SiriusXM’s Liquid Metal did a news piece on The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival Burger that I created with Mosh Potatoes at the Black Shack. Check it out!
If you’re attending the festival, standup comedian Big Jay Oakerson and I will be hosting a VIP backstage BBQ called “The Sausage Party *with cans.” We will be making The Mayhem Burger. Entrance is granted by laminates only I’m afraid!!
With a festival as crazy and as intense as Mayhem, I knew I needed to bring my A game. I called in a couple of friends.
I once again enlisted my burger brother, Buckshot, the man behind Mosh Potatoes, the Heavy Metal Cookbook. “Mosh Potatoes” – Recipes, Anecdotes & Mayhem From The Heavyweights of Heavy Metal. 150 recipes from bands like Pantera, Megadeth, Testament, Overkill, Anthrax to Lamb of God, Devildriver, Shadows Fall, Hatebreed to Twisted Sister, Guns & Roses, Motorhead, Zakk Wylde, Dokken, Dream Theater to the new school of metal like Municipal Waste, Skeletonwitch and Moth Eater. These recipes will kick your ass. “Cook Out With Your Book Out” – In Stores on November 30th.
But I knew that wasn’t going to be enough. I needed the help of some experts. That’s when I called up Ed and Jeff from the Black Shack in NYC. These 2 burger loving maniacs opened with one goal in mind, to serve up a gourmet burger at a fast food price. In the high cost of living in NYC that’s about as easy breaking up a mosh pit during a Hatebreed show…but some how they did it!!! Jeff is a rock and roll and heavy metal freak and I knew he would understood what it would take to put together the ultimate burger of the heavy metal touring world. Turns out, I was right…
THE INGREDIENTS
(per burger)
1 toasted and butter sesame seed bun
3 gourmet 4 oz burger patties – 1 patty for each stage on the tour
1 piece of Fresh “Mosh”arella cheese (Mozzarella)
Coarse Pit Grinding Black Pepper
Crispy Onions – remind you to put on sunscreen so you don’t get burnt in the sun
Crumbled Crispy Bacon – because bacon is awesome just like the festival
AND DON’T FORGET THE BEER!
DIRECTIONS
Watch the video
Go to the BLACK SHACK in NYC and order the MAYHEM FESTIVAL BURGER!!
Tell em “Rev from Burger Conquest” sent me.
320 Lexington Ave
Between 38th and 39th Streets
New York, NY 10016
Thanks to Keri Lee, John R, John O and the rest of the Mayhem / 4Fini Crew. Steve and Ed from the Black Shack. Juliya and Justin from Mayhem TV. Shadows Fall for providing the sweet riffage from “Still I Rise” as the music bed. Steve from Mosh Potatoes and every single Mayhem Festival fan who is out there keeping heavy metal freaking alive!!
Warped Tour 2010
http://warpedtour.com
Nassau Coliseum
1255 Hempstead Turnpike
Uniondale, NY 11553
THE CONQUEST
Its mid-July which means we’re in mid-BBQ Season and also mid- Vans Warped Tour. Now in it’s 16th year, this touring madhouse has become a staple for summer entertainment featuring dozens of punk, metal, hardcore and pop acts. No 2 shows are ever the same as the not only does the entertainment change daily, so does the schedule. Owner and creator, Kevin Lyman, switches up the rotation every single day to create an equality amongst the bands doing away entirely with the concept of a “headlining act.”
Known affectionately by those who are a part of the tour, this “punk rock summer camp” is about having fun as much as it is about business. Kevin makes sure there is some type of fun for everyone who attends be it bands, skaters, sponsor booths, signings or my favorite part, the BBQ! Each year Kevin picks one band to be “the BBQ band.” It’s their job to pull Kevin’s massive grill from show to show to show and at the end of the day, host and run a BBQ for all tour participants. It’s their job to feed the thousands of people that are a part of the tour. Every once in awhile along the route, Kevin steps up the game by throwing the biggest of BBQs and every year at the Nassau Coliseum date in Uniondale, Long Island, NY, the BBQ party is like none other.
3 years ago I jokingly hit up Kevin and asked how we planned to party as the Uniondale show was happening on my birthday. Kevin’s reply “we’re going big.” Little did anyone know at the time what exactly that meant. Last year’s party was complete insanity, featuring 234 LBS of meat, my Magic Burger Dust and a dance party complete with party costumes. I like to refer to this VIP style BBQ as “Kev and Rev’s Awesome Parking Lot BBQ.” This year both Kevin and I wanted to take it to a new level by serving a wider range of meat. The 2009 party featured trip-tip and whole chickens. For 2010, Kevin was adding in ribs. But that just wasn’t enough to satisfy the desire.
I reached out to the 77 year old famous NYC kings of sausage, Esposito and Sons. They’ve been hand making sausages and selling meats in their butcher shop in Hell’s Kitchen since 1933. There is no finer sausage in these parts. You can order them yourself from Amazon.com. They were more than happy to help supply the party. Carlos and David from Esposito and Sons hooked us up with 10 pounds of their hot Italian links and their cheese and parsley rings. I had to pick them up early the morning before the Warped date but was pretty excited to take my first step into a sausage factory (that’s what she said.)
While I was pretty damn excited about the sausages, it still felt like something was missing. This party needed one more item to make it what it needed to be…BURGERS!! A quick conversation with Jamie from Burger Maker and the problem was solved. They were going to donate 90 of their AMAZING hand crafted gourmet burger patties to the BBQ. After tasting their meat (that’s what she said) at the NYC Food Film Fest, I have been trying to come up with a way for us to do something with them again. Want some for yourself? Place your order with Fresh Direct.
We left Manhattan at the bright and early time of 9 am on a Saturday morning. That’s around the time they announce the day’s line up and with shore traffic, if the band you need to see is on at Noon, you gotta go early. Once you’re inside, look for the gigantic, red, inflatable Vans Warped Tour Band line up up balloon. It’s the easiest way to make your schedule for the day before the place fills up and the punk rock begins.
As Kevin began his initial prep of the dry rubbing, Cara, George, Rachel, Marc, Leo, Joe and I headed into the venue to catch some bands.
Motion City Soundtrack kicking off the main stage early in the day.
Parkway Drive giving a massive wake up call to the crowd.
Caught a couple of songs from AM Taxi.
Alkaline Trio, holding down their veteran position on the tour, a personal fave of the day.
Joel, lead singer from The Sparring spent their entire show down on the concrete in the mosh pit. If that wasn’t fun enough, the official BBQ band won my vote for Warped Tour highlight of the day; all girl circle pit! Watch the video.
Emmure had one of the craziest and most intense crowd reactions of the day.
After their set, I headed back over to “bus world” to check in on the ‘cue. Kevin was up to his elbows making a cabbage salad with superstar Sarah Baer. The oak, an essential part of the flavor when smoking meat, was soaking in water while the meat was being rubbed and placed into the massive Pabst Smoker. I think this thing looks like a locomotive!
While the meat was being prepped and place, Tiffany Mink, more commonly known as @Minkus on twitter, and self-proclaimed meat-a-holic, stopped by to interview Kevin and I for the day’s Warped Tour Pit Blog. Check it out below or click the link. (Burger madness begins around the 2:45 mark)
With the meat on the grill with hours left to cook, I headed back into the venue to catch one of the bands I was most excited to see, Set Your Goals.
I was starting to get a little hungry in anticipation of all the tasty meats. Made a brief stop at the Wonka Candy tent for some free sweets including some delicious Kazoozles! Unfortunately that didn’t get the job entirely done and in fact, only made me more hungry. So it was back to the VIP tent for some free beers and some pretty tasty pulled pork on a roll. (Thanks to Adam for the wristband hook up!)
With my hunger satiated, it was time for more music. Made it back to see an uplifting set from You Me At Six.
I have to give Dillinger Escape Plan a nod for having one of the best performances of the day. They’re hyper-spastic-metal-hardcore-punk-noise whirlwind is the audio inspection of an aneurysm. I’ll never know how they play so perfectly with all the jumping, running, flailing and hyper-activity the members exert on stage.
Following them was the other band to have one of the best shows of the day, VersaEmerge. Vocalist Sierra Kusterbeck wails her heart out over the band’s punk rock gone prog-alternative. Their latest release, Fixed At Zero, is one of my favorite records of the year.
Made a quick stop by the Skullcandy stage to check out Far From Finished. Was really into their post-hardcore meets garage rock sound.
It was time for a much needed beer and thankfully my buddy Kenny, was able to quench my needs with a can of Beer 30 Light from the Melanie Brewery. Maybe it was the purple can but this tasted like Keystone Light with a hint of grape soda. Whatever. Kenny and I headed over to watch the band he manages, Detroit’s very own The Swellers.
Made my way over to the side stage to see Sum 41 who easily had the biggest crowd of the day on the stage.
Enjoyed a couple of songs from Four Year Strong.
Then it was back to check on the meat (that’s what she said.) Everything was going great and it was smoking away on the grill. Even though I have attended the Warped Tour nearly every year since its inception, I have never seen how the running order of bands is determined. I had no idea that for every stop of the tour in the last 16 years, Kevin sits down and hand chooses and writes out the schedule. I finally got to see the magic in action and it was like watching Edison inventing the light ball (I imagine.)
With only a limited amount of time left, I ran across the parking lot to cat
ch Bring Me the Horizon. The band played their hearts out to which the crowd responded by going totally freaking bananas.
Whitechapel was the last band I got to see was the band that gets the Burger Conquest nod of appreciation. Why? check out their dope t-shirt!!
THE BURGER AND BBQ
As the show portion of the day was coming to a close, that meant it was time to get Kev and Rev’s Awesome Parking Lot BBQ started. Kevin was just starting to pull the meat from the coals. Kevin asked me to try a piece of the chicken. WHOA! It was juicy and spicy and I couldn’t wait for more. Kevin pulled the meat to the side so we could convert the smoker to a grill by switch from wood chips to charcoal as a heat source.
While the meat was coming off the grill, we started to set up the serving tables. This photo grossly misrepresents the amount of buns we had but is still pretty fun. Same for the tray of meat as this was like 1 of 25 or 30 that was placed out across the night.
The Sparring guys had totally taken control of the grill while Kevin sliced and served the chicken, tri-tip and ribs. It was time for The Rev to jump in and bust out the Burger Maker burgers. Kevin’s massive grill can easily hold 50 to 60 at one time and it took both me and Jay from The Sparring be able cook them properly.
As delicious burger after delicious came off the grill and into the hands of the Warped Tour VIPS, my hunger really started to kick. That’s right when Sierra from VersaEmerge offered to step in as a relief griller. For someone who doesn’t eat beef, she did an amazing job. She did promise me however that at this exact BBQ next year, she would return to eating beef. You can bet I will be holding her to that promise!!!
Next up…Esposito and Sons Hot Italian sausages. I emptied the entire box onto the smoky hot grill and surrounded it with more burgers. Kevin added some corn on the cob and we were at full grilling fever pitch. The Hot Italian sausages were among the best I have ever had. Not too hot but hot enough, the spicy pork flavors were so good and the casing when cooked right, the casing has a real snap to it.
Once the hot Italians were gone it was time to load up the grill with the cheese and parsley rings. They were a little harder to cook as they come in long cased links which have to be carefully grilled. In retrospect, probably not the right choice for a BBQ attended by thousands of hungry people, as far as the grill masters are concerned. However, on the serving tip, everybody loved the sausages and wished we had brought more.
After several hours or mastering the Q, I needed to take a break. When you’re grilling for thousands, it takes a toll and damned if all the great smells don’t make you hungrier than Paul Bunyon after a day of chopping down the forest. It was finally my turn to have a Burger Marker burger. No cheese or condiments needed, just beef and a bun. It was as succulent, juicy, flavorful and delicious as I remembered.
An essential part of the Kev and Rev’s Awesome Parking Lot BBQ are the cheap costumes! Opting out of a theme this year, I just bought any silly hat, chain, lei, patch, tiaras, glow sticks, coconut bras, etc, etc I could get my hand on. Angelo from Fishbone was manning the wheels of steel and DJ-ing up all kinds of fun jams for the parking lot dance party that accompanies the BBQ.
I woke up the next morning with an email from Kevin that simply said “Happy birthday..I think those nights take a couple of years out of me.”
Regardless of the fun times at the VIP BBQ, the Vans Warped Tour is one of the most fun days of the summer. Kevin and crew always make sure to put on a fun show for all. It’s the BBQ that makes the Uniondale stop a stand out on the tour.
Thanks to Kevin, Kate, Sarah, Paul, Tiffany and the rest of the 4Fini and Warped Tour crew for a fantastic and awesome time. I’m already looking forward to next year.
In-N-Out Burger
http://www.in-n-out.com/
190 West Bungalow Court
San Bernardino, CA 92410
THE CONQUEST
I remember being 16 and seeing Anthrax for the 1st time on the Clash of the Titans tour with Alice In Chains, Megadeth and Slayer. It was one of the first concerts I ever attended and it changed my life. While I sat in the 23rd row watching my heroes mosh it up Not-man style, I saw people standing around on stage with laminates around their necks. I would’ve done anything to have a laminate and that moment defined the rest of my life. 20 years later, I’m still in the music business and having stage access with a laminate is part of my every day life.
As an artist manager and director of business development for a ticketing and fan club company, I spend a lot of time going to shows and hanging out with bands. This past weekend I was in San Bernardino, CA hanging out at the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. We had 2 of our clients, the thrash band Shadows Fall and stand up comedian, Big Jay Oakerson, both performing on the tour. I went out to the first date of the festival to help make sure everything gets running smoothly and to do some hob-knobbing with metal’s finest.
A large part of my day was spent escorting Big Jay Oakerson around the festival as he interviewed band after band, acting as the correspondent for Fuel TV’s “The Daily Habit.” He started off easy with Brian and Jason from Shadows Fall following with their past tour mates, Five Finger Death Punch. Although the fine folks at Fuel gave Jay a list of “serious” questions to ask, it didn’t take long for either conversation to devolve into complete goofiness. Both bands were great sports about it and everyone had a big laugh.
Once Jay finished up with the guys in FFDP, we ran over to the Jagermeister Jager Music Stage where Jay had to perform his first set along with the Jagerettes.
A few hours later, once the field was packed with nearly 10,000 people, Shadows Fall came on and put on an amazing display of talent, skill and entertainment. It’s been a minute since these guys have toured in the US and this show was a statement that they are out on Mayhem to kick some serious ass.
During their song “The Power of I and I,” the band kicked up a mosh so wild that it spread across the whole field. The audio isn’t great but you’ll get the point when you see the maniacs grinding in the pit! Be sure to check out their tour manager, “Big Rog” getting his groove on while working the lights from stage.
Next up on the stage was Cleveland, OH’s Chimaria. Check out bassist Jim LaMarca rocking a t-shirt from Melt Bar and Grilled on stage! Chimaira raged so hard on stage that they started a REAL fire in the pit! After a few brief moments of pause, the guys decided to keep flaming the fans of metal fury while fans tried to stomp out the fire.
After Chimaira, Jay got a chance to interview Wednesday 13 from the band The Murderdolls. They aren’t on the tour but their drummer, Joey Jordison, is playing with Rob Zombie on the main stage. And speaking of Rob Zombie…as Jay’s final interview, he got to spend some time with Rob. I know Jay was pretty nervous as Rob is one of his favorite artists but he handled like a pro. By “pro” I mean making a lot of silly tour jokes and having a laugh with one Mr. Zombie.
After the interviews, it was back to the fields for more side stage madness from stage closers Norma Jean and Hatebreed. I could only watch a few songs from Hatebreed’s over the top performance as I had to run with the Shadmen to their signing in the Rockstar Energy Drink tent.
We all climbed into the Mayhem Rockstar Energy Drink Festival jeep and took a speeding ride through the crowds to where the booth was located. I won’t lie, it was one of the most fun moments of the day!
Once we got to the booth, the line to meet the band was nearly a mile long!
From there, it was another long jog back to the main stage where Big Jay did a set before Lamb of God. Jay came out and introduced Beacher’s Madhouse’s Oompa Loompas. After quite the giggle fest and a slamming show by Lamb of God, Big Jay came out on the main stage and did one more set for a packed arena.
Once Jay’s 2nd set was done, so was I! That meant it was time to just hang out, watch Rob Zombie and Korn, hang with friends and unwind with a couple of beers. But, you know what makes attending The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival in California so awesome? Stopping for In-N-Out Burger on the drive home!
THE BURGER
As luck would have it, there was an In-N-Out just off the highway before the exit for my hotel!! This now makes the 4th time I’ve written about In-N-Out on the site and the 4th time that I’ve been able to take my signature “Left Hand Grab” photo from behind the wheel. There are 6 ways to Sunday to order your burgers there but I like to kick it old-school: 2 cheese burgers with raw onions, no tomatoes and a Diet Coke. God bless In-N-Out and God Bless America!!!
Now, if I could only get an All Access VIP laminate for In-N-Out or even just a couple of free burgers my life would be all set!
For our full In-N-Out review, click here.
7 out of 10 ounces
-Rev
Brother Jimmy’s Burger Shack
http://www.jimmysburgershack.com/
258 West 31st Street
New York, NY 10001
THE CONQUEST
Some people party on the weekends, some people party on days that end in “y.” Some people party on birthdays and some people party on holidays. Some people like to party with their pants on and some people party because they bought new pants. Me, I like to party when one of my favorite bands come to town. My favorite way to party? BURGERS!!! So when, Iron Maiden, the band that made me love heavy metal, announced a tour in support of their new album, The Final Frontier, it was time to party up by chowing down.Tickets for their show at the world famous Madison Square Garden went on sale months ago and being members of the Maiden fan club, we were able to get the early jump on seats. Anticipation for the show has been growing since. Finally the day was upon us and everyone looked to me to set up a pre-show hang and that’s when it came to me. The last time I had got a burger near MSG was at Brother Jimmy’s but had regret afterward for not ordering from their Burger Shack. Since that time, Jimmy’s Burger Shack has started using ground beef from La Frieda meats, the gospel of beef here in NYC.Known for their good food meets good times vibes, Brother Jimmy’s is a great place to have a party. Their entire menu is made up entirely of backyard bbq meets tailgate meets bar food. In other words, its the kind of food that pairs well with drinking and hanging out with your friends. The Midtown location specifically offers food from both the BBQ restaurant and their burger shack, making it the perfect place for us to have a late “launch” before “The Final Frontier.”
A quick email exchange later and we had a reservation on the BBQ with the ability to order from the burger shack.
THE BURGER
They sat us at at table upstairs in the back room where we could be as loud as we wanted and shove as much food into our faces without upsetting or scaring off other patrons. Thankfully our wonderful server Noelle, was more than ready and excited to help us get our games on. In fact, her enthusiasm was directly proportionate to the amount of food and beer consumed!! Most of the party goers opted for Brother Jimmy’s Monday night special; all you can eat rib tips and hot wings with all you can drink Bud and Bud Light for 2 hours. That’s a hell of a deal but I wasn’t there for a Wing-Off, this was a Burger Conquest!
Nick and I got an order of the #3 “bacon”” – 3 mini 3 ounce burgers with bacon and American Cheese. They also came with pickles but I removed mine as quickly as I transferred the sandwich to my plate. Pickles are gross. How people can eat them, I will never know. After only the first bite, I recognized something about the burger. Had I eaten this burger before? I took a 2nd bite and figured out what it was that was ringing my bell. This tasty little number came across the gourmet version of a McDonald’s burger. It had that classic processed cheese food savory flavor with the tightly packed and salted beef flavor but 10 times better. Now don’t get me wrong, when it’s 230 am and you’ve had a few beers, McDonald’s is AMAZING. You know you agree so don’t be a hateburger. This burger was all that and more and without the need for the obligatory 6 pack prior. I ran the thought past Noelle and she said “we’ll take that as a compliment.” The smoky bacon was crisp and cooked just right, not too overdone, not too flimsy. It was an essential part of the burger.
With each beer, rib, wing and burger, we got a little louder, a little more excited and a little more rowdy. Our friend Sarah showed up and immediately placed an order for a burger which got my crave juices kicked back in. I asked Noelle if I could just have a “regular burger, you know with just cheese and lettuce.” The Burger Shack menu only seems to feature their special burgers and although they all sounded good, I really just wanted something simple. Noelle suggested adding the house secret sauce to liven it up a little. I’m no fool!! I hear “secret” and “sauce” and I think “WANTS TO EAT THIS!”
This time however, I went for the larger 5 ounce patty which comes on a soft potato roll (god bless you Brother Jimmy’s!) No sense in wasting a high end burger on a cheap bun, ya dig??!?! This burger was even better than the mini for 2 reasons, it wasn’t as well done as the mini and well, IT WAS BIGGER!! The gooey American Cheese managed to melt itself all over the burger ensuring that every bite came along with its salty goodness. The sauce added a nice sweet undertone to the sandwich with just enough smokiness to provide a flavorful hint. Used sparringly, as Brother Jimmy’s does, this sauce adds a unique element to the sandwich without totally over powering the flavor of the juicy and tender meat. The patty was packed tightly creating a very sturdy burger that did not fall apart while eating it.
Find any good food near MSG is a task rarely completed but now with this burger, the search is over.
8 out of 1o ounces
-Rev
DREAM THEATER
With bellies full of beer, burgers and laughter, we paid our tab and moved across the street for the concert. The very talented and unique, Dream Theater play the only support role for the show. It was interesting watching an accomplished band play through a 20 year history of music in only 45 minutes but they were great. At the end of the set they came and thanked NYC for making their teenage dreams, playing the great Madison Square Garden, come true.
IRON MAIDEN
Ahhhhh the reason for the raging! Iron Maiden, as always, put on a blazing, red-hot and intense heavy metal display of awesome. Their set consisted primarily from records recorded in the latter half of their career with 3 all time classics as a closer. They even unveiled a brand new Eddie (the band’s mascot) from the Final Frontier. I know some fans were upset with a less than “best of” selection of songs from the band but I think everyone could agree, their performance was stellar!
Today the Food Network announced the premier of a new show called The Great Food Truck Race. Get those DVR’s and TiVO’s ready, it starts on August 15th! The show will feature the LA based gourmet burger truck Grill ‘Em All!
Here is the official press release:
FOOD TRUCKS ‘RACE’ TO CONQUER THE HOTTEST NEW TREND
Tyler Florence Hosts Cross-Country Culinary Journey in ‘The Great Food Truck Race’
Premieres: Sunday, August 15th at 10PM; Post-Premiere Timeslot: Sundays at 9PM
NEW YORK – JULY 12, 2010 –Amazing chefs across the country are leaving traditional restaurants behind and hitting the streets in mobile kitchens serving some of the most unique and delicious dishes ever tasted. Food Network’s new primetime series, The Great Food Truck Race, features seven such gourmet food trucks as they embark on an epic coast-to-coast culinary road trip to convince Americans to step outside their culinary comfort zones and try something new – from a truck. Tyler Florence hosts this six-episode competition premiering Sunday, August 15th at 10pm ET/PT; the series resumes in its regular timeslot of Sundays at 9pm ET/PT on August 22nd. From out-of-the-box sandwiches, burgers, and crepes to unique takes on Vietnamese, French, and Cajun cuisines, the trucks compete in weekly challenges to see who can sell the most food and race to the next episode while the losing team drives home. The last truck standing wins a $50,000 grand prize.
“Not only does the series focus on a hot new culinary trend, but the drama of the competition pushes these teams’ cooking skills, business savvy and relationships to their limit,” said General Manager/Senior Vice President Programming, Bob Tuschman.
The seven trucks include: Austin Daily Press (Austin, Texas), Crepes Bonaparte (Fullerton, Calif.), Grill ‘Em All (Los Angeles, Calif.), Nana Queens (Culver City, Calif.), Nom Nom Truck (Los Angeles, Calif.), Ragin’ Cajun (Hermosa Beach, Calif.), and Spencer on the Go (San Francisco, Calif.). Click here for team bios.
In the premiere, the teams meet Tyler in Los Angeles, the center of the food truck revolution, and the race begins with the teams’ first game-changing twist known in each episode as the Truck Stop challenge: Instead of starting in Los Angeles, the race commences in San Diego. To even the playing field, the teams begin with empty trucks and an equal amount of seed money. They have three days to prepare, promote and sell their food by any means necessary. After a weekend of triumphs, teamwork, and tests of character, the totals are tallied and the trucks find out who continues the great race and who goes home. New twists and turns arise as the race continues through Santa Fe, N.M.; Ft. Worth, Texas; New Orleans; Jonesborough, Tenn., and concludes as the final two trucks race to the finish line with through the hungry streets of New York City’s five boroughs. Guest chefs throughout the season include: Tim Love, Jacques Leonardi, Eric DiStefano and Nate Appleman. The Great Food Truck Race is produced by RelativityREAL, LLC.
# # #
FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers’ best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring and empowering through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to more than 98 million U.S. households and averages more than 9 million unique web users monthly. In its first year Food Network Magazine doubled its rate base and passed the one million circulation mark. Headquartered in New York, Food Network has a growing international presence with programming in more than 150 countries, including 24 hour networks in Great Britain, India, Asia and Africa. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), which also owns and operates HGTV (www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com), Great American Country (www.gactv.com) and Cooking Channel (www.cookingchanneltv.com) is the manager and general partner.
The Counter
http://www.thecounterburger.com
2901 Ocean Park Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90405-2952
THE CONQUEST
It wouldn’t be a trip to Los Angeles without a burger and it’s even better when I can call it business. Adam and I were out on the West Coast for the kick off of the Mayhem Tour, and decided to have a couple days of meetings before driving out to San Bernardino for the show. We wanted to get together with our lawyer buddy Steve and the song writing combo of Chris Qualls and Lauren Baird, more commonly known as the indie-meets-pop-electro band Electric Valentine.
From the first time I heard their music, I was hooked!! Their music is a fresh and fun new attempt at dance music with an indie rock vibe. The choruses are so big that you can walk through them and the beats keep your backside moving. Take a listen, it’s sure to get under your skin and have you singing along in no time. They’re an independent writing team and band who have done everything on their own to this point and have built up a lot of notoriety and following through great songs, fantastic live shows and an unrelenting passion for growing their craft.
With plans to meet up for lunch, I thought we need a burger as good as the music and people that would be eating it. Sounds like a job for The Counter! We met up at their original location in Santa Monica ready to dive into the 312,120 possible burger combination’s available.
THE BURGER
It’s REALLY easy to overdue it at The Counter, especially when you’re as hungry as we were that day! Not only is the food is that good, but with so many choices, you’ll get lost in the choices. The rule to remember, if it sounds like too much, it is. I try to keep my selection to one from each column or no more than six items. I was in serious danger of over doing it and applauded Adam’s suggestion to get a order of Crispy Onion Strings to nosh on while we decided on our burger combos. Be careful with onion strings! They’re small but they’re really savory and will want to make you shove them into your mouth like you would Big League Chew as you walked up to the plate in the bottom of the 9th inning and the game is tied up.
Easy, take a breath, don’t blow it …. nicely done; 1/3rd LB Beef patty ordered medium rare, horseradish cheddar, fried egg, Applewood smoked bacon, spicy pepperocinis and lettuce on a multigrain bun with a little chipotle aioli on the side for light dipping and taste accents. MMMMMMM it sounded as good as Electric Valentine’s “sweet jams” (as Adam would say.) The 5 of us had a nice chat while waiting for the food and sure enough, as soon as it hit the table, the conversation came to a halt. It was burger time baby!!
The Counter always delivers no matter how you stack up your sandwich. Lauren and Chris both got a veggie burger and loved it. The patty was juicy, cooked properly and without being greasy, has great flavor. Cheese, bacon and egg make for a great 1-2-3 punch on their own but add them atop a ground beef patty, and you have sandwich magic. The Counter doesn’t skimp on the quality of any of their burger additions so you are guaranteed to have a top to bottom tasty sandwich. The spiciness of the pepperocinis, chipotle aioli and horseradish cheddar put a nice little boogie to the over all burger, not unlike Electric Valentine songs!
8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev
Carl’s Jr. Jr.
http://www.carlsjr.com/
#1100679
6750 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
THE CONQUEST
Nothing gets me hungry like a trip to South Cali. The burger culture in state is an unbridled explosion of hamburger like no other. In a big city, like Los Angeles, full of busy people in need of a quick meal, there is a burger on practically on every corner. After a long day that included a flight to Los Angeles and a metal show at the House of Blues with math-metal grinders After the Burial, all I could think about was a late night, greasy cheese burger.
Practically right down the street from the hotel I always stay at is a Carl’s Jr. Jr and its tractor beam of taste is too strong for me to resist. I’ve been there before and am keeping a check list of all the burgers I’ve had. It started with the Six Dollar Burger and moved onto the Western Bacon Cheeseburger, but that’s because Carl’s Jr. told me too. This time, I was ready to try something else and I figured if you’re gonna eat late night fast food, why go easy?
THE BURGER
With only a few seconds to decide before the driver in the car behind me went bonkers with impatience, I quickly scanned the menu. Looking for the best late night craving killer, my eyes landed on the Grilled Cheese Bacon Six Dollar Burger. It’s a “Charbroiled 100% Black Angus beef topped with crispy bacon, slices of melted Swiss and American cheese, and mayonnaise served on grilled sourdough bread.” Sounds great doesn’t it? No? Go fly across the country, have 5 or 6 drinks and watch a few metal bands rage out on stage. Then you’ll want a burger!
I ordered it along a side of waffle fries, one of my favorite type a fries, and some ranch sauce for dipping. With the bag of food in my hand, I went back to my hotel where I spilled the contents out on the desk in the room. The crispy and hot fries did not last long at all. The starchy-saltiness of the fried potatoes dipped into the creamy ranch dressing is the kind of taste combo that has the word “munchies” written all over it. I tore into the burger not unlike a carnivore of the jungle would it’s freshly captured prey.
The bun was toasted yet soft and mushy. It maintained it’s thickness and supported the rather large and messy contents. The burger was of the standard fast-food frozen variety, cooked well done and probably with a decent amount of chemicals and preservatives, you know, the stuff that makes your mouth water even when you’re still eating it! The double dose of processed cheese, heated up to a soft goo had more than enough flavor to cover up and qualities of a formerly frozen patty. The bacon was good but small and thin, like most fast-food burgers. The whole thing would’ve come together came together to satisfy my intense late night hunger pangs if it weren’t for the mayonnaise. I’m not really a fan of the condiment to begin with but this mayo in particular had an odd tang that almost gave it an anchovy like taste. BLECKKK! Next time, I will have to order with out.
Don’t live any where near the west coast? Well, that’s too bad but it won’t stop you from becoming a Burger Slayer. While you’re there be sure to play a game of Burger Invaders in the Carl’s Jr. Arcade.
6 out of 10 ounces
– Rev
Brooklyn Burger n’ Beer Garden
http://www.nycfoodfilmfestival.com/
Tobacco Warehouse
20 Water Street
Brooklyn, New York, NY 11201
Pat LaFrieda Wholesale Meat Purveyors
http://lafrieda.com/
Burger Maker
http://burgermaker.com/
Wholefoods Market
http://wholefoodsmarket.com/
Beer Wars
http://beerwarsmovie.com/
NYC Food Fim Festival – 4th Annual – Part 2
THE CONQUEST
It was the last day of the NYC Food Film Fest and curator / burger fanatic George Motz was sending it off in true style. George and the other festival organizers set up a pop-up Burger n’ Beer Garden party underneath the Brooklyn Bridge in the abandoned Tobacco Warehouse. The price of entrance entitled the attendee to unlimited burgers from Pat La Frieda, Burger Maker and Wholefoods Market as well as all you could drink beer from many microbreweries. Not only was it a grand way to celebrate the end of a fantastic festival, the beautiful setting and amazing weather created the scenario for an amazing NYC style Sunday night event.
Along with the burgers, the World’s Longest Toppings Bar from Wholefoods Market and copious amounts of beer, the festival also spotlighting the Best of George’s “Hamburger America” Documentary and the full length feature “Beer Wars.” The latter, an independent film taking a look inside America’s beer makers and the distribution system used to bring you the brewski’s. “Director Anat Baron takes you on a no holds barred exploration of the U.S. beer industry that ultimately reveals the truth behind the label of your favorite beer. Told from an insider’s perspective, the film goes behind the scenes of the daily battles and all out wars that dominate one of America’s favorite industries.” It’s told through the opinions and stories of Anat as well as independent brewers; Sam from Dogfish Head and Rhonda from New Century Brewing.
In other words, if you love microbrews, burgers and picturesque NYC locations, this was THE event to attend. Even Mayor Michael Bloomberg was on hand stuffing burgers in his mouth! The Mayor presented director David Sigal the Food Film Fest awards for “Made in New York Award” as well as the “Feature Film award” for his film Florent-Queen of the Meat Market. It was the kind of special event that only happens in NYC … or Chicago.
My pal JoeC from SteakClub7 met me under the bridge where we met with Dmanburger and took no prisoners eating and drinking our way around the party.
THE BURGERS
Pat La Frieda is to beef what Jay-Z is to hip-hop. Neither of them invented the game but their home town heroes and can do no wrong while they continue to make this city a great place to live. His booth seemed like the most logical place to start. With a glass of beer from Stone Brewery, we got in the long line for burgers. Large trays filled with slider sized balls of ground beef were being brought out constantly as several grill chefs were smashing them on griddles, seasoning and cooking the burgers. There were 2 people per grill; one for the beef and one to grill the buns. The burgers were coming off rapid pace and the long line didn’t really take that much time to get through. Joe and I grabbed 2 burgers each and then realized our mistake.
When it comes to burger toppings and condiments, I really don’t need much (although I am prone to trying crazy toppings) but I did want some cheese. Joe and I walked over to the Wholefoods “World’s Longest Toppings Bar” which we immediately nicknamed the “World’s Longest Line For Toppings Bar.” It was at nearly 3 times longer than the wait for burgers! My perfectly cooked, juicy sliders from Pat La Frieda were quickly cooling off. I couldn’t wait and took one down sans toppings. Thank god for short lines at the Dogfish Head stand!
The first burger was good, real good in fact and while I wished for a slice of cheese, the naked burger allowed me to actually taste the beef itself. Served on a mini white squishy bun, this little beefy gem was everything I hoped it would be. Perfectly seasoned, quality, juicy, grounded, loosely packed, flat-griddled, hot burger yumminess. I knew my ability to NOT immediately indulge in the 2nd burger was going to be tough, but I wanted those toppings!!
With choices from artisan ketchup’s, peppers, cheeses, sliced beef and all kinds of sauces, I could see why the line was so long; what to put on your burger!?!?! As I scanned the trays, 2 trays side by side caught my eye; 1. hot melted, unsalted butter and 2. warm peanut butter. Yeah baby! It was time to desecrate the time, care and quality that La Frieda puts into their meats by transforming it into a gooberburger with cheese!! I took one side of the bun and gently dunked it into the butter and then spread some of the peanut butter on top. I slapped on a slice of cheese and then just because I could, I added 1 slice of prosciutto. Not looking to make the mistake again, I filled up another carton with toppings for my next burgers.
Joe and I walked over to a table, with a brief pit stop for some Coney Island Beers from Shmaltz Brewing, and then let the burger madness begin. The tornado of flavors whirling around in my mouth were almost too much to process. Some might have said I was out of my mind by essentially combing 3 different sandwiches (burger, peanut butter and Italian) in one tiny slider but I felt pretty pleased with myself. WOW!!!!! It was a taste bomb!! The explosion of salty and sweet tastes were incredible. Joe gave me a pretty crazy look and I realized by eyes were popping out of my head. This was a delicious frankensteined sandwich.
8 out of 10 ounces
Both of our tastes buds were buzzing and the euphoria of eating and drinking had Joe and I all charged up. “Buddy!” Joe looked at me, “We need more burgers right now!” He ran over to the Burger Maker stand which had NO LINE and returned with 2 more sliders for each of us, while I grabbed a couple of beers from the Brooklyn Brewery. Reaching into the tray of toppings bar goodies, I grabbed a slice of cheese and slapped it a top my burger.
Joe and I sunk our chompers into the burgers and after the first bite, we both looked up, right into each others eyes and muttered a collective “WOW!” Heads down, teeth back in, I finished off the burger unsure of what I had just eaten. No, it wasn’t strange or bad. In fact, it was quite the opposite! This burger was AMAZING! The medium cooked slider was bursting with juicy savory beef flavor. With no prior knowledge of Burger Maker, I thought to myself, “am I eating the most perfect burger meat ever!?!?!”
If I could present to you exactly how I think a great burger patty would taste, it would be this burger. It was juicy but not greasy. It was savory but not salty. It was all intense beef flavor. At first thought, I wondered if this was some crazy high fat content burger unlike the burger standard of 80% lean to 20% fat, I thought this could have been a 60/40 and the cooked down fat was pulling tricks on my taste buds. If it was, I would be very upset but still admit that it was a great tasting burger.
Joe and I had hit our burger limit and honestly, I didn’t wan to subject my taste buds to another burger in case it was inferior to the magic I had just consumed. We walked over into the movie tent, grabbed some beer and let it all soak in. As the Best of “Hamburger America” movie started Joe had to leave but I decided to stay. While trying out the very flavorful light beer Edison and its sister beer, the caffeinated Moonshot, I spotted someone in a Burger Maker t-shirt.
I walked over and asked “excuse me. Are you with Burger Maker?” Jamie Schweid introduced himself and said “yes.” I must’ve come across like Chris Farley in his fan skits from SNL when as I said to Jamie “Wow. I love your burgers.” Jamie laughed and told me the nearly 80 year old story of the company. Jamie is the 4th generation in a long run NYC based family business that began in NYC’s meat packing district. Their beef comes from certified humane raised cows and processed in a large plant in NJ. They only recently started to pack and produce ground beef for home consumption, relying on the restaurant industry business for years. You can now order it yourself from Fresh Direct where you can choose an array of styles.
That’s when I popped the question; “just how much fat content was in the mix you served today?” With a look of pride, Jamie answered confirmed that it was indeed 80/20 mix. I couldn’t believe it. The burgers were so juicy and flavorful that there just had to be some kind of secret. Jamie said it’s all in the beef and that’s when he invited me out for a field trip to the warehouse. I knew we were about to become very good friends. Jamie had to run off to help the Burger Maker crew but handed me his card and promised to be in touch.
9 out 0f 10 ounces
-Rev
Still reeling with excitement, I turned around to get another beer. Standing there was Dmanburger, slugging back an Edison. I joined him…for several more rounds. We hung out for a bit watching the awards, “Beer Wars,” talking with George Motz and hanging out with the ladies of 7B, the Horseshoe bar. It was a great time and I truly appreciated the food, the drinks, the people, the hospitality and the beautiful setting. Sign up for the newsletter now so you don’t miss out on this event next and every year!
Many thanks to JoeC, Dmanburger, the ladies from 7B, Jamie from Burger Maker, Chloe, Seth, Casey, George and the entire NYC Food Film Fest crew for an amazing time!
Despaña
http://www.despananyc.com/
408 Broome Street (at Lafayette)
New York, NY 10013
Colicchio & Sons
http://www.colicchioandsons.com/
85 10th Avenue
New York, NY 10011-4725
THE CONQUEST
The popular website for foodies, Grub Street, recently published a story that had all us New York foodies buzzing. It was their comprehensive list of “The 101 Best Sandwiches in New York“. I’ll admit, the minute I heard about the story, I jumped over to click through and start up a list of places I needed to eat. While there were several sandwiches immediately spoke to me, I was taken back that not a single burger had made the list. I mean, if a burger isn’t a sandwich, well then what the hell is it!?!?!? I was angry. I was puzzled. I was let down and I was very confused. How dare a site that I respect so much, straight dis on the sandwich I respect too much!??
I took a deep breath, calmed down and told myself that the Grub Street folks must believe that burgers are so specialized in the sandwich family that they deserve not to be lumped in with such a generality as “sandwich.” I know there’s a lot of great food out there and although it may seem like all I eat is burgers, wings and steak, I really do enjoy a wide array of foods. Perhaps this list was just a road sign pointing me towards other great things to eat.
Just like some people rely on my to point them in the direction of a delicious cheese burgers, I too have my sources. Every Jedi has a master and once in awhile a patawan comes back with a different use of the force than their master. In a perfect 80s movie turn around ala “The Karate Kid”, JD, one of my fellow members of the NYC Wing-Off did such a thing. JD saw the same Grub Street list I saw but was inspired in a different direction, but I will let JD tell you himself…
THE 101WICH
JD: Thanks to Burger Conquest for letting me update you guys on the state of sandwiches in New York. Obviously this is a topic I feel strongly about (and yes, a hamburger is indeed a sandwich), so when New York Magazine put up a list of the 101 best bread-meat-bread babies you must try in the five boroughs, I threw out my bucket list–which was mostly sandwich related anyway. A hundred local eats, in no specific time frame, that I would sample and rate at 101wich.com. It’s not a crazy mission. I think of as fulfilling two things: 1) hunger and 2) journalistic accuracy. Because the world needs a sandwich ombudsman. Or woman.
JD: So far my sandwich missions have yielded positive results. Eating around my neighborhood of Cobble Hill I can grab a smoked meat at Mile End, a killer egg sandwich at Prime Meats, a milk-braised turkey leg at Henry Public, or some fantastic pork belly at Char No. 4. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing my friends at Red Hook Lobster Pound at the Brooklyn Flea, I dove into a smoked chicken sandwich from Alidoro and a chicken parm at Torrisi.
THE SANDWICH
Rev here again. When JD told me of his exploits I became instantly ecstatic. I’m all about good eating and love it when someone who’s palette I trust can now be trusted as a food filter. I showed JoeC from SteakClub7 who almost had an aneurysm! “We have to go eat one of these sandwiches with JD!!!” Easier done and said! With one email, the 2 of us were planning a trip to Despaña. Located there was #55 on the Grub Street list the Picante! A bocadillo with Despaña brand chorizo, a slice of Mahon (cow’s milk) cheese, piparras (basque spicy guindalla peppers) and a dab of aioli sauce all warm pressed in fresh bread.
Sounds amazing doesn’t it? That’s kind of like everything at Despaña! A gourmet Spanish deli, grocery and bocadillo (sandwich) shop, being a relatively simple concept, there is actually nothing simple about the place. You can buy prepared meats in bulk along with other Spanish cooking ingredients, or you can move along to the back of the store and have some of their fresh made food and coffee. Once the 3 of us showed up, that’s exactly what they did.
We started with a Serrano Ham & Manchego pintxo (bite size version of bocadillos). It was so damn good! The cheese was fresh and it’s mild flavor allowed the savory ham to dominate the palette. JoeC and I split it, getting about 1.5 total bites each. I could’ve eaten 10 more of them!! Thank god of Picantes came out so quickly or I would’ve gotten another.
HOLY MOLEY!! Every part of the sandwich was INCREDIBLE!! The bread was fresh made with a crunchy exterior but soft and warm on the inside. The cheese was tangy with a mild sharpness that really left its mark on the sandwich. I’ve never had chorizo this good before. It was everything chorizo is supposed to be; a little smoky, a little spicy and with a robust pork flavor. I was truly moved to one side of myself after eating the sandwich. In fact, I bought a Navarrico pintxo on the way out!! I ate the “Chistorra” Despaña brand thin spicy sausage, roncal (sheep’s milk) cheese and sweet strips of piquillo peppers warm pressed, for breakfast the next morning and let me tell you, that was one hell of a way to kick off my day!!
9 out of 10 ounces
THE 101WICH PART 2
JD: I felt like I’ve had a lot of sandwiches. I’ve probably only had about a tenth of the list. So, while there’s more work to be done, I went on a joint 101wich/Burger Conquest mission to Colicchio and Sons, because I heard Top Chef’s head judge can make a mean pork loin with bread and butter pickles, #25 on the Grub Street list.
JD: Rev and I took the wives on a little brunch date set against the background of a 100-degree Gay Pride Sunday. At 11 a.m. there was no Colicchio, and no sons … but there were a ton of empty tables. There were also about two dozen highly prized microbrews on tap (Professor Fritz Briem, 1809 Berliner Weisse, you are something special). So, with that we started hoisting a couple of beers and mimosas. We flip open the menus. Cue record scratch. No pork loin.
JD: The sandwich that I braved the crowds of Chelsea on a national gay holiday for was not on the menu. I remained calm and told the waitress that I saw it on their lunch/brunch menu online. I canceled dinner there because I knew this sandwich was only available during the day. That’s when the staff of C&S; stepped up and, despite prepping for a busy brunch morning and probably cursing my name name in the walk-in, made me a sandwich.
Rev: JD had just got done explaining the 101wich and that’s when I stepped in. I hate, Hate, HATE to be that guy but if JD didn’t get his sandwich, it was going to set the tone in such a negative manner. I busted out my Burger Conquest business card and politely explained what he and I were trying to do. Much to their credit, the staff of Colicchio and Sons were incredibly caring, friendly and accommodating. What does that mean? I got a burger, which was HIGHLY recommended by our server, but we’ll get back to that in a minute.
JD: The roast pork sandwich was pretty damn good. I have a nostalgia for bread and butter pickles … they’re not my favorite pickled cue, but the sweetness and neon yellowness reminds me of making sammies as a kid. That paired with some thick country ham, spicy chorizo (I think)–and since they didn’t have sliced provolone–some truffle cheese (if you must) made one heck of a panini. Critics be damned … I have nothing but love for Tom and his kitchen. You won the Quickfire to my heart.
One sandwich at a time,
-JD, 101wich
THE BURGER
After explaining our dilemma, the Colicchio and Sons hosts jokingly asked me if I was going to “take one for the team and order a burger?” What was I to do especially since I had just had my arm proverbially twisted?? I ordered the Tap room burger with balsamic onions and pecorino along with the same glass of Prof. Fritz as JD. The beer was truly amazing and if you consider yourself a fan of beers, it’s worth hunting a bottle of it down (read story here).
Thankfully the food came very quickly despite the fact that it’s all hand made in one large wood burning oven, beautifully parked right in the tap room. Without having taken even a single bite, one look told me that this burger was going to be a winner. The fresh sesame seed bun had been perfectly grilled to a light brown and placed a top a heaping pile of onions and ground beef with a perfectly melted piece of cheese a top. One bite confirmed the truth!!
The patty was cooked to an absolute picture perfect medium-rare and was exploding with juiciness as if it was it’s own little meat volcano. This was far and above the juiciest burger I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating in NYC! The ground beef was loosely packed for a lighter feeling bite but had the taste of ground steak. The grease was running down my hands and arms and I was having trouble maintaining a semblance of decency in trying to eat it. The caramelized onions had a delicate balance of sweet and sour while the cheese was mild but had a very distinct flavor. Even though the bun was lightly toasted it was still pillowy when bitten into. I did add some of their smoky and thick bacon to the sandwich which made it even better!!
If this is what it means to “take one for the team” I’ll take 10!!
9 out of 1o ounces
-Rev
