After a strenuous week of exams, it was time for a much needed break. With most other college kids at school, what better way to spend intersession than to eat delicious meals? One of the best dinners I had while at home was at Blue Collar Miami. Located in the MIMO Biscayne Boulevard Historic District of Miami, this restaurant serves incredible food inspired by cuisines including but not limited to Latin, Southern, Mediterranean, and American.
The small, homey, and successful restaurant continually changes their menu to utilize the freshest ingredients and add an element of surprise for customers. Open for lunch, dinner, and brunch on weekends, this restaurant is must try for Miami natives and travelers alike.
Everything I have tried at Blue Collar has been delicious. Here are some of my family member’s and my favorite dishes.
Photo by Julie Goldstein
1) Chanukah Latkes (served year round): Blue Collar’s potato pancakes are without question some of the best I have ever had. Such a wonderful comfort food, these latkes are soft on the inside and perfectly crunchy on the outside. The accompanying applesauce is quite unique. Much darker than typical applesauce, the sauce’s rich sweetness perfectly compliments the potato pancakes.
2) Cuban Sandwich Spring Rolls: This appetizer represents the creativity and eccentricity that Blue Collar strives for. Filled with serrano, pickles, manchego, and yellow mustard mayo, these spring rolls crunch and then melt in your mouth.
Photo by Julie Goldstein
3) Pork and Beans: Another dish with some Hispanic flavor, this appetizer is a pleasant surprise. The name suggests something you can purchase at a fast food restaurant, but the Blue Collar take is tasteful (in both an elegant and delicious sense!). The fried egg on top of the spicy bean and pork concoction proves to be a great combination.
4) Mahi Mahi with Golden Beets and Brussel Sprouts: Do not brush off this dish because of its simplicity. In fact, some of the best meals are the simple dishes that are cooked to perfection. The Mahi is neither too fishy nor too chewy. The beets are cooked to maximize their sweetness, and the caramelized brussel sprouts are just as good as any I’ve tried.
Photo by Julie Goldstein
5) Grilled B/S Chicken Breast with Sautéed Kale and Roasted Butternut Squash: The chicken is incredibly moist with a charcoaled-crispy exterior. The kale, although quite spicy and a little salty, is cooked in a white wine butter and is mixed with crushed pepper. The highlight of this dish is the squash. With the appearance of a puree, the butternut squash, cinnamon, allspice, and brown sugar combination creates a sensational flavor. This resulting combination is to die for.
Note: My family essentially created the previous two dishes. The chicken and mahi are two of some of the entrees where you can pick two sides from the “Veg Chalkboard” to complete the meal. These range from Sweet Potato Plantain Mash (one of my favorites!) and Water Melon Cucumber Salad, to Sautéed Mushrooms and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes.
Photo by Julie Goldstein
6) Seared Diver Scallops: This is one of my favorite scallop dishes in Miami. Your teeth will glide through the meat when eating them, and they are impeccably seasoned. The scallops sit on top of a brussel sprout, lima bean, and corn succotaush. The dish is topped off with a cherry gastrique. Fun fact: a gastrique is a reduction of vinegar and sugar that can be infused with almost anything, in this case cherries; it is used to bring out the flavors of the meat.
7) The Big Ragout: If you are a pasta and meat lover, this is the dish for you. The pasta dish is made of oversized pappardelle noodles (if that’s even possible) mixed with pork and veal shoulder, brisket, reggiano, and san marzano tomatoes. One bite of this and your comfort/relaxation level will instantly rise.
Photo by Julie Goldstein
8) Heath bar and Butterscotch Bread Pudding with Spicy Whipped Cream: Although the chocolate cake is amazing, the bread pudding wins for the best dessert at Blue Collar. My father, a bread pudding fanatic, raves that this is probably the best bread pudding he has eaten. The melted Heath bar and butterscotch soaked bread cubes are basically heaven in your mouth. The spicy whipped cream, which tastes delicious on its own, balances the sweetness of pudding leaving you with much satisfaction.
Blue Collar Miami serves the freshest ingredients with a slight twist–not only will it make a great first impression, it is sure to keep you coming back for its mouth-watering fusion creations.
Location: 6730 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33138
Hours of Operation:
Lunch Mon-Fri :11:30AM-3:30PM
Dinner Sun-Thurs: 6:00PM-10:00PM
Dinner Fri-Sat: 6:00PM-11:00PM
Brunch Sat-Sun : 11:00AM-3:30PM