• EAT: Meat and sauce. Sauce and meat. If your family craves a hearty meal, what's better than that combo? At the 2-month-old Boogalu Cafe, there's plenty of both: Brazilian-inspired steak, chicken and fish platters paired with French-inspired sauces. Breaded steak with tomato sauce. Sirloin with smoky Madeira or four-cheese. Stroganoff with filet mignon or chicken. No naked food here.

Even the simple sandwich is an affair to remember: tuna paste, a bread-slice divider, then a thick layer of ricotta on the other side. Our Aventura steak sandwich burst from fresh Italian bread with mozzarella and a house sauce.

And a hamburger isn't just a hamburger here: It's a Booga Burger, the meat patty topped with Cheddar, ham and corn as well as the traditional fixings.

Not for the faint of heart is the chicken heart sandwich, boldly illustrated on the menu, with Cheddar and mayo.

Among the other dishes we sampled: a filling pasta dish with chicken and cheese sauce. Time for a nap. And some Omega-3 capsules.

Despite the ambitious menu, the best items are the ones on the side: a simple mixed-green salad with buffalo mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes, crispy fries, potato sticks, battered corn nuggets that are sweet and gooey.

Waiting for our order wasn't a chore at the Boogalu, nestled in a strip-shopping center near Florida International University in Northeast Miami-Dade. We sat at a window-front table, sipped cafe con leche and bopped to a Brazilian concert shown on two large-screen TVs.

To save a few bucks, take advantage of the daily lunch specials, stick them in the fridge at work and cart them home for a hearty dinner.

• DRINK: Meat and sauce need a red wine. Miami Herald wine columnist Fred Tasker says he'd try a merlot.

• WATCH: With the heavy fare, check out something light: Blame it on Rio, a 1984 comedy with Michael Caine, Valerie Harper and Demi Moore.

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