Baker’s Hours

Throughout the month of June, Burgers on the Edge has been holding it’s annual Burger Genius contest to find the best burger that their customers can imagine. As the month draws to a close, seven finalists have emerged. Divided into three categories, Veggie, Turkey, and Beef, Burgers on the Edge has been tracking the sales of the the seven finalists, with part of the proceeds going to the Hawaii Food Bank. The winner becomes the new featured burger for an entire year, and it’s creator pockets $200 along with free burgers for a year.

Tonight, I got an opportunity to sample all seven burgers, but before I get into the individual flavors of the different burgers, I feel that I should disclose that I personally feel that the concept of a “Healthy Burger” is one of the most oxymoronic things I have ever heard of. I don’t mean to belittle people who like healthy burgers, they are just not my cup of tea. Hamburgers should be juicy, and greasy, and all the things that your cardiologist warns you to avoid. Carl’s Jr said it best, “If it doesn’t get all over the place, it doesn’t belong in your face.” However, even though I wouldn’t necessarily order a veggie or turkey burger, that doesn’t mean that the foodie in me can’t appreciate them. That said, let’s start with the Plan B Burger.

Plan B Burger

Patty: Panko Crusted Veggie Patty
Cheese: Muenster Cheese
Sauce: Tonkatsu
Toppings: Tomatoes, Lettuce, Sautéed Onions

This high protein veggie patty made from Quinua really caught my attention. At first, I thought that it was made from rice due to the fact that it tasted to me like the dirty rice you would find in a Mexican burrito. I am pleasantly surprised at how filling the quinua patty is.

I was expecting the tangy tonkatsu sauce to be stronger to add some flavor to compensate for the lack of fat in the burger, but it tilted more to the sweet side. Add the sweetness from the sautéed onions, and the flavor of muenster cheese was just lost in the mix.

Garden Isle Burger

Patty: Veggie
Cheese: Havarti Cheese
Sauce: Basil Pesto
Toppings: Vine ripened tomato, Island baby greens with sprouts and purple onion

The Garden Isle has the same quinua patty that is in the Plan B. I really enjoyed the pesto, which went well with the baby greens and sprouts. The basil added a lot of flavor while keeping the burger fresh. The Havarti cheese stood out a lot, and the bite of the raw purple onion did a good job of preventing the cheese from coating your mouth.

Although I still am not a fan of “healthy burgers” I can say that if you order this burger, you will definitely leave the table satisfied. Of the veggie burger entries, I would have to rank this one as my favorite.

Save the Chickens Burger

Patty: Turkey
Cheese: Mozzarella
Sauce: Cream of Mushroom
Toppings: Sauteed Onions, Thin Crispy onions, Green Leaf Lettuce

By far the burger with the catchiest name, the Save the Chickens burger would be the odds on favorite of advertisers. As of this post, the Save the Chickens burger is leading in contest, and I’m sure that the catchy name is not hurting sales any.

This burger reads very well on the menu. The cream of mushroom alone would make me order this burger if I saw it on a menu. However, the lean turkey burger doesn’t pair well with the rest of the ingredients. The mushroom gravy and onions over power the burger making the turkey patty mostly sandwich filler rather than adding to the flavor profile. I think that this would be a phenomenal burger if it were with a hamburger patty. The beef juices would pair beautifully with the cream of mushroom and crispy onions.

Mr. Smarty Pants Burger

Patty: Turkey
Cheese: Pepper Jack
Sauce: Basil Pesto
Toppings: Tomato, Fried Egg, Baby Spinach, Sprouts

I’m still not sure how the ingredients of this burger relates to the name “Mr. Smarty Pants”, so I’m assuming that the name refers to it’s creator. I really enjoy how the pesto compliments the lean turkey meat. Mean while the fried egg helps compensate for this burger’s lack of fat without making it greasy like bacon would.

Mr. Smarty Pants is a great burger, and I think that more people should order it. Of all the finalists, I would rate this one in my top two.

Kung POW Burger

Patty: Chuck
Cheese: Parmesan cheese
Sauce: garlic hoisin sauce
Toppings: Red onion, Mesclun greens, Green onion, fried egg roll wrapper

Similar to the way how I felt that the Save the Chickens burger had the wrong patty, I think that the Kung POW would be better with a turkey patty. The fattiness of the beef does not pair well with the hoisin sauce. When I hear Kung Pao, I definitely think poultry.

I do like the creativity of using fried egg roll wrappers in the burger. The added texture and slight saltiness is a pleasant surprise when you bite into it. One thing to keep in mind is to not let your burger sit for too long because the egg roll wrappers don’t stay crispy for long.

Da Local Kine Burger

Patty: Chuck
Cheese: Pepper Jack
Sauce: Li Hing Mui Mayo
Toppings: Grilled Pineapple, Grilled Spam

This burger is everything that your cardiologist warns you about when you get your yearly checkup. This burger wastes no time with greens what so ever, and if the beef patty isn’t fatty enough for you, then creator Mike Smith added grilled spam! (My fellow tasters and I were all surprised when we found out that this concoction was dreamed up by someone from Michigan)

Da Local Kine Burger grabbed all of our attention when we took our first bite. The sweetness of the grilled pineapple and saltiness from the spam is a real eye opener. The problem for me occurred when I got a taste of the li hing mui mayo. Reading the menu, I expected the sauce to be on the tart side, which would have gone well with the Pepper Jack cheese, but the opposite happened. The li hing mui mayo made the sandwich very sweet, and even added a slight pina colada flavor to everything. Although, not necessarily a bad thing if you are a fan of pina coladas.

The Southern Bell Burger

Patty: Chuck
Cheese: Sharp Cheddar
Sauce: Ranch Dressing
Toppings: Bread and Butter Pickles, Fried Green Tomato, Bacon & Raw Onions

By far my favorite burger among the finalists, which is astounding considering that two things that I loathe, ranch dressing & pickles, are in it. The thing that really makes this burger unique are the fried green tomatoes (which Burgers on the Edge now sells as a side dish). The crispy texture goes great with the ranch dressing. The “southern” theme is further complimented with the inclusion of bacon and good old fashion sharp cheddar.

I am amazed that a burger this good is not higher in the standings. Although 4th out of all the the entries is nothing to be ashamed of, I personally feel that this burger is the most deserving of winning. It has it all, a catchy name, unique ingredients, and it tastes great.

How do they stack?

The Burger Genius contest ends on Wednesday June 30th. In my opinion, in terms of taste, my top three are the Southern Bell as the best of the group, followed by Mr. Smarty Pants, and Save the Chickens as number three. But, don’t take my word for it, there is still 5 days for you to head over to Burgers on the Edge and try one of these seven finalists for yourself.

Song stuck in my head at the time of this post: Thriller by Michael Jackson