Burger Battle returned for the ninth year in a row.  I had to travel last year and wasn’t in town for the event, but I was super excited about going this year!  They moved the event to March instead of May.  Weather-wise, that seemed like a good call.  However, it also looks like it didn’t give restaurants as much time to prepare, because the list of contenders was noticeably shorter.  What was usually a 20-ish burger chomping marathon topped out at 11 burgers this year.  Still, a good time was had by all, and there were plenty of unique burger offerings to keep things interesting.

So, who were my favorites?  Let’s see!

Burgers 1 – 4

• Burger 1: The Friendly Ghost from BrgrStop
  • A custom 1855 Angus all natural beef blend with housemade ghost pepper pineapple jam, ghost pepper jack cheese, Farmland bacon, and jalapeno pineapple chutney
  • This was the first stand that I came across, and I almost skipped it because I didn’t want the ghost pepper to destroy my taste buds for the evening.  I tried it anyway, and was blown away.  The sweetness of the pineapple tempered the heat of the ghost pepper and made it more of a sharp kick instead of “third degree burn.”  This wound up being my favorite burger of the night.
• Burger 2: The Irish Breakfast Burger from Bokampers
  • Signature beef blend burger with Proper bacon, Irish banger, shoestring fries, worcestershire ketchup and topped with a quail egg
  • My first thought when I tried this burger was “Wow…quail eggs taste a lot different than chicken eggs.”  Still, the egg kind of overshadowed the taste of everything else.
• Burger 3: The Ushi Jackman Ranch “Red Wagyu” beef burger with Meyers Dark Rum Demi Glaze shot from Pelican Grand Beach Resort
  • A burger with dry aged crisp prosciutto, vidalia onion jam, house special sauce, homemade pickle, aged cheddar, beefsteak tomato, and shredded lettuce on an 85% FA-House Challah Sesame Seed Bun
  • It was kind of a cool and fun thing to do to inject rum directly into your burger.  The dark rum was a good choice, because it really brought out the flavors in the rest of the ingredients.
• Burger 4: The Stormy from Tucker Duke’s
  • A burger with Alabama white pepper sauce, barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, and potato sticks on an onion roll
  • This was a pretty safe burger, but it wasn’t bad.

Burgers 5-8

• Burger 5: The Bold City Burger from Metro Diner (Winner Best Bar and Grill Burger)
  • A burger with Provel cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, sausage, fried jalapenos, lettuce, tomato, and garlic aioli on a brioche bun
  • This burger had too much going on for my taste.
• Burger 6: The Nutella Waffle Burger from Gulfstream Park
  • A burger with pepper jack cheese, chipotle aioli, and maple syrup between two Nutella waffles
  • I’m not really on board with “sweet and salty” combinations, so the Nutella waffle “buns” really threw me off with this burger.  There is a chance that it would have worked better for me if the waffles were plain.
• Burger 7: The Carolina Jack Burger from Burger Craze (Winner Best Burger Joint Burger)
  • A burger with North Carolina barbecue sauce, pepper jack cheese, bacon, and an onion ring
  • One of my former bosses used to say “Keep it simple, stupid.”  This burger did just that, and it paid off.
• Burger 8: The South Florida from Rok:Brgr (Winner Best Burger AND People’s Choice)
  • Special blend burger (brisket, short rib, and chuck) with oxtail marmalade, manchego cheese, piquillo pepper aioli, and crispy potato strings
  • In previous years, Rok:Brgr was almost always my top choice.  Ever since they changed their beef patties, though, I just can’t get past the taste of the new meat.  That was no different at this event, and the toppings couldn’t change that for me.  I’m a little sad that they won, because this means that the patties are here to stay.

Burgers 9-11

• Burger 9: The Mushroom and Swiss Burger from Hard Rock Cafe
  • Pretty self explanatory, but the chef was sure to point out that the mushrooms were cooked in white wine and thyme
  • I’m usually not into mushrooms on my burger, but this one was pretty good.  The mushrooms were very flavorful, so I guess that white wine and thyme was worth the mention.
• Burger 10: The JWB Shallot Burger from JWB (Winner Best Knife and Fork Burger)
  • A burger with caramelized shallots, mustard seeds, port wine, bacon, pickled cucumber, and aged Vermont cheddar
  • This was my second favorite burger of the evening.  I don’t even like pickles on my burger, but something about that pickled cucumber really stood out.  It gave the burger this refreshing sensation that lingered after every bite.
• Burger 11: The Pincho Burger from Pincho Factory
  • A chuck patty with lettuce, tomato, cheese, potato sticks, and Pincho sauce
  • This isn’t the first time that Pincho Factory features their Pincho Burger at a burger competition.  While it’s a pretty standard burger, I have never liked the sauce that they put on it, so it never really works for me.
• “Burger” 12: Since there weren’t an even number of entries remaining, enjoy a picture of the adorable hamburger macarons that were provided by Gulfstream Park.  They were too cute, but I was also too full to try one.

While smaller than previous years, Burger Battle 2018 was no less fun.  I can’t wait to go back next year!