The Federal

Upper East Side, Miami

The Upper East Side has seen an influx of great new restaurants from established chefs to up-and-comers.  One notable restaurant producing their own take on modern American cuisine is The Federal [5132 Biscayne Blvd]. The team behind the downtown pop-up Phuc Yea is no stranger to producing good food; with Aniece Meinhold, Alejandro Ortiz, and Chef Cesar Zapata at the helm in the kitchen redefining American classics while keeping the comfort in comfort food. The Federal’s menu is seasonal; currently featuring the Summer Crush menu along with a Sunday Brunch menu including items like Johnny Cakes, Wahbit and Waffles, and Bottomless Mimosas. June 10th marked the start of the Federal’s Sunday Night Q menu, but you didn’t need anyone to tell you that if you were anywhere near the Upper East Side once that smoker was fired up. In the mood for some good barbeque, we decided to meet up with a couple friends and give the Q menu a try. The restaurant is tucked inside a small strip mall on Biscayne Boulevard, but stepping through the door that’s the last place you’d think you are. Inside the décor is rustic and homey with things like a mounted deer head over a faux fireplace, wood tables, and plaid fabric benches.

First up were drink orders. Instantly the Bucket-O-Brews caught my attention, but with a great selection of microbrews and the ability to mix-and-match your bucket we figured we’d start off with a Magic Hat #9 and some appetizers while we decided. We ordered a few Fed Classics: the Jar-O-Duck and the Cheese Biskits. The Jar-O-Duck is insane, a slow-cooked Hudson Valley duck prepared rillette style and stored in tiny mason jars accompanied with candied sweet potato and charred fluff on a toasted crostini. The combination of flavors in this dish conjures up images of thanksgiving dinner. The candied sweet potato and toasted marshmallow fluff, seemingly a twist on the classic sweet potato pie, is combined with a tender and flavorful duck making for the perfect marriage in a bite. The Cheese Biskits, called out as a must-have by a few of our friends, were soft, flaky, and didn’t disappoint. Ready for another beer, or five, we ordered a bucket including; Old Chub Scotch Ale, Mama’s Little Yella Pils, Stoudts American Pale Ale, Dogfish Head Saison du Buff, and Victory Golden Monkey. We sampled each one with the standouts being the Saison du Buff with its hints of rosemary, thyme, sage, and parsley, and the refreshing and crisp Belgian ale Golden Monkey.

From the pit, we ordered a full rack of the St Louis Style Pork Ribs. With this you have your choice of Union Mops, homemade sauces including Ancho Chile Mop, Caramelized Onion Vinaigrette, and Yellow Lexington Dip; but we decided to try them au natural. They were fall off the bone juicy with a great balance of smoke and sweet from the glaze. Along with the ribs we ordered a few Fixins, the Grilled Corn and the Federal Potato Salad. The Grilled Corn is slightly charred and topped with a kumquat butter that was very tasty. The Federal Potato Salad was delicious, served warm with bacon, pickles, and scallions. Leslie is still checking her records (not quite sure if these are official), but she touted this potato salad as one of the best she’s ever eaten.

The Federal has a great vibe and fantastic service while the food is creative yet familiar. Pop-up or permanent the food and experience you’re getting from this trio is legit. From the moment you arrive you feel welcomed, as if stepping into a friend’s home and as soon as you leave, you’re thinking of your next visit.

Sparky’s Roadside BBQ

Downtown Miami

It’s lunch time and the usual is just not going to cut it. You jump into your ’66 GTO, crank the radio, and hit the open road. Thoughts of returning to work quickly fade as the wind cuts through your hair. The freedom of the road, the scenery, and the music overwhelm you, you’ve lost yourself in the drive and now have no idea where you are. There hasn’t been another car on the narrow dirt road for miles now. Your running low on gas, hunger is setting in, and in the distance you see smoke billowing out of a shack; at this point you’re just happy to see signs of life. You pull up and notice a hand written sign on a board: “BBQ.” What are the chances? Perfectly smoked ribs, brisket, and ice cold beers await inside. With a full stomach and a full tank of gas [did I mention this is the kind of place that doubles as a gas station? …yeah] you make your way back to the city.

If you rather avoid this overly dramatic movie sequence, make your way to Downtown Miami and stop in at Sparky’s Roadside BBQ [204 NE 1st Street] instead. From the picnic tables and bull skull, to the hand painted birdhouses covering the walls; the minute you step inside you feel like you’ve left the city.  Two chalkboards flank either end of the restaurant displaying the day’s specials and beer of the week. Here, two New York transplants are doing BBQ their way; with a good selection of all the tasty smoked meats you would expect: brisket, pulled pork, ribs, chicken, and duck, with all the usual accompaniments. To wash it down they stock an assortment of microbrews like Dogfish, Magic Hat, and Shipyard.

As we work in Downtown, we are no strangers to Sparky’s menu. We typically order our favorites: the Tyler’s Pressed Sandwich and the Grilled Fish Sandwich. The Tyler’s Pressed is a combination of beef brisket and pulled pork topped with sautéed onions, American cheese, and BBQ sauce, that is pressed to crispy perfection. The smoked meat is tender and flavorful with a slightly sweet BBQ sauce. The sandwich can stand on its own, but with house-made sauces like Sparky’s, Apple-cidar, Hoisin, and Guava-Habanero on the table, it’s tough to resist. If you like a little extra kick to your sauce ask for the Lava Sauce, it’s usually not on the table, but well worth it, just have a beer handy to cool you off. The Grilled Fish Sandwich is a tender mahi fillet, well seasoned, with a hint of lime on a toasted bun with a delicious kicked up tartar sauce on the side. The sandwiches are usually paired with coleslaw and fries. But, these could be substituted for any of their other flavorful sides, such as, spicy macaroni and cheese, corn on the cob, and stewed collard greens.

Now I couldn’t write this post without mentioning the fries, since it has been a source of pain for us and all other Sparky’s regulars we know. Sparky’s used to have seasoned waffle fries that were absolutely delicious. It didn’t matter what you got, as long as it came with a side of fries. However, for some reason they are no longer available. I’m sure there is a rational explanation for this, but we just needed them to know we miss those fries.

If you’re in the need to escape the norm—but don’t have a GTO to hit the road in—think about hitting Sparky’s Roadside BBQ. You won’t be disappointed in what you find; good food, cold microbrews, and a great environment.