Blue Collar is Moving to Bigger Digs
Plus, BC Cafe Closes, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop Opens, and Aldena is Your Girl
A dozen years ago, I was invited to try out a new restaurant called Blue Collar. When I arrived, I had to check the address: Was this restaurant actually located in the lobby of one of those no-tell motels that dotted Biscayne Boulevard?
Well, I walked in to find the tiniest space imaginable. The tables were literally on top of each other. Was that a bar that held only two people?
The menu was a mashup fever dream of basically everything that one could hope to find on a “last meal” request: potato latkes, a satisfying burger, a “parm of the day”, shrimp and grits, and a chalkboard of vegetables that one could make into a platter by choosing four (including artichokes in a lemon aioli that could make one weep with joy).
Behind the small, open kitchen was Danny Serfer, the owner, chef, and chief of everything else required of a small business owner (including repairs).
As the years went by, Blue Collar became one of Miami’s favorite restaurants for good reason: the food was soulful, the place was quaint, and Serfer and his staff were friendly and helpful. In a city that has increasingly become bougie, Blue Collar was a safe haven for people to have a real meal and some conversation.
Serfer hired chefs to help him in the kitchen, allowing him to open another restaurant, Mignonette, and engage in other endeavors. He always praised his staff, calling out their talents to me and anyone else who would listen.
Serfer’s incredibly soulful food and mensch-like qualities have paid off, and Serfer is moving Blue Collar to a larger location directly across the street to the former Balans space. Serfer tells me that he’s been trying to get into that prime spot for a while now.
When the new Blue Collar opens, it will keep its MidCentury aesthetic and have a large patio for people to enjoy.
And this place is way larger — it’s a massive 4,000 square foot spot, which, according to Serfer, means a real kitchen in which to create additional items like soup from scratch and freshly baked bread.
The new Blue Collar will also offer a full bar with a great happy hour, according to Serfer. And, in keeping with Blue Collar’s neighborhood feel, Serfer is pledging to keep drink prices affordable: “We’re going to try to keep things under $13,” he tells me. The drinks, according to Serfer, won’t be precious affairs with trendy names. Instead expect classic cocktails with a focus on some damn fine martinis.
Serfer tells me the menu will still offer most of the Blue Collar items we all love like the Billy Corben, his dry-aged cheeseburger on a Portuguese muffin, and that meatiest and sauciest of all sandwiches, the Big Ragout.
As for the OG teeny Blue Collar where I made so many memories over a veggie plate, and a steaming thermos of coffee? Serfer is keeping the spot with plans to open a new concept. “Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to enjoy eating in that cramped space,” he confided in me when I whined to him how much I’ll miss it.
You still have time to enjoy a parm of the day at the original Blue Collar until it closes some time in late March/early April (exact date TBA). The new Blue Collar will open shortly after in April 2024. Mazel tov!
Get your last meal at the OG Blue Collar at 6730 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-756-0366; bluecollarmiami.com.
Brooklyn Dumpling Shop to Open at Miami’s Brightline Station
Stratis Morfogen’s NYC-based Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is set to open at the Miami Brightline Station in the next month or so. The dumpling shop is fully automated — you order and pay on a touchscreen and wait for your dumplings to arrive through an old-school automat door. The dumplings come in both traditional and non-traditional flavors like bacon cheeseburger, mac and cheese, and Reuben. Bright Idea!
Brooklyn Dumpling Shop. 600 NW First Ave., Miami; brooklyndumplingshop.com. Opening summer 2024.
BC Cafe Closes After Nearly 11 Years in Davie
Speaking of Miami OGs, Brett Chiavari’s BC Taco truck was one of Miami’s first wave of food trucks back about a dozen years ago. Back in 2014, Chivari opened BC Cafe in Davie, the brick-and-mortar version of his food truck. The cafe was a huge hit especially at brunchtime. Yesterday, Chiavari announced that he sold the cafe just short of its 11th anniversary in April. “I’m at peace with the decision,” he said on social media, adding that, ironically, the cafe was having its best years since 2020.
At the end of the day, the decision was made due to rising costs and a new landlord. A Colombian restaurant and bakery will be moving into the space, with Chiavari adding that he would have liked to have had a blowout party at the cafe to say goodbye to fans and friends, “but it wasn’t in the cards.” Sad news for taco lovers!
The BC Taco truck is still around and is available for events. Follow @bctacos for more info.
All in with Aldena
If you’re looking for a girlie girl to take to brunch, shopping, and parties then might I suggest this cutie? Aldena is clearly a Barbie girl in this picture. She would be equally at home shopping in the Design District or brightening up the local dog park with her colorful presence. Aldena is a spayed four-year-old girl (meaning you can take her home today). Her number is A2333825 and her kennel number is WW30. Aldena has only been in the shelter since mid-February, so let’s get her out of there soon!
Batch Gastropub is the sponsor of our dog adoption section. If you adopt one of these guys (or any dog because of Miami Checklist), Batch will supply you with a gift card for the amount of the adoption from MDAS. So get a dog, get a burger…or something like that. Contact me for details.
Go all in at Miami-Dade Animal Services. 3599 NW 79 Ave., Doral; 305-884-1101; miamidade.gov/animals
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