We’re on a roll! The winter burger roundup
The hamburger! Nature’s food with built-in handles. I don’t know anybody (or, better yet, anybody I’d desire to know) who doesn’t appreciate a well-built burger. And “well built” takes everything into consideration, from the infrastructure (the roll) to the interior design (the all-important patty), and the decorations (all the other stuff). One must never diminish the importance of the roll. It should not be too firm (one good squeeze and the patty becomes a dangerous projectile), but not so soft that it can’t support the required complement of condiments. I’ve been read the riot act by at least one local restaurant chef/owner when I criticized his burger rolls! We’re friends now, but it was touch and go there for a while. FYI, he eventually changed rolls, and we’re all better for it.
Accessories are a matter of choice. Many add bacon (it’ll make your pelt shiny), a slice of cheese (dairy is healthy), and crunchworthy accoutrements such as pickles, jalapeno peppers, cherry peppers … the list goes on and on.
Rehoboth Beach sizzles with restaurateurs who love to push the burger envelope. Take the salmon burger at Summer House. You can only get it on Monday night, and even then they tend to run out early. Try one and you’ll see why: The lightly seasoned patty is decorated with lemon basil mayo and is properly cradled in that signature Big Fish Restaurant Group roll: Eggy and cloudlike; caressing the treasures within to become an essential part of the experience.
No, I am not on Norm Sugrue’s payroll, but I do have to tell you about the Old Fashioned Chop House Burger at Big Fish Grill (ask any local). Not in the mood to munch on deep-sea delights? The generous burger is the thing to get. And yes, there’s that roll again. And cheese. And bacon. At Lula Brazil, patrons happily unhinge their jaws when confronted with Meg Hudson’s Hamburguer Brasiliero. A fried egg. Potato sticks. Not a bad thing. The same goes for one of Rehoboth’s premier chefs, Rob Stitt. Rob is co-owner and chef at Shorebreak Lodge, and he is a man of few words. He hates the limelight (actually he hates any flavor light), but his LaFrieda burger has raised the beefy bar here at the beach. In order to not dishonor celebrated butcher Pat LaFrieda’s handiwork, it is topped with nothing more than a polite dollop of pimiento cheese puree. Period.
Pickled Pig Pub tops their burgers with a sense of humor. Though you might be frightened by the PB&J burger (bacon peanut butter, strawberry-jalapeno jam & aged cheddar cheese), it will not hurt you. In fact, the darn thing is a sleeper at P3, and actually beat out 20 Cape Region burgers at a contest a couple of years ago. Bethany Blues dishes up yet another sleeper, the Blues Burger. Needless to say, it arrives with a polite slather of BBQ sauce that plays very well with cheddar cheese and of course bacon. These guys know how to grill.
Say what you will, but true burger lovers know that Five Guys rarely disappoints. Why?
Well, first off, the regular burger is a double decker. This saves you the anxiety of asking for two patties in front of everyone. Second, you can be assured that their burgers are cooked all the way through. Some may grouse, but hamburger is hamburger and I prefer to take no chances. Third, the sandwich can be embellished with your choice of 15 (count ‘em - 15!) ornaments. It is then encased in foil and covered with hot fries. While the burger waits for you, the roll softens even more and the cheese continues to melt.
Lunchtime is the only time you can get your choice of four half-pound-plus burgers at 1776 Steakhouse, but it’s well worth it. Depending on your mood, you can kick things up with crab imperial, gruyere, gorgonzola and even prosciutto. Downtown at The Pond, former MIXX chef Dave Sauers is now in the kitchen, making Pete Borsari’s 5-Alarm Black Bean Burger even better. It sports jalapeno peppers, pepper jack cheese and Sriracha mayo tucked into grilled Texas toast (a perfectly acceptable substitution for the standard roll).
Yes, there are more burgers here at the beach, but I have exhausted my weekly allotment of ink. So take advantage of the new year, the mild weather and the relative quiet to get in touch with your inner burger while you can still park for free.
Bob Yesbek is a serial foodie and can be reached at byesbek@CapeGazette.com.
