A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure to attend Boston Magazine’s eponymous 8th annual Battle of the Burger, and I’m so glad we did. Over here at Enobytes, we needed some help catching up on whose burger is worth ingesting those calorie and carb-laden sandwiches. It’s been a while since we’ve sampled the Boston burger scene, having departed the East Coast almost 15 years ago.
On a visit in 2006, we were devastated to find out that Tim’s Tavern had closed on Columbus Avenue. We loved that place. It was a diverse dive-bar with a good vibe that served up audacious burgers. Sully’s and Tasty filled this void for a while after that.
Now that we are back on the East Coast, we needed to revisit what was out there, and attending Battle of the Burger was a perfect re-introduction. Arriving at Flynn’s Cruiseport on the Silver Line, we were shocked to see hundreds of people standing in line 30 minutes before opening. Having a moment to reflect, we thought about our decades’ long Boston burger quest and realized over the past years, we’ve eaten at almost every restaurant who ever won a Best of Boston Burger award going back to 1974. Division 16, 29 Newbury, Rebecca’s, Christopher’s, and Charley’s…just to name a few. Walking into the event, the smell of flame searing the beef was enticing, and there were so many choices…from gridled to grilled, the options rendered so many different textures and tastes as we moved booth to booth. Buns and condiments are equally relevant to building the perfect burger.
Winner: Lincoln Tavern & Restaurant
Walking into the Cruiseport, the first thing you’ll notice is how well the venue flows. It was quite impressive for an event where so many attendees descended on the participants so quickly. There were short lines and the Chefs were putting out product at a blistering rate. Mad respect for DJ Ryan Brown and the Hot Mess band, which was magical. The covers were tight and they kept hitting it all night.
The VIP guests had the opportunity to enter early and were served up a delicious array of burger alternatives, like The Smoke Shop’s pulled pork BBQ, and an incredible ice cream bar with uniquely scrumptious toppings from Rancatore’s Ice Cream and Yogurt, just to name a few. Drinks were plentiful and I loved the Hubert’s Lemonade and LaCroix sparkling non-alcoholic choices. These should be more prevalent at events. Knob Creek Rye was representing hard core and Licor 43 dominated the, “oh my god, this is awesome” comments. There was Budweiser too, as if no one was the wiser. With twenty finalists cooking their burgers, we had to dig deep for the appetite it took to try them all, but with no shortage of libations, it was easy to get through them.
Vegan haven By Chloe dished out a patty of black bean, quinoa, and sweet potato with guacamole. There were several other interesting concoctions—Red Heat Tavern’s “The Woodsman” was a burger with cheese curd and Canadian bacon. ARTBAR served up a sesame chicken burger that was good. The Hidden Pig’s “Big Rig” brought it big with pulled pork, bacon, and cheddar cheese. Two venues, Fat Baby and Wahlburgers offered burgers on Bao buns.
Lincoln Tavern’s Wagyu burger with Munster cheese, bacon aioli, and a quail egg made our voting chip so hot, we almost cast it immediately, but no, we held out for 12 more burgers, before going back to Lincoln Tavern for another taste. Wow, wow, yeah, that’s what we’re talking about, mother fluffing wow! Now we’re voting, and they rang the triangle as we dropped our voting chips. The landslide of votes began as we walked away…we could hear them ringing that bell over and over. A well-deserved win!!!
Photo credit: Matt Teuten, Melissa Ostrow and Rythum Vinoben
Our other favorites included Rock Bottom Brewery’s, “The Rock” burger with maple glazed bacon and smoked cream cheese, Monument Restaurant and Tavern’s ”Smash Burger,” and Pauli’s North End “The Mexicali.” They were all seasoned well and cooked to perfection with excellent condiments delivering a MacDaddy delicious experience.
Winner: Lincoln Tavern & Restaurant
1st Runner Up: Wheelhouse
2nd Runner Up: Monument Restaurant & Tavern
We’re already counting down to next years’ competition and we hope to see you there. Enjoy!
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