The Perfect Burger.

The Perfect Burger is in itself an imperfection. Because not everyone likes the same thing on their burger. In fact, Comedy has given us outlet for many a burger trend; the Krusty Burger, from the Simpson's. And who can forget Aaron McGruder's "Boondocks" and the "Luther Burger" from The Itis? A Bacon Cheese Burger served between two deep fried Krispy Kreme Donuts?

Like Me, I have multiple favorites depending on where I am:
Place:Fuddrucker's
Meat: Turkey Patty (or 1/4 Beef if I'm in the mood)
Bread: Wheat Bun
Veg: Lettuce, Tomato, Onion
Extra: Pickle, Jalapenos, Banana Peppers
Spread: Ketchup and Spicy Mustard
Served with their famous wedge fries
*The Self-Serve Style of Fudd's makes it easy to get the right amount of burger, and the right amount of toppings.

Place: Red Robin: Gourmet Burgers (Thank You Noel!)
Name: Burnin' Love Burger
Meat: Beef
Bread: Jalapeno-Cornmeal Kaiser Roll
Veg: Lettuce, Tomato
Extra: Tangy Salsa, Pepper-Jack Cheese, CRISPY-FRIED JALAPENO RINGS!
Spread: Chipotle Mayo ( I sub out for Ketchup)
Served with Bottomless Fries
*Noel introduced me to this burger, I had to stop myself from asking for seconds!

Place: Cook-Out
Name: Regular Burger
Meat: Beef
Bread: Bun
Veg: Lettuce, Tomato
Extra: Pickle
Spread: Mustard, Ketchup
With onion rings, hush puppies or chicken nuggets (or all three!) an Oreo-Mint Milkshake and a Huge Sweet Tea
*Its a North Carolina thing...no wonder I gained wait at school!

Place: Outback Steakhouse
Name: The Outback Burger
Meat: Beef
Bread: Bun
Veg: Lettuce, tomato, red onion
Extra: Pickle
Spread: Mustard, Ketchup
Served with Bloomin' Onion or Fries
*There something about the simplicity of the burger and the perfectly cooked patty that makes this one awesome.

Place: Burger King
Name: Whopper
Meat: Beef (I hope)
Bread: Sesame Seed bun
Veg: Lettuce, tomato, onion
Extra: Extra Pickles (cheese if I'm feeling it)
Spread: Mustard, Ketchup, Onion Ring Sauce
Served with Burger Kind Fries
*Where I love this burger, I eat it sparingly because fast food is quick to mess up my stomach.

Place: Beef Burger: Broiled Burger
Name: Super Burger
Bread: Bun
Veg: Lettuce, tomato, onion
Extra: Pickles
Spread: Mustard, Ketchup
Served with Sweet Potato Sticks
*This place is nostalgic, drive-in/diner type with some of the most ingenious-and simple-burgers I've ever tastes. Their regular burgers are dipped in a famous sauce. I suggest getting a burger to your liking AND a dipped burger so you can taste for yourself, the difference.

Place: Pow-Wow
Name: Bison Burger
Bread: Bun
Veg: Lettuce, tomato, onion
Extras: Sweet relish
Spread: Mustard, Ketchup
Server in my hand.
*While out with Jen at a Pow-wow, I don't remember which tribe, I tried a Bison Burger. It tasted much the same as a regular beef patty, but the meat was richer, not gamey, but...good.

Now that I have you all inside my burger brain I have to share with you the next Burger Journey I want to take. FLIP Burger Boutique Founded by top chef contestant Richard Blais the entire restaurant is based around new ways of eating a burger and fries. The restaurant opened last year and I've been DYING to go, but I want to share this experience with more than me.

Just listen to this menu:
Crab Burger, with green coconut curry
Tuna Burger with pickled ginger
Korean Bbq Burger with Kimchi
Po Boy Burger! a shrimp patty with lettuce tomato and mayo! served like the real thing!
Vodka battered onion rings
Tempura Fried Okra
Krispy Kreme Milkshake!
Nutella and Burnt Marshmallow Milkshake!

Come On!!!
I can't get ANYONE to go with me?
Maybe that's what I'll do for my birthday, take someone with a big appetite and we'll order three burgers, three sides and three milkshakes. Yes, I'll be ruining my diet, but I'll be thoroughly satisfied!

But, stepping off the burger restaurant soapbox I'm in search of a new home recipe. Yes, my tried and true Turkey Burger had "the stalker" begging for more. But I want to try something different. I'm envisioning a fresh Salmon Burger with Asian slaw and quick pickles. I'm seeing black bean burgers with curry cauliflower and hummus. I'm thinking of a fried-green beefsteak tomato burger with bacon and lettuce.




Here's an Eggplant burger from the AJC this morning. I'm thinking this will be this weekends project.

Eggplant Burgers

Hands on: 30 minutes Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes (including 1 hour for salting eggplant) Serves: 4

“You already know we rarely ever had meat, but you may not know how creative we got with substitutes. Like when we really wanted a hamburger. All we did was cut open an eggplant. And we’d make it with all the trimmings, too. Homemade ketchup and pickles really made us feel like we were having real burgers. Using eggplant instead of beef is a good way to save money and eat healthy.”

Salt, optional

4 large eggplant slices (about 1/2-inch thick)

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

8 slices fresh Italian bread

4 leaves escarole, romaine or other lettuce

Ketchup (see recipe), mustard, mayo or whatever you like on a burger

4 Quick Pickles

For the eggplant burgers: Salt the sliced eggplant, if desired. Let stand for 1 hour, then rinse. Add vegetable oil to a large pan on medium-high. When the oil begins to simmer, add 1 or 2 slices of eggplant. Carefully flip the slices every couple of minutes. They should become brown on the edges after about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove slices from pan and place on a plate with paper towels to absorb the extra oil. Repeat until all the slices are cooked.

To finish: Put 1 or 2 slices of eggplant between 2 slices of bread. Add a leaf of escarole or lettuce to each sandwich and your favorite condiments. Serve with a Quick Pickle on the side.

Per serving: 259 calories (percent of calories from fat, 52), 5 grams protein, 27 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 15 grams fat (2 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 237 milligrams sodium.

So ends my Burger blog. I'm sure I'll revisit this subject again throughout the year. Be on the lookout!