Pincho Factory Burger Brunch, South Florida Burger Week

Posted on May 12, 2014 by TheRev

Pincho Factory
30 Giralda Ave
Coral Gables, FL 33134

1ST EVER SOUTH FLORIDA BURGER WEEK(END)
– The Burger Week Goes to South Florida May 9 & 10, 2014 –

The Burger Week is a 7-day celebration of trendsetting chefs and unique burgers with a series of daily events.

Hashtag = #BurgerWeek Tweet: @BurgerConquest

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THE CONQUEST
One of my favorite things to do is travel and when I do it, I like to eat Burgers where ever I am. It’s a great way to connect with other Burger fanatics, try regional specialities and to turn even your business travels into a mini-Eatcation. That last one is part of the motivation in taking The Burger Week down to South Florida, which is way outside of it’s origins in New York. But, one event, the Burger Beast Burger Brawl that is, does not make a Burger “week.” However, I figured I could kick off the idea by adding another event and calling it the The First Ever South Flordia Burger Week(end.)

Upon obtaining the Burger Beast’s blessing (which went down kind of like this), I then asked if he could suggest the perfect restaurant to partner with and bring the Burger Week’s signature off-menu Burger Brunch to South Florida. Without any hesitation he suggested the Pincho Factory. They are known for really crazy specials and unique Burger builds based on different regional and ethnic Foods and I’ve been DYING to eat there. After only one very excited conversation with owner Nedal Ahmed, I knew we were in the right hands.

PINCHO FACTORY BURGER BRUNCH

– $25 for an off-menu Burger Brunch Party and Beer Tasting –

May 10, 2014
Pincho Factory
30 Giralda Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33134
2:00 pm

Price: $25

Includes:

Croquetessa: Chuck Brisket and Short Rib Croqutte Patty, Swiss Cheese, Mustard, Pickles, Mayo on a Brioche Roll
Little Kahuna: Charred Pineapple, Fried Onions, Mango Chili Sauce and Jack Cheese on a Burger.
Lamb Slider: Harissa, Goat Cheese, Tomato, Cucumber, Herbs
Side dish: Toston “Fries” with Lemon Aioli
Beer Tasting with Lagunitas

The Pincho Factory has made their name of serving unique and quality Foods, especially around their Burger menu. Ever since The Burger Beast told me about them, I’ve wanted to eat there. It was cemented once I saw the Burger Beast take George Motz there on the Miami episode of “Burger Land.” Thanks to an introduction to by Burger Beast to owner Nedal, it’s now happening.

On Saturday, May 10th, The Pincho Factory will turn over there Coral Gables location to the Burger curious of South Florida for an off-menu Burger Brunch. You’ll be treated to 4 of their speciality items that are constantly being requested; a Chuck Brisket Croquetessa, 2 different Burgers and Toston Fries. It will also come with a beer tasting, from Lagunitas. Don’t wait to get your tickets, there is only one seating and only a limited amount of Burger fanatics will get to join myself and The Burger Beast for this awesome one-time meal.

THE BURGERS
From my first conversation with Nedal, I thought this event was going to be great. When he sent me the menu, I knew it was going to be awesome. I started counting the minutes until it happened. You would think that after 9 days of eating 44 different Burgers, I would have no palette or stomach to eat more but that was not the case. I could not wait for this one.

Croquetessa: Chuck Brisket and Short Rib Croqutte Patty, Swiss Cheese, Mustard, Pickles, Mayo on a Brioche Roll.

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Little Kahuna: Charred Pineapple, Fried Onions, Mango Chili Sauce and Jack Cheese on a Burger.

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Lamb Slider: Harissa, Goat Cheese, Tomato, Cucumber, Herbs.

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Side dish: Toston “Fries” with Lemon Aioli.

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Thank you to fine Burger fanatics of South Florida for joining us. I saw a lot of smiles and happy faces. I also heard a lot of “Wow’s” and “Oh My God’s” as you were eating the Food. I agree with you, it was awesome, ESPECIALLY the Croquetessa. A big specific thank you to Shop Coral Gables for the support and the awesome #poptpof (pictures of people taking pictures of food) photo. Thank you Nedal and the entire Pincho Factory staff. THAT WAS AWESOME. Trying to fit in a weird event with items you don’t normally serve while still trying to run regular business is something most restaurants could never do. I guess they have a lot to learn from you guys. Everything ran smooth, seamless and without any issues or complaints. The Food was fantastic, the service was impeccable and the event was super fun. Let’s start planning 2015 now! Thank you to Burger Beast & Señora Beast, without you, this would not have happened. Thank you also for adding several more dishes to our meal just to make sure we got a full tasting of what the Pincho Factory can do with Food. The Dogs were great! To Doolius, a sincere pleasure to dine with you again. Thanks for joining us and of course posting drool worth photos! Thank you of course to Burger Maker and Chip Crenshaw for helping The Burger Week to now happen in a 2nd city!

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Posted in Beer, Burger Week, Burgers, Event, Florida, Gourmet Burgers, National Hamburger Month | Tagged Bar, Beer, best burger, breweries, burger, burger beast, burger brunch, burger maker, ciancio, coral gables, craft beer, croquetessa, david, droolius, events, gourmet burger, miami, nedal ahmed, pairing, party, pincho factory, restaurant, rev, senora beast, shop coral gables, south florida, the burger week, tickets | Leave a comment

The 1st Ever Burger Beast Burger Brawl at Magic City Casino, South Florida Burger Week(end)

Posted on May 10, 2014 by TheRev

Burger Beast Burger Brawl
Magic City Casino
450 NW 37th Ave
Miami, FL 33125

1ST EVER SOUTH FLORIDA BURGER WEEK(END)
– The Burger Week Goes to South Florida May 9 & 10, 2014 –

The Burger Week is a 7-day celebration of trendsetting chefs and unique burgers with a series of daily events.

Hashtag = #BurgerWeek Tweet: @BurgerConquest

THE CONQUEST
If you live in South Florida and you love Burgers, this is your guy:

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For those familiar with Sef Gonzales aka “Burger Beast,” you can rely on him to give quality suggestions on where to find the best and most delicious comfort Foods, especially Burgers, in the South Florida area. A Miami native, Sef pens a blog under his nickname, Burger Beast. Several years ago Burger Beast quit his full time job to become a full-time Beast, creating awesome food events like The Burgies, The Frita Showdown and El Main Evento. In 2014 he added another event to his roster; a cooking invitational where Chefs and Restaurants would battle to be named Best Burger in South Florida as decided by those who attended. That’s when he called me and asked if my employer, Burger Maker, a fresh ground Beef processor, would be interested in sponsoring the event. We of course said “YES” and The Burger Brawl was born.

BURGER BEAST BURGER BRAWL

– $50 for Burger samples from 20 restaurants plus other food and drink –

May 9, 2014
Magic City Casino
450 NW 37th Ave,
Miami, FL 7:00 pm

Price: $50
Ticket link: http://burgerbeast.com/burgerbrawl/tickets/

Includes:

Entrance to the event
Samples from 20 great Burger Joints
2013 Frita Showdown Champion El Rey de las Fritas’ Frita Cubana
Sakaya Kitchen’s Chunk’d Tot Bar
Miami Smoker’s Bacon
Desserts from Azucar Ice Cream Company, HipPOPs Handcrafted Gelato Bars, Marlie’s Delights, & Sugar Yummy Mama
Beer Samplings from Samuel Adams
CAWY Soft Drinks (Jupiña & Materva)
Pure Brazilian Coconut Water
Wine by Cerdà Llanos y Cià

I once asked The Burger Beast “If you could have a Burger with anyone alive, or dead, fictional or real, who would it be and where would you take them?” His answer: “I’d take Elvis to have a Guberburger at Wheel Inn.” We’re recreating that Burger as part of the 10th anniversary screening of “Hamburger America” with George Motz for NY Burger Week. I’d invite Sef to attend, eat the Burger and do my best Shake, Rattle and Roll for him but he’s going to be busy in his home of Miami, FL. On Friday May 9th, The Burger Beast, after 5 and half years of writing his blog has put together what he believes to be the “Best Burger Competition line-up in South Florida ever.” This massive Burger event is called the Burger Beast Burger Brawl or 4B for short.

From The Burger Beast:

On Friday May 9th from 7 to 10PM at Magic City Casino, come out and celebrate National Hamburger Month with us at the inaugural Burger Beast Burger Brawl sponsored by Miami Lakes Auto Mall and presented by Burger Maker.

Your vote counts! That’s right, every attendee will cast one vote for their favorite Burger Joint. Whoever receives the most will be named Burger Brawl Champion and receive a soon to be coveted one of kind trophy that can be displayed at their restaurant.

Your ticket gets you Burger samples from all these great South Florida Burger spots:

THE BURGERS
A Burger Beast event is like none other. While this was a Burger cook-off, he was sure to also include samplings of various Desserts, Wines, Beers, Sodas and even Brazlian Coconut Water. On top of that, there was great music provided by both a DJ and an energetic live band. That’s a whole heck of a lot for one event when you consider there were also 2 Food Trucks and 20 Burger vendors. Even with all that, there were no lines, the Food was hot and fresh, everyone in attendance was friendly, attentive and got a chance to sample all that they could handle. Burger Beast events are smooth, tasty and fun. You really can’t ask for much more.

COMPETING BURGERS & RESTAURANTS:

A&G Burger Joint – Colombian Burger:
This mouthful of a burger is packed with 50% Black Angus beef from Burger Maker and 50% Colombian chorizo patty, queso blanco, fried julienne potato strips, kamikaze mustard, kalamata garlic aioli , cajun ranch, jalapeño cream, and served on a butter toasted brioche bottom bun and a cheese arepa top “bun.”

Bread + Butter Counter -The Unincorporated MD Burger:
A burger for Miami to call its own is topped with homemade ‘merican cheese, jamon dulce, signature B+B pickles, onions and special sauce served on a chicharron studded Cuban sesame roll. Made with Burger Maker’s Signature Custom Blend of Chuck and Brisket beef.

Burger & Beer Joint – Midnight Rider:
A decadent short rib burger topped with bacon, arugula, goat cheese, red onion marmalade and truffle aioli on a brioche bun. Made with Burger Maker’s Signature Custom Chuck Brisket Shortrib blend of ground beef.

Charm City Burger Company – The Forager:
Just like its name describes, the burger is a collection of local ingredients. Charm City’s secret patty blend is topped with white American cheese, jowl bacon, pickled tomatoes and charred ramp aioli on an everything bun.

Cheeseburger Baby – Keepin’ it Classic:
A lightly toasted buttered bun stuffed with a hand-pattied Angus Chuck beef burger from Burger Maker, cooked to a juicy medium and lovingly sprinkled with Baby’s secret seasoning salt, topped with sharp cheddar cheese, an over medium fried egg and crispy honey smoked bacon.

Eating House – Carbonara Burger:
Spaghetti carbonara in burger form is simply indulgent. A Burger Maker fresh Black Angus beef patty topped with applewood-smoked bacon, a fried egg, black truffle and smothered with Fontina and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses.

Gilbert’s 17th Street Grill – Pesto Burger:
A Burger Maker Certified Angus Beef all chuck patty is seasoned with Gilbert’s signature seasoning and topped with homemade sun-dried tomato pesto, fresh mozzarella cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and served on a sweet egg bun.

Graziano’s – Graziano’s Burger:
A homemade potato bun holds up a piquant chorizo burger with grilled red peppers, cherry tomatoes, shallots and chimichurri aioli.

Jefe’s Original Fish Taco and Burger – Jefe’s Cheeseburger:
100% Fresh ground beef Steaburger from Burger Maker stacked on a toasted bun with deli-style American cheese, grilled onions and Jefe’s own secret Boss Sauce.

Jersey Dawg – Jersey-Style Slider w/ Cheese:
Take a bite of the good ole’ Jersey days in Miami. A Fresh Ground 75/25 Steakburger from Burger Maker is cooked on a bed of steamed onions topped with American cheese and served on a potato roll.

Josh’s Deli – Pastrami Frita Burger:
Josh’s Deli offers a deli take on the Cuban classic with pastrami spiced and smoked ground beef patty using Burger Maker’s Certified Angus Beef Chuck fresh ground beef, latke crisps and Russian dressing.

Latin House Grill – Mad Love w/ A Twist:
Special sirloin, brisket chuck blend topped with Provolone, Swiss, Mozzarella and BellaVitano Gold cheeses, applewood smoked maple glazed bacon, Irish butter grilled mushrooms and onions, Hass avocado, avocado lime and crema Mexicana sauces and the piece de resistance, candied jalapeño.

MEAT Eatery & Taproom – Thee Southern Belle:
Wagyu burger topped with aged cheddar cheese and a zesty, smoky Serrano, bacon and tomato jam.

OTC – New Mexican Green Chili Cheeseburger:
Continuing OTC’s mission of exposing Miami to the diverse flavors and cuisines of other states, this flatiron-cooked burger made with Signature Custom Blend Chuck Brisket beef from Burger Maker is paired with melted cheddar cheese, green chili relish and sweet onion jam capturing the inspiring flavors of New Mexico.

Pincho Factory – – Toston Burger:
Pincho Factory’s infamous burger! Burger Maker’s Signature Custom Blended chuck, brisket and short rib patty is topped with jack cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and cilantro sauce and nestled between 2 tostones, giving new use to the fried Latin favorite.

The Rolling Stove – – Bacon Chipotle Burger:
All Natural, no hormones, no anti-biotics, ever, fresh ground beef patty from Burger Maker is served with American cheese, grilled onions, chipotle sauce and jalapeño jelly on a toasted bun.

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Shake Shack – ShackBurger:
100% all-natural Angus beef cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato and creamy ShackSauce served on a buttered and toasted potato bun. No hormones and no antibiotics ever.

Swine – The Swine Burger:
Short rib, brisket and smoked pork blend patty topped high with a homemade dill pickle, thick-cut house-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, American cheese and Swine special sauce.

NO PICTURE

Tucker Duke’s Lunchbox – Burger Brawl Burger: This burger is a delight of melty goodness, with American and cheddar cheeses, and textures with crispy onions, mixed pickles and ketchup leather on a crunch bun. Made with a Fresh Ground 75/25 Steakburger from Burger Maker.

Vega’s Burger Bar – The Fireman:
This burger brings the heat with homemade chipotle barbecue sauce, creamy pepper jack cheese, and fresh jalapeño peppers. To soothe its bold flavors, it is topped with homemade onion strings and served on a fresh brioche bun. Made with Burger Maker’s fresh Steakburger.

ADDITIONAL TASTES

HipPOPS – Baby Root Beer Float Pop

Azucar Ice Cream Company

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CAWY Soft Drinks (Jupiña & Materva)

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Beer Samplings from Samuel Adams

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WINNER:
The restaurant that won the Burger Brawl not only walked away with the bragging rights but also a pretty sweet award plaque.

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Congrats to Latin House Grill for claiming the victory!

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If you attended this event, then thank you. Being an event producer is an incredibly hard task and for a first time event, this one was pretty awesome. Your support is appreciated and I personally had a blast with everyone I spoke with. Thank you to Burger Beast and Señora Beast. Thank you for creating an awesome event. Thank you for curating some of the best Burgers in South Florida. Thank you for inviting Burger Maker to be a part. 2015 is going to be even more awesome. Thank you to every Chef, Restaurant, Cook, Server and employee of every Restaurant and Food Truck that took place. Cooking on strange equipment on top of hot pavement is in no way the same as using your own kitchen and everything I ate was awesome. This goes to show that it’s not the equipment, it’s you and your team. An impressive and delicious job from everyone involved. Thank you to all the other sponsors who came together to support Burger Beast. Without you, none of this would’ve happened. I hope you are as happy as we are. Thank you to Magic City Casino for hosting this event. I wish we had a similar space in NYC but I guess this is what makes doing this event in Miami so special. Thank you to Burger Maker for agreeing to sponsor this event and a special thanks to Chip Crenshaw who did all the footwork to make sure all the restaurants were able to sample and use our delicious, fresh ground Beef.

I like Burgers.

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Posted in Burger Week, Burgers, Festival, Florida, Gourmet Burgers, Hamburgers, National Hamburger Month, South Florida Burger Week | Tagged A&G Burger Joint, Bar, Beer, best burger, Bread + Butter Counter, breweries, burger, Burger & Beer Joint, burger beast, burger brawl, burger brunch, burger maker, Charm City Burger Company, Cheeseburger Baby, ciancio, craft beer, david, Eating House, events, Festival, food festival, food film festival, Gilbert’s 17th Street Grill, gourmet burger, Graziano’s, happy hour, Jefe’s Original Soul Shack, Jersey Dawg, Josh’s Deli, Latin House Grill, magic city casino, MEAT Eatery & Taproom, miami, OTC, pairing, party, pincho factory, restaurant, rev, Shake Shack, south florida, Swine, the burger week, The Rolling Stove, tickets, Tucker Duke’s Lunchbox, Vega’s Burger Bar | Leave a comment

3rd Annual NY Burger Week By the Numbers

Posted on May 9, 2014 by TheRev

NY BURGER WEEK MAY 1-7, 2014
– 7 Days of delicious Burger events

To celebrate National Hamburger Month, Burger Conquest, Burger Maker & The Food Film Festival proudly bring you the 3rd Annual NY Burger Week, May 1-7, 2014.

The Burger Week is a 7-day celebration of trendsetting chefs and unique burgers with a series of daily events.

Hashtag = #BurgerWeek Tweet: @BurgerConquest

NY_The_Burger_Week_NYC_2014_Event_NY_Burger_Feast_Hudson_Hotel_Bash_NY_Burger_Feast_Burger_Maker__0207

THE CONQUEST
I’m humbled. I can’t believe that what started as a silly blogspot site between a couple friends has now turned into a 3rd Annual celebration of Burgers in NYC. New Yorkers like their Burgers. No, that doesn’t do it justice. New Yorkers are seriously passionate about Burgers. This city is home to some of the hardest working, most innovative and passionate restauranteurs, Chefs and Burger fanatics. It was never my intention to become an events planner or promoter but what can I say? It’s a honor to help unite them for one week so that we can all enjoy it together. NY Burger Week is my love letter to the Big Apple and all the delicious Burgers inside of it.

NY BURGER WEEK 2014 BY THE NUMBERS

Number of events: 7
Number of restaurants involved in events: 28
Total number of restaurants involved: 57
Number of NY Burger Week MVPs: 3
Kurt Y attended 4 of 7 events!
Might Mike Fox attended 3 of 7 events!
Dennis Hatziner cooked at 3 of 7 events!
Amount of Burgers consumed personally: 30
Amount of off-menu Burgers delivered by delivery.com: 200+
Total Guests: 574

and for the biggest and most important number of them all, drum roll please …

Number of Burgers served:
2356

THE EVENTS

EASTERN MEETS WESTERN BURGER COLLABORATION
Featuring Black Shack & The Ramen Burger

THE NY BURGER FEAST
At Hudson Common

AMSTEL LIGHT, THE OFFICIAL BEER OF THE BURGER, PRESENTS
THE 3RD ANNUAL NY BURGER CRAWL

BOOZED UP BURGERS WITH A WHISKEY AND TEQUILA TASTING
At Rare Bar & Grill

Brought to you by Gotham Burger Social Club

THE MOST INTERESTING MEXICAN BURGER IN THE WORLD
At The Bar Room

Brought to you by Burger Weekly

AC/DC BACK IN BLACK ANGUS BURGER & BEER PAIRING DINNER
At Idle Hands Bar

10TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING OF HAMBURGER AMERICA
HOSTED BY GEORGE MOTZ
at Tribeca Cinemas

NY Burger Week Delivered
– Off Menu Burgers All Week Only on delivery.com –

Sign up for the Burger Week email newsletter, and follow @BurgerConquest on Twitter for more details & future event announcements.

About NY Burger Week

NY Burger Week is an annual delicious celebration of all things Burger in New York. It is an extension of the burger blog, BurgerConquest.com written by sales marketing strategist, David “Rev” Ciancio. Rev has written about more than 600 Burgers, been featured on numerous different TV shows and named an “Expert Burger Taster” by The Learning Channel.

About Burger Maker

Burger Maker was established in 1978 in New York City’s meatpacking district by David Schweid, a 2nd generation meat man. The company is now wholly owned and operated by David and his two sons Jamie & Brad in Carlstadt, NJ. Burger Maker specializes in making fresh patties in all shapes, sizes, and blends as well as bulk ground beef. Custom blends include everything from chuck to hanger to short rib to brisket. Burger Maker also makes Grass Fed ground beef and actively participates and adheres to Certified Humane certifications. The company has been awarded with the highest standards of SQF certification in both food safety and food quality. Burger Maker uses a delicate process to create ground beef that has a soft bite that maintains all natural beef flavors.

About The Food Film Festival

The Food Film Festival, created and hosted by Travel Channel’s George Motz, is the only festival in the world where guests get to Taste What They See on the Screen. Now in New York City, Chicago and Charleston, SC, The Food Film Festival shows films about food, then serves the food from the films…right in your seat!

Posted in Events, National Hamburger Month, New York, New York Burger Week | Tagged amstel light, andrew zurica, autism speaks, Bar, Beer, best burger, Black Shack, breweries, burger, burger crawl, burger maker, ciancio, craft beer, david, delivery dot com, delivery.com, dukes nyc, events, Festival, food festival, food film festival, george motz, gourmet burger, hamburger america, happy hour, idle hands bar, jeff maslanka, keizo shimamoto, ny burger week, nyc, pairing, party, ramen burger, rare bar and grill, restaurant, rev, sidebar, the bar room, the burger week, the food film fest, tribeca cinemas, village pourhouse | Leave a comment

Tribeca Cinemas -10th anniversary Screening of Hamburger America Hosted by George Motz, NY Burger Week

Posted on May 8, 2014 by TheRev

Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick St
New York, NY 10013

NY BURGER WEEK MAY 1-7, 2014
– 7 Days of delicious Burger events

To celebrate National Hamburger Month, Burger Conquest, Burger Maker & The Food Film Festival proudly bring you the 3rd Annual NY Burger Week, May 1-7, 2014.

The Burger Week is a 7-day celebration of trendsetting chefs and unique burgers with a series of daily events.

Hashtag = #BurgerWeek Tweet: @BurgerConquest

THE CONQUEST
In 2011 George Motz, author of Hamburger America, founder of the The Food Film Festival and now host of the Travel Channel’s “Burger Land,” along with Seth Unger, executive producer of The Food Film Festival invited me to host the opening night of the Fest. The event was called “Cheers to Burgers and Beers” and featured a number of films about Burgers and Beers. During the screenings, and afterwards as well, guests were treated to both Burgers and Beers that were featured in the films. Mayor Mike Bloomberg showed up and presented us with an official proclamation from the city naming Oct 13, 2011 as “New York Food Film Festival Day!” At the end of the night Seth and George asked me if I would like to officially become a Food Film Festival crew member with the duty of running the bars and overseeing the Craft Beer program. It’s now 4 years later and I’m still proud to say I am a part of the most unique and fun Food Festival in the world.

In 2012 I came up with the idea to start a 7 day tribute to NY Hamburgers called “Burger Week.” The idea was to pay tribute to the greatest Sandwich of all time and a city that has more awesome and unique Burgers than any other. The Food Film Festival crew jumped on board as a sponsor and partner of Burger Week and here we are 3 years later and we’re right back where we started.

When planning out the 3rd Annual NY Burger Week I got a call from Seth and George. They had an idea for an event. George’s film, Hamburger America, was turning 10 years old and they wanted to have a screening. This film was an integral moment in the launch of George’s career in the Burgerverse, eventually leading to the creation of the book that followed, The Food Film Festival, his role in hosting “Burger Land” and the birth of NY Burger Week. The 60 minutes of film documenting 8, long-standing, regional Burger joints is moment zero for a lot of great things that have happened since.

NY BURGER WEEK EVENT

10TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING OF HAMBURGER AMERICA HOSTED BY GEORGE MOTZ at Tribeca Cinemas

– $45 to Watch the Film While You Taste the Burgers You See on the Screen –

May 7, 2014 Tribeca Cinemas 54 Varick St, NYC 6:30 pm

Price: $45 Ticket link: http://theburgerweek.com/tickets/

Includes:

Pre-party
Screening of Hamburger America, hosted by George Motz
Taste 3 Burgers featured in the film
Q&A with with George
After party
Exotic ice creams by Max & Mina’s.

10 years ago, George Motz released the film Hamburger America, which spotlights 8 different American Burger joints with a focus on the story behind their burgers. That film went on to become the Hamburger America book, that in it‘s 2nd printing offers a “state by state guide to 150 great burger joints.” No American Burger fan should be without the book, seriously.

The film had it’s debut screening 10 years ago at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Then it shown again 2 years later at the Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City while Burgers featured in the film were fed to audience members during the viewing. That unique magic moment of tasting what was on the screen birthed The Food Film Festival in NYC which now also happens in Chicago and Charleston, SC. The book also eventually lead to George’s position as the producer and host of Travel Channel’s Burger Land.

On May 7, 2014 at Tribeca Cinemas (54 Varick St), with the help of The Food Film Festival, we will recreate that evening with a screening of the film while serving the exact same menu. The event will be hosted by George including a post film Q&A. The event will also feature the Manhattan debut of Andrew Zurica’s new Burger truck, “Hard Times Sundaes.” Andrew owned and operated the Luncheonette in Mill Basin, Brooklyn where he created a highly acclaimed Burger. Unfortunately the restaurant closed due to insurmountable damages from Hurricane Sandy. Andrew returns with a brand new Burger truck where soon you’ll be able to get his delicious Burgers again. Joining him as co-captain in the kitchen is Burger Week veteran Chef Jeffrey Maslanka from 67 Burger & The Black Shack.

Together the 2 of them will work hand in hand to recreate the Butter Burger from Solly’s Grille, the Green Chile Cheeseburger from the Bobcat Bite and Guberburger from the Wheel Inn. George as well as the Chefs and members of the Food Film Fest will be on hand to hang out and chat Burgers during the after party. Also featured at the after party we’ll have Exotic ice creams by Max & Mina’s.

This is one Burger event you do not want to miss!!

THE BURGERS:
Let’s first start with an explanation of how The Food Film Festival works. While you’re sitting in your seat in a theater, we show you artful, imaginative and delicious short films that somehow showcase Food and the people who make it. While you’re staring at the screen wondering “I wonder how that tastes” we actually serve you the Food in the movie while you’re sitting in your seat. It is a multi-sensory experience that is like none other. For tonight’s event, we wanted to serve 3 of the Burgers featured in the film. This is not a simple task.

10th anniversary Screening of Hamburger America Hosted by George Motz_4640

It’s complicated enough to try and serve 120 people in a movie theater at the same time but make that Food Hamburgers and you’ve created a massive task. Hamburgers have to be served hot and fresh. It’s not like a Meatball, some Cheese or a Doughnut, all of which can be prepped in advance, put onto a tray and served. The Burger has to be cooked moments before it’s served to protect the heat, taste, integrity and presentation of the Sandwich. Trust me, this is very, very hard. Thankfully Andrew Zurica and Jeffery Maslanka were up to this challenge and executed it perfectly, all from the confines of a brand new Burger Truck. While it took them plus Chef Will Shear to cook, it took an army of volunteers, Tribeca Cinemas employees and a number of Food Film Festival staff members to serve them … and it was awesome.

The Guberburger from The Wheel Inn in Sedalia, MO

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The Green Chile Cheeseburger from The Bobcat Bite in Santa Fe, NM

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The Butter Burger from Solly’s Grille in Milwaukee, WI

10th anniversary Screening of Hamburger America Hosted by George Motz_4693

This is about to be the longest thank you list I have written in the history of this site due to the amount of moving partners, helping hands and and general support it took to make this happen.

Let’s start with you. Thank you. Thank you for buying a ticket. Thank you for coming to the show. Thank you for being patient while we handed out 120 Burgers in a movie theater. Thank you for your applause. Thank you for sharing on social media. Thank you for your support. We don’t do this for us, it’s for your enjoyment. Our only hope is that we delivered a fun and tasty event while giving you an appreciation for some of the better classic and unique Burgers out there.

10th anniversary Screening of Hamburger America Hosted by George Motz_4587

Thank you to Chef’s Andrew Zurica and Jeffrey Maslanka. You executed this like a tag team of Luchadors would a title defense match. You were the heroes of the show and without you, it would’ve just been watching a movie (albeit a really great one.) Despite a couple setbacks, you guys and Chef Will Shear were able to perfectly prepare 280 Burgers on time, hot, fresh that tasted and looked great. You guys had the hardest jobs of them all and you absolutely crushed it. I hope that anyone who experienced your skills at this event is planning to come visit your places of business immediately.

10th anniversary Screening of Hamburger America Hosted by George Motz_4579

Thank you to Loren and everyone at Tribeca Cinemas for letting us come in and run a really weird event in your theater. Everyone we worked with was professional, courteous, helpful and fun.

10th anniversary Screening of Hamburger America Hosted by George Motz_4570

Thank you to Max & Mina’s. Your ice cream is tasty and delicious. It pairs really well with Hamburgers and movies about Hamburgers.

Thank you to Georgi Richardson for responding to a last minute request to be the official event photographer. Not only are you an uber professional but your work speaks for itself. Having you behind the camera makes it more fun and you become a part of the event itself.

Thank you to Burger Maker. While I’m personally grateful for giving me a dream job as your Director of Marketing, you’ve supported The Food Film Festival and The Burger Week (which is now going to Miami too!!) for years, before I was ever able to proudly call myself an employee. They are a family owned and operated company that makes the freshest, highest quality and most delicious Burger meat in the world. Every single Burger served at this event was freshly ground from Angus Beef only a few hours before it was cooked.

Thank you to The Food Film Festival and all of it’s crew. I’ve been a part of a lot of organizations in my life but none of which have been as much fun, caring, unique, hungry and awesome as you. What we have is something really, really special and it’s an honor to be able to share it with you. Thanks you Nicole, Fletcher, Kathy, Dana, Charles, Karl, Will, Keili and Artie. I love you all. Included in that is all the extras in our circus sideshow including but not limited to Casey, Allison, Ruby, Mac, Georgia, Jane, Harry, Fireman Phil, Alton, Keizo, Junko, Kris, Mike Fox, Ronnie, Aja, Colbern, Billy Durney and about half the people in attendance at this event. If I forgot you, it’s because I spent the last 7 days eating Hamburgers and I am wiped out. It wasn’t intentional.

A special note of thanks to Colbern from YC Media. You helped give this event a lot of exposure that it wouldn’t have had otherwise. Welcome to the army of people trying to save the world one Cheeseburger at a time.

10th anniversary Screening of Hamburger America Hosted by George Motz_4593

Thank you George and Seth. The two of you have been such an important part of my life since the day we met. I appreciate all that you’ve done to support me, great Food, great charities, great people and The Burger Week. What you’ve built is absolutely amazing and I hope it continues to grow, expand and become more and more awesome.

NY_The_Burger_Week_NYC_2014_Hamburger_America_George_Motz_Screening_10th_Anniversary_Food_Film_Fest_Georgi_Richardson__333

Posted in Burger Week, Burgers, Event, Festival, Food Film Festival, Food Truck, Hamburgers, National Hamburger Month, New York, NY Burger Week | Tagged 10th anniversary, andrew zurica, Bar, Beer, best burger, breweries, burger, burger maker, ciancio, craft beer, david, events, Festival, food festival, food film festival, george motz, gourmet burger, hamburger america, happy hour, jeff maslanka, Max & Mina's, ny burger week, nyc, pairing, party, restaurant, rev, the burger week, tribeca cinemas | 1 Comment

Idle Hands Bar – AC/DC “Back In Black” Angus Burger and Beer Pairing Dinner, NY Burger Week

Posted on May 7, 2014 by TheRev

Idle Hands Bar
25 Avenue B
New York, NY 10009

NY BURGER WEEK MAY 1-7, 2014
– 7 Days of delicious Burger events

To celebrate National Hamburger Month, Burger Conquest, Burger Maker & The Food Film Festival proudly bring you the 3rd Annual NY Burger Week, May 1-7, 2014.

The Burger Week is a 7-day celebration of trendsetting chefs and unique burgers with a series of daily events.

Hashtag = #BurgerWeek
Tweet: @BurgerConquest

THE CONQUEST
Bourbon. Beer. Rock. That’s what we do at Idle Hands Bar and one of our signature events is pairing Rock and Roll music with Beer and Food. Whether it’s our annual Beastie Boys NY Beer Pairing (Put July 16, 2014 in your calendar now) or past Burger Week events featuring Burger and Beer pairings with Iron Maiden or Guns N Roses, we really think it’s fun to drink Beer and eat while listening to good tunes. Seeing that everyone we have ever done has sold out, it seems you do too. When it came to planning for our annual NY Burger Week Burger and Beer pairing I racked my brain trying to think of which band would be perfect to do this with. Upon some investigation I learned that this week was the anniversary of AC/DC recording Back In Black at Electric Lady studios in NYC. When I realized we could call the event “Back In Black Angus,” the decision was made.

NY BURGER WEEK EVENT

AC/DC BACK IN BLACK ANGUS BURGER & BEER PAIRING DINNER
At Idle Hands Bar

– $30 for 3 Mini Burgers, Tots & 5 Beers Paired with Back In Black –

Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Idle Hands Bar
25 Avenue B, NYC
7:00 and 8:30 pm seatings

Price: $30
Ticket link: http://theburgerweek.com/tickets/

Includes:

3 off-menu AC/DC themed mini burgers
1 order of tater tots
5 tastes of beer from breweries
1 shot of whiskey
Paired to all 10 tracks from Back In Black by AC/DC

The 2014 Burger Week in NY returns to Idle Hands Bar (25 Avenue B) on May 6th with another installment of their rock ‘n’ roll burger and beer pairing dinners. The event is called the “AC/DC Back In Black Angus Burger and Beer Pairing.” The menu will feature Burgers and beers “expertly paired” with each track on AC/DC’s Back in Black album by The Burger Week founder, Rev Ciancio. The album, originally released in 1980, has gone on to become the 4th highest selling album of all time.

On the anniversary of its recording in New York at Electric Lady Studios, attendees will enjoy a selection of off-menu mini-burgers created by Chef Dennis Hatzinger, each themed with a different song on the album. All Burgers will be made using Burger Maker’s Fresh Certified Angus Beef USDA Prime. FYI – Less than 1% of beef is considered CAB® USDA Prime worthy, so get ready for the good stuff. Burgers will be served with a series of craft beers from Bell’s Brewery, Two Brothers, 21st Amendment and Singlecut Beersmiths. The dinner will also include an order of Tater Tots & a shot of Whiskey.

THE BURGERS & BEERS
When I asked Chef Dennis if he could handle this event, he practically laughed at me. That meant he was up for the challenge. When he sent me the menu (see below), my eyes practically popped out of my head. Dennis not only was going to make it happen, he was going to own it. The way the event works, we hit play on the album and as each song comes blaring through the speakers, you get served the item paired with that song. It is expected that you keep pace with the servings. Meaning if the song is only 3 minutes, we expect you to drink your Beer / eat your Burger in 3 minutes. It’s super fast paced, really loud and a lot of fun.

Here are the pairing notes:

Thank you for coming to Idle Hands tonight for a unique version of our weekly beer tasting event. As part of our annual NY Burger Week event, we celebrate the recording of AC/DC’s “Back In Black” album with a special burger and beer pairing. All 10 songs on the record will be paired with a Burger, Beer, Whiskey or Tater Tots. All the meat featured in the burgers tonight is fresh ground Certified Angus Beef USDA Prime from Burger Maker. Only 1% of the cattle in America qualify as CAB USDA Prime. It has strong and intense all natural beef flavors and we thought it was the only meat that could match the intensity of rock and roll we’ll be enjoying tonight.

Beer: Bell’s Black Note
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.5%
Description: Black Note blends the complex aromatics of Expedition Stout with the velvety smooth texture of Double Cream Stout. The combination is aged in freshly retired oak bourbon barrels for months.
Track: “Hell’s Bells”
Pairing: The first tolling of the bell in “Hells Bells,” sets the tone for the rock n roll intensity that became the 4th highest selling album of all times. This rare and intense stout from Bell’s should do the same.

Beer: Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
Style: IPA
ABV: 7%
Description: India Pale Ale style well suited for Hemingway-esque trips to the Upper Peninsula. American malts and enormous hop additions give this beer a crisp finish and incredible floral hop aroma.
Track: “Shoot To Thrill”
Pairing: Two Hearted Ale is a gold standard IPA. One sip and it gets under your skin. Get your taste buds ready and enjoy at will.

Burger: Honey Glazed Burger, Crispy Prosciutto & Aged White Cheddar
Track: “What You Do For Money Honey”
Pairing: Honey, what do you do for burgers? You’ll be spending a night in queue for this Burger.

Beer: Two Brothers Dog Days
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
ABV: 4.9%
Description: Brewed in the style of Dortmund, Germany, this golden lager has a delicate caramel malt character, balanced by a light body and mild German noble hops, creating a crisp, refreshing finish.
Track: “Givin The Dog A Bone”
Pairing: Angus & Malcom Young – two brothers that redefined Rock N Roll. Jim & Jason Ebel,- two brothers that redefined European style brewing in America. See what we did there?

Beer: 21st Amendment Back In Black
Style: Black IPA
ABV: 6.8%
Description: Brewed like an American IPA but with the addition of rich, dark malts, this beer has all the flavor and hop character you expect with a smooth, mellow finish.
Track: “Let Me Put My Love Into You”
Pairing: How do we possibly have this event and not serve this beer? They question you should ask is why this song? Because Chef Dennis wanted to pair a Burger with “Back In Black.” Save a sip for what’s coming next.

Burger: Blackened Burger, Fried Shallots, Bacon & Provolone
Track: “Back In Black”
Pairing: Let loose from the noose because this Burger will be getting you high on the savory and spicy flavors. It’s Outta sight.

Beer: Singlecut Bon TNTPA
Style: Pale Ale
ABV: 5.2%
Description: If you want hops, you got it! Oi! So you want to get kicked in the teeth with a lupulin kick that’s all from Down Under? (Well OK, maybe some New Zealand in there too). This is a whole lotta dry-hopped powder keg in a sessionable package and only for you problem childs out there.
Track: “You Shook Me All Night Long
Pairing: If a brewery is going to make an AC/DC themed beer, we’ll make sure we have it for an AC/DC Beer pairing.

Whiskey: Jameson Irish Whiskey
Style: Porter
Proof: 80
Description: A pot still whiskey with a delicate grain whiskey, infuse them with the nuttiness of our sherry casks and balance the flavours with the fragrant vanilla of our bourbon casks. And, like all our whiskeys, Jameson Irish Whiskey is triple distilled, creating a smoother spirit perfect for any occasion
Track: “Have A Drink On Me”
Pairing: What is the first word of this song?

Burger: The Berry Goat – Goat Cheese & Raspberry Compote
Track: “Shake A Leg”
Pairing: You’ll be kicking like a goat after eating this taste sensation. Also, what’s the 1st word of this song?

Tater Tots
Track: “Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”
Pairing: If you’re gonna pair 1 of the greatest rock n roll songs of all times with a potato, why not the best potato product of all times?

Man oh man. This is a really, really, really tough event to make happen. 10 courses in 49 minutes is not only hard to serve, it’s hard to eat / drink!! It took a team of 4 of us just to serve 20 people! But honestly, the mayhem and chaos is all worth it because of how much fun it is to produce it.

Thanks. I mean really, that’s the one word I want to get across here. Thanks. To everyone who bought a ticket and came to the party, thank you. I don’t have to say “I hope you had a good time” because I know you did, especially the group of ladies who decided to sit through the second seating just because they wanted to listen to more AC/DC. Every single person that came was super nice and a lot of fun to serve. Thanks goes to Sean from Two Brothers, Nick & Brian from Singlecut, Susanne from 21st Amendment, Zalika from Manhattan Distributors, Matt from Union Distributors and Yvon from Bell’s Brewing. Each one of these people not only showed up to the event day of to pour you their Beer and talk about it but they also made sure we were able to get the special Beers we poured during the tasting. Only 14 kegs of Two Brothers Dog Days came into NYC, only 1 keg of Singlecut Bon TNTPA was available, only 40 cases of Bell’s Black Note came into the state of NY. You guys were treated to some very special, small batch and unique Craft Beers. Thank you to Chef Dennis, Chris P & Chris T from Idle Hands Bar. It’s a pleasure to work with you guys and I appreciate how dedicated you were to making this a smooth and fun event. To Dennis, man, it’s been a pleasure working with you for the last year. Your Food is excellent and your dedication to cooking perfect Hamburgers is like no other. You took the Food at Idle Hands to another level and I have been extremely proud of the Burgers we’ve served, especially on this, your final night at the bar. To Rob and Marc, my partners at Idle Hands Bar, you guys are way more than just that to me and I’m super proud of what we are able to do there. This event was super fun and I appreciate you letting me get away with putting us in legal jeopardy. Ha ha ha

Posted in Bar, Beer, Burger Week, Burgers, East Village, Event, Gourmet Burgers, Hamburgers, National Hamburger Month, New York, NY Burger Week | Tagged 21st amendment brewery, ac/dc, angus burger, back in black, Bar, Beer, bell's brewery, best burger, breweries, burger, burger and beer pairing, burger maker, ciancio, craft beer, craft beer pairing, david, events, Festival, food festival, food film festival, gourmet burger, happy hour, ny burger week, nyc, off-menu, pairing, party, restaurant, rev, singlecut beersmiths, the burger week, two brothers brewery | Leave a comment

The Bar Room – Cinco De Mayo Burger Feast, NY Burger Week

Posted on May 7, 2014 by TheRev

The Bar Room
117 East 60th St
New York, NY 10022

NY BURGER WEEK MAY 1-7, 2014
– 7 Days of delicious Burger events

To celebrate National Hamburger Month, Burger Conquest, Burger Maker & The Food Film Festival proudly bring you the 3rd Annual NY Burger Week, May 1-7, 2014.

The Burger Week is a 7-day celebration of trendsetting chefs and unique burgers with a series of daily events.

Hashtag = #BurgerWeek
Tweet: @BurgerConquest

THE CONQUEST
“What can we do that’s different?” That’s how the conversation started when I sat down with Harry & Kenny from The Bar Room. Their excitement and desire to be a part of NY Burger Week was infectious. The Bar Room is brightly lit (thanks to an awesome skylight), upscale bar with a small dining room, interesting cocktails, a selection of Craft Beers and a short menu of really nice upscale Pub Fare. It’s not really a Burger joint per se, but they do regularly feature a Burger made with Burger Maker’s Steakburger, topped with Vermont Cheddar Cheese, sliced Pickles, melted Onions, and housemade Aioli. If you want to know more about, please check out the review on BurgerWeeky. But what they don’t have is a Mexican themed menu…until now.

NY BURGER WEEK EVENT

THE MOST INTERESTING MEXICAN BURGER IN THE WORLD
At The Bar Room

– $49 for an Off-Menu Cinco De Mayo Burger Feast With Paired Cocktails –

Brought to you by Burger Weekly

Monday, May 5, 2014
The Bar Room
117 East 60th St, NYC
6:00 and 7:30 pm seatings

Price: $49
Ticket link: http://theburgerweek.com/tickets/

Includes:

1 Welcome Tequila Cocktail
1 Mexican style appetizer
1 Dos Equis Beer Cocktail
1 Off-menu Mexican Style Burger
1 Side of Nachos
1 Mexican style dessert

To celebrate Cinco De Mayo, The Burger Week has teamed up with The Bar Room (117 E. 60th St) for a Mexican-themed Burger feast. On May 5, you’ll be treated to a special pre-fixe dinner designed by The Bar Room Chef Kenny Brand. The event includes a 5-course Mexican themed dinner with 3 Dishes and 2 Cocktails, including a Beer Cocktail made with Dos Equis. The star of the show will be a Mexican-spiced Burger Patty topped with Aged Cheddar, Grilled Tomato, Fresh-made Pico de Gallo and a side of Nachos (replacing the standard French Fries). The Burger will be made with Burger Maker’s fresh “Certified Angus Beef Steakburger” which includes only fresh Certified Angus Beef trimming that are upper two-thirds USDA Choice.

THE BURGER:
Seeing as how the event was going to fall on Cinco De Mayo, a date that is observed in the US as a celebration of appreciation to Mexico in warding off would-be French support for the Confederate States of America in the Civil War, it only seemed to make sense that we theme it around the day. When I suggested it to Harry & Kenny from The Bar Room a resounding and excited approval came right back at me. They went to work and came up with a pretty awesome pre-fixe menu centered around a Mexican-themed Burger. Like the event poster says, I don’t normally eat Mexican Burgers, but when I do, it’s during NY Burger Week at The Bar Room.

Jalapeño Poppers from scratch with a Smoked Pepper Dipping Sauce, stuffed with Cream Cheese, Bacon and Onion.

Paired with 1 “Ransom Buck” cocktail which consists of Tequila, Habanero Syrup, White Pepper and Ginger Beer.

Mexican themed Burger with a Spiced Patty with Aged Cheddar, Grilled Onion, Grilled Tomato, Fresh Pico de Gallo. Side of house made Nachos (instead of Fries)

Paired with 1 Beer Cocktail featuring Dos Equis served in a pint glass over ice with Fresh Lemon Juice, St. Germain and Tequila with a Lemon Twist.

Strawberry-Lime-Mescal Sorbet for Dessert.
(No picture)

Thank you as always goes to those of you who came out and enjoyed the event. I hope you enjoyed the Food as much as I did. Special thanks goes to Michael & Kurt, 2 Burger Week veterans who had so much fun that they wanted to come again. Also, a special nod of thanks to Kathy from the Food Film Fest. It was fun to see you outside of our normal environment. To Harry, Kenny, Antonia, Adelyn, Kyle, Pierce and everyone else from The Bar Room, thank you very much. Turning over your dining room to an event with 2 seatings and a menu of Food you don’t normally offer on a holiday is no small task. You handled it like champs and it was a pleasure to work with you. I’m going to name Brad Garoon as the event VIP. Brad is the Chief Eating Officer (yes I’m taking ownership of this term) at BurgerWeekly. If you love Hamburgers, it’s a never ending stream of delicious pictures and reviews of Burgers primarily in the New York area. I love it. He worked extra, extra, extra hard to help promote not only this event which he helped me to present, but all of NY Burger Week. Brad also ran around the city with me a couple weeks before the events and in one day taste tested 6 different Burgers. It was an EPIC day of eating and because I had a stomach bug, he had to do all of it. You are true brother of the Burgerverse and I appreciate all you do.

Posted in Bar, Beer, Burger Week, Burgers, Event, Gourmet Burgers, Hamburgers, National Hamburger Month, New York, NY Burger Week | Tagged Bar, Beer, beer cocktail, best burger, breweries, burger, burger maker, certified angus beef, ciancio, cinco de mayo, craft beer, david, dos equis, events, Festival, food festival, food film festival, gourmet burger, happy hour, mexican burger, ny burger week, nyc, pairing, party, restaurant, rev, steakburger, tequila, the bar room, the burger week, the most interesting man in the world | Leave a comment

Burger Week, Where Conquest & Beast Meet – Guest Blog

Posted on May 6, 2014 by TheRev

Burger Week, Where Conquest & Beast Meet

It was really only a matter of time before our worlds collided. Burger Conquest and Burger Beast blogs began at around the same time and would trail similar paths on opposite sides of the United States. I read as Rev ate and preached the Burger Gospel to the folks up north while I was doing the same for the people of South Florida. There was/is no denying our passion as just writing about Burgers wasn’t enough. We both decided to jump into action and create events to showcase the perfectest (Yes, I’m pretending it’s a word) Sandwich ever. Here’s a little Wizard of Oz behind the curtain kind comment, it’s sometimes a thankless job. It’s great to be able to sit back after an event and watch an idea you have that blossomed into a culinary party. We don’t do it for the money involved because a lot of times there isn’t any, this is where passion comes into play. You have to love it and we both do.

I had not met Rev yet I felt a kinship to him, we both had similar visions. We followed each other on social media and kept up with what we were each doing via all these social media platforms. The first time we had a conversation was about Grill ‘Em All during the period of time where they won the first season of the Great Food Truck Race, it’s best season as far as I’m concerned. He also facilitated my interview with them for my Q&A called The Grinder.

Whenever he mentioned he was gonna make a TV appearance I always made a note to watch it and cheer him on. I had started a facebook fan page for National Hamburger Month in 2010 and asked him to become one of the editors for it. And then two years later he started Burger Week and he was off to the races. I was doing events throughout South Florida at the same time. I kept asking him when was he going to come to Miami. Now, before you say to yourself why don’t I go to New York, the truth is I did a few years back but Rev blew me off. Just kidding. It was one of those things where we couldn’t co-ordinate or he was out of town, the point is it didn’t happen. So then years passed….

At the end of last year (2013) I decided it was time I created a Burger competition with hand picked restaurants known for their Burgers, not just because they serve Burgers. As you can imagine I’ve attended a bunch of Burger Events but it was easy to spot when a favor was called in or when a sponsor put a restaurant in place. I wanted final control of who should participate regardless of who the sponsors might end up being. I had a meeting with Magic City Casino, who have been my more than excellent partners for a bunch of great events in South Florida and they were not only excited but agreed to do 5 big events together for 2014 of which the now named Burger Beast Burger Brawl (4B) would be the first. I’m sure you know, timing is everything in life and at the exact same moment the 4B was coming to life, Rev had accepted a job with Burger Maker. I took it as a sign that this meant we should work together and finally connect our worlds. A few days later we talked about my ideas for 4B and Burger Maker was in. And yes, I’m the only decision maker when it comes to participates in the 4B. But it didn’t end there…

Burger Week needed to make its first South Florida appearance. Rev thought we should have one more event, so the afternoon following the Burger Brawl is the Pincho Factory Burger Brunch sponsored by Burger Maker. These two events now make up what is being called South Florida Burger Week(end). If you’re in South Florida and you’re a Burger fan you should be embarrassed if you miss out on both events. And I can’t wait til next year for the 2015 Burger Week in South Florida cause we’re gonna kill it.

One last thing, Rev and I finally met during the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in February of 2014. I took him and Rodney from Burger Junkies (another fellow Burger Blogger from the Sacramento area) to El Mago de las Fritas to try our regional Burger specialty, la Frita Cubana. We met my other blogging bud Droolius from Orlando and enjoyed Fritas & of course Chicharrones, the Saturday special. My wife captured the moment perfectly with all of us in full blogging mode and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

-BB

Who is the Burger Beast? Burger Beast like to write about those little forgotten gems in South Florida. Over the course of the last 5 years or so I’ve added News, Opinions, Tips & Events on a variety of Food related subjects to the blog but my first love will always be Burgers.

Posted in Burger Famous, Burger Week, Burgers, Florida, Guest Blog, Hamburgers, NY Burger Week | Tagged Bar, Beer, best burger, breweries, burger, burger beast, burger blogger world tour, burger junkies, burger maker, ciancio, craft beer, david, droolius, el mago de las fritas, events, Festival, food festival, food film festival, gourmet burger, happy hour, ny burger week, nyc, pairing, party, restaurant, rev, Sef Gonzales, south florida burger week, the burger week | 1 Comment

Rare Bar and Grill – Boozed Up Burgers With a Tequila & Whiskey Tasting, NY Burger Week

Posted on May 5, 2014 by TheRev

Rare Bar & Grill
303 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10016

NY BURGER WEEK MAY 1-7, 2014
– 7 Days of delicious Burger events

To celebrate National Hamburger Month, Burger Conquest, Burger Maker & The Food Film Festival proudly bring you the 3rd Annual NY Burger Week, May 1-7, 2014.

The Burger Week is a 7-day celebration of trendsetting chefs and unique burgers with a series of daily events.

Hashtag = #BurgerWeek
Tweet: @BurgerConquest

THE CONQUEST
There were 2 key events that lead to the creation of NY Burger Week. The first was a National Hamburger Day party I hosted in 2010 at Rare Bar & Grill. On that day, readers of this blog were invited to join myself and George Motz for a “Louis Lunch” style Burger at Rare. At the time, it was the highest attended event Burger Conquest had ever done. The following February, I teamed up with Andrew Fischel and threw an off-menu Burger Bash at Rub BBQ. The event sold out in minutes and a 2nd seating was added. It was such a huge success that we wanted to make it an annual event.

That was the birth of the signature event of Burger Week, the Burger Brunch. Six more events were created and boom, NY had it’s very own Burger Week. Sadly, later that year Rub BBQ, home to the BEST Burger I’ve ever eaten, closed it’s doors. In 2013 Chef Jeff Maslanka took over the duty and we hosted the Burger Brunch at 67 Burger in Brooklyn. In 2014, the Burger Brunch came full circle for the 3rd Annual NY Burger Week.

NY BURGER WEEK EVENT

BOOZED UP BURGERS WITH A WHISKEY AND TEQUILA TASTING
At Rare Bar & Grill

– $23 for 3 Drunken Mini Burgers with Lunazul Tequila and Elijah Craig 12 Year Tasting –

Brought to you by Gotham Burger Social Club

Sunday, May 4, 2014
Rare Bar & Grill
303 Lexington Ave, NYC
1:00 and 2:30 pm seatings

Price: $23
Ticket link: http://theburgerweek.com/tickets/

Includes:

The Rare Drunken Trio of Mini Burgers
Bourbon & Tequila Tasting
Sweet Potato Chips

The Burger Week began many years ago at a boozy Burger brunch and for 2014 the tradition continues! Rare Bar & Grill (303 Lexington Ave) will host Boozed Up Burgers With a Tequila & Whiskey Tasting Brunch on Sunday, May 4th for the 3rd Annual NY Burger Week. Proprietor and Burger aficionado, Douglas Boxer, has put together a Drunken Trio of Burgers, each of which is flambeed in a different liquor. You’ll taste all three as well as Rare Bar & Grill’s delicious Sweet Potato Chips topped with a Honey Drizzle.

Along with the Drunken Trio Burgers, you’ll enjoy an expertly lead tasting of small batch Tequila and Bourbon. Returning to the Burger Week, liquor expert Jessica Partington from Heaven Hill will lead a tasting of Lunazul’s Blanco and Anejo Tequilas along with Elijah Craig 12 year Bourbon.

THE BURGERS
There’s a lot of ways you could make a Burger Brunch “boozy.” When it came to this year’s party, I thought working with Rare Bar & Grill would be fun since they have a menu of Burgers that are flambeed in different liquors. How else to make it fun? Invite the guys from Gotham Burger Social Club to join. If you follow them on instagram you’ll be privy to a never ending stream of amazing Burger porn, refreshing looking Cocktails and a lot of dudes in suits. It’s definitely one of the classiest Burger clubs out there.

Jameson Black Barrel Burger – Fresh ground ribeye, flambéed in Jameson Black Barrel select reserve atop its aged whiskey slaw & smothered with white Irish cheddar.

T-Bone Burger – A blend of filet and strip, flambeed in tequila, wrapped in apple smoked bacon, topped with cheddar and crispy onions.

M&M Burger – Our classic flambéed in whiskey topped with caramelized shallots, cheddar cheese & smoked apple bacon.

Expert lead small batch tasting featuring Lunazul Tequila & Elijah Craig 12 year Bourbon

We had so much fun with the Bourbon Tasting event during the 2nd Annual NY Burger Week at Hardings with “Bourbon Jess” Partington from Heaven Hill, that I asked her to come back and be a part of Burger Week again. As this event was the day after the Kentucky Derby and the day before Cinco De Mayo, Jessica suggested we do a tasting of both a Bourbon and a Tequila. It was a good call because both of them were very delicious. Jessica is an expert on these spirits and gave everyone a little lesson about their history and how to “properly” taste them.

Thank you to everyone who came and enjoyed the Boozy Burger Brunch. Events like this are not easy to do and pretty stressful on a kitchen. You guys were super patient and really fun to serve. You made this a great event. Thank you very much to Doug, Katie, Sergio, Eddie, Jess and everyone else at Rare Bar & Grill. They were the very first restaurant to reach out and ask to be a part of the 3rd Annual NY Burger Week. Thank you to the Gotham Burger Social Club. You guys worked really hard to help promote this event … and finish off the Tequila. I really appreciate the help and had a blast hanging with you again. Last and certainly not least, a big big big THANK YOU goes to Bourbon Jess. You are officially now a part of Burger Week and I anxiously look forward to working with you again in 2015.

Posted in Bar, Burger Week, Burgers, Event, Gourmet Burgers, Hamburgers, National Hamburger Month, New York, NY Burger Week | Tagged Bar, best burger, bourbon, breweries, brunch, burger, burger maker, ciancio, david, drunken trio, elijah craig 12, Event, events, Festival, food festival, food film festival, gotham burger social club, gourmet burger, heaven hill, jessica partington, lunazul, ny burger week, nyc, pairing, party, rare bar and grill, restaurant, rev, tasting, tequila, the burger week, whiskey | Leave a comment

Amstel Light Presents the 3rd Annual NY Burger Crawl for NY Burger Week

Posted on May 4, 2014 by TheRev

Amstel Light Presents the 3rd Annual NY Burger Crawl, NY Burger Week
A Fund raiser for Autism Speaks
– brought to you by Burger Maker, The Food Film Fest, Burger Lift, Burgerator & Gift Courture

NY BURGER WEEK MAY 1-7, 2014
– 7 Days of delicious Burger events

To celebrate National Hamburger Month, Burger Conquest, Burger Maker & The Food Film Festival proudly bring you the 3rd Annual NY Burger Week, May 1-7, 2014.

The Burger Week is a 7-day celebration of trendsetting chefs and unique burgers with a series of daily events.

Hashtag = #BurgerWeek
Tweet: @BurgerConquest

THE CONQUEST
Who eats 10 Burgers in one day? Last year during the 2nd Annual Amstel Light NY Burger Crawl you did! New York City however is not to be outdone and this year for the 3rd annual you ate 14 BURGERS IN ONE DAY!!!! We had so much fun in 2013 that I knew we had to bring the event back and make it even bigger. Thanks to Amstel Light, the official Beer of the Burger, we were able to make it happen again. Amstel Light is the Beer that Beer drinkers drink when they’re having a light Beer … with a Burger. Amstel Light is made with only 4 ingredients; Water, Hops, Yeast & Malted Barley. It comes from a brewing tradition that dates back to 1870 in Amsterdam. It’s a perfect Beer to have when you are having 14 of them at 14 different NYC bars with 14 different Burgers.

This year’s Burger Crawl was made even more special as it was a fund raiser for Autism Speaks. Their goal is to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders. Thanks to help from Burger Maker, The Food Film Fest, Burger Lift, Burgerator, BurgerWeekly & Gift Courture, a portion of every ticket sold to the crawl will be donated to their organization.

NY BURGER WEEK EVENT

AMSTEL LIGHT, THE OFFICIAL BEER OF THE BURGER, PRESENTS
THE 3RD ANNUAL NY BURGER CRAWL
– $70 for Beers at Every Bar and $3 Burger Specials –

*Fundraiser for Autism Speaks*

May 3, 2014
East Village, Murray Hill & Kips Bay Neighborhoods, NYC
12:30 – 3:00 pm – Check In
1:00 – 7:00 pm – Burger Crawl

Price: $70.00

Includes:

Entrance into the event
One (1) 8 oz Amstel Light at all locations
Access to $3 Burger specials at each location
Charity donation to Autism Speaks
Entry into contest to win Cheeseburger Wrapping Paper from Gift Couture

It’s been a long cold winter here in the Big Apple but it’s finally getting warm and it’s time to get out and do something fun! Kick Spring into high gear with the 3rd annual NY Burger Crawl. At every single stop, you’ll enjoy an 8oz Beer from Amstel Light, the official beer of the Burger, along with $3 specialty mouth watering Burgers. The event begins at 1pm and goes until 7pm. For those six hours, how many burgers can you handle? Call your friends, get a group together, and enjoy some of the best burgers in NYC.

A portion of the proceeds to the Amstel Light NY Burger Crawl will be donated to Autism Speaks. At Autism Speaks, their goal is to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders. They are dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a possible cure for autism. They strive to raise public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society: and they work to bring hope to all who deal with the hardships of this disorder. The organization is committed to raising the funds necessary to support these goals. Autism Speaks aims to bring the autism community together as one strong voice to urge the government and private sector to listen to our concerns and take action to address this urgent global health crisis. It is their firm belief that, working together, we will find the missing pieces of the puzzle. Click here to donate to Autism Speaks.

A Burger Crawl is a unique way to spend the day visiting great bars with close friends and family. Enjoy some of the best burgers that Manhattan has to offer at an incredibly affordable price along with great beer. This package will allow you to take advantage beer deals, burger specials and a full map of the best bars to visit during May 3rd for the annual NY Burger Crawl. While the weather warms up, what can possibly be better than a cold beer and large juicy burger? Enjoy all of this at some of the top rated burger joints in town. Some of the best bars have enlisted to participate in this year’s Burger Crawl.

By purchasing at ticket to the Amstel Light 3rd Annual NY Burger Crawl you are entered into a chance to win Cheeseburger Wrapping Paper from Gift Couture. Winners will be chosen the week after the event and will be notified by email.

While out on the crawl, you’ll also get a chance to check out the new Burger rating app from Burgerator. It allows you to share photos and review of Burgers with your friends.

When you check in at Idle Hands Bar, you’ll get a chance to meet the crew from Burger Lift. Their new device, which just had a successful kickstarter campaign, helps you maintain Bun integrity by giving you a stand to place your Burger on top of. That way when all the juicy goodness falls to the plate, it won’t get sucked up and ruin your bun.

Check in runs from 12:30 – 3:00 pm & the crawl goes from 1:00 – 7:00 pm.

THE BURGERS
Once again I teamed up with Mighty-Mike Fox from Edit Beach, who was named the 2013 Burger Week VIP, and our friend Jerry to go out on the Burger Crawl. We tried our best to make it to every single location and eat every single Burger. We met so many great people as we walked around the city on a gorgeous day while having a great time. I want to give a special shout out to Daina from The Hungry Fan and her friend Garrett who paced along the crawl with us.

NY_The_Burger_Week_NYC_2014_Amstel_Light_Annual_Burger_Crawl_Autism_Speaks_050314_4291

PARTICIPATING BARS & RESTAURANTS:

Bottomzup Bar & Grill – Juicy Lucy Slider stuffed w American Cheese topped with French Fried Onions and Tomato Relish.

Brazen Fox Kitchen & Craft Beer Company – Slider topped with Blue Cheese Bacon and Onion Mayo.

Company Bar & Grill – Choice of Sliders: 4oz BBQ Cheddar or 4oz Mushroom Classic

Crime Scene Bar – No Burgers, $3 Amstel Lights

Desmond’s Tavern – Choice of regular Cheeseburger or Hamburger for. Add Fries $1

Destination Bar – Two Bacon infused Sliders for $5

Duke’s Gramercy Park – 2 of Duke’s Signature Sliders
Duke’s Murray Hill – 2 of Duke’s Signature Sliders

East Village Tavern – 5oz Black Angus Burger on an English Muffin

Idle Hands Bar – 4oz Burger, House Special Sauce, Sautéed Onions and Cheese

Nelly Spillanes – 4oz Burger served with choice of Cheese Lettuce, Onion and Tomato

Rodeo Bar – Choice of Sliders: Burger, Pulled Pork or Smoked Chopped Brisket

SideBAR – House Burger with Cheese, Lettuce and French Fries

Village Pourhouse Downtown – House Burger with Lettuce and Tomato

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 3rd annual Amstel Light NY Burger Crawl. Only in a city like New York can you do something this crazy, fun and delicious. I got the chance to speak with a lot of you who participated and it seemed like you were having an awesome day filled with Burgers and Beers from Amstel Light. I’m really proud of what we were able to accomplish together in raising money for Autism Speaks. A big thank you goes to Amstel Light and the Heineken family. They are the ones that make this possible. Coordinating with 14 bars is a lot of work and they helped to facilitate that task. The biggest of thank you’s goes to all of the bars who participated. I appreciate all that you did to help promote the event and the great customer service you showed everyone who was out on the crawl. You guys are the stars of the show and your dedication to serving good Beer and Burgers to the people is outstanding. Thank you to the Burger Lift and Burgeator teams. Hopefully you got a chance to spend a few minutes with them and see how they are working to improve the Burgerverse. A sincere tip of the hat goes to the entire staff of Idle Hands Bar, especially Chef Dennis Hatziner, who cooked up a whopping 480 ounces of Ground Beef just during the crawl. You guys all worked very hard to make the first stop on the crawl a fun and tasty place to be. I’d also like to thank Sarah from Gift Couture for donating Cheeseburger Wrapping Paper to be given away to one lucky crawler. There are way too too too too many to name but thank you to every single person, media outlet, promotional partner and just about anyone who took the time to write a story, publish a blog post, send out a tweet, post to Facebook and Instagram any picture, message or otherwise that helped bring attention to this event. I truly, truly appreciate your support. It took every single one of the people and outlets named in this section to make this happen and raise money for Autism Speaks. It’s really just proof that you can help others by eating delicious Burgers and washing them down with refreshing Beers.

Posted in Bar, Beer, Burger Week, Burgers, East Village, Event, Hamburgers, National Hamburger Month, New York, NY Burger Week, Sliders | Tagged amstel light, autism speaks, autism walk, Bar, Beer, best burger, breweries, burger, burger crawl, burger lift, burger maker, burger weekly, burgerator, Cheeseburger Wrapping Paper, ciancio, craft beer, david, events, Festival, food festival, food film festival, Gift Couture, gourmet burger, happy hour, ny burger week, nyc, pairing, party, photos, restaurant, rev, review, sidebar, the burger week, village pourhouse | Leave a comment

The NY Burger Feast at Hudson Common, NY Burger Week

Posted on May 3, 2014 by TheRev

Hudson Common
356 West 58th Street
New York, NY 10019

NY BURGER WEEK MAY 1-7, 2014
– 7 Days of delicious Burger events

To celebrate National Hamburger Month, Burger Conquest, Burger Maker & The Food Film Festival proudly bring you the 3rd Annual NY Burger Week, May 1-7, 2014.

The Burger Week is a 7-day celebration of trendsetting chefs and unique burgers with a series of daily events.

Hashtag = #BurgerWeek
Tweet: @BurgerConquest

THE CONQUEST
7 days is not a long time. The Burger Week practically ends just as soon as it starts. With so many great Burgers in NYC, the best way for me to get as many of them into your mouth as I can is by putting together a Burger gathering where you can sample many in one night. Enter The NY Burger Feast – a walk around Burger sampling party of some of the best Burgers in the business. The party was hosted by Hudson Common in the Hudson Hotel. They have a beautiful indoor / outdoor space that already has a Beer hall and a Burger bar. It was the perfect place to hold the NY Burger Feast. The event was sponsored by Burger Maker, a fresh ground Beef processor located in Carlstadt, NJ that also happens to be my place of work. We are known for supplying the highest quality of product and customer service in the Food service industry. Burger Maker offers a range of quality products including Certified Angus Beef, Angus Chuck, Prime and Ground Chuck patties and Ground Beef in vacuum bags. This event was the perfect way to let you taste what our customers can do.

THE NY BURGER FEAST
At Hudson Common

– $65 for tickets to a Burger Party Where You’ll Sample the Best Burgers Around –

May 2, 2014
Hudson Common
356 West 58th Street, NYC
6:30 – 9:30 pm

Join Burger Maker and the Hudson Hotel as they present THE NY BURGER FEAST.

TWO TICKET OPTIONS

General admission
Price = $65

Admission to event from 6:30 – 9:30 pm
Sample from several Burger restaurants
3 All-NY Craft Beer Tasting Pours

VIP
Price = $75

1 hour early access 5:30 – 6:30 pm (limited tickets)
Admission to event 5:30 – 9:30 pm
Sample from 8 Burger restaurants
5 All-NY Craft Beer Tasting Pours

What would The NY Burger Week be without a big burger party? Right? We hear you and we agree and that’s why we created THE NY BURGER FEAST. Join us on Friday, May 2nd for an exclusive Burger party at Hudson Common in the Hudson hotel for a burger and beer feast of epic proportions. We’ve invited some of the best Burger spots around to come and serve you some of the tastiest burgers in the biz. Each restaurant will be showing you their best by offering a signature Burger from their menu using a selection of Burger Maker’s high-quality, fresh ground beef. You’ll go from table to table as you walk around enjoying delicious burgers. Wash it all down with a selection of local craft beers on tap at Hudson Common.

THE BURGERS:
Let’s be honest, it’s kind of unfair for me to rate / review / praise, etc, etc these Burgers since I’ve already let you know that I work for the company that makes the Burger Meat. What I can tell you is that there is no way I would’ve ever taken the job at Burger Maker if I wasn’t already a fan of their product and business practices. You can go back through this blog and you’ll see I’ve been giving them praise for a number of years. They even sponsored the Burger Week in the past. My words here are pretty genuine. When I came up with the idea of the NY Burger Feast with the Hudson Hotel peeps, I wanted to give the opportunity to some of Burger Maker’s customers to come out and show you what they do with our Meat. We say it all the time at the office, we are only 25% of the equation. It’s what the Chef’s do with our Burgers once they have them. To the hundreds of people who got a chance to attend the event, they really did get to eat some of the best of the best.

All the ground Beef we supplied for the event was ground fresh morning of and delivered to the Hudson Hotel by yours truly. I wanted to guarantee the absolute freshest, highest quality showcase of our products.

NY_The_Burger_Week_NYC_2014_Event_NY_Burger_Feast_Hudson_Hotel_Bash_NY_Burger_Feast_Burger_Maker_4075

Hudson Common – The Hudson Common Burger on a Brioche with Common Sauce, Cheese and Pickles.

Fatburger – Small Fatburger – Made with Fatburger’s proprietary Burger Maker custom blend and topped with the works.

Idle Hands Bar – The Berry Goat – Made with Burger Maker’s Fresh Signature Chuck & Hanger Custom Blend and topped with Onion Jam, Goat Cheese & Raspberry on a grilled Brioche.

Manchester Pub – “The Pickleback Mac” – Made with Burger Maker’s Fresh Steakburger and topped with Sharp cheddar, Jameson glaze, spiced Whiskey Butter, Salt and Vinegar Chips & Pickles on an English Muffin.

Point Break – The Carolina Burger – Made with Burger Maker’s Fresh Steakburger and topped with Slow Roasted Pulled Pork and Coleslaw.

Pound and Pence – Merchant’s Signature Burger – Made with Burger Maker’s Certified Angus Beef Steakburger and topped with Provolone, Smokey BBQ Sauce, Applewood Bacon, Caramelized Onions and Crispy Onion Strings.

Burger Maker – “The One Percenter with Smoked Jarlsberg” – Burger Maker’s Certified Angus Beef USDA Prime Fresh Ground Beef, Smoked Jarlsberg on Martin’s Potato Rolls.

Plus a cheese tasting with Jarlsberg

LOCAL NY CRAFT BREWS FROM
– The Bronx Brewery

Thank you. Those two words truly, truly, truly sum up my sincere appreciation to everyone that made this happen. It was no small feat to pull this off. First and foremost, to the attendees of the event, thank you for coming out and enjoying some tasty Burgers. Most of the comments I got were very positive. We tried to create a chill environment that wasn’t over crowded with a limited amount of Restaurants involved so that you could take your time and enjoy every single piece of Food offered. I hope we lived up to that. Everyone of you, please join me in thanking the Morgans Hotel Group. In a very excited manner, they took this idea and ran with it. Their production team worked very, very hard to make this happen for you. They believed in the idea from the very first conversation. To Merchants Hospitality, Riese Restaurants, The Burrell Group, Acosta, Manchester Pub, Idle Hands Bar, Point Break, Dennis Hatzinger & Andrew Zurica – seriously, you were the starts of this show. We wanted to give you a stage to show NY Burger lovers the might of your skills and if you’re asking me, you CRUSHED THIS. Every Burger and Cheese that was serves was top notch. I am truly blown away at your abilities to re-create the custom experience you do in your restaurants on the deck patio of a hotel. A serious tip of my hat to your amazing skills. To Sean and The Bronx Brewery, I love your Beer but you know this. Thanks for the awesome dancing, silly shoes and tasty brews. To Ben Trivett, the “official” NY Burger Feast photographer, once again, I hope the payment of delicious Burgers and Craft Beers worth it because I really wouldn’t want anyone else to be the Burger Photog! They aren’t going to want any spot light but I must give a huge thank you to Jamie Schweid and especially John Agostini, from Burger Maker, for really truly working really hard behind the scenes to make this event happen. These guys live and breath Burgers and it’s an honor to work with them.