On a recent trip to the kosher food destination of Surfside, Florida, I sought to visit some restaurants at which I had not eaten previously. As some of my family was joining me, the additional consideration of not breaking the bank would be a bonus.
I had heard of ROAST Surfside in passing, but this style of cooking attracted me for one simple reason.
Flames, baby. Real flames.
The way mankind has been cooking proteins for thousands of years.
Flame roasting is the bedrock of this small eatery on the main stretch of Harding Avenue. ROAST (9441 Harding Ave. Surfside, FL, 33154, www.roastsurfside.com/, 786-803-8857, under Kosher Miami supervision, fleishig) opened in Surfside in March, 2023 and bills itself as an “authentic French traditional flame rotisserie that proudly serves authentic cuisine since 1998.” The restaurant is right on the main stretch where it feels like every single storefront is a cool place I wish we had here in Baltimore.
We visited on a pretty low-key week as these things go, the week prior to Labor Day. I believe many of the Jewish school are already back in session by then, so a perfect time to visit if you’re looking to avoid the large crowds. Personally, a “Winter Break” vacation to Surfside sounds like a nightmare to me.
We entered and were immediately greeted by the Maître d’ who sat us by the front window. As we had walked to the restaurant, and it was a relatively warm afternoon, we were warm upon entering, so pretty quickly asked to move from the table in the setting sun of the front window. One of the staff graciously consented without hesitation. At this point, the restaurant was mostly empty save for a couple young families. This made sense as it was early, prior to the time most adults would eat dinner. For us it was perfect timing.
Once we were settled, the waitress came to our table quickly and offered us drinks. We ordered Aqua Panna and Peach Snapple, and I chose an IPA, the name of which escapes me (a reason I should be writing notes and not working off of memory), a citrusy, slightly bitter brew. Very nice and I enjoyed this beer a good deal.
Looking over the menu, I was really impressed at how the items differed from your average “burger house” or chicken place. I really wanted to try everything, but there were only three of us and I could not force the others to get what I want (though I tried). I loved seeing the Latin American style menu with items such as Chicken and Beans, Tacos, and Burrito Bowl — all alongside the house staple “Flame Rotisserie” chicken, and more standard fare such as burgers, schnitzel, and steaks. I really regret not trying the Roast Chicken Soup. But as it was early-ish in the night we went with just entrees and some side fries.
Interestingly, the fries came out near immediately. Seems they were treated as an appetizer, which we were more than happy to get as we waited for our mains. The Sweet Potato Fries were excellent. Perfect crisp, perfect salt, nice and hot. As an aside, I’d always rather receive my fries alone and perfectly hot and crispy than have them cold and served at the same time as my main. One other aside: So few places properly salt their fries. I don’t get it. So simple, so important. Strangely, the waitress didn’t bring us ketchup with the fries. That was fine, since the fries were so good, but you’d have to imagine most people want ketchup. Soon enough, the owner himself ran over to ask if we wanted some and also offered the Roast Sauce, the house version of spicy mayo. While I’m not a fan of it with sushi, it sure works here.
I had my mind on a burger all day so the only question was which. I did notice the table near us had ordered the rotisserie chicken, and had I seen that before I ordered I might have been swayed, but I make a pretty mean bird myself and feel like the true measure of a good restaurant is how they handle a burger.
Inspired by the Latin theme, I chose the Mexican Burger, a house made 7 oz. patty, guacamole, soy cheese, pico de gallo, Jalapeno, and chipotle sauce. As always, ordered medium rare. I’m looking for a true medium rare, not a kosher restaurant medium rare. Serious challenge.
Mission accomplished.
Our entrees came out so quickly. Something I find in many restaurants is an accepted slowness to service. I guess it’s part of the idea that the kosher-keeping world should just be happy to have places to eat out. I say “do better.” Service at ROAST was incredibly fast. Our waitress checked on us several times and even the owner came back at least once. Granted things early on were quiet, but by the time we left the place was hopping.
In addition to the Mexican Burger, we ordered the Fried Chicken Sandwich (fried chicken, lettuce, pickles, soy cheese, beef bacon, Roast sauce) and the Chef Salad with the Grilled Chicken add-on.
My daughter loved the Fried Chicken Sandwich. Of course, she knows I require a tax on all goods, so a bite was in quick order. I concurred with her review. Delicious. Juicy, crispy, savory, sweet. The sesame roll on each burger was properly toasted on the grill, as well.
My wife liked (but didn’t love) her salad. The salad came with a balsamic glaze which was tasty. I think she found the salad boring. But hey, who told her to order a salad?
I absolutely loved my burger. The cook was nailed: A perfect medium rare. The heat of the jalapeno and chipotle were just right, spicy but nothing that would blow your palate out. On the “Jewish heat scale,” a 6/10 but on the non-Jewish heat scale, a 3/10. Notably, the burger was also flavorful in its own right. Good burgers need to be seasoned and salted properly. On its own, pareve cheese is at best meh, but as an addition to this sort of burger, the gooeyness factor is so welcome. With the guac and pico, this burger was covering all the bases for me. The burger also came with crispy fries, which were good but nowhere near as good as the sweet potato fries. I was totally stuffed from dinner.
Like most Surfside places, and following a trend which is becoming more and more common, an 18% gratuity was added on immediately. This method has its detractors. The option is also generally available to give more, and usually I do, as I did here. I generally feel that with the exception of bad service, the few extra dollars mean more to the server than to me, and over the course of a year, generosity vs. miserliness doesn’t add up to a great deal versus the difference it makes in the lives of others.
Our bill total, including 25% tip and tax was $141.36. Not cheap certainly, but very in line with modern kosher, particularly for Surfside.
A big recommend from this family.
Kosher Food and Drink 
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