Alberto Cabrera faced an earth-shattering dilemma.
His wife really loves McMuffins -- the breakfast sandwich proffered at every McDonald's near you. But Cabrera, the chef behind Bread + Butter in Coral Gables, believed she deserved something greater than this mundane morning meal.
"I had to make it bigger and better," he says.
So he birthed the McFruffin: half Cuban frita, half McMuffin.
See also: Miami's Five Most Outrageous Burgers
At his restaurant, which mashes a Cuban cafeteria with a modern gastropub, Cabrera built his McFruffin around two firm principles: "Great ingredients and a Cuban twist, naturally."
The classic Cuban frita employs a spicy beef patty that's occasionally spiked with chorizo. It's stuffed into Cuban bread alongside onion, fried potatoes strips, and a special sauce.
Cabrera took this and morphed it into una frita de desayuno.
For his McFruffin, he begins with a chorizo-infused frita patty. He tops the meat with special sauce, a sunny-side-up egg, and melted, gooey Grafton Village cheddar cheese. It all gets crammed inside a buttered English muffin.
Oh, and then it's loaded with deep-fried strips of potato. Because, of course.
Cabrera gets just as creative during lunch. In the afternoon, he pairs his frita patty with a potato roll, kimchee, cilantro, and sriracha ketchup.
The result: una frita china ($6).
Cabrera's McFruffin is available from 7:30 to 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
Follow Emily on Twitter @EmilyCodik.
Follow Short Order on Facebook, Twitter @Short_Order, and Instagram @ShortOrder.
