The political landscape is so frustrating and my
exasperation with the amount of hatred, vitriol and total bullshit make me want
to withdraw from the entire conversation.
So, today’s Blog is about something dear to my heart….food!
If you have never played the game, “My Last Meal,” with your
friends, then maybe this will give you something to think about. Most people claim that if they can choose
their last meal, they would choose something ultra-gourmet and decadent. A beautiful Filet Mignon topped with Foie Gras with a butter poached lobster side
or a meal of escargot followed by a beautifully prepared Duck a la Orange and a chocolate lava cake for desert is often
mentioned by self -proclaimed “Foodies” as their choices for My Last Meal.
Not me though. My
Last Meal would be the humble but perfect Hamburger with a side of twice fried
French Fries and Onion Rings. But, I
have yet to find that Perfect Best Hamburger
(PBH) in the world. And, believe me,
I have looked far and wide and will continue my search.
There are a lot of categories of hamburgers. I have never had one that I absolutely didn’t,
at least, like slightly. On the lower
end of the spectrum, there are the fast food burgers. These include McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s
and the like. While not even close to
being the perfect burger, there is certainly a place in the universe for
these…although it has been years since I have had one, I am sure I could choke
one down in a pinch. Although, the
Varsity in Atlanta is better known for hot dogs, I still really like their
“steaks.” It’s a childhood memory
thing! You might have noticed that I
didn’t include Krystal or White Castle in this category. Those special sliders have a special place in
my heart. After all, I am a child of the
60’s and late night sliders after an evening of partaking is a fond memory.
Then there is the cooked-to-order, almost fast food
joints. Included in this category would
be Five Guys, Shake Shack, Bobby’s Burger Palace, Burger Fi and (although I
have yet to experience it) In-n-Out Burgers.
My friends from New York will probably disagree with me but I like Five
Guys much better than Shake Shack and look forward to my first Animal Style,
In-n-Out burger. Recently, I had the opportunity to have my first Bobby’s Burger…the
Bobby Flay burger joint. While his idea
of “crunchifying” burgers by putting home-made potato chips on them is
interesting, I was somewhat disappointed that this renowned chef didn’t have a
better burger. I guess other untried Burgers like SmashBurger are also in this
category.
Which brings me to a very important point about the search
for the PBH…It is all about the meat
FIRST! Anybody can take a lousy piece of
meat and dress it up with bacon, cheeses and other condiments. Inventive and
creative toppings should enhance the burger, not hide it. If the meat doesn’t
taste good by itself, then it can’t possibly qualify as the PBH.
Of course, there are the casual restaurant Burgers to
contend with…Cheesecake Factory, Various Sports Bars, Chili’s, Duffy’s,
Houston’s, J.Alexander’s, Zinburger’s, etc, etc, etc. All of them are pretty good burgers. Try the Classic Burger at Cheesecake…it is a
generous Chop House patty that is grilled, comes with only a grilled onion
lettuce and tomato and the meat has good flavor. Like I said, I haven’t met a burger yet that
I didn’t like!
Every food publication has published a “Best Burger” article
at one time or another. I have read many
of them, keep a list of “Best Burgers” in my phone and try different burgers as
we travel around. I have tried the
Cricket Burger at the Cherry Cricket in Denver, Burgers at Hopdoddy in Denver,
Burgers in New York at The Burger Joint, PJ Clarke’s and others, the burger at
BLT in Vegas, the Juicy Lucy at M.E.A.T and the Burgers of Tucker Duke’s in
Boca Raton, all of the Burgers at Charm City Burgers in Deerfield Beach and
many others that I have either forgotten or want to forget.
Not to mention that I have tried to create my own PBH myself. Recently, I had the butcher grind 2 pounds of
beef brisket, seasoned it with just salt and pepper and grilled the
burger. Not bad, but still not the PBH that I am looking for. I will continue to experiment with various
combinations of meat and see if I can perfect my own creation.
With all of that said, I think that, SO FAR, the possible PBH that I have experienced is at The Le
Tub Saloon in Hollywood, Florida. Le Tub
is a dump of a place on the intra-costal waterway where you can wait for an
hour or more for your Burger. Touted by
Oprah and GQ as the best burger in the land, The Sirloin Burger, itself, has a
flavor that I haven’t found anywhere else. It is 13 oz. of ground top sirloin,
seasoned, charbroiled, and served on a bun with lettuce, tomato, and onion.
Since the place is owned and operated by a “free spirit” who purchased the barren
property in 1974 and dedicated a concentrated year personally hand building
LeTub totally of Flotsam, Jetsam and ocean borne treasures all gathered daily
over 4 years of day break jogging on Hollywood Beach, it is often speculated on
exactly what is in this burger that makes it so good! Granted, I haven’t been there in a
while, but thinking of that Hamburger makes my mouth water!
However, The Search continues….I have been told that the
Burgers at Holeman and Finch in Atlanta or the Farm Burger in Decatur, Ga or even the original hamburger at Louis' Lunch in New Haven, CT can
nearly qualify as the PBH. Or the Steak Burger at Peter Luger’s in
Brooklyn…although I can’t imagine going to Luger’s and NOT ordering a
steak. Then there is the Spotted Pig,
Minetta Tavern or JG Mellon’s in New York and Au Cheval in Chicago. Should the burger be one big patty or two thinner patties or maybe even three patties? Cheese or no cheese?
If you have a favorite Burger that you think could qualify
as the Perfect Best Hamburger, let
me know.
And The Journey continues……
