From the Ground Up: a Burger Inspired Nuno Grullon's Intimate New Upper Eastside Gem

You'd never believe a burger was behind the birth of Grand Central by Nuno Grullon, a new restaurant that opened this month in Miami's Upper Eastside neighborhood.

Nuno Grullon, whose birria tacos Good Morning America recently hailed as the best in the nation, is the chef behind Uptown 66, the taqueria he opened in 2020 on Biscayne Boulevard at NE 66th Street, across from Legion Park.

The Bronx-born chef and restaurateur grew up working in neighborhood restaurants across Manhattan before moving to Miami in 2000 to do more of the same. Tired of moving from one kitchen to the next, Grullon tells New Times he craved stability and longed for a home base where he could explore his culinary passion.

"In New York, people work at the same restaurant for years," Grullon explains. "In Miami, I'd meet people who'd stay a few weeks or months. I opened Uptown 66 because I was frustrated with bouncing around or working with people who were opening and closing restaurants. I wanted somewhere I could stay and become a part of the neighborhood."

Having established his taqueria as an Upper Eastside mainstay, he envisioned Grand Central — the name is a nod to the iconic Grand Central Station in Grullon's native New York — as an opportunity to spread his wings beyond the casual service and open-till-the-wee hours grind of a cantina. He resolved to curate a menu of European-inspired American classics.

That, and his take on the humble American hamburger, perfected over Uptown 66's griddle for family and friends.

The location — formerly home to Cake Thai — was integral to Grullon's creative process. The chef would pass by daily on his drive down Biscayne Boulevard to Uptown 66, his curiosity piqued by the slender space wedged into an unremarkable edifice just north of the perpetually clogged NE 79th Street intersection.

"Everything started with this space," Grullon says. "Once I saw it, I knew it would be the perfect spot for my burger."
That burger is now the cornerstone of Grand Central's menu, a simple smash burger that was so well received by those he made it for that he considered adding it to the Uptown 66 menu. Instead, he waited, knowing one day he'd build a restaurant around it.

Step inside Grand Central's minuscule but elegant dining room, an alley-width space flanked by a short row of two-tops to the left and a pair of four-tops and a seven-seat bar to the right, and you'd never think a burger birthed this white linen-clad place. High-toque chefs and servers dressed in all white signal an upscale ambiance, although you're welcome to dine in shorts and sneakers.

Toward the rear, just outside the in-plain-view kitchen, you'll spot Grullon in his starched white chef's coat, expediting for his team of cooks and firing dishes plated with an artist's eye.

"Grand Central is where my heart is at in terms of the type of food I grew up cooking across New York City," shares Grullon, who quietly opened for dinner service on October 13. "This is a coming home of sorts. It's a story that starts with a really good burger that grew into a tale of where I come from and my interpretation of new American cuisine."

The menu reads like part steakhouse, part Parisian bistro, with riffs on American staples and European classics, familiar dishes honored and presented in a memorable way.

A brief roster of starters — steak tartare, crab cake, roasted artichokes hearts, a wedge salad — present an apt prelude to main plates like lobster ravioli, chicken pot pie, and a prime "Butcher's Cut" from Grullon's in-house dry-age program that changes daily (and tastes best when paired with the house peppercorn sauce).
Start with the crab cake. Deceptively simple in theory, this appetizer too frequently falls prey to an excess of filler (which is to say an insufficiency of crab). Not here. Pan-seared to toasty perfection, Grullon's cake sports a delicate crust that binds the ample, finely shredded crab meat beneath. Served over the Platonic ideal of a sweet corn purée, it's a textbook contrast of savory and sweet.

And while you could choose the butcher's cut, the delicate sea bream, or the ravioli, it would be a shame to skip over Grullon's take on the chicken pot pie. A far cry from your grandparents' rendition, this elegant ode to the ultimate comfort meal, served in a ceramic bowl, emerges steaming from the kitchen, practically begging the diner to stab a fork into its center to loosen a puff of truffle-laced steam beneath. A heritage bird forms the base for a velvety rich bone broth that's rendered into a pudding-like cream flecked with ground pepper and spices, redolent of braised leeks, and dotted with diced carrots, golden potatoes, peas, and shreds of tender chicken — all of it enveloped in a buttery golden pastry.

Then there's that burger: two patties that combine a proprietary blend of Black Angus brisket, chuck, and short rib. They're seared and smashed to induce that sought-after, flavorful Maillard reaction, then layered with American cheese and topped with a crisp sheet of lettuce, a single slice of tomato, slivers of onion, and several slices of mildly house-brined dill pickle. A brioche bun baked fresh in-house, at once dense and springy, holds it all together — the top bun slicked with a homemade special sauce, a savory mix of caramelized onion, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and a hint of paprika. The hand-cut fries served in a cone alongside are perfectly fried and perfectly salted, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. (Ask for a side of that sauce in which to dip them. You won't be sorry.)

Like everything else at Grand Central, when it arrives it looks fancy, but at its heart, it's just good food.

"The secret to all of it is simple: fresh, quality ingredients done right," Grullon will tell you.

Simple to say. Rarely so well executed.

Grand Central by Nuno Grullon. 7919 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-456-3088; resy.com. Wednesday through Sunday 5 to 11 p.m.