Friday, December 28, 2012

OTC

For those who live in Brickell or close to it OTC short for Over the Counter is a fantastic new addition. The father-son team of John and Michael Sullivan, first time restaurateurs are the creators behind this gem. The menu is loaded with a verity of mix-and-match items, small-plates and shareable appetizers. This “pair and share” menu as they like to call it is what makes OTC different. I found myself having many combinations to choose from. They also have a changing craft beer menu which offers great beverage pairing and variety as well as a good selection of fine wines. Running things in the kitchen is Chef Tara Abrams, a former sous-chef at Tap 42 in Fort Lauderdale. I knew I was in for a real culinary treat.
 
I love the whole concept of OTC- you order and pay at the counter, pick your table, sit back and enjoy your meal. Of course this doesn’t work if you don’t want to sit outside and the restaurant happens to be packed as it was that Friday evening. After a small wait we got our table and proceed to order.
To start we ordered Guacamole and Hummus. The Guacamole was amazing, fresh with a hint of lime and the Hummus was gourmet with delicious and hearty ingredients and both dips were made from scratch, loved it. For the main course, I went with BBQ Pulled Pork sliders and the bacon mac & cheese. My friends ordered the Hand-Dipped chicken fingers and the BBQ Chicken & Avocado sandwich. The sliders were delicious, the pork perfect- succulent, juicy, smoky and seductive. Everything pulled pork should be. Disappointed I couldn’t pick 1 of each, but on my first visit I had the La Frieda Beef sliders with the quail egg on top and those also are a must try. Both of my friends enjoyed their dishes. They mentioned the chicken fingers weren’t greasy and very tender. BBQ chicken sandwich was good, well presented and was health conscious without losing its great taste. For dessert we shared the Nutella and Strawberry sandwich. I think we can agree anything with Nutella is a win but this was just sinful. A perfect choice to end the night, thank you Tara.
 
With its wide selection of plates, beer and wine parings, friendly service and laid back crowd OTC is a wonderful new addition to Brickell. Good luck making a bad choice here, it won’t happen! Located 1250 South Miami Ave go pay them a visit. Whether for lunch or dinner, among a group of friends or date night with that significant other OTC has you covered.
 
For more info visit OTC.