About two weeks ago, I was invited to attend a local burger festival called Burgerliscious not too far from my house. How had I never heard of this event before? Being a foodie and a social media lover, I pride myself on knowing every food event that is going on around town. I usually either buy a ticket and attend, or volunteer there in some way. I obviously grasped at this opportunity and took it as soon as I could!
Burgeliscious was the perfect place to get a taste of all the best burger joints in Miami. It also put me in a unique position that I had never had before: taking pictures for social media, and being treated just like all the social media foodies and bloggers that were there. Getting the opportunity to do what I love and getting up close to the burgers and seeing them in all their glory? Sign me up!
As soon as I got there and started walking around, the smell of smoked meat and grilled burgers filled the air. Oh, how I love that smell! Not only was it a festival-like event, but more than anything else, it was a big competition where more than 20 restaurants went head-to-head to see who could win the “Best in Bun” and “People’s Choice” awards. Way cool!
Dune Burgers on the Beach
One of the burgers I tasted was from “Dune Burgers on the Beach”, which is at the Ritz-Carlton on Key Biscayne. The burger they were showcasing was called their “Signature” burger, which had all sorts of fancy, high-quality ingredients, like Foie Gras, bison, and truffle. An official description on their menu describes it as, “Ground Bison, Foie Gras, Pecan Wood Smoked Bacon, Red Leaf Lettuce, House made Pickle, Truffle Lime Aioli, Red Wine Demi.” And I know you’re just waiting to hear how great it tasted…hint: this burger was amazing. It tasted like no other burger I had tasted before, ever. And I’ve tried lots of burgers.
Miller’s Ale House
Miller Ale House’s Prime Burger had “Melted white American cheese, shaved prime rib, roasted mushrooms, sautéed onions, gravy, crispy onion tanglers, and creamy aioli”. Prime rib and classic cheese on a burger, PLUS crispy onion? It was basically heaven, but better. Totally recommend!
109 Burger Joint
This restaurant is known for its over-the-top artisan burgers, but with this one, they take the cake (or bun, I should say!). This burger is a limited-time-only/seasonal burger because the bun isn’t your ordinary bun; it’s a cinnamon roll from local Knaus Berry Farm. I mean, I could stop right there and it’d still be the best description of a burger I’d ever heard. This burger has bacon, apples, walnuts, and gruyere cheese, in addition to the angus beef burger. This burger is so unique, it has garnered the attention of the Cooking Channel, as it was featured on Chef Michael Symon’s show “Burgers, Brew and ‘Que”.
Not only were there a few dozen burgers to try, but there was also some dessert companies there to add a little sweetness to all the savory meatiness in the air. You don’t even know how good they were!
Night Owl Cookies
Local favorite Night Owl Cookies was there to share the glory of their famous Ave Maria cookie, which is a guava cookie with chocolate chips, Maria cookie pieces, topped with a guava and cream cheese drizzle.
Frice Cream
As I was walking around, I recognized this company from the South Beach Wine and Food Festival Ice Cream Social I volunteered at earlier this year. This time, they had their Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream Sundae, which was made of seminole squash ice cream, a bourbon caramel sauce, vanilla whipped cream, and a brown sugar waffle cone. This ice cream was the perfect blend of spice and pumpkin flavor, and I love how everything is homemade, down to the whipped cream and cone.
For my first time at this event, I was blown away. Good food, good music, games…what else could you ask for? This is something I am going to tell all my friends about, and you will see me there next year for sure!