By Jamie Rogers
I love a good burger, and I love restaurants that make burgers a menu priority (I’m talking to you, Iron Hill, TJ’s Restaurant & Drinkery and Gullifty’s).
There is so much more than just a patty thrown on a grill. Yeah, grill. I prefer a grilled one to a griddled one – flames should be an ingredient in any burger. Also, attention must be paid to the seasoning, whether it is simple or complex. The bun must be considered, and the toppings and condiments, if any, need to make sense.
So, I challenged myself: a burger a day for the first weekend of the summer.
Thursday: 8:20 p.m., My Home, Havertown
The idea of burger every day of this holiday weekend started when my husband made them for dinner Thursday night. I prefer to make my burgers with just a little Montreal Steak Seasoning. Shaun uses chopped onions and garlic, and they are always good and moist. A fresh potato roll, ketchup and my in-home favorite addition of creamy horseradish sauce started this weekend challenge off right.
Friday: 1:20 p.m., Iron Hill Brewery, West Chester
For shame. This was my first visit to Iron Hill during National Hamburger Month, when Iron Hill features a different burger every day. I lucked out as the day’s featured was the Caprese Burger, which is exactly what you think it – fresh mozzarella, vine-ripened tomato, balsamic glaze and basil pesto.
I ordered it medium, since I like my burger a touch pink, and often find that medium rare is just too bloody. It arrived cooked to perfection and had a great balance of flavors. The bitter pesto, warmth of the mozzarella, freshness of the tomato and sweetness of the glaze created a perfect summertime lunch.
Saturday: 2:20 p.m., The Pub at Wegmans, Malvern
Every Saturday, The Pub at Wegmans features a different sandwich and burger. On this day they had their Mushroom Swiss burger. Mmmm… one of my favorite burger combos.
I’m going to say something I never said before, but Wegmans disappointed me. The mushroom and Swiss were in the burger, so this was not what I expected and it was too dry for my taste. I also found that the bun overwhelmed the burger. So sad. But don’t worry Wegman’s, I still love you.
Wegmans also sells these burgers in their meat department, and I’m willing to give it another chance when I cook it myself.
Sunday: 7:30 p.m., Bobby’s Burger Palace, Philadelphia
He’s an Iron Chef, and he has a quick service burger place in Philly. God bless, America. Yes, the University City location is out of the geographic territory of the suburban joints our website covers, but if Bobby Flay offers burgers in your city and you are doing a burger-filled-weekend, you have to branch out.
I got the Philly Burger, with hot peppers, grilled onions and a choice of provolone or Whiz. I went with Whiz, and I think that is the way to go because the salt of the processed cheese really adds that certain something. The bun—fresh, proportioned well and had my favorite bun feature, sesame seeds.
I’m going to say something here that may make vegetarians cringe – on the first bite, the juice of the bloody burger dripped down my arm. Can it get any better than that?
Monday: 1 p.m., My Parents’ House, Chester Springs
Until this point, I only had beef burgers. My mom made turkey burgers. I prefer my burger to be a cow, but turkey as a healthier alternative after four days of artery clogging wasn’t a bad idea.
My problem with turkey burgers their tendency to crumble, but a catering friend of my mom’s offered this trick to the perfect turkey burger – add a little egg and some bread crumbs and use an egg beater to beat the meat.
I topped my burger with guacamole, bacon and homemade fried onion rings. That whole “artery clogging” thing went right out the window.
Very delicious and a perfect ending to my weekend of burgers. Now to recover…. A salad for every meal over the next week.
