South Beach Wine & Food Festival's Burger Bash: A Meaty Good Time

Burger Bash, hosted by Rachael Ray, is one of the most popular events at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. One of the first events to be sold out, the 2011 Burger Bash featured 26 chefs presenting their best burgers. Last evening's Burger Bash was packed with celebrity chefs...

By Laine Doss

February 25, 2011

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Burger Bash, hosted by Rachael Ray, is one of the most popular events at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. One of the first events to be sold out, the 2011 Burger Bash featured 26 chefs presenting their best burgers.

Last evening's Burger Bash was packed with celebrity chefs and fans who tried to sample as many burgers as they could before reaching critical mass. Amstel Light, Diet Pepsi, Fiji Water and Loire Valley Wines were on hand to wash the meaty treats down.

Clean Plate Charlie did not sample all the burgers, but we did get around to more than a few. Burger highlights included:

Town Kitchen & Bar's (Miami, FL) - "O" Burger, laced with applewood bacon, onion marmalade, white cheddar and apple butter on a brioche bun. The burger was served with a Milk Stout Float, a milk stout beer mixed with vanilla bean ice cream.

El Mago de las Fritas (Miami, FL) - a muy caliente Latin spiced burger.

The National (New York, NY) - The National Burger, a lightly seasoned burger with gruyere cheese, pickled jalapenos and secret sauce, accompanied by gingered cole slaw. Chef Geoffrey Zakarian

The B Spot (Cleveland, OH) - Yo! Burger came with a slice of fried salami, provolone, shasha sauce and pickled onion. Chef Michael Symon

Love Shack (Ft. Worth, TX) - Elk, foie gras, arugula, huckleberry jam. Chef Tim Love

Good Stuff Eatery (Washington DC) - Colletti Smokehouse Burger with applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, onion rings and chipotle sauce. Chef Spike Mendelsohn

Celebrity chefs spotted included hostess Rachael Ray, Anthony Bourdain, Ted Allen, Wylie Dufrense, Gail Simmons, Anne Burrell, Bobby Flay, Geoffrey Zakarian, Spike Mendelson, Tim Love, Michael Schwartz, Allen Susser and Todd English.

Rachael Ray announced the awards at the end of the evening. The Best Side Dish award went to Burger and Beer Joint of Miami Beach for their truffled baked potato salad. The Condiment Award went to Michael Symon for his shasha sauce. The Meat Award went to Mark Murphy of Landmark. The coveted People's Choice Award went to Michael Symon's B Spot for an amazing second year in a row. That's something to moo about!

Chef Michael Symon and Chef Allen Susser

Lee Schrager and Rachael Ray present Michael Symon with his People's Choice award

Follow Clean Plate Charlie Facebook on Twitter: @CleanPlateBPB.

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Laine Doss is the food and spirits editor for Miami New Times, covering the restaurant and bar scene in South Florida. She has been featured on Cooking Channel’s Eat Street and Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race. Doss won an Alternative Weekly award for her feature on what it’s like to wait tables. In a previous life, she appeared off-Broadway and shook many a cocktail as a bartender at venues in South Florida and New York City. When she’s not writing, you can find Doss running some marathon then celebrating at the nearest watering hole.

Contact: Laine Doss

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