Hamburger House Party returns again.  And, despite my strict diet, I wasn’t about to miss out.  This event is organized by Burger Beast, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.  The burgers flowed like champagne, and there was something for all palates.

As usual, my goal was to try them all and make an informed decision about which burgers were my favorites.  So, here we go!

Burgers 1-4

• Burger 1: The 0% Vegetarian from Twisted Fork Kitchen
  • Signature patty topped with short rib, maple bacon jam, Gruyere cheese, and Cipollini onions on a brioche bun
  • I have no idea what was going on with the bun.  If I had to guess, I would say it was dyed with squid ink.  It was a pretty good burger, though.
• Burger 2: Tom’s Classic American Cheeseburger from Tom’s NFL
  • A ground chuck burger topped with flat leaf lettuce, beefsteak tomato, red onion, American cheese, and garlic basil aioli on a Kaiser roll.
  • This was definitely a classic burger.  Unfortunately, this also meant that it didn’t stand out among all of the other, more unique options
• Burger 3: The Jupiña Express from Pincho Factory
  • Signature burger patty topped with smoked Gruyere, Jupiña caramelized onions, papitas, and cilantro sauce on a brioche bun
  • I can’t tell you how shocking it is to me that cooking onions in pineapple soda would be so incredibly delicious.  It really brought a sweet note to the burger that was rounded out by the smokey Gruyere cheese.  This burger got my vote for the evening.
• Burger 4: The Grim Reaper from Killer Melts
  • Signature patty topped with bacon, melted cheddar cheese, red pepper jelly, and chipotle aioli on a toasted Martin’s potato roll
  • The only thing that I remember about this burger is that it was SPICY.

Burgers 5-8

• Burger 5: The Madlove Super Champ Burger from Madlove
  • Special blend burger topped with 3 cheeses, applewood maple glazed bacon, butter lettuce, plum tomatoes, sliced avocado, candied jalapeno, chipotle aioli, and buttered onions
  • I think that the toppings overpowered the burger, which might have just been because it got condensed into a slider size.  Still, it felt a little bit unbalanced
• Burger 6: The Mofongo Burger from Chefs on the Run
  • 80/20 Angus churrasco burger topped with Chef Jodrick’s mofongo, Applewood smoked bacon, Kerrygold Dubliner white cheddar cheese, Chimichurri aioli, pickled red onions, rugged sauce, and smoked churrasco
  • The flavor of the mofongo on this burger was amazing, and I could have eaten it by itself.  But, in a burger, it made it incredibly heavy when you combined it with the bun.  There was just too much starch going on.
• Burger 7: The Basic “B” from Orange Bear Grill
  • Custom burger blend topped with bacon habanero jam, white cheddar cheese, garlic aioli, and housemade pickles on Martin’s potato roll
  • This was a pretty standard burger, but I felt like the pickles kind of overpowered everything else on the burger.
• Burger 8: The Burger and the Beast from Jr’s Gourmet Burgers – Judge’s Award Winner
  • Jr’s signature burger topped with grilled onions, American cheese, and pink sauce
  • All I tasted was the pink sauce, which very obviously has mayo in it (which I don’t like).  Considering some of the more creative burgers that were features, I’m a bit disappointed that they won.

Burgers 9-12

• Burger 9: The Hemingway from Bottoms Up Gastropub and Tap Bar
  • Bourbon-infused burger patty with red wine sauteed spinach and mushrooms, pickled onions, Apple Bourbon bacon jam, and Blue Cheese butter finished with Balsamic aioli
  • I took one look at everything going on with this burger and thought “this is going to be too much.”  Surprisingly, though, it WORKED!  It tasted like a fancy steakhouse dinner on a bun.
• Burger 10: The Pig-Mento Burger from Boyce General Store
  • Burger topped with homemade jalapeno pimento cheese, pig candy bacon, and spicy dill pickle
  • At the ripe old age of 36, I still have not grown to appreciate pimento cheese.
• Burger 11: El Tumbe from Boss Burger and Brew
  • Chuck, brisket, and short rib blended burger patty topped with Muenster cheese, Guava paste, herb cream cheese, and bacon
  • Their sign didn’t mention the fried egg on the burger.  Combined with guava paste, that didn’t work for me at all.
• Burger 12: The Booze Burger from Toasted
  • Beef burger topped with Blue cheese, candied bacon, and pinot caramelized onions
  • This burger was pretty good, but it didn’t stand out compared to the competition.

Burgers 13-16

• Burger 13: The Bird and Bone Burger from Bird and Bone
  • Double Angus beef patty, bacon, onion, Florida cheddar cheese, House-Made pickle, and comeback sauce on Zak the Baker Brioche
  • I recently discovered this place as a reliable source for quality fried chicken in Miami, so I was excited to try their burger.  It was a pretty reliable burger, too.  It had all of the classic toppings that one would expect on a burger, but I think that they played it a little bit safe.
• Burger 14: Mondays Remedy Burger from Hate Mondays Tavern (People’s Choice Winner)
  • Brisket/Angus beef burger topped with bacon and cheese on a sweet bun
  • I think that this was supposed to be similar to a Luther burger, because the “bun” resembled a glazed donut.  The combination didn’t quite work for me.
• Burger 15: The Samba Burger from Luz! Camera Burger
  • Beef burger patty topped with Brazilian cheese (Minas Padrao, beef jerky (carne seca) cooked with sugar cane brandy (Cachaca) and mixed with crispy fried kale
  • Flavor-wise, this was one of the most interesting burgers of the night.  The only thing that didn’t work for me was the texture of the beef jerky in the burger.  The last thing you want to taste in a burger is dry meat.
• Burger 16: The Can’t Fuggettaboutit from Adam’s Filling Station on Wheels
  • Burger topped with Genoa salami, homemade fried cheese sticks, Arrabiata spread, and roasted almond pesto sauce on a garlicky toasted bun
  • When I saw that gigantic cheese stick sandwiched between the burger toppings, I got really excited.  The burger itself was a little bit bland, though, so it sadly didn’t deliver the complex flavors that the toppings promised.

Burgers 17 and 18

• Burger 17: The Monster Burger from O’Daly’s Delight Cafe
  • Seasoned ground beef burger patty topped with lettuce, tomato, smoked bacon, BBQ sauce, and housemade pink sauce on a pretzel bun
  • This is another burger that I probably would have liked if they hadn’t smothered it in pink sauce
• Burger 18: The Guavanator by MIA Beer Company
  • Custom blend burger topped with tangy bourbon guava sauce, bacon, crispy onions, and gouda cheese
  • I think that they succeeded in making the extreme sweetness of guava work in a burger, possibly because the bourbon cut through the sweetness.
• Burger 19: The K.O.R from King of Racks
  • A brisket/sirloin burger topped with smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, chives, and their award-winning chili
  • I hadn’t realized until I was back home looking at my photos that I forgot to taste this burger.  It makes me very sad, because this burger sounds amazing.

The event also featured SugaPie, Burger Beast’s dessert competition.  It pitted several bakeries and sweet shops against each other.  The competition was fierce, too!

The entries were (starting from top left):

• The PB & Fudge Pie from The Pie Queen
• The Breadman Surprise from Breadman Bakery
• The Fruity Pebbles Cookie from Night Owl Cookies
• The Cheesecake Pop from Hip Pops (they also had a popsicle called Cereal Killer, which was covered in Fruity Pebbles and Cinnamon Toast Crunch)
• Bourbon Chocolate Cake from Sweetness Bake Shop
• Ganache Flor de Cana Tres Leches from Empanada Harry’s (Judge’s Award Winner)
• Bacon Chocolate Eclair from Pastries by Kat
• Banana Ice Cream Pie from Frice Cream
• Assorted Desserts from Casa Gioia (Guava Bundt Cake, Lemon Lime Meringue Mini Tart, Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Alfajores)

My favorites were the PB & Fudge Pie, the Banana Ice Cream Pie, and the Cheesecake Popsicle.  If I hadn’t been so horrifically full, I would have gone back for seconds of these.

This was worth breaking my diet, and I can’t wait until next year!