Elegance doesn’t always require a knife and fork. When Danny Meyer opened his first restaurant outside of the Big Apple he chose sunny South Florida. Last summer Shake Shack, a gourmet burger joint, opened its doors in Miami Beach. The restaurant uses all-natural Black Angus beef, which is ground and shaped into patties every morning. The signature ShackBurger comes topped with lettuce, American cheese, tomato and Meyer’s own Shack Sauce. Vegetarians can indulge in the ‘Shroom Burger, a Portobello mushroom filled with cheddar and Muenster cheeses.
Of course, Shake Shack isn’t the only place to get a high-end burger on Florida’s east coast Rack, in Boca Raton, serves up two styles of its Harris Ranch beef “three-napkin burger.” One is topped with smoked bacon, grilled onion, cave-aged cheddar and a fried egg, and the other boasts leaf lettuce, a tomato, Vidalia onion and house pickles. Big eaters will want to spring for the gourmet steak frites with Béarnaise sauce.
Haute comfort food hotspot Prime One Twelve in Miami Beach, known for its fried Oreos and lobster mac ‘n cheese, also serves up a one-pound Kobe beef burger topped with foie gras butter. A slightly less decadent ten-ounce version is on offer at lunchtime. The restaurant can accommodate groups of up to 65 and is available for buyouts for groups of more than 100.
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Coral Gables will help you pair your burger with the perfect wine. They have five gourmet options available; the Fleming’s Prime Burger, topped with cheddar cheese and peppered bacon; a sliced filet mignon burger with sauteed mushrooms and Bearnaise sauce; a jumbo lump crab cake burger served with a creamy mustard sauce; a Portobello burger garnished with sauteed spinach and goat cheese; and a seared ahi tuna burger bathed in a soy mustard sauce. Each burger comes with a small wedge salad and Fleming’s chunky onion rings. Three private rooms are available for groups, two of which seat 40; the third seats 85.