Bareburger – All-Natural, Hormone-Free, Organic Fine Print Groupons

Posted on 04/21/2012 by Rev

Bareburger
http://www.bareburger.com
85 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003

THE CONQUEST
I like Burgers.  I also really like hanging out with my friends and it was marrying those two passions that originally inspired The Burger Conquest. I wanted to create an excuse to eat with my friends, all of them. It happened at a dinner at PJ Clarke’s when some friends who were questioning the exclusionary nature of two Food clubs I run; The NYC Wing-Off & SteakClub7 and suggested I start another that anyone could take part in.

Thanks to a recent (and misleading) Groupon offer from Bareburger, I got to do just that. The offer was $10 for $20 worth of food at their newest location in the East Village, only a couple of blocks from my bar, Idle Hands. My co-owners, Marc & Rob all purchased several of these vouchers with the intention that we could use them to gather up a bunch of friends and treat to some delicious Burgers and Beers. It wasn’t until after we had each purchased several of them, we realized two things:

  1. Even though the ad says “Multiple Locations,” down in the fine print you’ll find “Valid only at the East Village location.”
  2. In that same dreaded area of restriction it also reads; “Limit 1 per table.” So even though we had brought a total of 10 people, we could only use one voucher. Caveat Emptor Burger Fan.

Bareburger, now opening their 9th location, is doing something unlike all the other Burger joints in New York City. The food they serve is “organic, all natural, free-range, grass-fed meats; organic and all-natural cheeses; and organic vegetables” that, where possible, is sourced from sustainable purveyors. Their table tops are made from fallen trees, their paper goods are recycled and or biodegradable and the animals being served, Beef, Turkey, Lamb, Veggie, Portabella Mushroom, Elk, Bison, Ostrich and Grilled Chicken, were raised and treated humanely. This means you can eat as much as you want and not only is it healthy, but you’re helping local farmers! Well that might not be entirely true (the Burger Conquest fact checking team has the day off), Bareburger is certainly offering you a better option. And, they serve Craft Beer!

THE BURGER
I’ve eaten at several different of their locations around town and have even written about Bareburger before so this time, I wanted to try something different. With as many options of Patties, Condiments (be sure to ask for the off-menu sauces!) & Toppings, once could go years and years, eating here every day and probably never repeat a combo. So to really go different from a Burger, do what I did and find your way into their Bareburger Sandwiches menu and order the Wild Boar Cuban Sandwich – Wild Boar Patty, Canadian Bacon, Baby Swiss and Stoneground mustard (hold the Pickles please.) I ordered mine on thick-sliced Multi-Grain Bread which while it was delicious and hearty bread, it was the wrong option for this Sando. It’s robust flavor took the shine away from the organic Boar and not so strong on the palette Swiss. The Wild Boar is porkesque but not as savory and with a more mild flavor. I’m sure it’s awesome on it’s own. That aside, this was a great interpretation of 2, maybe 3 different Sandwiches all wrapped in one. When (if) I go back to cash in my other Groupons, (minus my friends!), I might have to get this again but on a Brioche.


8 out of 10 Ounces
-Rev

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
491 Burgers

Apr 10, 2012 – 7:38 pm

The Rev Meter for Social Community
“The Rev Meter” is a social community meter for assessing how optimized a bar or restaurant is with social networking. By taking what I consider to be the 10 most important social networks and creating a point system, I can accurately asses how well your business is using social networking as a tool. My goal here is to educate and assist great business to better effectively use these tools.

Bareburger scores a 7 on The Rev Meter.

SCORING:
4 points or less You’ve missed the 5 basics and are less than optimized
5 points You’ve covered the basics, which is better than most but far from optimized.
6 to 9 points You’re doing better than most and on your way to becoming a well respected social community whiz.
10 points Congrats on a perfect score!

Posted in Bar, Beer, Burgers, Gourmet Burgers, Hamburgers, New York | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Bareburger – All-Natural, Hormone-Free, Organic Fine Print Groupons

Get Real Presents Beer Balls Festival 2012

Posted on 04/12/2012 by Rev

Get Real Presents Beer Balls Festival
http://getrealpresents.com

File under “Awesome”: Beer & Food
File under “Awesomer”: Craft Beer & Meatballs
File under “Awesomest”: 12 different Chefs, 15 Meatballs & 50 Craft Beers
File under “Awesomely Incomparable:” Get Real Presents

If you’re not familiar with Get Real Presents from their aPORKalypse, Beer Bar Fest, Cask Ale Fest or Belgian Beer Fest events, then you either don’t live near NYC or are sadly missing out!!! Forget anything you know about Beer fests, Get Real events are not like the others. Not only do they have some of the best and tastiest food made by great local Chefs & Restaurants but also some of the most unique, sought after and well made Craft Beer available. There’ no crap on tap at one of their events but you can definitely expect tasty brews from breweries like Founders, Mikkeller, Dogfish Head, St. Feuillien Lagunitas, Kuhnhenn, Victory, Wandering Star and many, MANY more. Most of the beers aren’t chosen until days before each event in an attempt to perfectly pair every single dish with a specific Craft Beer.

You’ve never seen anything like it. Get Real Beer Fests are more like a big fun party than some kind of sampling event. Everyone’s having a great time hanging out, trying cool Beers, eating great Food and meeting new friends. The best part? All inclusive pricing. Yup, one price buys you all the Beer & Food you can possibly enjoy in a 3-4 hour session.

These events also come with a bit of education. Beer pairs with Food almost better than Wine and the wealth of knowledge why is written on the walls of the event. Get Real also has The School of Beer. The “S.O.B.” has a “twelve step” program to help you learn everything you ever wanted to know about how beer is made, where it comes from and how you can to enjoy it. As you’re walking around sampling all the awesome Food & Beer, you can get a bit of Beer-ducation by reading the bits of knowledge posted up on the walls.

Full disclosure, I work with them but they were doing this before I was ever allowed to be a part of it. Having attended their Belgian Beer Fest and participating in Beer Bar Fest via my bar Idle Hands, I knew first hand how great the Get Real Presents events are.

Most recently, Get Real Presents hosted the Beer Balls Fest at 404 in NYC. Here’s the official word from the crew:

MEATBALLS!
They’re a favorite comfort food for many of us in the United States, and in New York in particular it’s pretty difficult to walk a two-block radius without finding a restaurant that has them on the menu. Although many people automatically associate meatballs with checkered table cloths, a bottle of red wine, and a big dish of spaghetti, the history of this beloved food is as long and as varied as any other part of culinary history.

No one can say with 100% certainty where the initial meatball recipe came from. Countries all over the world can lay claim to their own traditions, ingredients and monikers. Whether it’s called the “kofta,” the “köttbulle,” the “polpette,” or simply the “meatball,” the varieties and possibilities of what one can do with this collective staple food are endless. In fact, as Americans we have our own claim to fame in this department because the whole concept of “spaghetti and meatballs” isn’t an Italian tradition at all, but an American one. These two dishes were served separately until American diners started frequenting Italian restaurants and wanted meat with their pasta. But they’re not just served with pasta- they can be fried and include onion and mint leaves like in Greece, could be made with anchovies or salted herring like in Germany or served with pickled cucumbers and lingonberry sauce like in Sweden-the possibilities are truly endless. And with all the creativity and flavors you can deliver with meatballs, we at Get Real are reminded of what else…beer!

Beer Balls: The Chefs & their Menus

Chef Paul DI Bari from Zi’ Pep
– Polpettine, Meatballs in Tomato Sauce.
– Paired with Ommegang BPA & DFH Indian Brown

Chef Brian Yurko from Alewife Queens
– Berkshire Pork for Soup Dumpling Meatballs with Wonton Chips.
– Paired with Two Brothers Cane & Ebel & Stillwater Debutante

Chef Clay Gordon from Get Real NY & The Chocolate Life
– Albondigas con Mole Poblano (all natural Turkey Meatballs in traditional Mexican Chocolate and Chili Pepper Sauce).
– Paired with Smutty IPA & Keegan Mother’s Milk

Chef Celsa Gonzalez From Carino
– Berkshire pork, wild boar & venison meatball with chipotle and roasted tomato. Paired with Captain Lawrence Smoked Porter, Lagunitas Doppelweizen

Chef Stefan Ching from Kupersmith
– Elk bourginion, Venison meatballs with tomato chili and Curry ballwurst. Paired with Wandering Star BBB – Stone Smoked Porter

Chef Jonathan Van Sleet from Mexi-Q
– Pork Meatballs with Sweet & Smokey BBQ Sauce.
– Paired 21st Amendment Back in Black and Kulmbacher Eisbock Porter

Chef Thomas Harder from Blind Tiger Alehouse
– Wild Boar, grassfed Beef and Elk – Middle-Eastern flavored Meatball.
– Paired with Saison Dupont and La Trappe Isi’dor

Chef Chris Hamil from Manchester Pub
– Fried Pork, Bacon, Cheddar, Meatball.
– Paired with Green Flash West Coast IPA & Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold

Chef Thomas Mosera from Tommy Lasagna
– Beef and Pork Meatball Sliders.
– Paired with Cigar City Maduro Oatmeal Brown and Two Brothers Bitter End

Chef Jordan Andino from Little Town
– All Natural Turkey, Wagu Kobe Beef for Fig and Tomato Meatball.
– Paired with DFH Raison D’Etre & Victory Golden Monkey

Chef Everyone from Team4Food will be banging out:
– Wild Boar Meatballs w Toasted Coconut Rice & Spicy Sweet Chili Sauce.
– Paired with Anderson Valley Summer Solstice & Green Flash Hop Head Red

Chef Phillipe from Cafe D’Alsace
– Baked Vegetable Meatballs in Tomato Sauce.
Paired with 21st Amendment Lower du Boom & Stone/Victory/DFH Saison Du Buff

The Beer
Look at this list. Seriously!!!

Pale Ales/Amber Ales
Two Brothers Bitter End
21st Amendment Bitter American
Bronx Pale Ale
Empire Amber

IPA’s
Two Brothers Cane & Ebel
Green Flash Hop Head Red
Green Flash West Coast IPA
Blue Point Hoptical Illusion
Dogfish Head Aprihop
Empire Rye IPA
Ithaca Flower Power

Black IPA’s
21st Amendment Back in Black

Double IPA’s
Oskar Blues Deviant Dales
Green Flash Palate Wrecker
Captain Lawrence IIPA
DFH 120 min

Belgian Style IPA’s
Ommegang BPA

Belgian Golden Ales
La Trappe Isi’dor
Ithaca White Gold
Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold

Belgian/American Strong Ales (dark, malty, etc.)
Kulmbacher Eisbock
Weyerbacher Quad
Dogfish Raisin D’Etre
Brown ales
Cigar City Maduro Oatmeal Brown
DFH Indian Brown

Rye beers
Founders Reds Rye

Pilsners
Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils

Victory Prima Pils
Smuttynose Vunderbar
Victory Braumeister

 Seasonals
Greenport Harbor Spring
Anderson Valley Summer Solstice
Blue Point Spring


Lagers
Sunner Kolsch
Stoudt’s Kolsch

Ciders
Farnum Hill Dooryard
Doc’s Framboise
Original Sin Newton Pippin
Original Sin Newton Pippin Cherry

Gluten Free
DFH Tweason Ale

Saisons
Sly Fox Saison Vos
St. Feuillien Saison
Stillwater Stateside
Stillwater As Follows
Saison Dupont

Sours
Rodenbach Grand Cru
Ommegang Aphrodite

Fruit beers
Blue Point Blueberry
Ithaca Apricot Wheat

Barley Wines
21st Amendment Lower de Boom

 Tripels
Victory Golden Monkey
Allagash Curieux
Allagash Tripel

Wheat beers
Lagunitas Doppelweizen
Ommegang Witte
Sierra Nevada Kellerweiss
Southern Tier Hop Sun

Porters
Avery New World Porter
Founders Porter
Ballast Point Black Marlin

Stouts
Keegan Mother’s Milk
Left Hand Fade to Black 3
Ballast Point Sea Monster

Biere de Gardes
Flying Dog Garde Dog
Southampton Biere de Mars

Smoked beers
Kelso Rauchbier barrel aged
Captain Lawrence Smoked Porter

Pins/Firkins
Dogfish Head 75 Min
Lagunitas Imperial Stout
Ballast point sculpin
Ballast Point Tongue Buckler
Wandering Star Mild at Heart
Wandering Star Rude Boy

The Aftermath

That’s a hell of a lot of great, great Craft Beer.

Get Real events are the best Craft Beer Bar ever as a pop up event. Sign up to be on their email list so you don’t miss out on the next one.

Posted in Beer, Burgers, Event, Get Real, Hamburgers, New York, Sliders, Thrillist Rewards | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Whitman’s – Lots of Ooze In the Offers

Posted on 04/09/2012 by Rev

Whitman’s
http://whitmansnyc.com
406 E. 9th St
New York, NY 10009

THE CONQUEST
Do you wake up every morning, grab your smart phone and start deleting emails from Deal-Of-the-Day & Social Coupon sites? I do. I must be on the list for a dozen or more of the currently reported 810 daily deal sites (according to Yipit.) Most of them get deleted in a flash because they don’t appeal to me, the offer is bad or I know for a fact the featured business sucks.  Although to be honest, I can’t figure out why they keep asking me if I want laser hair removal. If I had lasers for hair, ain’t NO WAY, I would have them removed!

But then every so once in awhile something comes along I can’t resist. When that does happen, it’s either from a place I love or a place I’ve been meaning to check out. Most business participate in deals is to gain new customers through exposure of the massive list that these companies have. In return, those companies take a cut of the sale before handing the “new” customer over to the business.

However, until they’ve established trust with you, you’ll only buy based upon the above two reasons. Do I trust Groupon to tell me where to eat? HELL NO. But if they offer 50% of Bareburger, which I already know and love, you can bet I will. Until Groupon (or any other site) can knock me over time and time again with what they’re offering, I’m just going to keep deleting and I’m guessing you’re doing the same.

Exception to the rule; Thrillist Rewards, which I buy from nearly every week.

Here’s a perfect example from Google offers; $5 for $10 worth of Gourmet Burgers at Whitman’s. I’ve been meaning to check out the place for ever and even gone so far as to reach out to the owner via email and twitter (no response). The morning this offer went live, my buddy Nick from No Jacket Required Marketing forwarded it to me and said “ever been to this place?” My response “Nope. I bought it though. When we going?” $5 is really not enough of a nose dive if I end up letting the deal expire without going. Deal Bought.

Whitman’s is located in New York City’s culture rich East Village. It’s a constantly morphing neighborhood filled with eateries, bars, shops, theaters, coffee houses and all other sorts of local businesses. It’s one of the only parts of lower Manhattan that isn’t littered with chain after chain business but moreover, small artisan’s honing their craft because it’s passion first, business second. The tiny, tiny, tiny little restaurant known as Whitman’s is a perfect example. With only a couple tables, it’s practically no more than a store front with a keg of Beer on tap. While place is small, the ideas are not. They’ve taken a number of Burger styles, Beef sources and preparation processes and combined them in original ways. Whether your into Grassfed Hot Dogs & Burgers, Pat LaFrieda Beef Cheesesteaks, Bacon Egg and Cheese, Turkey Burgers, Locally Made Beer Sausage or Free Range Chicken, the Whitman’s menu just about covers all meaty sandwich bases.

THE BURGER
For me, this trip was all about the Juicy Lucy, the Burger that made Minneapolis famous. I’ve never eaten one at Matt’s Bar or the 5-8 Club, the home of said sandwich but I’m all too familiar. The idea is simple and yet genius, stuff a Burger with Cheese so while it cooks on the outside, it melts the Cheese on the inside, giving you a bite of gooey cheese in the middle of the Patty. Matt’s reportedly uses American Cheese but Whitman’s elevates the idea by using a a topping popular in the Carolina’s, Pimento Cheese.

It’s all served on a hearty yet soft, White, Sesame Seed Bun with Lettuce, Caramelized Onions, Special Sauce, Tomatoes & Spicy Pickles (the latter of the two I asked to NOT be included.) The patty is hand made from Short Rib Beef and stuffed with Pimento Cheese before cooking. The Short Rib cut gives the Meat a real Beefy flavor especially with the char put on the Burger. It’s a nice tasty piece of Meat but BE CAREFUL, the Cheese inside is hot and will squirt. (That’s what she said.) Pimento Cheese isn’t really powerful on the tongue and while it’s definitely an interesting use, I would’ve preferred something sharper. That’s just opinion, not fact. The Sauce has a nice sweet tang to it that balances the saltiness of the rest of the sandwich. It was definitely worth the full $10, not just the $5!

Nick ordered the PB&B Burger which is Grassfed Beef topped with thick Bacon and organic Peanut Butter.  Some purists may call this lazy or unlikeable but Nick and I definitely called it DELICIOUS. Honestly though, you’re eating it not because you like Burgers, you’re ordering it because you love the idea of it’s decadence. Also of note, the Blue Cheese French Fries. Also a very decadent choice but hell, you aren’t reading this blog for healthy eating tips are you?

Don’t wait for the coupon, Whitman’s tasty Juicy Lucy is worth full price … and then some.


8 out of 10 Ounces
-Rev

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
489 Burgers

Mar 27, 2012 – 5:43 pm

The Rev Meter for Social Community
“The Rev Meter” is a social community meter for assessing how optimized a bar or restaurant is with social networking. By taking what I consider to be the 10 most important social networks and creating a point system, I can accurately asses how well your business is using social networking as a tool. My goal here is to educate and assist great business to better effectively use these tools.

Whitman’s scores a 7 on The Rev Meter.

SCORING:
4 points or less You’ve missed the 5 basics and are less than optimized
5 points You’ve covered the basics, which is better than most but far from optimized.
6 to 9 points You’re doing better than most and on your way to becoming a well respected social community whiz.
10 points Congrats on a perfect score!

Posted in Beer, Burgers, Gourmet Burgers, Hamburgers, New York, Thrillist Rewards | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

World’s Record Setting Happy Hour – Flaming Dr. Peppers

Posted on 04/03/2012 by Rev

Annual Flaming Dr. Pepper World’s Record Breaking Attempt Happy Hour

I set and re-broke a World’s Record for the Most “Flaming Dr. Pepper” Drinks Consumed By A Group In One Hour … 7 times.

It all started very innocently, or at least unbeknownst to me. Some friends and I were in Austin, TX for the annual SXSW conference, wandering up 6th Street when my friend Saguit suggested we “do a Flaming Dr. Pepper.” I had no idea what the hell they were talking about and instead of telling me, she took us all to the bar Touche and showed us.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!? An alcoholic adult beverage that tastes like Dr. Pepper after being ignited by a GIGANTIC fireball!??!? Every piece of my adult life had lead to that moment … and the 75 of them we did in 45 minutes. For those doing the math, a Flaming Dr. Pepper is a half a pint of pale Lager (in Texas they use Lone Star) with a shot of Amaretto, topped with Everclear or Bacardi 151 and then set on fire before the shot is dropped into the pint glass of Beer. After blowing out the flame, you pick it up, slam it and during which you’ll notice, it tastes like the popular soda, Dr. Pepper.

After the last round of drinks, screams and high fives, the owner, Moe Share, of the bar came out and congratulated us on breaking the record. “The Record?” I quizzically replied. “Yeah,” said Moe, “you broke the record for the most amount of Flaming Dr. Peppers drank in an entire evening!” We looked at him and replied “but we were only here for 45 minutes.” Moe replied “I know, and you broke the record.”

That was it. The date was March 18, 2006 and a tradition was born. We would return to Touche every Friday of SXSW at 6:30 and try to break the record. We’ve done it every year (save one where some faulty math later revealed we only tied.)

March 17, 2006
– Record broken at 75

March 16, 2007
– Record broken at 120

Invite for 2008:

March 14, 2008
– Record broken at  140

March 20, 2009
– Record tied at 140

March 19, 2010
– Record broken at 141

Then in 2012 I met Dan Rollman, Founder and President of RecordSetter, “the new home of world records.” Their company believes “We believe everyone can be the world’s best at something. Our mission is to raise the bar of human achievement through world records.” This was the moment I was waiting for. The moment at which my “silly party” really became a World’s Record Setting Happy Hour (which according to a Google search, as of this post, seems we have the only event called that). RecordSetter officially recognized our 2011 World’s Record Setting Happy Hour attempt as an official Record.

March 18, 2011
– Record broken at 142

While I was excited to be able to officially call myself and my friends who participated, “RecordSetter’s,” this REALLY put the pressure on the 2012 event. Not only was the world watching but also Dan Rollman and the official RecordSetter crew was going to attend to the event and live officiate. I’m proud to say once again…WE KICK A$$! Congrats to everyone who participated, you are all now officially RecordSetters with the Most “Flaming Dr. Pepper” Drinks Consumed By A Group In One Hour.

March 16, 2012
– Record broken and officially recorded by 143

I’d like to thank above anyone else, Tony Edwards and Debra Herman, both of whom have helped organize, rally and take part in this every year. Without them, none of us would be able to call ourselves RecordSetters. You guys are true blue and I love you for supporting my habit. A massive thank you to Moe, Jim, Mark and any other member of the Touche family who year after year accomodate what is the most raucous hour of an already insane week during SXSW. Thanks to Dan, Emily and everyone at RecordSetter for helping me to prove dreams do come true.

CONGRATS FELLOW RECORDSETTERS!
Bachta, Mike
Barbour, Tim
Calitri, Joe
Cardenas, Chris
Cox, Andie
Edwards, Tony
Friedman, Matt
Fukushima, Glenn
Harris, Charlene
Herman, Debra
Kaiafas, George
Mann, Jenny
McCain, Sidney
McNelly, Catharine
Rollman, Dan
Rowe, Josh
Sabo, Melissa
Springer, Julie
Sqaur, Brandon
Teitleman, Bram
Wiley, Heather

*No Burgers were harmed in the setting of this record.*

However, if you are looking for a great Burger in Austin to soak up the Flaming Dr. Peppers from your own (failed) attempt at breaking our record, I suggest the following:

Posted in Bar, Beer, Event | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on World’s Record Setting Happy Hour – Flaming Dr. Peppers

Spellcaster Spellburger – Book & Burger Pairings From That Burger

Posted on 03/29/2012 by Rev

That Burger at Idle Hands Bar & Billy Hurricane’s
http://thatburger.com
http://idlehandsbar.com 
25 Avenue B
(between 2nd & 3rd Streets)
New York, NY 10009

THE CONQUEST
Dan Petersen from That Burger makes one of the best Burgers in NYC, let alone anywhere. They’re a high-end, yet affordable version of a fast-food Burger made with his own proprietary blend of Pat LaFrieda Beef, all fresh Produce and Martin’s Potato Rolls. For a relatively thin Patty, Dan knows just the right way to still cook them medium rare (if that’s what you ask for) and top them without ever masking the amazing flavor of the Beef. Whether it’s his signature “Blues Burger” with sauteed Onions, Jalapenos & Blue Cheese, the “Wake Up Burger” topped with Bacon, Egg & Cheese (add Jalapenos for an extra kick) or the off-menu Burger he made for my birthday; “That Rev’s Burger” with Meat marinated in Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Grilled Pancetta, Crunchy Peanut Butter & Hot Sauce, EVERYTHING on That Burger’s Menu is outstanding.

You can wash it down with an incredibly large selection of Bourbons & Craft Beer or the libation of your sort, 7 days a week at Idle Hands (or upstairs at Billy Hurricane’s.) You can also say that I am biased because Dan’s restaurant is located inside the bar I own. Well, if you don’t trust my opinion on Burgers yet, you should either get off this blog or keep reading. Besides that, here’s proof that I was loving Dan’s Burgers way before we ever invited him into the place.

Don’t even get me started on Dan’s Tater Tots or Totchos, a Tater Tot / Hamburger / Nacho Hybrid.

You know who else is invited into the place with amazing talents? My wife, Cara Lynn Shultz. You can say I’m biased and I definitely don’t have a link to a post I wrote on http://wifeconquest.com to prove it, but I don’t need to, I know it. So do the thousands of other people that she calls family, friends, co-workers and fans. Yes I said “fans” and when I do, I’m referring to her amazing career as an author.

Cara just released a book called “Spellcaster,” the 2nd in a series of young adult books. It’s about a teenage girl named Emma who moves to NYC only to find out not only is she a witch but she’s the victim of an eternal curse. She discovers it when she meets her “Spellbound” true love, Brendan. I won’t tell you more than that and even though I am clearly not the target demo, I can tell you that the book series is truly entertaining. Cara has an amazing way of telling a congruent story, full of twists and turns with no plot holes and littered with the kind of humor that appeals to everyone from teens to adults. It’s slightly off-color, never-offensive, very creative and always hilarious. Buy a copy for yourself, or a friend, family member, etc and see for yourself.

I’m incredibly proud of Cara for making her dreams of becoming an published offer happen not once, but twice. Most people talk about writing books and maybe even start but to not only put out one book, but to get two a second book, that’s pretty damn amazing. I’m not surprised though, that’s the kind of person Cara is; determined.

Congrats Baby! You are the magic in my life.

THE BURGER
Oh right…this is a Burger blog right? Not just some online pulpit for me to talk about things I love (or is it?). We celebrated the release of “Spellcaster” at Idle Hands with a huge book release party. Dan from That Burger collaborated with Cara to create a special off-menu Burger for the party; “The Spellburger” – A Burger topped with Sauteed Mushrooms, Sauteed Onions, Lettuce, Cheddar Cheese, Ketchup and Mayo.

Was it good? No. It was GREAT, just like Cara’s books. But then again, Dan Petersen, much like Cara Shultz can do no wrong in my book.


8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
490 Burgers

Mar 27, 2012 – 8:00 pm

Posted in Bar, Beer, Best Burger in New York, Burgers, Event, Gourmet Burgers, Hamburgers, New York | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Second Bar + Kitchen – One Of The Best Meals In The World

Posted on 03/27/2012 by Rev

Second Bar + Kitchen
http://congressaustin.com/second/
200 Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701

THE CONQUEST
I’m a story teller. I firmly believe that he/she who dies with the most stories wins. I’ve amassed quite a few, many of which have been told on this blog. The more I tell a story, the better I get at remembering the details and adding color or pithy nuances that add to the vibe and enjoyment of it’s re-telling. Some people say there’s no need to repeat yourself and when it comes to writing a Burger blog, believe me, there’s a lot of repeating. Mostly because if I love a Burger, I’ll want to eat it again and also, how many different ways can you describe a food item as “deliciously cooked to a perfectly juicy medium-rare?” That being the case, allow me to repeat myself:

“I absolutely love going to SXSW because of all the great food in Austin. With so much to do, sitting down for a proper meal hardly ever happens and when it does, it’s usually due to a meeting or a party. You end up eating a lot of street food, quick bites, buffets and limited offering menus and while it’s all usually pretty good, that regular old restaurant experience is pretty limited. Thankfully my good friend Julie from 365+ Media took me to meet her boyfriend, Chef Ethan Holmes of Second Bar + Kitchen, because it resulted in one of the best sit down meals I have ever had in during SXSW.”

Change that last sentence to “I have ever had PERIOD,” and that’s about as accurately as I can describe the food at Second Bar + Kitchen. Their Congress Burger is among the BEST I’ve ever had and currently ranked in my “BEST OUTSIDE NYC” list. You can read the full review by clicking here. While recently in Austin, TX for SXSW some of my best foodie buds and I (Julie & Heather from SMSC Media Group, Rachel the Fabulous Foodie & my new friend Megan) linked up to gorge ourself on a meal of EPIC proportions at Second Bar + Kitchen. Put on your hunger seat belt and enjoy the gluttonous food porn.

Buffalo Fried Pickles – Gorgonzola & Bull’s Hot Sauce


House Charcuterie Block – Old World Preparations & Appropriate Condiments

Veal Meatballs “Arrabiata” – Fennel & Grana Padano

Pepperoni Soup – San Marzano Tomatoes, Mozzarella & Garlic Croutons

Grilled Flank Steak – Warm Potato Salad, Fresno Chiles & Chimichuri

Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop – Escarole, Creamy Polenta & Green Chile Citrus Glaze

Braised Beef Short Rib – Black Truffle Grits, Cippolini Onions & Brandy Balsamic Glaze

Brussels Sprouts – Smoked Bacon, Mint & Feta

Hell yeah! That’s A LOT of Food. A LOT of awesome, amazing, expertly made, hand-crafted, tasty, delicious, wonderful, oh happy times, Food.

When you go to Second Bar + Kitchen (notice I didn’t give you a choice or use the word “if,”) be sure to do four things:

  1. Bring lots of friends so you can share a lot of plates
  2. Make sure Ethan is working
  3. Order one of their specialty made Cocktails or amazing selection of Craft Beers, especially if they’re pouring ANYTHING from the Jester King Brewery
  4. ORDER THE CONGRESS BURGER!!!! 

THE BURGER
The patty is made from house ground Brisket and Chuck and topped with Shallot Confit, Gruyere, Greens & Horseradish Pickles. While I would consider using the word “Confit” in this situation a bit of an artistic liberty, much like me, you won’t care once you take a bite. The sweetness of the Shallots reduced into a savory sandwich such as this is pure taste bud bliss. The flavors only get more complex by adding the slightly salty aged qualities of a hard Cheese like Gruyere and the juicy fresh mix of locally sourced Beef. The patty could’ve been served on it’s own and still be awesome but it’s sandwich counter parts make this one of the best Burgers I have ever had!

No one and I mean NO ONE does it like Chef Ethan and all the crew at Second Bar + Kitchen.


9 out of 10 Ounces
-Rev

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
488 Burgers

Mar 13, 2012 – 7:15 pm

The Rev Meter for Social Community
“The Rev Meter” is a social community meter for assessing how optimized a bar or restaurant is with social networking. By taking what I consider to be the 10 most important social networks and creating a point system, I can accurately asses how well your business is using social networking as a tool. My goal here is to educate and assist great business to better effectively use these tools.

Second Bar + Kitchen scores a 6 on The Rev Meter.
 

SCORING:
4 points or less You’ve missed the 5 basics and are less than optimized
5 points You’ve covered the basics, which is better than most but far from optimized.
6 to 9 points You’re doing better than most and on your way to becoming a well respected social community whiz.
10 points Congrats on a perfect score!

Posted in Beer, Burgers, Gourmet Burgers, Hamburgers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Second Bar + Kitchen – One Of The Best Meals In The World

Black Sheep Lodge – Another Reason to Eat Burgers In Austin

Posted on 03/24/2012 by Rev

Black Sheep Lodge
http://www.blacksheeplodge.com
2108 South Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78704

THE CONQUEST
BBQ, Tacos, Brisket, Migas, Tex-Mex, Ribs, Burritos, etc … all things people want to eat as soon as they get off the plane when visiting Austin, TX. I’d agree, Austin has a plethora of great versions of these items and are all things I want to eat when I’m there, I’ want to eat them. Especially EVERYTHING at Rudy’s BBQ, The Migas at Ancho’s in the Omni, the Brisket & Link at Smitty’s Market, The Duan Juan Breakfast Taco at Juan In A Million, The “Rancher” (A sampling of our Brisket, Pork Ribs, Sausage and Turkey) at The Salt Lick in Driftwood or the Brisket Breakfast Tacos at their location in the airport, Torchy’s Tacos and so on and so on. But there’s one food item that Austin does really well and no one really talks about like they do the above….The Hamburger.

Texans like Beef, it’s  not news by any means and when you love Beef as much as a Texan, making a darn tootin’ Burger out of it is a sense of pride. There’s a ton of great Burgers in Austin and they’re often overlooked in favor of what us non-Texans would consider the local-fare listed above. But I dare you, try the Burger at any of these places and you’ll be a happy-Beef-eatin-mofo:

I go down to Austin every year for the annual SXSW conference (I’ve been 15 years in a row) and when I’m there, I’m always on the hunt for a new and delicious Burger.  This year, I pulled the whammy; get off the plane, do not check into hotel, do not get coffee, do not pick up SXSW badge, no, go right for Burger & Craft Beer.

The Black Sheep Lodge in  claims to have “The No. 1 Burger in South Austin.” You’ll know it too when you see the massive sign in their front window and the repeated phrase all over the rustic restaurant in Austin, TX. It’s a non-assuming, no-frills, one-step-above-white-trash, cabin-esque Beer & Burger joint that has a large selection of rotating (mainly) Craft Beer. Curious to know what’s on tap today? The Lodge regularly updates their Beer focused fans on their website. There’s more than just Burgers on their menu including Green Chili Queso, Wings, Chili, Fried Pickles, Sandwiches, Hot Dogs and 2 Burgers. Yeah, that’s right, only 2 Burgers (unless you count the minis). Both Burgers come on your choice of White or Wheat bun and a selection of Battered Fries, Tater Tots, Sweet Potato Fries, Onion Rings or the Daily Vegetable. So park yourself in a seat, grab a Brew and pick either the Black Sheep or the Black Buffalo Burger and get ready for a tasty meal. Not hungry? NFBD, The Black Sheep Lodge has shuffle board, darts, pool and WiFi all of which go great with a cold Beer.

THE BURGER
While the Buffalo Black sounded amazing (Half pound Angus Chuck Patty spiked with Frank’s Buffalo Sauce and Blue Cheese) I thought better to ease in a little to my SXSW eatcation and got the Black Sheep with the same Patty, Lettuce, Onion & American Cheese. Instead of Fries, I ate one of the only green things / Vegetables I had on the whole trip, Sauteed Green Beans. It was the right choice, they were delicious but let’s not focus on the healthy stuffs. I loved this Burger. The Wheat Bun was thick but pillowy and held strong throughout the whole Sandwich. The Lettuce and Onion were crisp and market fresh, used in right quantity although I would’ve preferred a Butter Lettuce or simple Romain over the fancy Greens. The Patty had a great backyard char-grill flavor while still remaning juicy, hot and cooked to a nice medium-rare. If you like a nice simple joint where you can wash down a delicious Burger with some crafty suds, the Black Sheep Lodge is your spot.


8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
487 Burgers

Mar 12, 2012 – 12:40 pm

The Rev Meter for Social Community
“The Rev Meter” is a social community meter for assessing how optimized a bar or restaurant is with social networking. By taking what I consider to be the 10 most important social networks and creating a point system, I can accurately asses how well your business is using social networking as a tool. My goal here is to educate and assist great business to better effectively use these tools.

Black Sheep Lodge scores a PERFECT 10 on The Rev Meter.
 

SCORING:
4 points or less You’ve missed the 5 basics and are less than optimized
5 points You’ve covered the basics, which is better than most but far from optimized.
6 to 9 points You’re doing better than most and on your way to becoming a well respected social community whiz.
10 points Congrats on a perfect score!

Posted in Bar, Beer, Burgers, Hamburgers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fanelli’s Cafe – Proper Meat Inspiration

Posted on 03/04/2012 by Rev

Fanelli’s Cafe
http://www.yelp.com/biz/fanellis-cafe-new-york
94 Prince St
New York, NY 10012

THE CONQUEST
What were you doing in 1847?  Herman Gerken was busy getting a lease on a wooden building at 94 Prince Street in what is now known as New York City’s SoHo neighborhood. He opened a grocery store in the location and 6 years later, in 1853, he bought the place. 3 years later he built the brick building that still stands there today. At that period in the history of our beloved city, grocery stores were often given liquor licenses and would sometimes develop into full on taverns & saloons. Such was the case at 94 Prince Street. Gerken died in 1860 but the property stayed in the family well into the 20th century, until when it passed into the hands of Michael Fanelli in 1922. He reopened it with his family name, operating as a speakeasy throughout the prohibition era through 1933. He held onto the place until 1982 when Fanelli’s Cafe came under the owner ship of Hans Noe.

To this very day, Fanelli’s Cafe can legitimately lay claim to being the second oldest food and drink establishment on the same site, in New York city since 1847. For the record, The Bridge Cafe dates back to 1794. Pete’s Tavern is #3 from 1851 and McSorley’s Ale House rounds out at #4, opening in 1862. (For more info, check out this post on NewYorkArtWorld.) While they don’t serve the bathtub Gin or homemade Wine anymore, you can still grab a pint and have a bite with a friend in the bar room, or in the back in the “Ladies and Gents Sitting Room.”

So what were you doing in 1847? I wasn’t even a gleam in a great ancestor’s eye but that’s not even important right now. What’s important is what are you doing on September 8, 2012? If you don’t know yet, save the date and come eat with me at Meatopia.


Meatopia is the meaty brain child of Josh Ozersky, author of  the beefy missive “The Hamburger: A History” & a member of NYC’s Burgeratti. This massive meaty outing has roasted Meats, smoked Meats, BBQ’d Meats, grilled Meats and all other kinds of Meat. In fact, you could say the event will have more Meat than you can shake a licked clean Rib bone at. Josh and I needed to “meat” up and discuss some meaty business so he suggested we “meat” at Fanelli’s to eat and discuss…Meat. Because if you’re going to have Meat on the brain, you should also have it in the nose, on the tongue and in your belly for proper inspiration.

That’s why I was a little surprised when Josh told me he was thinking about ordering a Grilled Cheese sandwich. Thankfully that though flew out the door, along with the thought of having a large scale Tofu event and Josh came to his senses.

THE BURGER
Although Fanelli’s does offer a slightly elevated diner menu, the star of the show & the reason people meat up here is to get the Burger. Josh and I both ordered one medium rare and with Bacon. Mine, with Cheddar Cheese. The Fanelli Cafe Burger comes on a square Onion Roll that’s almost as thick as the Patty itself. It’s a thickly packed and semi-coarse piece of Ground Beef that makes up the kind of Pub Burger this city was founded upon. It’s topped with a couple of thick slices of well-done, crispy Bacon and a piece of lettuce that is as square as the Bun surrounding it. The char grilled Burger certainly does look delicious and for it’s 2012 price of $11, it’s not a bad deal at all.

To call this Burger juicy would be an underplay. It’s practically swimming in it’s own juices which I realized as I watched Josh squeeze out the juices to be sopped up with the soft Bun. I opted instead to try and eat my Burger, juices in tact, which only meant most of it ended up my face, shirt, lap and napkin. That’s not a complaint by the way, it’s a warning, a messy, wonderful warning.

The Burger, while fresh and good, isn’t as savory and flavorful as I would like.  In fact, to quote Josh, “without the Bacon & Cheese, it’s a little flavorless…isn’t it?” Yeah he’s right. We’ve been spoiled in this town with some of the most delicious and intense Burgers & Meat in the world and it’s blown our palettes into a level of expectation that’s hard to achieve.

There was a time in this city where a fresh Fanelli’s Burger was the best you could get. Nowadays, it’s not the best, but it’s pretty good and if anything, it’s an important part of the history that built the Burgers we all know and love today. But you can read more about that in Josh’s “The Hamburger: A History” and we can all chat about it on September 8th.


7 out of 10 Ounces
-Rev

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
486 Burgers

Feb 28, 2012 – 2:06 pm

The Rev Meter for Social Community
“The Rev Meter” is a social community meter for assessing how optimized a bar or restaurant is with social networking. By taking what I consider to be the 10 most important social networks and creating a point system, I can accurately asses how well your business is using social networking as a tool. My goal here is to educate and assist great business to better effectively use these tools.

Fanelli’s Cafe Tavern scores a 0 on The Rev Meter.

SCORING:
4 points or less You’ve missed the 5 basics and are less than optimized
5 points You’ve covered the basics, which is better than most but far from optimized.
6 to 9 points You’re doing better than most and on your way to becoming a well respected social community whiz.
10 points Congrats on a perfect score!

Posted in Bar, Beer, Event, Hamburgers, New York | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Skinny’s Place vs. Duffy’s Tavern – Who Has The Best Burger on Anna Maria Island?

Posted on 02/26/2012 by Rev

Skinny’s Place
http://www.florida-secrets.com/Restaurants/SW/skinnys.htm
3901 Gulf Dr
Holmes Beach, Florida 34217

Duffy’s Tavern
http://www.duffystavernami.com
5808 Marina Drive
Holmes Beach, FL 34217

THE CONQUEST
An almost naked, large headed mouse, miles and miles of strip malls, incredible amounts of retirement age folks driving slower than glacial shifts and countless carbon copy chain restaurants offering piles and piles of frozen & re-heated value meals, Jazzed-Up entrees & Triple Dippers, where it’s always Friday and when you’re there, you’re family. You know what I’m talking about, it’s Florida. It’s one of the most popular vacation, retirement and destinations in our country. Florida is know for busy amusement parks, over crowded beaches, packed-in chain restaurants half-empty / half-rented homes. I’m not saying that’s ALL of the state but it’s a hell of lot harder to find the opposite than it is the above. That’s why I loved Anna Maria Island.

Located on Florid’a Gulf side, Anna Maria Island is about 20 miles North West of Sarasota. It’s a tiny little 7 mile stretch of land with white soft sandy beaches, lots of people riding bikes every where, a trolley that will take you from one end of the other and most importantly no party bars, chain restaurants or hotels. In fact, Anna Maria Island is dotted from end to end with interesting local eats. Seafood is the name of the game with fresh locally caught Grouper topping the list.

As I recently found out on a little vacation there with my Step-Mom Liz and my wife Cara, the dining day here revolves around one thing, the sunset. If you’re not in your seat about an hour before sunset on the patio at the Sandbar on the Island’s North end or it’s sister restaurant on the South end, the Beachhouse, you’ll have to stand or take a seat inside. If you are lucky enough to get a table overlooking the water to the West, be prepared to eat from their great Seafood filled menus, as tables are for diners only. If you’re just looking to sip a cold Beer or a Margarita, try out the Gulf Drive Tiki Bar just up the road.

If scenic Seafood is your thing, take a long walk down one of the restaurants located at the end of all 3 long East-side piers; the Rod and Reel, Anna Maria City Pier and the Bradenton Beach City Pier.

I’m not much of a Seafood eater, in fact, I can’t stand the stuff but I was assured by all around by Cara and Liz that the Seafood at both the Bridge Street Bistro & the Blue Marlin was fantastic. I can tell you that the Sirloin and slow braised Short Rib, grilled, then doused with Gravy & Onion jam that I had at either, respectively, was nothing short of perfectly prepared & delicious.

Looking for a more casual experience and or a little entertainment or perhaps you want to watch the game? Head to the end of Bridge Street to the Bridgetender Inn for eats, drinks and music. Not only can you dine in or al fresco but you can also sit at the mini bar The Bridgetender built across the street right on the bay, one of my favorite bars on the whole island. Tell the jovial bartender Ray, who is from Long Island, we sent ya.

Seafood, Seafood, Seafood. But what else? Well people gotta eat in the morning too and while you could have Lox, instead point yourself to the Island Creperie. It’s a well known restaurant owned by a Chef who still also still has a restaurant on the French Riviera. While most people will want to talk about the night Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz took over the restaurant, I’d just point you to the Savory & Sweet Crepe combo on the breakfast menu!

Lastly, while you’re hanging out on Bridge Street, there’s lots of shops to buy hand made and other Island goodies. There’s also a bit of fun waiting for you at The Fish Hole Adventure Miniature Golf. It’s a full 18 holer that’s well kept with native Florida plant life but be careful not to reach into the Koi pond, there’s a Gator waiting for a snack. If you’re as talented as Cara, you can win a free round of Mini-Golf by playing Plinko after your game.

It’s a great place to relax, get some sunshine in a part of Florida that’s heralded for local eats. But hey, this is a Burger blog, not a travel site per se, so let’s get to the meat of it.

THE BURGERS
In 1952, Skinny and Janice Freeman, returned to Anna Maria Island, 18 years after they had visited 16 years before on their honeymoon. Their quest was to open a small restaurant on the beach. When it opened across the street from the Manatee Public Beach, it was called the “Mid-Island Inn” named after its position on the 7 mile stretch of land upon which it lived. Skinny passed away at age 84 in 2001 and that’s when their children renamed it “Skinny’s Place.” It re-opened as a easy going, beach comber friendly, no shoes needed spot for good laughs and fresh a Hamburger. It’s the kind of restaurant that almost makes you feel like a Beer is mandatory with your food. In their words; a “Jimmy Buffet Cheeseburger in Paradise” kinda place. Even though it’s been since named (not sure by whom) “Old Florida Original #1 Burger,” it’s not the original Burger on the island.

Claude “Duffy” Whiteman, a big band trumpet player, opened Duffy’s Tavern in 1954 selling mugs of Beer and Sandwiches. The place was bought by Pat “Miss Duffy” Geyer in 1971 and whose daughter still owns and operates the place today. They’re known for cold beers and fresh Burgers but not French Fries, it’s Potato Chips only at Duffy’s. The reason their so well known is thanks to USA Today. In 1989 the national News Paper voted Duffy’s one of the top 10 “hamburger heavens” in the country. In 2003, the Tavern moved slightly North, across the street from the Holmes Beach City Hall and Skatepark. As a result of losing their lease, they had to move from it’s former location, across the street from the Manatee Public Beach.

As a member of the Burgeratti, it was my civic Burger-Duty to eat them both and see what’s what in this unspoken Burger rivalry on the tiny island of Anna Maria.

Skinny’s Place
I loved the vibe at Skinny’s and although they don’t serve craft beers, I felt like I could sit there all day knocking back cheap coldies on their patio (AKA parking lot with sand & tables.) It’s a standard, exactly what you imagine, beachside Burger. Served on a toasted White Bun, it’s not too greasy nor is it too dry with Lettuce, Onions, Tomatoes & Pickles. The lettuce was a little skimpy and the Onion was a little too much. I suggest removing have the Onions & getting a double Patty as one is just not enough. Be sure to pair up your Cheeseburger with an order of Skinny’s Tater Tots. They were fried just right with a crunchy outside and an inside that still tasted of creamy Potato. The longer I sat there, the more I enjoyed the entire experience.


7 out of 10 Ounces

Duffty’s Tavern
Duffy’s feels is a tavern that could exist anywhere in America. It’s the kind of place people head to right after work for a cold Beer & a Burger to unwind from the day. Mugs of Beer are only about $1 – $1.50 so there’s no need to hold back. Grab a seat at the counter, a table or out on the patio but either way, you’ll need to place your order at the bar. I felt like it was only fair to compare Apples to Apples in this game of Burger to Burger and ordered the exact same thing at Duffy’s: Cheeseburger. I removed the Pickle and Tomato and even though I asked for “no Mayo” the Burger still came with it. The Burger had a good meaty flavor inside of it’s soft Sesame Seed Bun. It was juicy and messy, so much in fact that it seeped through my white paper tray and onto the table. This was a good thing. No need to order a Double here, the single Patty is just enough.


7 out of 10 Ounces
-Rev

So which was better? Who was the winner? Well besides Cara and her free game of Mini-Golf, the other winner was me! Why? Not only did I get to eat both tasty Burgers, spend a bit of vacation with two people I love but moreover, I taught a Parrot to say the word “Hamburger.”

When you get the chance to try both Burgers for yourself, be sure to stop by the Sun & Surf Lifestyle Apparel Store & say “hello” & “hamburger” to Buddy the Parrot.

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
485 Burgers

Feb 22, 2012 – 3:51 pm
Feb 24, 2012 – 4:33 pm

The Rev Meter for Social Community
“The Rev Meter” is a social community meter for assessing how optimized a bar or restaurant is with social networking. By taking what I consider to be the 10 most important social networks and creating a point system, I can accurately asses how well your business is using social networking as a tool. My goal here is to educate and assist great business to better effectively use these tools.

Skinny’s Place scores a 3 on The Rev Meter.

Duffy’s Tavern scores a 4 on The Rev Meter.

SCORING:
4 points or less You’ve missed the 5 basics and are less than optimized
5 points You’ve covered the basics, which is better than most but far from optimized.
6 to 9 points You’re doing better than most and on your way to becoming a well respected social community whiz.
10 points Congrats on a perfect score!

;

Posted in Bar, Beer, Burgers, Hamburgers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

In-N-Out Burger – Eat Burgers And Become a Social Influencer

Posted on 02/24/2012 by Rev

In-N-Out Burger
http://www.innout.com
1065 Harriman Pl
San Bernardino, CA 92408

THE CONQUEST
Back when I started this blog in 2008, it was a result of eating an amazing Burger from Arthur’s Tavern in Hoboken, NJ. One of the people present for that meal was my good buddy and co-worker Jackie P. Too make a long story short; girl eats Burger, girl meets boy, girl falls in love, girl eats last Burger in NYC with Rev before girl moves to California to be with boy and now girl gets married to boy. Very happy and excited, my wife Cara Lynn Shultz and I flew out to Cali for their very special wedding.

Congrats to Matt & Jackie. We had an amazing time at your wedding and wish you all the best of luck in your new life together.

But with that, it’s a Hamburger blog so enough of you, let’s get back OT!

On the way out of town, the morning after the awesome wedding, I asked Cara what she wanted to get for breakfast / lunch and she replied “well…it wouldn’t be right if we came all the way to California and didn’t eat an In-N-Out Burger right?

THE BURGER
This isn’t the first time the fresh and delicious West Coast Burger chain has made it onto the site. In fact, it’s made many appearances. There’s no need to reiterate so for a full In-N-Out review, click here. We are going to talk about In-N-Out Burgers though but through the filter of social media.

Social Media is more than just a way to share what you are doing, eating, hanging out with or where, pictures or thoughts. It’s one gigantic historically documented recommendation engine that connects people to each other & products or services. Social Networks not only allow you to stay in touch with friends but it also allows companies to market like never before. The web and social media allows for Social Influence Marketing. SIM, as it’s abbreviated, is a method of of using social media via content created by each network’s members, especially the super influencers to achieve business’ marketing needs.

In other words, and in example, I love Hamburgers so I post about the restaurants who make them on my blog & various social networks: Twitter, Facebook, FourSquare, Foodspotting, Pinterest, Google+, Tumblr, etc and if you trust my opinion, you go eat the Burger. This then makes me a “social influencer,” and smart Social Influence Markerters reach out to me and encourage my … habit, in hopes that it will encourage you. If you want to learn more about SIM, I suggest you read Social Media For Dummies. It’s written by Shiv Singh, a well respected digital marketer who has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world.

But let’s say you’re not interested in SIM. You’re just a fan of Burgers (or some other item) and enjoy the connections that social media gives you. That’s where my love of social media started and it’s that passion for connections and influencers that made me into the social marketing professional that I am today. With that in mind, here are the latest up and coming social networks that will hep you to become social influencer. It’s all explained via my trip to In-N-Out and the Glorious Pursuit of Delicious Burgers.


SOCIAL INFLUENCER NETWORKS

Foodspotting:
I love, Love, LOVE Foodspotting. For foodies or serious eaters, its THE network to be on. Upload and share pictures of food your eating along with brief notes about the food and or restaurant. One of my favorite things about the app is that it allows the user to update multiple social networks all at the same time: Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare & Flickr.

My Foodspotting check-in:


Instagram:
Instagram turns even the average smart phone user into a semi-professional photographer. Take & share pictures with your friends with a small note. Instagram offers a number of different stylistic filters that will alter your photo. While using the app you can also share your photos on Facebook, Twitter & Flickr.

My Instagram check-in with a cool framing effect:

My Instagram check in with a cool movie film effect:

Path:
Path is relatively new to the pack, launching in November of 2010. The idea of Path is to serve as a way to document & share your life’s personal journey. To be honest, it has a lot of the same functionality of Facebook with the exception that the community is centered around the app and has a really cool, great looking and slick interface. You can also post songs you like to your profile or tell your friends when you are waking up or going to bed (creepy!) Path, like Instagram, offers a few photo filters that allow you to stylistically alter the photos you share.  You can use it to also simultaneously update Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter & Tumblr.

My Path “Pro” check-in:

My Black & White Path check-in:

My Path retro check-in:


Pinterest:
“Pinterest is a virtual pinboard,” according to their website. It’s a network primarily based around sharing pictures or images of things you like or that inspire you. It has a really beautiful web interface and a slick, easy to use smartphone application. Users create different themed boards that other users can follow or they can choose to follow all boards posted by another user. For example, you can follow all of my Pinterest boards or if you like to see what I am eating, follow my “Put In Mouth” board. If you like craft beer or want to know what beers we are ordering at my bar in NYC, Idle Hands, follow my “Drinkable Awesomeness” board. Pinterest allows you to share your Pins on Facebook & Twitter. They also have a nifty tool bar plug-in that makes pinning pictures from websites very, very easy.

My In-N-Out Pin:


Oink:
Oink let’s users discover, rate & review things they like from Mountain Top resorts to cups of coffee. Users are encouraged to share their experience so that when other users open the app they can discover things in their area. The network also employs a bit of game theory, reward users with ascending category “levels” as they “Oink” different items. The idea being that if a user near you has a lot of points in let’s say the “Burger” category, that makes them more trustable to a stranger. This is KEY information to SIM’ers.

My In-N-Out Oink:



Fondu:
Fondu is a social network based around mini-reviews posted by users to share with their friends. It’s primarily inteneded for food & drink reviews For example, if you’re at a restaurant and not sure what to order, you can pull up Fondu and see what your friends had to say about the place. Fondu will push your mini-review to your Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr & Foursquare accounts. But the best part about Fondu is that you can choose to have your mini-review published as a tip on Foursquare. Foursquare Tips are a great way to become a social influencer.

My Fondu mini-review & Foursquare tip.
(Fondu doesn’t allow you to publish photos … yet!)


Yelp:
Yelp is one of the biggest and most popular review sites on the internet. It’s entirely user generated and a true example of how social influence marketing and social influencers work. Yelp keeps the playing field even by botting people off their network if they find you lying or reviewing their own businesses. Yelp empowers its super users (the most active reviewers) by inviting them to special events around town with partnered businesses. Yelp business empowers super users by offering them check-in specials or the ability to become “The Duke” of the establishment. This incentivizes users to review honest & often. If you’ve never been to a business and neither have your friends, a quick glance at their Yelp page to see their rating or read reviews will give you what you need to know. Through the Yelp smartphone app, you can do this as well as post & draft reviews or share thoughts on a business. You can publish this to your Twitter or Facebook account so other’s can find the business.

My Yelp check-in published to Facebook.


Google+:
Google+ is Google’s social network. It’s not that different than some of the others but there are a couple of distinct differences. First of all, Google+ lets the user create “circles” to which you can assign certain friends, acquaintances or colleagues. You can then share certain posts with everyone or just people in certain circles. This could be great, by example, for someone with a book club who wants to talk about a new book with just their friends in the club. More importantly, Google+ lets users leverage their entire network and a personal profile to connect and discover. Check-ins also link to Google Places pages, photos & other users who have shared the experience. Any photo you upload as a user is saved to your Google profile. Google+ is seen as being very friendly to smart social influence marketers.

My Google+ check-in:

For in depth social network influencer explanations on Thrillist, Untappd, Foursquare, Facebook, Google Places, Twitter, and ideas check out my post from Bierhaus NYC about the meter for Social Community. Just want the 90 second course? Check out my post “Social Media Made Easier Through Burgers.”


7 out of 10 Ounces
-Rev

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
483 Burgers

Feb 19, 2012 – 11:59 am

The Rev Meter for Social Community
“The Rev Meter” is a social community meter for assessing how optimized a bar or restaurant is with social networking. By taking what I consider to be the 10 most important social networks and creating a point system, I can accurately asses how well your business is using social networking as a tool. My goal here is to educate and assist great business to better effectively use these tools.

SCORING:
4 points or less You’ve missed the 5 basics and are less than optimized
5 points You’ve covered the basics, which is better than most but far from optimized.
6 to 9 points You’re doing better than most and on your way to becoming a well respected social community whiz.
10 points Congrats on a perfect score!

No rating is being given to In-N-Out Burger at 1065 Harriman Pl, San Bernardino, CA 92408 because it’s a chain location and therefore all social media communication comes from their corporate offices. The Rev Meter is intended to be a guideline for local businesses.

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