Give Me Burgers!

My dad, always good for a couple of early morning links to whet my appetite, sent me these articles (check here and here).

I'll admit that my reaction to the French embracing the burger was very similar to my reaction to the bacon explosion. Why are they snobbing up my hamburgers? And why are the French eating them with a knife and fork? That said, I would tear up the burger with foie gras.

Now, I love food in most of its incarnations. I'll eat pretty much any burger you put in front of me. Sure, I have my preferences as to toppings: onions, swiss, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard, brie, and occasionally bbq sauce. I'm a little leery of a burger served with "black ketchup," a concoction of blackberries and black currants served with a waygu burger. I'm not saying that it isn't delicious, but I probably wouldn't order it.

I'm also baffled at some chefs' persistence at using super expensive cuts of beef. I would love to try a Kobe steak some day, but I'm not going to pay upwards of $60 for a burger made from the stuff. Well, I would if I had a guarantee that I wouldn't need to eat for the rest of the week.

On the smaller side, sliders are the "new" go-to bar food. Practically every chain, and many independent eateries, have some variety of the two-bite burger on the menu. I've never been a fan of the White Castle version, despite Harold and Kumar's best efforts, but some of these tiny sandwiches sound pretty good - if you're willing to shell out the dough for them. At Kobe Club, 3 waygu (again with the fancy) sliders are served with caramelized onions, tomato, bacon and black truffle sauce, for the modest price of 27 bucks. It's as if something only gets better if you pile expensive ingredients on top. Barclay Prime, here in Philly, has been home to a Kobe cheesesteak for a couple of years now. It's made with made with shaved Kobe beef, sauteed foie gras, and garnished with shaved truffles and melted Taleggio cheese (which looks to run about $12-$16/lb). Oh, my overwhelmed palette!

There are some places that have jumped on the slider, or miniburger, bandwagon, and offer more reasonable priced options. Considering I'm getting all this from The New York Times, the places listed aren't really convenient for a lunch break if you're in the Philly area. Not that I have any doubt that there are many places in Philly which offer sliders. Barclay Prime, for one.