato Skins ($5) but Luis suggested we get the Mini Kobe Corndogs ($7) instead. We were glad we followed his advice. Out came a trio of plump mini corndogs with purple horseradish mustard for dipping. I freaked out a bit when I saw the three dogs on a stick, had a flashback of the flying Voodoo shrimp from the week before. So I decided to let Evan split the third one, for the sake of everyone's safety :o)

   For our main course I ordered the Smokehouse Burger ($12) which is an 8 oz. house blend patty, Applewood Smoked Bacon, aged Cheddar Cheese, lettuce, tomato, fried onions and a smoky bbq sauce. Not being a fan of bbq sauce, I asked for no sauce and ordered a side of their Green Peppercorn Aioli ($0.50). This towering burger did not disappoint, it was juice and very tasty. The kitchen towel sized napkins came in handy for this task. Evan was feeling adventurous so he ordered the Bison Burger ($12) with Roasted Garlic Tomato, Fried Onions and Bacon Crumble Blue Cheese Dressing. He was quite happy with it. The burgers don't come with sides, so we ordered the Kennebec Fries ($4) to share, which weren't bad, but not the most memorable thing we had there. 

   Being completely stuffed and quite satisfied, there was no room for dessert, even though their adult Milk Shakes ($10) were rather tempting, with options such as Bailey's, Grand Marnier, Sambucca and Castries Peanut Liquor. Altogether the bill came to $64, not bad at all. If this isn't enough to send you racing down there to try this place check this out: they're open daily until 5am with Full Kitchen/Full Bar, and they offer $5 drinks (single liquor) from open to close!!! We will definitely be back :o)