8oz Burger Bar, Miami

Picture not a flattened, disintegrating piece of grey meat ala Jack-in-the-Box or those glimmering golden arches; instead; imagine a Himalayan salt-cured, hormone free, grass fed, humanely treated, dry aged, juicy piece of ground beef heaven. In fact, the only similarity the most popular menu item, the aptly named 8oz Burger, has to that oft-lampooned fast food chain – whose name conjures up such nasty, grease-filmed images that I will not utter it – is the fact that its roster of old-school condiments includes iceberg, tomato, pickle, onion, and – of course – special sauce.

Speaking of old-school, 8oz does pride itself on staying true to burger joint form with its menu – wavering only so far as a corn dog here, or a short rib grilled cheese there – and the price is right (the burger’s start at $8 and so do the cocktails). As Fried states, his restaurant is “by locals for locals” and he does not intend to inflate prices simply to make his sizzling spot seem like the place to be. His high quality, low price, menu should speak for itself and, as always, a little booze helps.

The fact that 8oz Burger Bar lives up to its name by proudly showcasing its very own mixologist, equipped with a line-up of libations guaranteed to pique any burger-luster’s appetite, warrants a grade-A plus. Among the classic cocktail list, including the Greyhound, the Gimlet, and the Whiskey Sour is a drink so old it’s new – The Green Fairy. The Green Fairy is Absinthe served Bohemian style – soaked up by a sugar cube, lit on fire, and dripped into water. But, don’t worry, the burgers are eight ounces, even drunk do-it-yourselfers won’t feel inclined to cook up those Angus wonders on a flame that small.