One year, hundreds of miles, close to 30 pounds of meat, thousands of fries…searching for the ten best hamburgers. While others merely create lists of hamburgers from websites, I devoured almost 70 different varieties in as many locations. And at the end of this long and winding road stood Chef Bill Taibe’s beef burger served at The Whelk in Westport.

Interesting that a restaurant named after a mollusk with 90% of cuisine devoted to some of the best fish and seafood anywhere also delivers the best burger in the area. But with Bill Taibe overseeing the cuisine, nothing should surprise you.

Have the table start with an assortment of oysters and clams and then move to the main dish. For the carnivores, just sit back and enjoy the best burger around while the rest of the table can enjoy some of the best and creative seafood around. It’s a beautiful thing.

Owner Chef Bill Taibe and Chef Geoff Lazlo created my favorite burger this year, combining rich flavored meat, sweet pickles, cry baby Swiss cheese, two varieties of bacon, crisped onions and onion mayo on a brioche bun. The dry aged blend of short rib, brisket and chuck from Craft Saugatuck Butchery was fantastic. The cheese covered, thick patty sat atop two different varieties of bacon that added saltiness and smokiness, while slices of sweet pickles, a slice of frisée and the onion accented mayo brought additional flavors and textures. Sitting atop the plump patty were handful of crisped onions. These were all encased in a sweet brioche bun. The flavors were overwhelmingly delicious with smoky, salty, sweet all complementing the deep, rich flavors of the beef with the crisped onions adding a fun and crunchy texture. The hamburger was served with shoestring fries that were perfectly prepared and salted.

See the entire list of the Best 10 Hamburgers from Greenwich to New Haven at http://www.CTbites.com

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