The Vitals: the spot: El Rey de las Fritas multiple locations in Miami FL the eats: Frita burger, Chicharron de Pollo the bucks: $5 for the burger, $11 for the Chicharron plate the full nelson: a burger to cross off the bucket list and a taste of classic Little Havana

In case you were wondering, this post is a bit of a throwback. Sitting in a dropbox folder gathering cyber dust, I plucked these pics from my 2016 visit to Miami, where we shot an episode of Cheap Eats back in Season One. Miami is an epic city. From the iconic TV shows(Miami Vice and I'll even take CSI Miami) to the dynamic Latin culture, plus nightlife and gorgeous weather it's easy to skip over the food. Don't do that. The dining scene has evolved a lot, especially in the last 10 years. As great as that is for Miami, it's important for visitors like you and me to pay homage to the tried and true, like El Rey de las Fritas.

Strip Mall glorious

I love a good strip mall meal and the Little Havana location of El Rey de Las Fritas is exactly that. There are a few around town but it struck me that trying a Cuban burger means going to a Cuban neighborhood. As soon as I stepped out of my Uber I knew I was about to get a proper Cheap Eats meal.

Bask in the simplicity

Part of the Cheap Eats experience is to forgo the superfluous, like meaningless decor. Yes, some restaurants in invest heavily in design and don't rest on the their laurels either, with costly makeovers coming every few years. Good for them. Others aren't afraid to stick to what's important: the food. Besides, that copper on the espresso machine looks plenty shiny to me.

The main event

I went directly for the Cuban burger aka the Frita Burger. If you saw Cheap Eats Ann Arbor, you saw an over the top, lux version of what is in essence a humble rendition of the All American classic with Cuban sensibilities. As I reflect back on the classic version vs one done up like a gastropub/fancy restaurant, there is something easy and satisfying about the classic. Also, this one costs $5.

Pardon my half eaten burger

But you need to see the signature chorizo and beef patty. Much easier when it's not covered with the also signature julienned fried potatoes. I'd call them fries but they're far crispier, more like matchstick potatoes. I went sans cheese which will net you a price tag of $4.75. And that is a a 2021 price. In 2016 . . . my God was it cheap. You might want to consider cheese as the patty is cooked well done. Because of the chorizo it's not necessarily overcooked . . . it's a burger blend that hits with a sausage like intensity. Personally I'd stick to a cheeseless version and embrace the chorizo.

We ain't done yet: Chicharron de pollo

It might seem overly broad to say Cubans like their meats thoroughly cooked but this was the case with both the burger patty and the fried chicken chunks at El Rey de Las Fritas. Chicharron should be familiar if you visit Mexican meat markets or Carnitas specialists. Though there it refers to pork. at El Rey it is in fact chicken. These morsels seemed like the perfect addition to my burger meal.

Come for the Frita. Come back for the Chicharron.

I loved this dish. Yes, the chicken was on the dry side but a squeeze of lime and a forkful of that onion and you are in for a treat. My Bengali upbringing involved many a "thoroughly cooked" meat dish. And while one could have pulled the chicken sooner, the lime and onion make it work. It's a Cuban thing and when in Little Havana, just roll with it. I need to get back to Miami. I need to give this Frita a second test drive. If you're in Miami anytime soon I would do the same. This is a burger style that deserves a try, at least once. As I'm currently working on what could become an epic Texas burger project, I'm fast coming to the realization that it's important to try as many regional burger styles as possible. The Frita Burger, like the one at El Rey de Las Fritas is as stand out as a burger style gets.  

Back in Philly

Over the summer I found myself back in the city of brotherly love, aka Philadelphia, where we kicked off the fourth season of Cheap Eats. I've been going to Philly for years; it's where my wife is from and where my in-laws still reside. Often called the sixth borough because of its proximity to NYC, Philadelphia's food scene is deep with diversity and culinary talent. I spent a day eating and drinking in the neighborhood of Fishtown and it was a great hop I had to share with you.

The Vitals: the spot: Dawa Sushi and Ramen 1204 N. Front St. Philadelphia PA 19122 the eats: Nigiri Sushi the bucks: $$$ it's sushi, so figure on $50+ a head before beer + sake  the full nelson: solid sushi in funky Fishtown

Philadelphia can get bougie. It can also get down n dirty. Dawa sits right in the middle with commendable sushi in a funky setting. Look at the website and you might expect something very polished as far as dining room aesthetics go. Frankly I walked in confused to where the dining area even was. I wasn't sure what to make out of Dawa until this hit: Toro, Snapper and Mackerel nigiri sushi hitting levels I'd expect to find in LA's sushi row. Great nigiri sushi is about simplicity and quality. Ratios of fish to rice are critical, as much so as the quality of rice and of course the quality of the fish. I was pretty damn pleased at Dawa. At least enough so to go for another round. Buttery Ora King salmon, Sea Bream and fatty Yellowtail hit just as hard. Sushi is never cheap, but when it's this good, I'd find a way to make myself a regular at a place like Dawa. The quality to price is ratio is straight up bang for your sushi buck.

The Vitals: the spot: Lloyd Whiskey Bar  529 E. Girard Philadelphia PA 19125 the eats the drinks: Cocktails the bucks: $10+ for stiff drinks the full nelson: Drinks this stiff are worth the money

I'm not too picky about bars these days. When it takes a sitter to go out, the thrill of being at bar is often just enough. We are however more than a decade deep in the era of mixology. That means if I'm gonna spend $10 on drink . . it's gotta be more than bourbon on the rocks. We went light at dinner which meant we could only survive one round at Lloyd's. These drinks were stiff and frankly worth the price. On the whole the Philly cocktail game impresses like you were in NYC but for like 2/3 the cost. I'll make an Old Fashioned or two at home but they don't come close to one's like you get at Lloyd's. The Vitals: the spot: Garage Passyunk 1231 E. Passyunk Ave Philadelphia PA 19147 the eats the drinks: beers  the bucks: priced across the board from $4 tallboys to fancy pants craft + imports the full nelson: killer beer selection + BYO cheesesteaks  So it turns on a Sunday in Philly not everything is open ,or at least open late. Which lead us out of Fishtown and over to the Garage Bar on Passyunk, in the Italian Market neighborhood. The beer selection and really the presentation is pretty darn impressive. I was counting the beers on the menu and stopped after like 23. Oh, that list is alphabetized and I was still in "the Bs". My only regret was not testing out Garage on Passyunk Ave's BYO cheesesteak policy. While their other location has food, this one doesn't but they make up for it by allowing customers to bring in their own cheesesteaks. Not too hard as you are close to two famous cheesesteak spots: Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's. Me, being on the wrong side of 40, meant skipping that at this hour and letting the beer keep our smiles going into the night. Philadelphia is a killer combo of cool and grit. A great town to start restaurant hopping and have it evolve, or devolve depending on your mood, into a great bar hop. If you're visiting the city or are even a local looking to get into the city for an evening, Id make a night of it over in Fishtown.