Kat's 9 Lives

Did you think I was done talking about the burgers we had at the Burger Bash at the SoBe Fest? lol How little you know about us! O=9 After Chef Rocco DiSpirito's Station we headed on over to Chef David Burke's station. This is the first time I have seen the man even though I have been to his restaurant in Vegas a few times. David Burke's Primehouse is in Chicago, IL. He seemed very funny and chill. On the menu is a 40 Day Dry Aged Burger with Cheddar, Crispy Shrimp, Pickle, Chipotle Mayo, Maple Pepper Bacon, and Pickled Watermelon Skewer. For the side, he served a Pommes Souffles with BBQ Bacon Wax. Chef Burke is known for eccentric style and design, now I know why. He goes outside the bounds of normalcy to create new works of art. I thought he was funny when he was chatting with other people and gave them the "finger" with his pommes frittes, all in good fun of course. Ms. Lin and I were extremely intrigued by his creation. It was a lot of fun to bite into the pommes frite, very unique. The maple pepper bacon gave an extra kick and was flavorful. I've always liked his place in Vegas, so if I am ever in Chicago I will be sure to visit his place.
Immediately we moved onto the next station, which was Marc Burger also from Chicago. Chef Marcus Samuelsson was a pleasure to meet and down to earth. Ms. Lin and I were both just taking pictures and when we went up for our burger he shook our hands with a smile. Definitely a gentleman and a nice guy. His station was a Crunchy BBQ Kobe Burger served with 3.2.1. Pickles. How can you turn down a Kobe burger? The meat was very tender. Chef Samuelsson is most well known for his Scandinavian cuisine at Aquavit in NYC.
Where to next? Why not check out the loudest booth?! lol Chef Spike Mendelsohn was trying his best to rack in votes to win for best burger. There were many people working diligently to gather votes and guests for Good Stuff Eatery. They were really drawing in a crowd and nobody can say he didn't try to work it. Chef Mendelsohn was decked out in boxing clothes working the crowd. Of course to earn the coveted voting chip isn't that easy. It was very hard to get a picture of him because he was bouncing off the walls, but I didn't see him behind his station cooking. I wonder if he did any of the grilling or just worked the front. He was serving a Farmhouse Bacon Cheeseburger with Ruby Red Tomato, Applewood Smoked Bacon, American Cheese, Lettuce, and Red Onion all on a Potato Bun. For his side he served a Pink Cotton Candy Milkshake. The drink looked really cute and might have had a lot of potential... I ate the cotton candy but I didn't quite like the shake. It is probably because I am not a big fan of cotton candy "flavored" items. The burger was good and I always love hearing that there is applewood smoked bacon inside.
Next up was one of my faves from the NYC Wine and Food Festival, the Shake Shack. The main reason I really liked them last time was because they served yummy rootbeer floats. I know they are simple to make but I really like them and I get these big cravings. It must be fate that they would be here in SoBe, but alas... fate is so cruel and unkind! NO float! =*( The good news is they are planning to opening up a Shake Shack in Miami soon and they were giving out free T-Shirts, which I guess made up for the lack of float... somewhat. Still I wished they had the float, because I would drink a ton of it. O=9 This time around they served the Shack Burger. It is their signature burger with Lettuce, Tomato, and Homemade Shack Sauce. For their side they served South Beach Concrete. I didn't care for this healthy ice cream concoction. Nothing can replace the love I have in my heart for some yummy float. =*( I guess I will have to make it a goal next time to check out their NYC location for some more of their burgers and to get my fill of their shakes. After all... they are called the "Shake" Shack.
Right next to the Shake Shack was the Meat Market station located in SoBe. What caught my eye was the ingredients they were using. They were serving a Wood Grilled South Beach Market Slider with Truffle Horseradish Aioli and Arugula on a Brioche Kaiser Roll. The side sounded really good too, Gouda Tater Tots! I just wished that they came out piping hot with melted goodness. Since Ms. Lin and I were sharing the burgers, I almost didn't want to give her half of the tater tot. Having truffle inside also makes us both happy. Truffles just make everything smell and taste better. Any normal burger will be kicked up a notch just by adding a drop of just truffle oil. Yup, it is just that powerful! ^_^
Another installment done and one more to go. Just when you think we are done... well you are right... we are pretty stuffed but we still persist to go on for a little more. What you might ask? Well you will just have to wait to find out. O=)