The Burger Wars: Celebrity Chef Edition
The Dirty Love Burger at Love Shack, Fort Worth, Texas
Was it the 2004 opening of Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas? Daniel Boulud's braised short-ribs-foie gras-and-white truffle-stuffed DB Burger (yours today for only $32)? Or was the high-end burger tipping point in 2000 when Ducasse-trained Sang Yoon opened Father's Office in Santa Monica? It's difficult to say exactly when it became acceptable for four-star, classically trained chefs to start flipping burgers, but the trend is, for better or worse, here to stay. Factor in the current state of the economy and rising food costs, combined with empire-building chefs eschewing fine dining, and you've got the makings of yet another burger boom. Are Boulud, Tourondel, and H. Keller (who says the French can't do burgers?) the new Kroc, Snyder, and Thomas of haute burgers? Can Craftburger be too far away? Here is a quick list of celebrity chef-driven burger spots around the country.
What makes a good burger? One of BA's Project Recipe bloggers gives you her take on the American classic.
Laurent Tourondel: BLT Burger (Las Vegas and New York)
Daniel Boulud: No name yet burger bar on Bowery (New York)
Tim Love: Love Shack (Fort Worth, with more locations in the works)
Andrew Weissman (La Reve et al.): Big'z Burger Joint (San Antonio)
Bobby Flay: Bobby's Burger Palace (Smithtown, New York; with more on the way)
Marcus Samuelsson: Marc Burger (Chicago and opening soon in Costa Mesa, CA)
Spike Mendelsohn (Top Chef contestant): Good Stuff Eatery (D.C.)
Andy d'Amico (Marseilles et al.): 5 Napkin Burger (New York)
Rob Dalzell (1924 Main et al.): ChefBurger (Kansas City)
Hubert Keller: Burger Bar (Las Vegas, St. Louis, and, opening soon, San Francisco)
Thomas Keller: Burgers and Half-Bottles (opening soon in Yountville, CA)
Tim and Liza Goodell (Dakota et al): 25 Degrees (Hollywood)
Richard Blais (Home and Top Chef contestant): Flip (opening soon in Atlanta)
Thomas Salamunovich (Larkspur): Larkburger (Vail)
Sang Yoon: Father's Office (Santa Monica and Los Angeles)
Others rumored to be jumping on the burger bandwagon: Todd English and Joe Bastianich. Oh, and how could I forget Rachael Ray.
Who am I forgetting?
Cheddar burgers with balsamic onions and chipotle ketchup: Create the ultimate burger yourself with this delicious recipe straight from bon appetit's July cover.
More from bon appetit:
The Well Stocked Kitchen
Everything you need to cook anything you want with this bon appetit guide.Women Chefs: The Next Generation
These six chefs are breaking ground and taking charge. We gathered them around the table to talk about "feminine" food, their favorite eats, and the value of hazing.Project Recipe
Bloggers Chris Hall and Bridget Moloney cook their way through our Top 100 Dishes.
