Bird & Bone in Miami Beach, Florida – CLOSED

It took a visit to Bird & Bone (4041 Collins Avenue) restaurant to get me to leave the mainland of Miami and hit up South Beach; it’s a different world over there. However, I’ve been a fan of Chef Richard Hales, or as I refer to him, Sir Richard, since Sakaya Kitchen rocked my world for the first time years ago.

His new restaurant, Bird & Bone, is at the Confidante Hotel in Miami Beach. There is valet parking, and a few blocks away is a parking garage if that’s more your speed. I gladly chose valet (which can get validated) and waltzed right in.

There is limited seating inside, but I opt to sit outdoors under the canopy-type roofing. There’s a gentle breeze during lunchtime, plus the pictures will look much better if taken with natural light.

I’m by myself, which means my wife Marcela will not try to convince me to order in a more civilized manner, full BEAST mode here. It sounds crazy, but I order 3 Starters, 3 Tacos, 3 Sandwiches, and 3 Desserts.

Before I get started, take a look at the menu below.

Bird & Bone Menu

Bird & Bone Menu Page 1
Bird & Bone Menu Page 1
Bird & Bone Menu Page 2
Menu Page 2

Get This Party Started Right

I got the party started with the cheddar & chive biscuits, the country ham & cheese board, plus the egg salad jar. Those cheddar & chive biscuits with Wife Hales’ strawberry preserves were heaven.

The ham and cheese board, something I rarely order, made my day with the jalapeño jelly. As for the egg salad, my mom makes my favorite egg salad, BUT this one is pretay pretay good plus those heirloom corn chips were out of this world.

Florida Cheddar & Chive Biscuits w/Strawberry Preserves
Florida Cheddar & Chive Biscuits w/Strawberry Preserves
Benton's Country Ham & Cheese
Benton’s Country Ham & Cheese
Pickles, Corn Chips & Jalapeño Jelly
Pickles, Corn Chips & Jalapeño Jelly
Egg Salad Jar with Heirloom Corn Chips
Egg Salad Jar with Heirloom Corn Chips

Trio of Tacos

There isn’t a Trio of Tacos. Instead, there are three tacos to choose from; it just so happens I ordered all three.

The vegetarian option is the Rajas con Queso (poblano pepper, onion, Oaxaca cheese, lime crema); it was excellent. The beef option is the Steak Nina (cumin-spiced skirt, scallion, Oaxaca cheese, jalapeño verde). The poultry option is Chef Hales’ Hot Chicken Taco (hot fried chicken, Florida honey, house mustard, pickles).

If I had to choose a winner, gun to my head, since I liked all three tacos, I’d say the Steak Nina taco takes it with its seasoning.

Bird & Bone Trio of Tacos
Trio of Tacos
Raja Taco
Raja Taco
Hot Chicken Taco
Hot Chicken Taco
Steak Nina Taco
Steak Nina Taco

A “Cubano”

On the sandwich side, I went with the Cubano grilled cheese (pulled pork, Benton’s ham, pickled red onion, Swiss cheese, house mustard, pickles).

He could have just called it an empanada, and it’d still be great, but a Cubano and grilled cheese, it’s not. It does come with a side of that killer Alabama white BBQ sauce; more on that shortly.

Cubano Grilled Cheese
Cubano Grilled Cheese

Hot Chicken

Chef Hales’ Hot Chicken Sandwich (hot spiced chicken tenders, honey, pickle, house mustard, lettuce, tomato on brioche) is next up. After removing those offensive subjects (lettuce & tomato), I dig in for a big bite.

The chicken tenders were moist, nicely breaded, and tossed in a non-aggressive Hot Chicken sauce. The heat level can be kicked up a little bit more if you like.

I can see why folks are raving about this fellow. Honorable mention to those addictive hot spiced waffle fries, damn you, Sir Richard!

Hot Chicken Sandwich
Hot Chicken Sandwich with Hot Spiced Waffle Frie

Burger Time

I left the Bird & Bone Burger (double Angus beef patty, bacon, onion, Florida cheddar cheese, pickle, comeback sauce on brioche) for last. Before I go into my thoughts, I need to say it’s an excellent burger.

The onion slivers & Florida cheddar cheese separating the top and bottom were great ideas. There may have been a tad too many pickles, but that’s easily fixed, or maybe you like a bunch of them, and you’re ok with it.

I would have skipped out on the bacon as I don’t think it needs it. Now, what worked beautifully was the Alabama white BBQ sauce. I slathered some on the bottom bun alongside the comeback sauce, and you had a one-two punch that people won’t see coming.

Trust me on this one.

Bird & Bone Burger
Bird & Bone Burger

Desserts

Somehow I manage to order some *desserts. The fried apple pies are reminiscent of a particular fast-food chain that I know Sir Richard loved growing up; it won’t take rocket science to figure out this one. Even the hot spiced waffle fries seem to be a riff on that same place. There are no complaints here as I grew up eating it and enjoying that place too.

The chocolate bourbon cake is more my wife’s speed, plus it comes with Azucar Ice Cream, which I Iove.

I saved the best for last, Wife Hales’ blueberry cookie. I took one bite and thought, Marcela will kill me if I don’t bring back the rest of this cookie, so I did.

Fried Apple Pies
Fried Apple Pies
Chocolate Bourbon Cake w/ Azucar Ice Cream
Chocolate Bourbon Cake w/ Azucar Ice Cream
Wife Hales' Blueberry Cookie
Wife Hales’ Blueberry Cookie

I went all the way to Miami Beach like a big boy and enjoyed an excellent meal with exceptional service. There’s also a breakfast and dinner menu left for me to tackle, so the adventure isn’t over yet. There is only one thing left to be said; I’ll be back.

*All three of the desserts were on the house. I did pay for everything else if you’re keeping tabs at home.

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