Last night was The Burgies 2010 at Transit Lounge. I’d like to thank everyone who came out to show their support and Transit Lounge for hosting it. I’ve always found that you will get “Best Of” lists with no explanation as to why they were the best. I’m not only gonna tell you who won, but why they deserve a “Burgie”.

Best Taco: Jacalito Taqueria Mexicana

Can you really find authentic tacos in Miami? The answer is Yes. You can head to Homestead to find a few but near Little Havana is Jacalito Taqueria Mexicana. Their serve a Cochinita Pibil Taco that has won my heart. I now understand why Johnny Depp’s character in Once Upon A Time In Mexico goes crazy over Cochinita Pibil.

Best Fries: Taurus’ Truffle Fries

My friend Steve from Blind Tastes assured me I would love the burger and fall in love with the fries at Taurus, he was right. Earlier in the year when we did our Burger Tour, Taurus’ fries which are topped with Truffle Oil were the hit of the tour. If you try them, you’ll become addicted also.

Best Sandwich: La Camaronera Sandwich at La Camaronera

Who would of thought I would fall in love with a shrimp sandwich, but I did. La Camaronera’s La Camaronera sandwich made me change the way I look at seafood and embrace just how great that sandwich is. If I had that sandwich when I was a kid, I may have become Fish Beast instead.

Best Hot Dog: The Yellow Dog from Yellow Submarine

I’ve had many hot dogs this year but most of them don’t come close to the Yellow Dog at Yellow Submarine. Their grilled dog with Provolone cheese, pineapple sauce, their secret homemade sauce and topped with crushed potato chips is without a doubt the best.

Best Wings: The Filling Station

The Filling Station is a burger joint. I’m not stating anything revolutionary there but their apps are great, in particular the wings. Get them plain, buffalo or spicy jerk, one bite and you’ll see what I’m talking about. The wings are soft, tasty and almost to the point of falling off the bone. Great stuff.

Best Pizza: Pizza Volante

Lapp from Worst Pizza thinks they’re one of the best pies in South Florida and I agree with him. Chef Jonathan Eismann’s Pizza Volante with its woodburning oven is turning out the best pizza in Miami. And as an added bonus, they serve RC Cola in bottles. A regular cheese slice with a bottle of RC to wash it down will put you in heaven.

Best Street Food: gastroPod

I have mad respect for what Chef Jeremiah produces out of his air stream trailer. With an ever evolving menu, gastroPod is what I envision street food to be: delicious, portable and original. No one does it better.

Best Frita: El Mago De Las Fritas

El Mago is my go to place for Fritas. He never disappoints, he’s the unsung hero of what was originally Cuban Street Food. There are plenty of Fritas in Miami but only one is stupendous and it’s a comforting feeling to know that El Mago is still behind the grill 26 years later.

Best Non-Traditional Burger: Bulgogi Burger at Sakaya Kitchen

What’s a non-traditional burger you ask? A traditional burger of course is bread, meat & cheese, maybe bacon. There’s nothing traditional about a burger topped with spicy cheese, spicy tots, Ssamjang, pork & spicy mayo but Sakaya Kitchen created it. Whatever light bulb went off in Chef Richard Hales’ head to create this burger in an Asian influenced restaurant needs to happen more often. It’s an explosion of flavor, try it and you’ll see.

Best Specialty Burger: Quickie’s Burger & Wings’ M.O.A.B. (Mother Of All Burgers)

Quickie’s giant 1 lb. M.O.A.B. is a Juicy Lucy. What’s a Juicy Lucy? A burger stuffed with cheese. Quickie’s burger is cooked over hickory so you get that nice smokey flavor but one bite into the M.O.A.B. and the cheese oozes out like molten hot magma. It’s an unreal experience and a necessary one.

Best Burger – Broward County: Charm City Burger Company

My friend Gagit and I always end up on the topic of Charm City. All the burgers at Charm City Burger Company are top notch but if I had to choose I’d tell you to have The Emperor. Well, maybe you should have The Big Sloppy. I got an idea, go & eat there. Thank me later.

Best Burger – Dade County: Latin Burger & Taco

I didn’t expect much when I first tried the Latin Macho Burger back in December of last year.  I didn’t think a food truck was going to pull off a stellar burger but a whole bunch has changed since then. There’s one thing that hasn’t, the Latin Macho’s flavors are so good I could have them all day. I probably would too but I figured I should give everyone else a chance.