Dogma: where cheese and fries live happily ever after. Photo: Joshua Prezant
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Culinary cage match: Tuscan Steak vs. Dogma
By Danny Brody
Potatoes and Cheese
Potatoes are everyone's favorite carb. They're what killed my South Beach Diet and -- admit it -- yours, too. They are versatile little guys, and they lend themselves to a wide variety of dishes. Some that are good for you and some that will eventually kill you, in dishes both haute and down-home. They especially match up well with cheese.
At SoBe's Tuscan Steak, part of reality TV star (The Restaurant) Jeffrey Chodorow's China Grill empire, you can order the gnocchi with gorgonzola cream sauce ($19/appetizer, $28/entree), which floats a decent portion of the potato-based dumpling in something resembling reconstituted baby formula. And although it seems just a little too cheesy at first, not unlike Mr. Chodorow himself (please don't have me killed, sir), the authentic blue-veined gorgonzola's tangy freshness manages to peek through. The potato gnocchi are pleasantly light; although, after a few, you'll probably want to stop and save room for your $48 ribeye, which, incidentally, does not come with potatoes.
At Dogma Grill (7030 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-759-3433), it's all about the doggie. But this little all-outdoor-seating joint, its original locale charmingly located in the Motel-Rooms-by-the-Hour Section of Biscayne Boulevard (soon to be designated a Historic District), has some great cheese fries ($2.85). Your choice of shredded cheddar, Swiss or mozzarella, which all seem to come from the same bag, are not very distinctive, but they're definitely gooey, which is essential for great cheese fries; and the fries themselves, the 'dumplings' of this dish, are crispy and hot. Some advice: Don't dally. Even on a hot Miami day, the melted cheeses will start to clench up quicker than the transmission on a '75 Dodge Dart. And if that doesn't kill you, those frosty bottles of $3.50 beer will.
Published: 3/08