National Burger Month is halfway over, but at Pizza & Burger by Michael Mina {4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 305.674.4636}, the party’s only just getting started. Like it did last year, throughout the month of May, this favorite “backyard” restaurant at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach is debuting a new burger every week, each of which are inspired (and designed!) by a local Miami celebrity. Making this month-long party even more delicious, 15 percent of every celebrity burger bought will benefit the charity of the related celebrity’s choice.
So, who’s on tap for National Burger Month 2018?
The first week of May kicked off with The P&B Juicy Lucy by none other than the man himself, famed chef and restaurateur Michael Mina. A fan favorite at the 2018 Food Network and Cooking Channel South Beach Wine and Food Festival’s “Heineken Light Burger Bash”—and benefiting No Kid Hungry—this burger tops a butchers-blend beef patty with smoked mozzarella, tomato confit, lettuce, and basil aioli, and stuffs it all in a crusty garlic-pepperoni bun. That was followed by another name everyone knows: rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer, Flo-Rida. His Flo-Rida Burger covered a 9-oz. dry-aged blue cheese patty with heirloom tomatoes, spinach, blue cheese dressing, mango chutney, and fresh avocado, and a portion of his proceeds went towards Big Dreams For Kids.
Now at the halfway point, this week’s celebrity burger was the brainchild of three-time Emmy Award-winning chef, radio, and television personality, James Tahhan, who is most known as co-host of Telemundo’s Un Nuevo Dia. A native of Venezuela, Chef Tahhan incorporated his roots into The James burger, which is made up of an 8-oz. dry-aged patty, queso fresco, guasacaca sauce, lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, roasted poblanos, and a fried egg on a brioche bun. Available from Monday, May 14, to Sunday, May 20, 15 percent of every burger sold will benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Finally, Miami burger lovers can get excited for next week’s collaboration with DJ IRIE, who will round out National Burger Month with his own The IRIE burger. Proceeds from this burger—which has a crispy chicken patty, a jalapeño and green chili cheese sauce, fresh guacamole, lettuce, and tomatoes—will benefit The Irie Foundation, an organization dedicated to positively impacting the lives of South Florida’s at-risk youth. This final burger will be available from Monday, May 21, to Thursday, May 31.  
All celebrity burgers offered during National Burger Month are priced at $25. Pizza & Burger by Michael Mina is open daily for dinner, from 5 p.m. to Midnight, and opens for lunch at Noon on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor

Still haven’t made plans for Mother’s Day? Read below for 10 spots the matriarch in your family is sure to love, with menus that say, “Thanks, Mom.”  
The Strand Bar & Grill
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
At this wellness-inspired restaurant, enjoy a carefully-prepared Mother’s Day brunch buffet, complete with a bottomless drink package and live entertainment, right on Miami Beach’s Atlantic shores.
$89 per adult, $45 per child ages 5 – 12, FREE for children under 5
AZABU Miami Beach
6 p.m. – 1 a.m.
This Japanese Michelin-starred concept is offering a four-course dinner menu just for Mom, with Cold Edamame Soup, Oysters, Salmon Tataki, Lamb Chops, Grilled Suzuki/Branzino, Sakura Pork Shiokoji, or Half Lobster. You can’t leave without dessert, so choose from Masa’s Chocolate Cake or Raspberry and Champagne Granite, and pair it all with a drink from Azabu’s extensive sake and Japanese whiskey menu.
$55 per person
Seaspice
1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Go to Seaspice’s usual Sunday brunch, and if you’re a mom, enjoy free, unlimited champagne for two hours. On top of that, the restaurant will get the party started with a live band, performers, giveaways, a photographer, and a fun photo booth so families can remember their special day with Mom.
Dishes priced a la carte; FREE champagne for moms
Market at EDITION
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
This airy Italian market-inspired spot from Jean-Georges Vongerichten will offer a brunch buffet with stations with raw bar options, meats, cheeses, pastries, salads, hot food, desserts, and more.
Buffet costs $68 per person, Bloody Marys cost $12, and Prosecco, bellinis, and mimosas cost $10
Segafredo L’Originale
10 a.m. – 2 a.m.
Go to this Italian-inspired Lincoln Road spot for an al fresco brunch with $5 mimosas, tapas, and (when in Miami Beach) people-watching.
Dishes priced a la carte; $5 mimosas
Cantina La Veinte
12:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Whether you sit outside, right on the water, or reserve a table in the restaurant’s elaborate dining room, families can enjoy a Mexican-driven buffet feast with Chilaquiles, Fideos Secos, homemade Enchiladas, Cochinita, Shrimp Aguachile, fruit, omelets, and desserts like Mini Churros and Tres Leches. Every mom will get a complimentary glass of Prosecco, and after that, sip on reduced-priced bottles of Veuve Clicquot Brut (they’re just $50!) or bottomless margaritas.
Buffet costs $50 per person, Veuve Clicquot Brut costs $15 per bottle, and unlimited margaritas costs $20 per person
MR CHOW
5:45 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Chefs Lau and Tsui have created a special Mother’s Day menu with family-style plates like Glazed Prawns with Walnuts, Chicken Satay, Little Dragon Soup Dumplings, signature desserts, and more. Just for the holiday, the chefs will perform a special edition of their famous noodle-pulling show, and all guests of the restaurant will get to sip on a glass of bubbly from MR CHOW’s champagne cart.
$66 per person
BLT Prime
Brunch 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.; dinner 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Here, you have two ways to celebrate Mom: with a buffet brunch or a three-course, prix-fixe dinner. If you choose the former, nosh on brunch plates like Nutella French Toast, Belgian Waffles, or Grilled Swordfish with Papaya Salsa; comb your way through raw bar, charcuterie, paella, and classic breakfast stations; and peruse the Viennese Table with desserts like Key Lime Tarts, Bread Pudding, and more. The three-course dinner includes dishes like Alaska King Crab Legs with artichoke purée and mussel emulsion, Bouquet of Artisan with cucumbers and tear drop tomatoes in a balsamic vinaigrette, Prime Beef Tenderloin and Caribbean Lobster with potato soufflé and lobster béarnaise, Pan Seared Wild Salmon with corn tamales and roasted tomatoes, or Braised Lamb Shank with a celery root purée and rosemary port jus. End your Mother’s Day on a sweet note with dessert options like Summer Pavlova or Mango Coulis. Plus, to really make the lady of the hour feel special, all moms will go home with a special selection of bonbons whether they choose brunch or dinner!
Buffet costs $85 per person and $30 for children under 12; unlimited Bloody Marys and mimosas $15; dinner costs $75 per person
Lolo’s Surf Cantina
11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Celebrate Dia de las Madres in South of Fifth, with authentic, traditional Mexican fare at Lolo’s Surf Cantina. Perfect for every type of mom, the special brunch menu will have everything from a Breakfast Burrito with eggs, bacon, rice, and beans, to Challah French Toast with spiced cinnamon sugar and dulce de leche, Butterscotch Pancakes, an Egg White Frittata, and a smoked salmon plate called The Brooklyn. To really celebrate, Lolo’s will also offer a special Mother’s Day cocktail, La Reina, made with coconut rum, lychee, Cocchi Americano Rosa, and lime.
Dishes priced a la carte; $10 La Reina cocktails and Zonin Prosecco Rose splits; $100 bottles of Perrier Jouët
Jaya at The Setai
11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
This Asian restaurant spares no expense when it comes to a buffet. In addition to live jazz, guests will get unlimited Louis Roederer Champagne and Bloody Marys, and have access to every food station you could imagine: a rotisserie station featuring Roasted Strip Loin Au Jus, a seafood station with Alaskan King Crabs Legs, a sushi station, a dim sum station, an Indian station, an Asian station with Pad Thai Goong Sod and Red Pork Curry, and even a kids station. The dessert station at The Setai, Miami Beach never disappoints! Expect every kind of cake, tarte, chocolate, sweet, and even a liquid nitrogen ice cream station.
$125 per adult; $65 per child
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor