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 parking garage is a few blocks away if that’s more your speed. I gladly chose valet (which can be 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 more civilizedly. I’m in full BEAST mode here. It sounds crazy, but I ordered three starters, three tacos, three sandwiches, and three desserts.
Before I get started, take a look at the menu below.
Bird & Bone Menu
Get This Party Started Right
I started the party with the cheddar and chive biscuits, the country ham and cheese board, and the egg salad jar. Those cheddar and 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.
Trio of Tacos
There isn’t a Trio of Tacos. Instead, there are three tacos to choose from, and it just so happens that 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.
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, and 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.
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!
Burger Time
I left the Bird & Bone Burger (double Angus beef patty, bacon, onion, Florida cheddar cheese, pickle, and comeback sauce on brioche) for last. Before I go into my thoughts, I need to say it’s an excellent burger.
The onion slivers and 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 wouldn’t see coming.
Trust me on this one.
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.
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.