WHEN the first New York City Wine & Food Festival rolls into town this weekend, no event will be more closely watched than Rachael Ray’s sold-out Burger Bash on Friday night.
With 16 contestants flipping everything from simple chuck to fancy Wagyu in a fierce bid to capture the title of city’s best, the Burger Bash will decide once and for all whether the humble patty or the gourmet slider has captured the hearts and stomachs of New Yorkers.
PHOTOS: Fast-Food Favorites: Burgers
“I think [the winner] will be distinctly New York, like maybe the knish burger will come back or Shake Shack will take it again,” says Ray, who also hosts the annual Burger Bash at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival where Shake Shack nabbed top honors in 2007.
“I hope we get a turnout at least as large as Miami because this is my home, this is where I live and I eat, so I’m hoping a lot of people come out to put it between the bun,” says Ray. “I want New York to represent.”
Ray knows a thing or two about burgers. In addition to offering countless recipes for home cooks (she calls her Seven-Layer Slider her “piéce de résistance”), the self-described “burger freak” plans to open a hamburger joint in Midtown next year.
“I’m going for a ’60s back-in-the-day Rat Pack-y kind of hangout, and I want the bar to be really central [and] the burgers to become a very social thing,” says Ray. “I want people to come to the bar to see beautiful proper martinis being made and to enjoy some sliders while they’re doing business or sit in the dining room and have fine dining in ground form.”
There won’t be any shortage of that at the Burger Bash. But competitors seem split on whether the simple or the fancy will win out with savvy yet style-conscious New Yorkers.
“A burger is a burger. In my opinion, if you want to have foie gras with beef, then have filet mignon,” says Burger Joint’s Emile Castillo, who notes that a fancy burger won this year’s Miami competition.
Likewise, New York’s ongoing fixation with burgers has spawned cult butchers, celebrity chef sliders and outlandishly priced vanity patties. But now that the city is in a less frivolous mood, will it shun Kobe Club’s Wagyu slider with maple-cured bacon and truffle-flecked fondue?
That would certainly make The Post’s Steve Cuozzo happy. In a recent “Free Range” column, Cuozzo noted that ground chuck is “the gold standard for moisture and mouth feel to go with flavor.”
But Kobe Club’s E. Chewy Cereceres sees nothing wrong with the “profound” flavor and “rich” fat content of Wagyu. “At the end of the day, [my burger] has really good meat, a really good bun, a really good crispy piece of bacon and really good cheese. I don’t think I’m overcomplicating it.”
Besides, he has good reason pull out the big guns. “I want to kick [competitor] Al Roker’s ass,” he laughs.
But while the experts disagree on the best cut, most recommend using fresh (not frozen) ground beef with a minimum 20 percent fat content. They also advise you avoid overhandling the patties, season them with salt and pepper just before – never after – cooking, and get your grill or griddle hot enough to ensure a good char.
“A great burger can be as satisfying – almost as satisfying – as a great steak,” say Porter House New York’s Michael Lomonaco, who favors a blend of “flavorful, juicy cuts” such as chuck, sirloin and brisket. Still, he notes, “some of the best burgers in town are five bucks.”
One such affordable contender is from Hackensack, NJ’s White Manna, where the White Castle-size sliders cost $1.20 apiece. A Burger Bash victory for that old-fashioned burger joint could both deliver a serious blow to New Yorkers and upset the city’s current burger economy, in which every new restaurant in town seems to be a “gastro-pub” hawking a pricey $15 patty.
Still, most say that the beauty of New York is that both the simple and the fancy can peacefully coexist in close proximity.
“It’s a big burger tent, and there’s room for diversity,” says Lomonaco.
Rachael Ray agrees. “Burgers are back on menus from chi-chi to diner alike. I love that. The more burgers, the better.”
FAST (FOOD) TALKIN’ CHEFS
THERE will be no shortage of fancy patties at Rachael Ray’s upcoming Burger Bash. But where do the competitors go when they’re looking for a quick fix? Here are some of their fast-food favorites. – C.S.
“I’ve always been partial to the Whopper – no mayonnaise, add mustard. In California, I love In-N-Out. They are a tasty burger.” – Rachael Ray
“Shake Shack. I really stick to the idea that I want freshly ground beef and all beef – no fillers, no other meats, no ham in my burger.” – Michael Lomonaco, Porter House New York
“Burger King – only because it has the flame, the smoke, the lines. It’s more of a familiar burger to me than say McDonald’s.” – Mike Price, Market Table
“In-N-Out Burger. That’s my favorite. I like the size. I like that it’s a simple product.” – Randy Garutti, Shake Shack
“Normally when I’m traveling I go to McDonald’s. It’s nothing to compare with my burger, but it’s fine.” – Emile Castillo, Burger Joint
“In-N-Out. They have a sourdough bun. It’s wonderful.” – E. Chewy Cereceres, Kobe Club