Shake Shack: The Best Thing I Ever Ate

To top off a glutinous Sunday, one cannot go to Lincoln Road in Miami and NOT visit the Shake Shack. As luck would have it, it was 4th of July Weekend. You know what that means right?! Well, as Claire Robinson told us on The Best Thing I Ever Ate, that means corn dogs! Now, the Shake Shack ONLY has these tasty treats once a year, so I HAD to try one, since I happened to be at the closest SS on the very weekend they were on the menu!

I can't say that it was an out-of-this-world corn dog, but it was pretty darn good! I was just glad to have had the pleasure to experience it. Thanks for the tip, Claire!

Michael's Genuine: The Best Thing I Ever Ate

You know when the best chef's in the biz rave about something, it has to be good. That's why I adore the show The Best Thing I Ever Ate. I was even on an episode, remember?! Anyways, so when 3 (THREE!) chefs in one episode raved about the desserts from Michael's Genuine, I immediately put it on my 'must try' list. And lucky for me, this past Sunday I was able to cross it off my list. When I say it is worth the drive to Miami, I really, really mean it! I absolutely adored everything about the whole experience. From the menu (fresh.simple.pure) to the small plates to the excellent service, the whole experience was a 10! Luckily I was there with Matt & Caroline, who are also adventurous eaters and we just ordered one of everything and went to town. Just take a look:

{Left to right: Pig ears, lemon ricotta pancakes, meatballs, quesadilla, adorable server Christine, crispy rice cake, pork fat toast, blueberry upside-down cake, brisket hash, homemade donuts, Caroline at our lovely outdoor table, menu, double yolk egg, breakfast pizza, bar snacks: radishes, homemade pop-tarts}

Now, the menu changes all the time, but every.single.thing we tried was delicious...even the pig ears! My favorite was the crispy rice cake, and the quesadilla gets the silver metal. Three Food Network chefs were right: with tasty bites, very reasonable prices, great ambiance and excellent service, I suggest you put Michael's Genuine on your list too!

Super Sunday

Finally coming out of the food coma that was Superbowl Sunday, just in time to relive it all again here with all of you! The overall spread was enormous, but here is a peek at my contributions:

Starting with dessert:

A football cake!

So stoked I finally got a football-shaped pan, and even more stoked that is is SO easy to make such a cute dessert! The cake was so moist, no frosting needed!

Instead of a regular guacamole, I decided to step it up and do a recipe inspired by a dish I saw Iron Chef Michael Symon raving about on The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Guacamole with Bacon and Blue Cheese!

Sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy, spicy...the perfect combo! Michael, you were dead right about this one!
Throw in some other classics like

Loaded potato bites (baked, not fried)

  and Mexican Potato Bites.

Makes for one SUPER, awesome Gameday spread!
I am totally craving more of that guacamole right now! Can't believe football season is over already!
 sad face.

My Fair Lady

First off, no judgement on this post please. I have not been to a fair in probably 20 years, so I may have gone a little nuts on this visit, but boy was it worth it! I was on fair food sensory overload! It all started when I saw this sign:

Yes, ladies and gents, you read that right... A PORK PARFAIT! Apparently, it was featured in the Food Network Magazine, but I missed it. Needless to say, I HAD to have one!

And it was every bit as good as it sounds! Simple concept: pulled pork, barbecue sauce and mashed potatoes, layered in a cup. De-lish!

Then on to the next guilty pleasure (and this is where I insist on you not judging me!).....the Donut Burger!

A burger patty in between two Krispy Kreme donuts. Yes, a heart attack waiting to happen, but I had to try it in the name of food reporting. ;) And Yes, I have to admit, I kinda liked it! Sweet, salty, soft and crunchy, definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Then on to a classic I had not had in a while:

Elephant Ear! I prefer elephant ears to funnel cakes, but that's just my preference. Fried dough covered with cinnamon sugar...can't beat it!

Then for my last hurrah, I had to try something I heard Sunny Anderson speak of on The Best Thing I Ever Ate...the deep-fried Snickers!

The dough was a little to chewy for me, but the inside was nothing but chocolate, Carmel and peanut goodness!

And so went my fair adventures. Good thing I did a 5K in the morning to make up for the gluttony...and I think I'll stay away from fairs for a while....Besides, I think I can make my own pork parfait! :)

I'm on The Best Thing I Ever Ate!

As you recall from a post back in July, I went and saw a taping of The Best Thing I Ever Ate at Rosario's Ristorante. Well, the episode finally aired on Monday, and guess who was the star?! Yes, Alex Guarnaschelli spoke highly of Rosario's Garlic Bread (Rightfully so!), but did you see who also made an appearance???? ME!!!! Check out some screen shots from the episode...

Can't say it's the most flattering images of me ever, but pretty neat, nonetheless! Don't know if it will re-air anytime soon, but it's the With Garlic Episode, so be on the lookout if you wanna see it yourself. I'll be signing autographs in the meantime though! ;)

Best Thing I Ever Ate

Just got back from a taping of The Best Thing I Ever Ate at Rosario's Ristorante in Boca.  Slightly disappointed that the actual Food Network star was not here, but I had a wonderful time non-the-less! There was a 'stunt double' for Alex Guarnaschelli , and I only heard part of the taping (although I did hear them talking about the garlic bread, which IS possibly the best I ever ate!), but it was fun to watch the whole production! Here is a peak at 'Alex's" closeup:

From across the room, we totally thought it was the real Alex!

Besides the buzzing about the taping going on, the dinner we enjoyed was also truly excellent! No wonder Alex raved about it! If you haven't been to Rosario's, it's definitely worth a trip there! They have all of your favorite Italian classics, and even have a $26.95 3-course Summer menu with a ton of tasty choices!

I had the Gnocchi:

While Caroline went big and had the 2lb Maine Lobster Special:

 

Can you believe that is also part of the $26.95 special???

Of course there was also dessert:

Italian Cheesecake

Tiramisu

chocolate mouse cake

Yum! Everything was delicious, but what really made the experience was the service. Everybody at Rosario's was friendly, knowledgeable and accessible. I mean, the owner came by a few times to check on us, and his wife, Toni, was so cute I HAD to take a picture with her!

What you don't see here? She really only came up to my chest, so I am totally squatting to take this photo, lol!

All in all a fun evening with great friends, great food and some Food Network stalking! We are told the episode they taped tonight will air in November, and we had to sign waivers, so I'll let you know when it's going to air, so you can look for us!