The Miami Herald's recent "Quest for the Best Burger" mentioned GQ magazine's July 2005 article "The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die" which states the "best burger in the known universe" is made in a small waterfront restaurant in Hollywood, Florida called Le Tub. The boys at MVB thought it was about time we checked it out for ourselves.We arrived around 9pm on a slow Sunday night. It's a funky place located on the Intracoastal waterway at 1100 N. Ocean Drive, just a few blocks north of Hollywood Boulevard. It began life in 1959 as a Sunoco gas station and transformed itself into a restaurant in the mid-Seventies when the gas crisis was closing gas stations left and right across the country-- you can still find the roll-up garage doors over the kitchen. Mult-leveled in lots of wood, most of Le Tub is outdoors. If you have a boat you can dock alongside. If you don't, you can sit and watch the constant parade of boat traffic passing by. We sat in the "center table" which afforded a good view of the small bar, the water, and the small kitchen which can't be more than 8' by 8' square. To think that the "best burger in the known universe" came from this cramped humble space was truly amazing. It's only big enough for one cook but the one we had that night wasn't a happy camper. Besides hurling invectives at the waitstaff, he was also hurling the burgers through the pass through. We saw one roll out of its bun and off its plate onto the dirty stainless steel counter top. It sat there for a while before the cook walked around the corner and put it back in its bun. I guess that is just part of the "atmosphere," which includes a melange of toilets and tubs scattered inside and outside the restaurant.
We sounded like an old SLN "cheeseburger, cheeseburger" sketch when our waitress came to take our order that included fries and beer.
As a group we were under impressed. The $11.00 price for our cheeseburger seemed like a fair price because of its hefty size, but we all agreed, it was not the best burger in the known universe unless, of course, your world only includes a few bars and restaurants along the Intracoastal. The fries, on the other hand, were great. Still, we recommend it highly because of its location and laid back atmosphere. The only thing that will probably disappoint you is the burger. Please note, and this is very important, Le Tub does NOT accept credit cards.
