Tag Archives: Burger

Flipside (Fairfield) – Disappointing Burger

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bl1The Best of the Gold Coast Awards were announced recently and one of the areas of personal interest was the winner in the Burger Category. When I saw that Flipside was this year’s winner I immediately placed this venue to the top of my must-try list. I visited a couple of years ago and it never made my “Best of…” list so I was curious if the burger was different from what I sampled.

Flipside is located on the Post Road slightly east of Brick Walk on the south side of the street. Parking is located in the lot behind Ring’s End. There is a long bar, indoor tables and booths plus seating outside for 40-45 guests. It was a beautiful evening so I decided the terrace would be a great way to enjoy a burger.

Burgers are very much front and center at Flipside. There are sixteen predetermined combinations or guests can mix and match from 9 “meats,” 27 different toppings and a variety of 12 sauces. “Meats” include beef, fried chicken, ahi tuna, turkey, salmon and that ever-present veggie burger. I would caution ordering some of the pre-determined offerings as you can save a little money if your order the same combination a la carte. Just check.

I ordered a 6-ounce beef patty (medium-rare) with bacon and American cheese. Fries are included and I decided to keep it simple with regular fries, versus substituting (for a small fee) with sweet potato fries or onion rings.

bl2When the burger arrived I cut it in half and was a little disappointed that it was more raw-rare than medium-rare. The meat had a decent flavor but nothing outstanding. There was no char whatsoever on the exterior and the kitchen forgot to place any seasoning on the patty. The bacon was well cooked and delivered just a touch of saltiness. The cheese was generous and well melted. The bun was in the same category as the other ingredients, basic and it was not grilled, straight from the bag to the plate. The other item of note was the burger tasted as if it was cooked on the same griddle as the onions, there was a significant oniony flavor on the meat.

The shoestring fries were also basic. They were somewhat greasy and most of them were limp, plus the seasoning was extremely inconsistent.

Overall it was an OK burger in an area that has numerous burgers that I view as better options. With all of the votes that Flipside is serving the best burger around I had high hopes and was disappointied.

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Harlan Social (Stamford) – #1 (Tie) on 2015 Best Burger List

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harlan_social_burgerAs I mentioned in my blog on South End, it wasa tie in 2015 for the best burger in southwest CT. The “Harlan Burger” at Harlan Social includes a special blend of meats which Chef Steve Lewandowski elevates the flavors with his incredibly unique toppings. He first bastes the burger with a house-made “Japanese Worcestershire Sauce” and then adds his “Cheddar Ale Sauce,” comprised of four different varieties of cheese, mushroom stock and cream ale. And Chef Lewandowski does not stop there as he tops these items with a fantastic Bacon Onion Jam. The sweet, sour, salty, umami elements were all present. Finally, the burger is encased in a Portuguese Muffin from Boston (my favorite bun on the tour), which adds a sweet accent.

Served with some of the best fries in CT and you have a prefect meal.

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South End (New Canaan) – #1 (Tie) on 2015 Best Burger List

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IMG_0314-0012015 was a difficult year in choosing the number 1 burger in southwest CT and the coin flip did not help. In the end I decided that it was a tie between South End in New Canaan and Harlan Social in Stamford.

IMG_0315-001The “South End Burger” created by Chef Nick Martschenko starts with fantastic beef, topped with Benton bacon, American cheese, South End burger sauce and served on a poppy seed roll. The flavor of the meat is perfect, and Chef Martschenko chars the exterior while maintaining a medium rare interior that oozes tons of juicy goodness. The bacon is crisp and flavorful and complements the meat. A few slices of B&B pickles adorn the burger and add another delightful sour component and the melted American cheese encases the patty. The sauce was a chunky spiced ketchup-y delight, which adds another flavor level. The roll was light and allows the other bold flavors inside to shine. The fries are delicious, lightly salted with a dusting of parmesan cheese and is a great partner for the burger.

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Match (SoNo) – #3 on 2015 Best Burger List

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Match BurgerOnce again Chef Matt Storch’s “Match Burger” takes one of the top spots in my annual review. Anyone on Chef Matt’s FB page sees his weekly Thursday posting announcing the Thursday Night Special Burger night with a photo of perfectly prepared burgers. The Match Burger delivers an incredible array of flavors and starts with a rich, grass fed short rib, chuck and brisket combination. After grilling the patty to create a crisp char and smokiness, the burger is dipped in a Bacon-Cheese Béchamel and then bacon bits are placed atop the cheese-dipped burger to add saltiness. The burger is finished wit a heaping of sweet & sour onions and encased in a sweet onion brioche, which added just a little more sweetness to the combination. The fries at Match were outstanding (maybe the best in the area), crunchy on the exterior, soft and moist on the interior and were the perfect complement to the burger.

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Walrus & Carpenter (Bridgeport) – #5 on 2015 Best Burger List

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rsz_dsc_4599 (2)Walrus + Carpenter is a new addition to my 2015 Best Burger list.

The “W+C Burger” included Cheddar cheese, smoked mayo, bacon, and a secret ingredient, bourbon onions. The meat was delicious, rich in flavor, topped with several strips of bacon, each mildly salty, to complement the beef and the “Bourbon Onions.” The melted Cheddar cheese was creamy and added a touch of nuttiness, and the mayo, which was smoked, a smidgen of smokiness plus more creamy delight. The toasted brioche bun was the perfect choice for this combination. The killer ingredient, and this may be the best topping I tasted, was the Bourbon onions. These were also some of the most delicious caramelized onions I have ever tasted. They were sweet, buttery and the slight crispiness from grilling was a bonus.

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The Whelk (Westport) – #6 on 2015 Best Burger List

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Whelk 15 ctb_1
There was both a change in chef as well as a change in the toppings from last year’s first place finish. The 2015 “Dry Aged Beef Burger” at The Whelk was simpler than last year’s version and combined a rich blend of rich dry-aged beef topped with sweet pickles, belle bantam cheese, bacon and onion mayo on a brioche bun. The beef was perfectly seasoned and still delivered a rich flavor, which was complemented by the sweet pickles. The sauce added a wonderful sweet and creamy addition, while the nuttiness of the cheese and the smoky-saltiness of the bacon added additional flavors to the burger.

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Bounty Food Truck – #7 on 2015 Best Burger List

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15_bounty_2A lot of trucks sell burgers…Bounty Food Truck is the only one I found that sells one that is is great and should be included in my Best Burger List. Over the last year I enjoyed both the Bordelaise Burger and the Bounty Burger and each could make the list.

15_bounty_1The “Bordelaise Burger” was outstanding. The meat was full of deep rich flavor and juicy, and then it was grilled to a perfect medium-rare. It was next topped with melted Gruyere cheese, which added a touch of creamy nuttiness. The slight pepperiness of the arugula was a fantastic addition and also contributed a little crunch. The caramelized onions were sweet and added just a touch of sweet back-notes and then the Malbec butter kicked in with a bold earthiness and a little pungency.

15_bounty_4The “Bounty Burger” began with the same great meat, again prepared to a perfect medium-rare. This included traditional toppings of melted cheese, tomato, lettuce and onions in a sesame seed bun with a swath of Bounty sauce. The juicy meat and tomato slice was complemented by the slightly sweet sauce. It was a great burger.

I am glad Bounty will park at the New Canaan Farmer’s Market this summer where I can sneak down and grab a great burger every Saturday.

 

#burger  #newcanaanfarmersmarket #bounty

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Fleisher’s Craft Butchery (Westport) – #8 on 2015 Best Burgers

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fleish_15_burger_1A few years ago Saugatuck Craft Burchery opened in Westport, buying locally-raised meats and poultry, dry-aging the beef on premises and selling to the public. A second phase was opening a cafe using their meats as the centerpiece to the menu.

fleish_15_burger_3The “Craft Burger” is the next new addition to my Best Burger list. It included dry-aged beef, IPA fondue, bacon bits, bitter greens, and an onion ring served on a brioche. The meat was fantastic, perfectly prepared to medium-rare and delivered that wonderful rich flavor we have grown to expect from this butcher. The IPA fondue was a thick cheese sauce that covered the top of the meat and the mini-cubes of bacon were a great addition. The ingredient that elevated this burger was the bitter greens. It added a level of complexity that none other contained and the sweetness of the brioche was fantastic.

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2015 Burger Favorites – #10 (tie) Mama’s Boy (South Norwalk)

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15 Mamas Boy Burger 1For my 2015 Best Burgers in southwest CT, it was difficult to fill the last spot. There were two excellent burgers, each delivering a different flavor combinations. So I used poetic license and called it a tie.

15 Mamas Boy Burger 2The “Mama’s Boy Burger,” combined local grass fed beef with house-smoked bacon, Pimiento cheese, fried Vidalia onions and pickles on a brioche bun. The patty was juicy and perfectly seasoned, the bacon strips added a significant amount of smokiness and a touch of saltiness and sweet the pickle slices added sour and spicy notes. The fried Vadalia onion rings were delicious.

This mile-high presentation is held together by a steak knife, or the server would need exceptional balance or the fried onion rings would fall. I highly recommend that the guest add the pickles to the ingredients and enjoy with the patty. The sour and spiciness of the pickle really caps off an already great burger.

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Tiger’s Den Sports Bar & Grill (Ridgefield) – Disappointing First Visit

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Tiger Burger 3There has been a fair amount of chatter on-line for Tiger’s Den Sports Bar & Grill in Ridgefield so I decided to see if all of the fuss was justified. Located AT 25 Catoonah Street, the restaurant itself occupies a stand-alone building in the rear of the property with a separate parking lot and entrance. The interior is pure sports bar with seating for fifty at tables and a long front to rear bar with stools. There are six TVs and sports memorabilia adorning all of the walls and 30 beers and mixed drinks occupy a lengthy beverage menu.

Tiger Interior 2I arrived mid-day, grabbed a seat in front of the TVs to view three different sporting events and ordered a bacon cheeseburger medium-rare with fries.

Tiger Interior 1When it arrived I followed my normal practice and cut it in half. As soon as the knife entered the meat I knew the bad news…it was cooked beyond well-done, hard on the exterior and gray throughout. I sampled one of the fries and it was inundated with salt, not edible. I asked the server for a re-do and he was quick to remove the burger, embarrassed after seeing the burger’s interior. While I waited, the staff was apologetic and asked if I wanted a salad while I waited. They were incredibly customer focused during the entire meal. They were the highlight of the visit.

Tiger Burger 2Burger #2 arrived with a new batch of fries. The edges of the burger were very crispy and when I cut the patty in half the middle was borderline raw while the edges were well done, but I was not going to return a second badly cooked burger. Surprisingly the meat was very tasty and offered a nice level of smokiness. It was topped with two slices of bacon, which were very good and the melted American cheese gave a nice level of creaminess. The brioche bun delivered a descent buttery flavor. Unfortunately like the original fries, the kitchen was careless with the salt, some bites were without any seasoning and other bites were over-salted. It was next to impossible to finish the burger. The fries were scalding hot and again they were over-salted and they were not fully cooked on the interior.

Tiger Burger 1Overall it was a very disappointing visit to Tiger’s, not for the ingredients in their burger, which were very good, but with the lack of focus from the kitchen in its preparation.

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