RUB Nails The Guberburger

"Is there mayo on a Guberburger?" Andrew Fischel from RUB BBQ called me last week to get some specs on the Midwestern peanut butter and beef treat served at the Wheel Inn Drive-In. "I think so, but you should just give them a call," I told him. And he did. Turns out mayo is served on the Guberburger 'only if requested'.

I did not request mayo on mine. I snuck into the kitchen at RUB last Monday and grabbed a Guberburger with hot, melted peanut butter only. RUB's Monday Night smashed burger, cooked on a flattop with a generous sprinkle of salt, and served on a toasted, buttered bun is phenomenal. The addition of peanut butter to this burger made me delirious. The beefy, salty, p-nutty flavor profile may have even been better than the original.

This Monday night's burger (tomorrow) will be RUB's nod to the Jucy Lucy of Minneapolis, a burger with a hot cheese surprise inside. Take a bite too soon and I can guarantee pain. I've tried to make the Jucy Lucy at home only to fail miserably. I'll be there tomorrow for sure and hope they are more successful than I've been.

Burger Bites, Episode 1 - Kate's First Burger

Here 'tis, a short film about Kate and her first burger. Two weeks ago a girl I work with asked me where to go to have her first burger EVER. Not a vegetarian, Kate had somehow flown under the burger radar enjoying steaks and other meatthings. When she asked me my opinion of where to go I was amazed and honored. I wanted to choose a place that would be sensitive to the challenge of feeding a first-timer and a place that would allow us to film this monumental occasion. That place became the ever-accommodating and very new Bill's Bar & Burger. The shoot was a success. Not only did Kate enjoy her first, the film became Episode 1 of a new series I'm putting together called Burger Bites. And the exceptional burgers (my favorite: a smashed patty with nothing but sauteed onion on top) were prepared by Chef Brett Reichler.

Kate told me that her friends said that her first burger had to be from McDonald's. McDonald's?? I'm sure glad she had the sense to get a second opinion.

The awesome opening sequence was created by good friend Mac Premo and brother Ted helped with the theme tune. Kris B (an E.B.T.) shot the film. Also, listen for music by Toss, the band I was in for a decade, in my life before hamburgers.

Fatbelly Burgers, VERY local beef

You'd think it would be easy to find great burger joints in beef country but sometimes in Colorado it ain't so easy. My all-time fave in Colorado is Bud's Bar, but outside of this tiny bar in a tiny town south of Denver I've never had much luck. That is until this past Saturday.

I spent a few days snowboarding in the Rockies last week and naturally had a craving for apres-ski burgers every day. The Red Onion of Aspen is closed (but soon to reopen, hopefully with better burgers) and Jimmy's is a decent standby. I haven't had a burger at Woody Creek Tavern in years (though they were unmemorable) and the closest Smashburger is in Grand Junction. But just last November a new spot called Fatbelly Burgers opened in Carbondale that definitely fits the bill. Owner and ex-New Yorker Shane Vetter is making classic thin patty wonders on white squishy buns with special sauce that taste fantastic. Shane rolls fresh balls of local grass-fed beef and uses the griddle-smash method to make his burgers. "That griddle is at 500 degrees," Shane told me after I had finished my usual volley of questions. After one bite of my 1/4 pound Standard burger I immediately placed an order for another. I could have eaten a 3rd.

When Shane told me the beef was local I imagined the lots at Greeley, CO which is certainly local. Then I learned that the beef comes from grass-fed cows from Carbondale. Now that's local! His cows may even be closer to the griddle than Joe Maranto's Texas longhorns, the grass-fed cows The Meers Store uses for their burgers.

Next time I'm out there I need to try another new burger concept - Larkburger. The good people behind this local chain have invited me to taste their burgers but it will have to wait until my next adventure.

Hamburger America at Javits

If you find yourself at the Restaurant & Foodservice Show of NY at the Javits on Monday, March 1st I'll be there screening Hamburger America at 3PM. The screening is in association with the James Beard Foundation and tasty burgers will be served thanks to our friends at Burger Maker. And if you are at the Javits at 1:00, come by the Burger Maker booth (see above) where I'll be signing books before the screening.

Kate's First Burger

I just completed a short film about Kate, a girl who chooses ME to have her first burger with. Yes, her first burger EVER. In the screen grab above I'm attempting to coach her though she needed no coaching - Kate was ready. Bill's Bar & Burger supplied the background for the film and the burgers were exceptional, really. Her first coincidentally was perfect. Her next had better be as good.

The film will be posted here next week and a story about Kate's first is supposed to run in the NY Times....Stay tuned.

Hamburger Love Leads To Wedding Bells

A few months back a girl from Ohio emailed to say that after reading my book she and her boyfriend were moved to take this journey. I spent a week in Ohio eating and researching burgers and these two lovebirds hit all six of my faves in one day! That's correct, they managed to visit Hamburger Wagon, Crabill's, Wilson's, Kewpee, Thurman Cafe, and Gahanna Grill, all within 13 hours. And as if that weren't enough, they saved the behemoth Thurman Burger for last! I can't even imagine. These two really like burgers so naturally I really like them.

A few weeks ago I received another email saying that they were tying the knot (congrats!) and of course hamburgers were involved. They have decided to go on a 'Hamburger Honeymoon', most likely the first of its kind (c'mon Brides Magazine! Now there's a story..) and they have asked the food community for advice. Please take a minute and visit their Chowhound thread, check out their route, and make sure they have enough great burger joints to visit.

I think I'll suggest to my wife that we renew our vows, but only if it leads to our own Hamburger Honeymoon.

New Burger Truck in Miami

After inhaling 2 Fritas at El Mago De Las Fritas the day after Christmas I needed more. I told Miami blogger Burger Beast that I had to try the new burger truck he had been blogging about and we were off.

Latin Burger & Taco hit the streets of Miami in early December 2009 firing off tweets to alert followers to their location. When we found the truck they were parked in a not-so-convenient spot (on a stretch of Route 1 near Coconut Grove) but thanks to Twitter burger lovers were there. As we stood ordering burgers I asked the guy in front of me how he knew about the truck. "I read about it on a Miami burger blog." Beast was impressed, so was I.

The Latin Mucho, the only burger on the menu, is the creation of the chef behind Latin Burger & Taco, Food Network's Ingrid Hoffman. The patty is a riff on the Frita using a combo of chuck, sirloin, and chorizo meats. Served on a toasted white squishy, the burger comes with intense, slow-cooked caramelized onion and jalepeno and Oaxaca cheese. You can get yours with either the avocadolicious sauce (?) or red pepper mayo. I was in a bit of a haze after El Mago and have no idea what sauce I asked for. Whatever it was it was good. The burger is incredible and a unique take on both the traditional American hamburger and the Frita - a well-crafted taste explosion. And at $5.75 this double wonder is worth every penny.

I asked Ingrid's husband, the brawn behind Latin Burger, "What the hell is in this burger?" and he replied flatly, "The recipe is on the internet." Yeah, but you should head over to the truck before trying to make your own. These guys have it down.

They have tacos too. Tacos? I need another burger.

Wilson's of Findley is NOT Closing

I received an email from a fan of my book who informed me that the 74 year-old institution Wilson's Sandwich Shop would be shuttered soon. The Courier (of Findlay, Ohio) reported that the economy was to blame and one of the owners Michael Fenbert was going to switch from grinding and pressing patties to outsourcing fresh patties to save money. Fenbert was quoted as saying, "I'm going to buy patties until we close down."

Thankfully the news is only partly true. I spoke to Vicki at Wilson's on Monday and she told me they are not closing. Whew. It was a misunderstanding. They will be outsourcing patties though. Turns out the good-old patty making machine they have been using for decades is suddenly not up to code. The paper reported that the machine had "the potential to pinch fingers." Duh. I asked Vicki if the patties would still be square and she replied, "Oh yes."

Wilson's is a historically significant burger joint whose square patties were most definitely one of the inspirations for the square patties at Wendy's (the other being Kewpee of Lima, OH just down the road.) To lose this place would be tragic.

Quick Stop At Top Notch Beefburgers Chicago

I had exactly 1 hour to grab a burger before a meeting in Chicago last week and I chose to hit Top Notch Beefburgers way down in the neighborhood of Beverly. Why did I drive 35 minutes to spend 20 mins. cramming a 1/2 pound burger in my face? Because Top Notch never fails to deliver.

After I put Top Notch in my book back in 2008 my good friend and Tribune reporter Rick Kogan admitted that he had never been there. He too saw the light and was undaunted by the long drive down to 95th St. near Western. Kogan was so moved by the burger (and the admission that it was new to him) that he wrote a piece for the Trib about it. To this day whenever I tell a Chicagoan where I'm going I always get the same response - "Way down there? Have fun." And no one ever asks me to bring them one because it's so far away that the burger would be ice cold by the time they got it.

I met Chicago Expert Burger Taster Jay at counter and he told me, "It's a good thing Top Notch is not near my house. I'd be here all the time." But for me it's 700 miles away so I wish it were closer. We both ordered the Half-Pounder King Size with cheese and grilled onions. Just perfect. The meat is ground fresh from hanging beef in their walk-in cooler and the shakes are amazing.

If you have not been yet get yer butt down there already! And Top Notch is now selling red trucker hats for only 5 bucks..

The Miami Frita - An Amazing Burger Experience

I had a layover on the way to a Caribbean vacation after Christmas and decided it was time to give the fabled Frita of South Miami a try. If I had only known how great it was I would have come sooner. This was an amazing hamburger experience.

I met the Miami blogger Burger Beast (friend and translator) at his favorite Frita counter in South Florida - El Mago De Las Fritas. It was a bright, clean place that was empty at 3pm but El Mago himself was there and he tossed some burgers on for us.

For the uninitiated, the Frita is a Cuban interpretation of the hamburger. Erase preconceptions about the classic America burger though - this version will knock you over. El Mago, translated as The Magician, takes a wad of fresh ground meat and smashes it thin on a flattop. He then reaches for an unmarked plastic bottle and gives the patty a generous squirt of a mysterious deep-red liquid. A handful of chopped onion is sprinkled on as the patty cooks in the bubbling sauce.

And then comes the moment where this burger becomes unique. The patty is slipped onto a soft, warm Cuban roll and topped with a generous heap of ethereal, stringy fried potatoes and a squirt of ketchup. The patty, which definitely contains some sort of spiced chorizo or the like mixed in with the fresh beef, explodes with flavor. Yes, I dealt with ketchup on this burger. I felt like I was in a foreign place with foreign customs and a language I do not speak. Who was I to decide that ketchup should not be on this burger? It was actually good and I reasoned that I put ketchup on fries anyway.

The amazing flavor of this burger must be consumed to be appreciated. After I inhaled mine I told El Mago how happy I was and he just smiled. I thought to myself, "When will I be back?" Tomorrow would not have been soon enough so I ordered another.

The second Frita I asked for with American cheese out of curiosity. A Frita with cheese is not traditional by Cuban standards but popular on Little Havana menus. Burger Beast chuckled and reminded me, "American cheese is not big in Cuba!" Oh yeah, duh. This burger needs no cheese though, infact the cheese only muddied the subtle balance of flavors.

Pictured above with my first Frita is a glass of cold watermelon juice. Yum. After my two Fritas El Mago produced a small plate of homemade flan. It could have been the best I've ever had.

Will El Mago be in the revised edition of the book? Hell yeah. I will never visit Miami again without stopping for a Frita.