Charm City Burger Company

When I first walked up to Charm City Burger Company in Deerfield Beach I was a little weary. From the outside it looks like a hole in the wall place, where your likely to regret your decision to walk in.

I was pretty surprised when I walked in to find a great, clean, and friendly place.

Their menu offered both a variety of steak burgers and alternative burgers such as:

- turkey
- Italian Sausage
- veggie
- tuna
- lamb

I had the Cowboy Style Burger, which has:

- beef
- bacon
- aged cheddar
- sauteed mushrooms 
- grilled onions

The patty was big and and slightly pink but very juicy. But for some reason the burger didn't stand out as being as good as all of the rest. It had plenty of toppings but the flavor just wasn't there for me.

I will go back though, but I think I'm going to give one of their alternative burgers a shot.

ROK:BRGR

ROK:BRGR. The picture says it all. Toasted buns, juicy beef, and a perfect balance of bacon, blue cheese, and grilled onions.

The presentation of this burger is amazing - what comes to your table is what you would expect to see in their advertisements.

And the taste keeps you coming back for more. ROK:BRGR is located in downtown Fort Lauderdale, conveniently within walking distance of many businesses and college campuses. 

 Although surrounded by many other types of restaurants, once you have their burger you can never tire of it. 

Their menu offers 18 signature burgers, including the D Wade which has:

-10 oz certified Angus beef

      - 4 year aged Vermont chedda

- homemade chili

- grilled jalapenos

 - cilantro sour cream

All nicely put together between two sesame buns. My recommendation is to go with a friend, order two separate burgers, and split them. You can't go wrong - everything here is amazing. 

Ready for a Challenge?

Food challenges have been a source of entertainment for a while now, but are you ready to taste sweet, sweet victory? Test your eating skills at Miami's Burger and Beer Joint with the Mother Burger.

A burger so big that you must call in your order in advance. This 10 lb certified Angus beef burger puts other burger competitions to shame.

The $125 monstrosity comes with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and a pickle - if you want to add cheese, two more toppings, and a sauce, the price is bumped up to $150. But don't worry - if you can manage to finish the burger by yourself within 2 hours, the restaurant picks up the tab.

If you're interested in other food competitions going on in South Florida, check this out.

Can You Handle the Grease Beast?

This monstrous burger is not for the feint of heart. You need some serious dedication to finish this one off. Grease Burger Bar in downtown West Palm Beach offers this sandwhich to those who are willing to take it on.

The Grease Beast includes:

-Grilled bacon and cheese sandwiches in place of the buns
-A beef patty ofcoarse
-French fries
-Onion rings
-Ranch
-Cheese sauce

Biting into this burger was a struggle, not to mention a mess, but it was well worth it. The flavors can kind of blend together because of all the different toppings, but it was still awesome. Don't feel embarrassed if you need some help from a friend to finish this one off - you'll feel the weight of this burger in your stomach for the rest of the day.

The patty (if you can find it) was big and juicy - adding to the quality of this sandwich. The
atmosphere of the restaurant was pretty cool too - it's in the middle of downtown West Palm Beach. This burger bar also has live music at night creating a great dining experience.

If you live close to the area I would check this place out. You can even make a night of it and check out the other bars within walking distance.

Alternative Burgers

If you don't find beef burgers delicious there are many alternatives.

Chili's offers a black bean burger that you can substitute for any of their burgers upon request.

Not into vegetarian burgers either? CG Burgers offers both bison and lamb burgers on their
menu. Their 6 oz bison burger offers a much leaner taste that differs from beef burgers. CG Burgers offers vegetarian burgers as well.

Charm City Burger Company also offers a variety of burger substitutes. Their menu includes

-Turkey Burgers
-Italian Sausage Burgers
-Veggie Burgers
-Ground Sushi Grade Ahi Tuna Burgers
-Lamb Burgers

The prices at Charm City are reasonable and the food tastes great. Check out any of these places for great burger substitutes or even ask your local restaurants if they offer any.

Jackson Hole

I went to New York over the summer and I was lucky enough to stumble upon a Jackson Hole. These 7 oz burgers are not only huge, but delicious. Established in 1972, this establishment has had plenty of time to perfect their burgers.

Their extensive menu offers 26 varieties of burgers and 27 turkey or veggie burgers. The burgers don't come with a side, but believe me the burger is enough. But if you're still hungry for more, no worries they have 25 sides to chose from.

The burger was super juicy but didn't fall apart, the buns were soft but never soggy, and it had the perfect amount of toppings so you were able to taste every flavor rather than just one oozing mess,

If you live near a Jackson Hole or just happen across it when you're in the area, I strongly recommend you give their burgers a try.

Kobe: A Deliciously Pampered Cow

Kobe beef is beef unlike any other. It comes from the Japanese Wagyu breed of cow, and has unique genetics that make the meat known for its rich and tender flavor. These genetics produce fat throughout the cow's muscle creating a marbling that gives it superior flavor.

The cows here are given the royal treatment. They are strictly grass fed and stress free. They are even given beer as a means of enhancing their appetites. Farmers also massage the cow - this ensures that the meat will remain tender and the cow stays relaxed.

Although there are different regions that raise Wagyu cattle, genuine Kobe beef comes from Kobe, Japan. Because of the cow's high maintenance lifestyle and strict exporting laws of the beef in Japan, Kobe beef has a high price tag - costing up to $100 per pound. 

Kobe burgers can be found in some restaurants across the country including Prime 112 and Kobe Club in Miami.  

Let's Meet Our Tastey Friend

What exactly are in our burgers? The answer is not simple. A combination of different meats is typically used in order to create the best consistency and taste. You will almost always find chuck in your burgers because of its fattyness - it keeps the burger juicy.

The other combinations are a matter of preference, and can even range from adding meat other than cow. Some combinations include:

-Chuck, Sirloin, Brisket
-Chuck, Sirloin, Boneless Beef Ribs
-Ribeye, Chuck, Sirloin
-Sirloin, Pork Shoulder

If you're interested in trying a new combination of meat for your burger, make friends with your local butcher or try out some combinations at home.  

Smashburger

Here is yet another unique burger. Smashburger gets straight to the point with its name - the burgers are made by literally smashing the burger on the grill with a metal plate. They roll their 100% certified Angus ground beef into a ball, put it on the grill, and place a heavy metal plate on top. This creates a pretty delicious burger. They use this method to "sear in the juices".

There is a downfall of using a heavy metal plate to smash the burger. For those of you who like to order your burger cooked a specific way, its pretty impossible here. Also, smashing the burger creates a thinner patty than when cooked normally.

However, their burgers come in three different sizes (small, smash, and big) and the menu offers many great topping choices - fried egg, guacamole, chili, haystack onions, and fried pickles, to name a few. They also offer many different styles of fries and other sides too like haystack unions and beefy chili.

The burgers are great, and the technique of smashing them keeps them really juicy. Although the patties are thinner, the burger is much wider than a normal patty and its pretty filling. The prices are pretty reasonable, but be careful because the menu is a la carte, so things could add up. They also serve beer for those of us who need one after a long day.

Although I would rate their burgers pretty high up, their fries aren't anything special so I would recommend choosing another one of their sides. 

Smashburger has plenty of locations including one they just opened in Coral Springs. I would definitely check it out.  

Juicy Lucy

Oh the Juicy Lucy. What a novice idea. The Juicy Lucy is a burger with the cheesy liquid gold inside  the burger, rather than on top. Its easy to see how the Juicy Lucy stands out from other burgers when looking at how its assembled. The burger is made by separating your patty into two, placing your cheese (mainly American, but you can put your favorite cheese inside) between the two, cook, and voila!   

Its hard to say where the burger originated, but two restaurants on the same street in South Minneapolis say it was them. The 5-8 Club and Matt's Bar both claim to have invented the burger, and battle over who did it.

 The Juicy Lucy and both restaurants debuted on the Travel Channel's Food Wars in March 2010, where they battled to see whose burger was better. Matt's Bar took the title.

There are other restaurants that create their own renditions of the burger, including the Groveland Tap in St. Paul with their Cajun Lucy, and The Blue Door Pub also in St. Paul with their Juicy Blucy. 

If you're like me and live nowhere near these areas, we have to settle for our own Juicy Lucy burger made at home.