Thursday, August 11, 2016

Battle of the Burger Boston

I was invited as a media guest to Boston magazine’s Battle of the Burger that was held last night at the Cruiseport of Boston. It was hot, humid and smoky but an absolute delight.



The event was hosted by gastronomic genius Ming Tsai. On his cooking shows, he always comes across as a very nice and likable guy and even more so in real life. He happily posed for selfies and was happy to talk to anybody.



The guest judges. I'm hoping that they didn't have to taste all 25 burgers that were available. The voting was done bu the guest and you only had one vote.



Burtons Grill & Bar and Red Heat Tavern. Nola. "Ground andouille sausage and beef burger with creole seasoning, boiled crawfish tails, Old Bay beer aioli, josper roasted green tomato and corn relish, celery leaves on a potato bun." A very tasty burger with a good grind and the apple made it interesting.



5 Napkin Burger. Korean BBQ Burger by Andy D'Amico. "Fresh ground beef, kimchi slaw, fresh chilis, sriracha mayo, cilantro, sesame seeds." Excellent burger cooked right, seriously tasty and an early favorite.



W Hotel. Boylston Burger by Derek Barragan. "Prime beef stuffed with Serrano-lime bone marrow compound butter, brioche, lettuce, tomato, sharp cheddar, and caramelized onions." The burger was tasty with a good char but unfortunately dry. I liked the onions.



KC's Classic Burger Bar. The SuperSport by Jason Pacheco. "Beef patty grilled with Cajun seasoning, topped with pepper jack cheese, deep-fried jalapenos, and smothered in our homemade KC's Hot Rod spicy garlic mayo. Piled with lettuce, tomato, and onion on a buttery potato roll". This looked good and it lived up to its looks. Very nicely cooked burger and it was tasty too. I really liked the crunchy jalapenos. Another favorite.



Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse. Davio's Steakhouse Burger by Rodney Murillo. "Burger with white truffle cheese, arugula, and rosemary aioli." Excellent burger cooked right and with a very nice grind. Yes, there is slices of truffles on top, no surprise that they had a long line waiting for burgers.



There is a serious amount of truffles sitting here. What a sight!



The Davio's crew cooking away. What do you get when you have 25 competitors cooking? Right, a serious amount of smoke. Even if it was open to the outside, it got very smoky.



Precinct Kitchen + Bar. The Green Muenstah by Olivier Senoussaoui. "Dry aged sirloin, caramelized onions, muenster cheese, cage-free fried egg, basil truffle mayo, and bibb lettuce on a brioche bun". Very tasty and the burger was cooked right. I think this was the way to go. Cook your normal burger and then quarter it out so I can actually taste the same burger that's served in the restaurant.



Bastille Kitchen. Bastille Burger by Adam Kube. "Burger with blue cheese, onion strings, bacon jam, lettuce, and tomato on a black pepper brioche bun." The burger was very tasty but unfortunately, it was dry.


Dillon's Restaurant & Bar. The Destiny Burger by Eric Wilkinson. "Ground short rib, brisket, and chuck beef topped with gruyere cheese, roasted crushed walnuts, grilled bartlet pear, and Donkey sauce (mayo, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, roasted garlic, cracked black pepper, kosher salt)". The burger very was nice, cooked well and toppings were tasty.



Some entertainment was provided. This was actually pretty cool to see up close. A very nice event and I enjoyed myself immensely. Sorry for all the restaurants I missed and for you that had dry burgers, I understand that it was a very difficult environment to work in.
Update: And the winner was Joe's American Bar & Grill. Smokin' Granny by Chef David Forbes. "A perfectly seasoned burger, fire-grilled, topped with Nueske's thick-cut maple-Cajun bacon, aged cheddar, smoked blue cheese, and diced Granny Smith apple relish served on a brioche bun."

Disclaimer: I was invited by Boston Magazine but all opinions are my own.

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