#ThankYouMiami for Dining Experiences - Earl's Kitchen + Bar

In a faraway suburb called Kendall, a drive from Miami's metropolitan core, is a large enclosed shopping mall known as Dadeland Mall. As University of Miami alumni, we remember it from our college days. Dadeland was our go-to for formal dresses and for window shopping in times when we had a modest student budget. For the past couple of years, despite having a more ample bank account, we have not been back. We blame it on the fact that we're South Beach locals and we rarely leave "The Beach".

This week, we discovered exactly what we've been missing by not visiting Dadeland: Earl's Kitchen + Bar. The burger and beer joint of Canadian origin opened its southermost location at the luxe wing of the mall in March of this year and has been going strong ever since. This Fall, Earl's is supercharging their menu with dishes developed in collaboration with guest chefs like Top Chef alum and former Miami resident Jeff McInnis. A flurry of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink options from the creative mind of Cameron Bogue, Earl's Director of Beverage Operations, bring the dining experience full circle.

Here are the five menu items you cannot miss:

1. Cabin Fever. Leave it to the Canadians to incorporate pine cones into cocktail culture. Bogue's interpretation of a Penicillin successfully marries Crown Royal, tawny port, ginger, lemon, pineapple, moondog bitters, and a bowmore-soaked pine cone for the perfect Miami fall drink. Photo courtesy of Earl's Kitchen + Bar.

2. Craft Soda. Since his first day at Earl's, Bogue has made it his mission to replace processed ingredients with their fresh counterparts, including the cordials used to make these delicious non-alcoholic soft drinks. Photo courtesy of Earl's Kitchen + Bar.

3. BBQ Pork Buns with hoisin hot sauce, cilantro and roasted peanuts. Our table nearly battled it out to get seconds and thirds of these savoury, fluffy buns, which were developed in collaboration with Chef McInnis. Photo courtesy of Earl's Kitchen + Bar.

4. Vietnamese Spatchcock Style Chicken with lemongrass glaze, spicy peanut sauce, and daikon cucumber salad. No joke, this oven-roasted chicken is our favorite chicken dish in Miami. The skin was delectably crispy and the meat perfectly moist. And don't even get us started about the spicy peanut sauce...

5. Warm Gingerbread Cake with brown sugar-tossed, oven-roasted apples and vanilla ice cream. Nothing says Fall like a warm, spiced dessert à la mode. A slice of this delicious cake was the perfect end to an exquisite meal. Photo courtesy of Earl's Kitchen + Bar.

What is your go-to Miami restaurant to enjoy a dining experience? Have you been to Earl's Kitchen + Bar? What was your favorite menu item? Which item from the fall menu are you most excited to try? Leave a comment below or send us a tweet @ThankYouMiami!