Tonight my mom, my dad, my sister, her boyfriend and I went to a restaurant called the Burger & Beer Joint in an area called Mary Brickell Village. When my parents first moved to this neighborhood in 2005 Mary Brickell Village was still under construction. Now it's home to several great restaurants including Balan's, Rosa Mexicano, Grimpa and P.F. Changs.
The Burger & Beer Joint has a rock and roll theme which is apparent from the second you approach the restaurant. Speakers blast rock music both in and outside the restaurant. Tonight we decided to sit outside. There is outdoor seating at the front and the back of the restaurant. The side we were on has two rows of wooden picnic tables, which is where we parked ourselves.
Each table has a roll of paper towels built into it, which suggests you are about to make a mess. This made me stupidly happy.
Given the place is called the Burger & Beer Joint we decided to start with some beers. I ordered the Sea Dog Blueberry, which did not arrive with fresh blueberries! I am accustomed to this and was super disappointed not to have that handful of blueberries swimming in my glass. The boys both ordered a beer called Monk in the Trunk which is brewed in Jupiter, FL, where my grandma lives.
We ordered two appetizers to kick off our junk food feast: the fried pickles and the corn dogs. Both items came in silver buckets lined with brown paper. The pickles were delicious and served with a ranch dipping sauce that was heavy on the dill.
The boys devoured the corn dogs which came with a bright, yellow mustard for dipping.
For dinner both boys ordered the "Hotel California" burger. All of the burgers are named after rock songs. It came topped with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, grilled red onion, cheddar cheese and a sunny side up egg! It also came with fantastic french fries.
The restaurant's logo is also branded into the top of the bun:
All the girls ordered the "Dear Prudence" burger which was a portabello mushroom cap with mozzarella cheese, arugula, roasted red pepper and pesto. I wasn't a fan of the bread it came on, but the other girls were. The burger came with zucchini fries which I felt weren't cut quite thin enough.
I loved that all the condiments came in a beer bucket:
We wanted to have a look at the dessert menu and my mom was raving about their ice cream, but our waiter told us their freezer broke this morning and they had no ice cream! He offered us their fried oreos or fried twinkies, but we decided to pass.
Before leaving I took a quick trip to ladies room and discovered the fun, pin up style wallpaper they've used to decorate the bathroom.
The Burger & Beer Joint is a great place to take a group with a huge appetite. No matter what you order it will be completely gluttonous. Though I wasn't wow-ed by my food or drink, I am totally down with any place that encourages this much junk food consumption.
