Bacon Wrapped Dates Cheese ($15) which was far from ordinary. Chef bakes her own multigrain bread and tops it with a four cheese blend, slow cooked short ribs smothered in barbeque sauce, crunchy fried onions and garlic aioli. Generally, the sandwiches are served with fries but she treated us with a side of h e r B r u s s e l Sprouts, I'll get to them in just a minute. Anthony was surprised at how light this sandwich was the BBQ Short Rib Grilled Cheese despite four cheeses and beef. Almodovar told us it was the fresh baked bread that makes all the difference. This is home style cooking at its absolute best, proving that gastro-pub style food doesn't need to be pretentious, just cooked with love. The Brussel Sprouts ($7) are served whole and fried. They are tender on the inside (not mushy) and crispy on the outside, and cooked just right. Before serving, they are tossed in a Thai chili soy sauce that provides a bit of sweet heat (more sweet than heat) and an Asian kick that really pairs well with the bitter bite Brussel Sprouts are known for. Our next surprise followed the Asian theme
that the Brussel Sprouts kicked off. The Pork Belly Steamed Buns ($13) were one of the dishes that first caught my eye on the menu and honestly they are the highlight of all the dishes we tried. Each order contains three giant buns filled with a generous portion of pork belly, which is crispy and not too fatty. Almodovar admitted that she outsources the bun prep, but has been given the recipe so she will be making them in house soon. The pork belly on the other hand is made in house, it is cooked for 11 hours slow and low then wrapped up and frozen to firm up the fat and bind the flavors. Next, it is sliced thinly and f r i e d to give it an amazing crispiness that made me wish for more! The pork belly is t h e n tossed in The Pork Belly Steamed Buns chef's secret Asian sauce. A hoisin glaze is smeared on the bun which is then topped with the belly, some chopped cilantro, and crushed peanuts. I just can't say enough about these steamed buns. South Florida is known for suffering a dearth of good