Taurus Wins the Burger Beast Taste Test Tour
The Burger Beast’s dirty little secret is that he is a lightweight when it comes to eating burgers. At least he was on his Burger Beast Burger Tour Sunday night when he led a busload of burger lovers to three different burger venues in Miami. The hulking and shameless master of self-promotion – who once called a press conference to attempt a four-pound burger challenge - was only able to down one burger and a single French fry on the tour. The rest of us gorged ourselves on several variations of burgers in several parts of town to come up with the following consensus.
The best burgers on the tour were served at Taurus in Coconut Grove, followed by The Filling Station in downtown Miami, followed by Burger and Beer Joint on Miami Beach. For the Taurus, the victory firmly established the venue on the path back to its glory days; a restaurant that served locals for decades before closing down in 2003, only to reopen under new ownership in 2009.
For The Filling Station – who proved to be the most gracious and welcoming hosts (pictured above with The Burger Beast) – the tour proved that lunch in downtown Miami is more than just stale hot dogs and overpriced corporate courses. And for Burger and Beer Joint, the tour proved that even the most uptight of establishments are able to let their hair down once in a while, going as far pushing several tables together to accommodate our large group, something it refused to do on a previous visit. But ultimately, the tour proved that the Burger Beast’s appetite for comradery is more voracious than his appetite for burgers. “I was just preoccupied that everyone was having a good time,†he later explained about his bird-like eating habits that night (his real name is Sef Gonzalez, if you’re wondering). So what made the burgers so good at Taurus? “We use prime beef and we marinate it for three days,†said Taurus manager Nicholas Carmona, claiming he did not know what it was marinated in. “That’s the chef’s special recipe. He won’t even tell me what it is.†The burger was also served on a warm, toasted brioche bun, which also helped set it apart from the other two burgers, whose buns were not heated. And the fries from the Taurus also received rousing reviews. “What makes them special is that they are tossed with paprika and pepper and drizzled with truffle oil,†he said.
Above: Gus and Michelle Moore of Miami Beach 411 with The Burger Beast standing next to a Miami Tour Company bus The Filling Station, which is normally only open for lunch, opened especially for us that Sunday night and treated us as if we were long-long family members. They served us burgers topped with cheddar cheese and pulled pork, which was unique. The ingredients were all top-notched and tasty, but I was left thinking I would either prefer the pulled pork sandwich or the burger on its own. The burger was served with Tater Tots, which added to that family feeling. And Burger and Beer Joint had a long table reserved for us on the second floor. With an air of South Beach pretension, they served us neat little burgers. The burgers were tasty, but lacked the special oomph the previous burgers had. Or maybe by then we were already stuffed. But not stuffed enough to enjoy the thick beer-battered onion rings accompanying the burgers they served us alongside a jalapeno cheddar cheese dip. Twenty-five people embarked on the tour, which was sponsored by Miami Tour Company, the tour company owned by Miami Beach 411.
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6 Comments on"Taurus Wins the Burger Beast Taste Test Tour"
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Jen W says:
eh hem. didnt have a more decent pic than me stuffing my face?
Posted on 02/26/2010 at 4:31 PM