Our "own" burger

Every once in a while you crave a good burger, but don't feel like braving the chill of a dark fall evening. That's when we went just around the corner to Bloomingfoods and picked up the fixin's for our own homegrown rendition!

Comprised of local black angus beef, the burger also incorporated blue cheese and bacon mixed into the meat. Cooked in a cast iron skillet with the beef were garlic and marinated onions, and we topped the finished product with fresh greens, placing it on toasted ciabatta bread instead of a bun (inspired by "the surprising burger" from Louisville).

Here's a picture:



We marinated the onions in red wine with garlic, and finished them in the skillet with burger. The bacon, greens, and ciabatta were all local, and we ate it with a local Chambourcin wine from the Butler Winery. The dark red berry and oak lent a full flavor that both complimented and maintained individuality in the face of all the complex flavors we had going in the meat. It was awesome!!

The "suprising" burger

Well, we arrived in Louisville late last Friday night, and I expected our food choices to be limited. We checked into our bed and breakfast, and asked our host about restaurants in the neighborhood. When she suggested a place just around the corner--an Italian restaurant--I think both of us expected to be eating run-of-the-mill spaghetti and meatballs. Needless to say, we were pleasantly surprised when we spotted a burger in the midst of a menu filled with classic Italian dishes!

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This delightful Italian interpretation of a high-end American burger is from Cafe Amici in Louisville's Historic District, one of the largest historic districts in the United States!

Definitely a handmade patty, this burger was thick and juicy, and cooked perfectly to our specifications--medium rare. It was topped with a bounty of delicious ingredients: provolone cheese, caramelized onions, capricola, baby spinach, and roasted tomato vinaigrette. There was an amazing garlic flavor that worked well with the flavors of the other ingredients, without overpowering the original essence of the meat. Served like a panini sandwich, it rested on toasted ciabatta bread--light, with great texture and freshness, which I really enjoyed. So did Molly, look how happy she is!



At a mere $9.50 this burger was a bargain! It was substantial, filling, and came with a choice of unique sides: Parmesan fries or sweet potatoes. As we've been on a sweet potato kick, we decided to go with their version, which I think was our only mistake. They were mushy and drenched in oil, and I'll bet those Parmesan fries would have been awesome! The spinach salad that we chose as accompaniment was quite nice, and included in its ingredients endive and pine nuts, which were premium additions. Our server was attentive, sweet, and upbeat, despite the fact that we arrived very near the restaurant's closing time, and were her last table. Much appreciated!


Here's how we rate it:
Burger
Sides
Service
Overall

The "just okay" burger

This is our first entry. It's not the first burger we've eaten together, and it definitely wasn't the best, but it was the one that inspired us to begin the great adventure that has become our Burger Blog, which we named "Tuxedo Chuck."

Here's a picture:



This burger was from the Artist Colony Inn Restaurant in Brown County, Indiana. It is called the "Bacon Pepper Jack Burger" and is a half pound of ground chuck, with two thick pieces of bacon, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a soft bun. Pretty basic, but reasonably priced at $8.99. The burger was uninspired--acceptable, but subsequently overshadowed by the best part of the meal--all the delicious sides! The sweet potato fries were crisp, light and came with a maple brown sugar sauce that was slightly granulated, with just the right amount of sweetness. The coleslaw side incorporated finely ground broccoli blossoms, and wasn't saturated with mayonnaise. Coupled with a spinach salad this was an excellent meal, however:
a. We had our qualms about the service overall (notice the empty water glass in the photo--this is unacceptable!). Our server was slow and inattentive.
b. Our burger arrived at our table overcooked.
c. The presentation of this meal was not impressive--the salad was not very interesting and the lettuce was wilted, and the burger patty looked pre-pressed, boring, and a little flat.

Here, finally, is the breakdown:
Burger

Sides

Service

Overall