Blue Collar Ups Its Menu: Fried Green Tomatoes, Veggie Platters, and Grilled Rainbow Trout

Blue Collar owner/chef Danny Serfer likes to mix things up, so take note, diners: This neighborhood joint just added a handful of dishes to its comfort-food, American-style lunch and dinner menus. 

Serfer says chef de cuisine Ervin Bryant had a hand in many of the new offerings. "When you have new guys with you, it's important to add some of their dishes," he says. "So that really prompted things because we wanted to put a little bit of his and our sous-chef's menu on it." 

Nestled in Miami's MiMo District, Blue Collar has become a go-to spot for anyone looking for a chef-made, mom-and-pop-style meal made with high-quality ingredients. To Serfer, it's important to keep the menu inventive: "Sometimes you get sick of cooking the same things, so we like to add something new and do something different when we can." 
For lunch, keep an eye out for the conch fritter, with a unique, spicy tartar sauce; fried green tomatoes with buttermilk dressing; a special BC salad topped with the restaurant's beloved latkes; and a crispy chicken breast plate with an option to add a few veggie sides.

And those vegetables are something for which Blue Collar has become known. New to the bunch are spaghetti squash with Parmesan and butter, sweet-and-sour cabbage with sautéed apples, and roasted fennel. Order them individually or pair them to make a veggie platter.

Among the three newbies, Serfer says, the spaghetti squash is a must-try. "Because it's getting cooler, we can start to do richer dishes," he says. "And with the fall, we decided to add the spaghetti squash dish. It tastes almost like a spaghetti Alfredo."
Scallops with fennel, peas, and clam jus; a pan roast of mussels with sausage, garlic, beer, chili flakes, and blue cheese; grilled rainbow trout with a choice of veggies; and a NY strip served with house fries and garlic aioli are among Blue Collar's new dinner items. But don't worry — the fan favorite Corben, served with Portuguese muffins, Dijon mustard, dipping jus, latkes, and apple sauce, is still available. 

Many of Blue Collar's dishes play on old family recipes, and "though you might not have the best recollection of them, when you see it done with restaurant-quality ingredients and techniques, it can definitely be made satisfying," Serfer says.

Blue Collar's updated menu is now available and can be seen here. 

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