La Marea Teaches Dad the Art of the Grill

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"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." So goes the old Chinese proverb.

La Marea goes it one better: "Give Dad barbecue and you feed him for Father's Day. Teach Dad how to barbecue and you won't have to eat incinerated hunks of defenseless animal protein for the rest of your life."

Well, the way-slick restaurant at SoBe's The Tides hotel didn't actually say that. But it is kinda the idea behind its rather novel Father's Day present, a two-hour interactive cooking class dubbed the "Art of the Grill," that will reveal all of exec chef Gonzalo Rivera's secrets to preparing and making the perfect burger.

What kind of meat makes the best burger? What rubs and spices make a burger better? What are some really cool wacky-ass burger toppings? Those questions and more will be answered at the class, which takes place on Dad's Day, Sunday, June 20, from 3 to 5 p.m. Cost is $65 per person, which includes a four-course burger feast with bacon-washed bourbon, gelato "burger" for dessert and a fine cigar when the class is over. Attendance is limited to 10 burger-loving Dads so if you're tired of eating incinerated hunks of defenseless animal protein every time he fires up the grill, better call the restaurant for reservations now.

Or you could always teach him how to fish.