Archive for West Miami
I left my Heart at Leo’s Pizza in Miami
Posted by: | CommentsLeo’s Pizza has been sorely overlooked on burgerbeast.com. It’s one of the few places that I frequent that I don’t think I’ve ever even mentioned on here. It might be because I’d like to think that everyone knows about Leo’s Pizza since it’s been around since the ’80s.
In the early ’90s there were only 3 Pizza Joints that I ate at: The Big Cheese, Frank’s Pizza (on SW 8th St & 81st) and Leo’s Pizza. I had just discovered how much better the little independent shops were than the Noid and all his corporate friends. The Big Cheese was not as close to my home base of Westchester so it was always a tough decision between Frank’s and Leo’s. Frank’s is now unfortunately closed.
One of the best things about eating at a Mom & Pop shop is the service you receive. You come here often enough and they know you and your likes. You call in to place an order and they recognize you and ask how everything’s going. It’s like that at Leo’s.
The Pepperoni Pizza would be my suggestion for your first time here. It’s delicious and they don’t skimp out on the pep. I like the straight up Cheese or if my wife is not around, the Pepperoni and Ground Beef Pizza. The crust is a little on the thick but I’m OK with that.
On the surface of the Pepperoni Pizza
Luis Galindo’s Latin American Bakery & Cafe in West Miami
Posted by: | CommentsLuis Galindo’s Latin American Bakery & Cafe is one of the greatest things to happen to me food wise in the last few years. I love Luis Galindo’s Latin American Restaurant which is right next door but sometimes it’s just filled to capacity and I’ll be forced to order food to go. Enter the Bakery & Cafe which is not open as late as the resto but has a menu all its own along with sandwiches, fresh baked pastries and desserts. It’s also right near where I live which doesn’t hurt.
I come here for a few particular things. I always order the Cafe con Leche (Espresso with Steamed Milk) with Tostadas (Buttered & Toasted Cuban Bread). It could be for a late-ish dinner at 9:30PM or an afternoon lunch type deal but it always hits the spot.
Fun Galindo’s Bread Fact: Did you know Luis Galindo’s Latin American Bakery & Cafe sells Whole Wheat Cuban Bread? True Story!
Cafe con Leche
Harrison’s Sports Grill – West Miami, Florida
Posted by: | Comments
I drive down 57th Avenue between Coral Way and 8th Street a few times a week. Harrison’s replaced a restaurant that had seen better days and looked worn out for years now. Harrison’s color scheme is the same as the Hurricanes which means we know who their target audience is. It’s not too far from the UM campus which makes sense. The starters include Jalapeno Poppers, SWern Eggrolls, Mozz Sticks and Loaded Nachos but on both trips there I had the wings.
The Wings are flash fried and then grilled, very reminiscent of Sports Grill (who are hailed as Best Wings by about 90% of Miami). The first time, I tried Dante’s Inferno which were really not that hot. The wings themselves are a near masterpiece of flavor. A few days later when I returned, we ordered the BBQ wings which drowned out the great taste of the wing itself with a really delicious BBQ sauce. Both are winners in my book.
Harrison’s Hot Dog appears to be about a 1/4 all beef dog, served on a toasted, lightly buttered dog bun. Options? You can go either Chili, Cheese, Kraut or Chili Cheese. I tried the Chili Cheese Dog and I didn’t dig the chili at all. On the 2nd go around, I had the Cheese Dog which was great. It’s sliced in half and slightly crispy from the grill.The cheese is nacho cheese type sauce.
Before we get to the burger you should know that there’s a Philly Cheese Steak & Chicken Philly on the menu that I didn’t get to try, that’s for you Cheesesteak-o-holics. As per the menu, the Harrison’s 1/2 lb. Burger is half a pound & seemed quite larger to me. I had the burger with Swiss Cheese but if you so desire you can add Mushrooms, Jalapeños, Bacon or even an extra patty.
The burgers are served with potato chips, fries will run you about 3 bucks more. The fries are of the crinkle cut frozen variety and not worth the $2.95. When I had the burger with American Cheese and Bacon I liked it a whole bunch more. It’s a good burger and much better than the one served at Duffy’s right down the street. I liked Harrison’s and I’ll be back to try out their Philly(s) very soon.
Harrison’s Sports Grill
1674 SW Red Road, West Miami
305-262-5517
Luis Galindo’s Latin American – West Miami, Florida
Posted by: | Comments
I don’t go to Luis Galindo’s Latin American nearly as much as my parents do. I’ve been here once with them but mostly I’ve gotten take out which has traveled surprisingly well. All your favorite Cuban dishes are here.
 |
| Delicious Cuban Bread |
The bread served as a precursor to your meal is worth getting greedy over. The steaks are great, particularly their breaded steak. I lean towards the Bistec de Pollo a la Milanesa (breaded chicken steak, tomato sauce, ham & cheese), which is probably the best I’ve ever had, and I’ve had quite a few in my time (keep your jokes to yourself please).
 |
| Luis Galindo’s Croqueta’s |
The Croquetas are pretty good also. My mother loves the chicken and my dad, the sandwiches. The Cuban Sandwich Especial (same ingredients as a Cuban sandwich only larger: thick sliced pork & ham, swiss cheese, mustard and pickles on toasted cuban bread) here is a must have.
 |
| Sandwich Making Area |
 |
| Galindo’s Sandwich Cubano Especial |
Galindo’s recently added a Frita to their menu that my parents swear by. I tried it and thought it was pretty good but not the best as they claim.
 |
| Sign hyping their Frita |
 |
| Chef Alberto’s Frita Cubana |
It does get full around dinner time which is why I order take-out. If you can stand the wait, nothing beats eating the food right there. Oh yeah, this place is small and loud, ear plugs are required unless you want to listen in on the goings on in your neighbor’s life, which might not be such a bad way to pass the time.
 |
| Winner of the 2009 Burger Beast Burgie for Best Cuban Sandwich |
Luis Galindo’s Latin American
898 SW 57th Ave, West Miami, FL
305-267-9995
Fritas Domino La Original – West Miami, Florida
Posted by: | Comments
Fritas Domino La Original has been around since 1961, but not at this particular location. It used be somewhere in Little Havana. The decor and seating have a very 1970s skating rink feel to it. The oddest thing was that after I placed my order and went to fill my cup with Coke, (it tasted absolutely horrendous) there was a group of older people who were seated having a very Que Pasa USA? ( a Miami TV show which was in Spanglish) conversation.
Fritas Domino in the Miami Herald
Fritas Domino in El Nuevo Herald
Fritas Domino in El Nuevo Herald
This one guy was speaking in perfect English, the little old lady was responding in cliche ridden Spanish and the other fellow was just silent. They were discussing Cuba. I know, what a shock, discussing Cuba in a Frita joint. Anyway, so I order a Frita (generally a mixture of some ground Meat and/or Pork with Chorizo and Paprika), a Perro Enrollado (Hot Dog wrapped in Bacon) and an order of Fries and the previously mentioned horrible Coke which I dumped in its entirety.
Perro Enrollado
The fries were bad and tasted like oil. The Perro Enrollado while a great idea, was flawed in execution. The Hot Dog was some cheapy dog split in half, with American cheese in the middle and then wrapped in Bacon. It was served on Cuban bread and topped with the Julienne Potatoes with some Ketchup layering the bottom. The center was cold and somehow the cheese was not even melted.
Fritas Domino's Frita
An Almost Gone Frita from Fritas Domino
The Frita (with Julienne Potatoes, Ketchup and diced Onions) was pretty good. I was disappointed that a regular Hamburger roll was used instead of a Cuban bread roll. It did have a Chorizo flavor and there was a slight sweetness to it. If you check out Fritas Domino, I’d stick to a Frita with a glass bottle of Coke & you’ll be good.
Fritas Domino La Original
936 SW 67th Avenue Miami, Fl 33144
305-266-8477
La Palma – West Miami, Florida
Posted by: | Comments
Eating at La Palma is a family tradition. I can recall many moments, joyous or otherwise where we ate their Churros (fried dough with sugar) and Hot Chocolate . La Palma is also known for their Croquetas and Fritas (Cuban Hamburger). As far as the Croquetas go, they’re ok and the seasoning is more overpowering than the actual ham in it.
Croquetas
When I first ate a Frita as a kid via a place called Morro Castle in Hialeah, I was little apprehensive about it. I had never seen or heard of a Frita before. My father tells me that it’s “The Cuban Hamburger” but that certainly didn’t seem like any hamburger I’d seen before. So, I’m served this thing and I of course open the lid to see what’s going on. I see these little tiny Potatoes (some places serve them with canned potato sticks unfortunately), Onions (generally served raw), Ketchup (sometimes) and Cheese of course if you request it. When I took a look at the patty itself I didn’t know what to think but dog food certainly came to mind. My dad said it was good and I felt like I would be letting him down if I didn’t at least try it. So I did, and that brings us back to speed and La Palma.
La Palma's Frita
I like La Palma’s Frita although it is more of an actual patty and not some smashed meat on the griddle. They also make their own julienne potatoes, which is always a good thing. And the best thing about La Palma? Their walk up window is open 24 hours.
Hungry at all times:
La Palma
6091 SW 8th Street, Miami, Fl
305-261-1113
Hours: Open 24 Hours
Duffy’s Tavern – West Miami, Florida
Posted by: | Comments
Just about the time I turned of legal drinking age, I went to Duffy’s Tavern for some sporting event and I remember eating their burger. Back then, a burger was just a burger to me but Duffy’s was different. It was way better than any burger I had eaten at that point. Flash forward and Duffy’s Tavern is not really the “hot spot” it was years ago but it still does have a loyal following.
I decided it might be time to give this place a go again and find out just how good their burgers are. I ordered a couple of appetizers to begins with: the Jalapeno Poppers (stuffed with Cheddar Cheese) and the Buffalo Bites ( chunks of Chicken with spicy breading). The Jalapeno Poppers are pretty standard stuff but hey, that doesn’t mean it’s bad (just what’s expected). The Buffalo Bites taste like something you might buy at Sam’s Club or Costco, not horrible but something you can definitely recreate yourself. We also tried the 1/4 lb. Chili Cheese Dog, which happens to be pretty good and pretty big (not really a fan of their chili though).
1/4 lb. Hot Dog
As for the “Duffy’s Best Burgers” portion of the menu , I ordered the Onion Burger, “smothered with Grilled Onions“, a direct quote from their menu. The smothered with Grilled Onions is a bit of an overstatement but the burger did give the burger some much flavor.
Onion Burger
Duffy’s 1/2 lb. charbroiled sirloin patty is served on a kaiser roll. The fries were ok but I would not be opposed to trying their Cheese Fries if properly executed. My wife dared to order the Duffy’s Death Burger even though the menu does not specify what’s on it. I asked our server about the ingredients and was told Horseradish, Jalapeños and some spicy seasoning. She felt the burger wasn’t spicy at all. So I tried it and could not taste any heat whatsoever. I will leave you on this note: I shall return to Duffy’s Tavern to try one other thing: the Italian Burger (topped with Marinara Sauce and Parmesan Cheese). This one could definitely go either way.
Duffy’s Tavern
2108 SW 57th Avenue, Miami, Fl
305-264-6580
El Mago De Las Fritas – West Miami, Florida
Posted by: | Comments
El Mago De Las Fritas is located on 8th street in Miami. It’s not the only frita place on 8th street though. Approximately 10 years ago on my way home from my parent’s house I came across El Mago De Las Fritas . The first few times I attempted to stop here, there were no parking spaces available (there are only 3 spots). One day I was finally able to find a parking space and taste their Frita. I regret not having made the effort to find parking sooner elsewhere.
Do not park in one of the 3 reserved spots unless of course you are eating there. If you do, you might witness El Mago (yes, the owner is really referred to as this, it means “Magician”) going outside and screaming at them to move their cars with spatula in hand. He’s too awesome. You must of course order the Frita.
Frita Original
A Frita or Cuban Hamburger is usually a combination of ground Beef, Chorizo and spices topped with Onions, homemade Julienne Potatoes, and Ketchup (not always) on a Cuban Bread Roll. El Mago claims there is no Chorizo in his frita but I don’t believe him. The Frita has a very distinct flavor and will cause a flavor explosion in your mouth. There is no burger that tastes anything like this. And don’t get your Frita with cheese, unless you want to look like a tourist.
Frita w/Cheese
I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you the Frita with cheese is good but nothing beats the original. You can also order a Frita Doble (double meat) or Frita a Caballo (with a fried egg).
Frita Doble
Frita a Caballo
They’re all delicious. You must also make sure to order the fries at El Mago de las Fritas, there’s something very high school about them.
The Magical Fries w/Ketchup pond
Fritas aren’t the only thing on the menu here. El Mago makes a mean Pan con Bistec (Steak Sandwich) with the julienne Potatoes & Onions. The Pan con Tortilla (Omelet Sandwich) with Ham, julienne Potatoes and Onions is another winner.
Pan Con Bistec
Pan Con Tortilla
On Saturdays he makes Chicharrones (fried Pork Rinds). His homemade Flan is also great but don’t get ahead of yourself. Start with a Frita because this is the best Frita in town hands down!
All Hail El Mago:
El Mago De Las Fritas
5828 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL
305-266-8486
