Would you like fries with this?
Six categories, six burgers
By Patrick Evans-Hylton
Although there have been ground/minced beef dishes since at least the 12th century, it wasn’t until sometime in the 19th century that someone put raw meat to flame (and later, still, nestled it between two slices of bread) to created the predecessor of what we think of as today’s hamburger.
The exact origins are unknown, although it is agreed that the name comes from the German port of Hamburg, which was noted for raw beef dishes akin to today’s steak tartare, which came from the large Russian community living there. The Russians, in turn, began favoring steak tartare when Genghis Khan’s grandson, Kublai, brought the Mongolian creation to Moscow in the 13th century.
Louis’s Lunch in New Haven, Conn. in 1895 was the first place to serve a burger in America, so says the Library of Congress, and the first bun was crafted in 1916. Then came a succession of sandwiches, with the Golden Age of the hamburger starting with the explosion of McDonald’s after the chain was purchased by Ray Kroc in 1955.
Today the hamburger continues to evolve – fast food-style, gourmet-style, vegetarian, sliders – it’s a dizzying array of categories. And, across Hampton Roads, there is a burger for just about every palate.
We picked some of our favorite styles, and some of our favorite burgers that fit those styles based on lots of research – tasty, tasty research, and present our findings – with all the fixings – to you:
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CLASSIC
Double Cheeseburger, $4.69
(Available with a variety of dressings; we chose our burger with lettuce, tomato, onions, ketchup, mustard, and pickles)
Dog & Burger
2001 Manteo St., Norfolk
757-623-1667
www.dognburger.com
A delish menu of hot dogs, hamburgers other sandwiches, and sides have been served up here since 1969. The burgers here are fresh and cooked just-right on a flat-top grill, giving it an authentic Old School flavor. Single burgers are sold too, but why not splurge? Side dishes are sold ala carte.
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SLIDER
Sliders, $8
(Comes dressed with diced onions, pickle, ketchup and mustard)
Just George’s Sports Bar
1956 Laskin Rd., Virginia Beach
757-428-3494
www.justgeorges.com
Three diminutive cheeseburgers come ready to be enjoyed at Just George’s. These miniature munchies include juicy, thick patties cooked to a nice medium and served atop soft buns with melting cheese and traditional toppings. Side dishes are sold ala carte.
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VEGGIE
Chickpea Veggie Burger, 10.99
(Comes dressed with fresh cilantro, frisee, red onion, sliced avocado and tomato with charmoula sauce)
Public House
1112 Colley Ave., Norfolk
757-227-9064
www.publichouseeats.com
A thick, flavorful patty of ground chickpea (the key ingredient in hummus and falafel) is nicely seasoned and grilled, providing a meatless but filling and satisfying burger served on a challah roll. The burger comes with sliced apples, or fries can be added for an extra three bucks. Of note: charmoula is a lemony/garlicky/herby Moroccan sauce.
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ALTERNATIVE
Fresh Tuna Burger, 11.95
(Comes dressed with sliced cucumber, pickled red onions, wasabi maonnaise and ponzu sauce)
Burtons Grill
741 First Colonial Rd., Virginia Beach
757-422-8970
www.burtonsgrill.com
This delish dish is much more than a piece of grilled tuna on a bun; fresh catch is ground and blended with red onions and seasoned, then seared to a beautiful medium-rare. The result is a clean, satisfying alternative to a traditional burger made with ground beef. The Fresh Tuna Burger is served with a cucumber salad.
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UPSCALE
Apocolypse Now Burger, $28.95
(Comes with classic dressings as well as foie gras, pork belly, sour cherry jam and duck fat fries)
Todd Jurich BurgerBar
530 Winston Salem Ave., Virginia Beach
757-351-0488
www.toddsburgerbar.com
Eight ounces of better-than-prime American Wagyu meat is cooked to order and nestled in a house-baked bun and topped with some of the most decadent ingredients known to humankind; what’s there not to love? This just one of the delish gourmet offerings at the groundbreaking BurgerBar and it is worth every calorie – and penny. Side dishes are sold ala carte.
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MOUTHFUL
The Chohany Signature Burger, $13.40
(Comes classic dressings as well as cheddar, swiss and provolone cheeses, bacon, caramelized onions and grilled mushrooms)
Second Street Restaurant
140 Second St., Williamsburg
757-220-2286
www.secondst.com
This is one big – and yummo – big boy; 12 ounces of meat is cooked to order, served with fixings (including three types of cheeses) and nestled on a toasted brioche roll. The satisfying burger, big enough to share, comes with fries, potato salad, slaw or housemade potato chips; onion rings can be added for $3.
UPDATE
NEW CATEGORY: TOTALLY COOL
Just George’s an upscale/casual sports bar attached to Captain George’s seafood restaurant in Virginia Beach, recently expanded their offerings of Angus burgers prepared by Executive Chef Tim Chastain, and taken it one step further – a white-hot branding iron sears the restaurant’s logo onto the burger bun as a seal of approval.
Just George’s is at 1956 Laskin Rd., Virginia Beach. Call 757-428-5870 or visit www.JustGeorges.com
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RECIPE
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The Ultimate Hamburger
HRM food editor shows how to create a classic at home
It seems that just about everyone loves a hamburger, and we’ve got the ultimate hamburger recipe for folks to try at home. The classic dish becomes the ultimate burger with the use of fresh, local products; just every component in the dish comes from a Virginia source.
Because some ingredients are seasonal, and because some also take an extra step in purchasing, substitutions can be made with items you’d find at your local grocer. That said, try to source as many of the items locally as possible. You will not only tell a difference in the quality of the finished product, but you will be helping Virginia’s economy as well.
Our ground beef came from Gryffon’s Aerie near Charlottesville (www.GryffonsAerie.com) which sells their products in a number of markets and also by mail order. What makes the meat special from Gryffon’s Aerie is the use of heritage breeds raised humanely and raised on fresh pasture alone. If you use a substitute, look for similar qualities.
The goat cheese used came from Caromont Farms, also near Charlottesville (www.CaromontFarm.com) which uses the farmstead principals of cheesemaking from milk from their own animals.
Burger fixings came from one of our local farmers market, Old Beach Farmers Market in Virginia Beach (www.OldBeachFarmersMarket.com), in season; use a farm market near you, or look for the freshest produce you can find at your supermarket.
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Ingredients
2 ounces blue cheese
4 ounces goat cheese
2 pounds ground beef
Fixings
Mustard-Wine Sauce (see note)
Buns
Method
Combine blue cheese and goat cheese and divide into four equal parts; roll in hand to form ball and place in refrigerator at least 30 minutes to firm.
Divide ground beef into four equal parts; roll in hand to form ball and make an indentation in the center of each ball. Stuff the blue/goat cheese ball into the ground beef indentation and seal closed. Gently press beef patty flat.
Heat a skillet or grill pan; if the meat is very lean, you may need to add a little oil to the pan. Cook two burgers at a time; place patties in the pan and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, then flip and cook for about 2 or 3 minutes. Be careful to not press the patty, or press much, or it will release natural juices. A one-inch thick hamburger takes about 3 minutes per side to reach rare; cook for about 4 minutes for medium burgers, and about 5-1/2 minutes for a well-done burger.
Serve on artisan buns with lettuce, tomato and onion, and with our mustard-wine sauce. To make the mustard-wine sauce, add about one tablespoon of red wine to eight tablespoons of Dijon mustard and stir to incorporate.
Yields 4 burgers
- PEH
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WEB EXTRA
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See HRM food editor, Chef Patrick Evans-Hylton, make the Ultimate Hamburger in an exclusive cooking video HERE.
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Contents of this article originally appeared in the November – December 2011 issue of Hampton Roads Magazine
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