Osprey Point Golf Course, Kaiwah Island, South Carolina

For our second round of golf we had a morning tee time at Osprey Point. Rated harder and longer than Cougar Point, it was a natural progression. Located halfway out the island, Osprey was significantly more picturesque with wide open fairways and lots and lots of water and these signs all over:

I have to say, there are a lot of gators in South Carolina!! But there are even more birds. Big ones.

When we checked in we got all kinds of information from the men working there...including Tom & Jerry (no kidding) in the pro shop. Tom told me I'd probably love the course since it's the 7th best course for women players in the country (excellent)! He was right...loved this course!! Might be a top three for me. We teed off at 9:30am - an hour after the foursome before us and two hours before the next scheduled group. We never saw another single golfer on the course allowing a leisurely round. The rough on this course wasn't as dense as on Cougar making it easier to find and hit your ball from the spongy surface. The course was in perfect condition with lots of challenging designs and perplexing greens. The rate was the same as Cougar but I at least felt this one was much more deserving of the $200 fee. I'd highly recommend this course.

Kobe Burgers at Home

For our last "cook at home" evening here at the rental house on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, we decided to do burgers (we had already made steaks one night and a lobster / shrimp / clam bake on another). The local market, Newton Farms, is a cross between Wegmans and Whole Foods with a nice butcher, fish market and produce section. While Susan and I went window shopping around Freshfield Farms, Rich, Alan and Connor went out for provisions to make our burgers.

They came home with four kobe beef patties, half pound each and buns from the bakery section of the store. The plan was to grill up the patties after being treated with Montreal seasonings and have available for everyone to construct their burger a selection of Boar's Head center, thick cut bacon, caramelized sweet onion, iceberg lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mayo, American & Blue cheeses.

We had an immediate technical difficulty...after the grill was heated up, right when Rich went to put them on, the propane tank ran dry. This being a rental house and us having only used the grill one other time, we were both shocked and outraged to be propane-less at this exact moment. But not to be swayed, we went with Plan B...cooking them in fry pans on the stove top. While the burgers might have lacked the telltale grill marks, they more than made up for in taste.

The picture above is Alan's burger. Kobe patty with melted blue cheese, lettuce, bacon, tomato, mayo, ketchup, caramelized onion on the fresh bun. The burger was really juicy and flavorful and cooked perfectly. The only issue was the bun...after two bites it begun a quick disintegration. The overall combination of condiments worked and resulted in a gorgeous burger experience.

We all deviated slightly with choice of toppings but all agreed, these were pretty spectacular burgers. We rounded out the meal with crisper french fries & ranch dressing and a green salad. Awesome!

Cougar Point Golf Course, Kiawah Island, South Carolina

We decided early on that this would be a food, wine and experience blog...so this post has nothing to do with food or wine unless you count a very good toasted bagel at the snack shop. But it has to do with golf. This is our first trip to Kiawah Island. We've booked three tee times at courses here on the island. Cougar Point, the course the winds around our rental house (our back deck looks out at the 11th hole close to the green), Osprey Point and Turtle Point.

Yesterday we played Cougar Point...largely considered the most forgiving and fun of the island options. There aren't that many people down here this week being off season. We had already noticed that the course wasn't crowded at all. This proved to be true. We had no pressure from people behind us other than a super fast, long ball hitting duo that played through everyone.

The temperature was balmy in the mid 80s with pretty thick cloud cover up until the 16th hole or so. The course itself is very picturesque with lots of water and views of the Kiawah River and low lands. The rough is an interesting, spongy thick ground cover that can swallow up your ball quickly and make finding it challenging. It's a Gary Player design that plays 6212 yards from the men's standard tees (6875 from the tournament tees and 4776 from the women's). The bunkers are enormous but with soft, fine sand that hitting out of wasn't overly problematic once you got used to the consistency.

Peninsula Grill, Charleston, South Carolina

Alan and I arrived at our Kiawah beach house on Saturday, September 24th and got settled in. While talking about what we wanted to do for dinner, although we had no intention originally of driving into Charleston since we'd just been in the car for eight straight hours. But then we realized that it might be our only opportunity to get to Peninsula Grill. Upon calling the restaurant we also learned that the first reservation was for 9:45pm but that the bar served the full menu and was first come, first served. The nice lady on the phone recommended trying to get there before 6:30pm since it was a Saturday night and the bar too gets packed.

Quick showers and we were on our way from Kiawah into Charleston. First good thing to happen was finding out how easy and quick the drive in was...thirty minutes and just a few turns and we were cruising through downtown. Next piece of good luck - stumbling upon a parking garage around the block from the restaurant with available spaces (it would be full not long after we entered).

The Peninsula Grill is in the Planters Inn, a Relais Chateau property. We walked down the little tree lined path to the side entrance off of North Market Street and saw that there is also outside seating. Entering the restaurant, the bar was a little one with only 8 seats. There weren't two empty seats when we arrived at 6:20pm but a quick conversation with Josh the bartender and we were in queue to take over the soon to be vacated spots of a couple just paying their bill. Soon settled into our stools we let our great bar team of Josh & Chris know that we were there for the long haul - dinner and drinking! We started off with a glass of champagne each - mine was the Pehu Simonet "Selection" Brut Grand Cru while Alan tried a glass of the Tattinger Cuvee Prestige.

Peacock Inn - Princeton

Last night Steve and I ventured down to Princeton and enjoyed a relaxing evening at the Peacock Inn, named one of New Jersey Monthly’s Top 25 restaurants of 2011, and Star Ledger’s Restaurant of the Year. The Inn, open since 2010, is located in the heart of Princeton, and is a renovated historic, grand home.

The atmosphere is warm and inviting. To the right of the entrance is a more casual, yet modern bar for a drink or lighter fare. The dining room has warm rich colors and a ceiling peppered with little white lights to look like the evening skyline. Although Steve and I debated on whether it was fitting, or bordereline cheesy – in the end we thought it was charming.

I started with a house specialty cocktail – an apple martini made with apple cider, nutmeg and cinnamon. A nice, only moderately sweet drink that had a very autumnal feel to it. Steve enjoyed a glass of Tattinger, which I had after my cocktail as well.

Steakhouse 85, New Brunswick

Last week we tried a new restaurant in New Brunswick, NJ with Susan & Rich called Steakhouse 85. Right off the bat I want to mention that we picked this one because of the cool looking appetizers and a fantastic sounding side dish of truffles tater tots. We did NOT pick this based on its sad little wine list. Before the dinner, we called to see if they had corkage fee and were told, no. They sell wine lockers to members and because of that do not allow anyone bring bottles into restaurant.

Despite this, we were excited for the steaks and tater tots. The four of us decided to do an appetizer, soup or salad and then steaks. For appetizers, Susan ordered the lump crab martini; Rich had the oysters; Alan the orange chipolte scallops and I had the little neck clams. Susan's crab was good and fresh but not fabulous. The dipping sauce was too basic. Rich's oysters were quite good and the mignonette was perfect. Alan's scallops were interesting and different...cooked and split. My little neck clams were yummy and fresh but the one Alan tried was gritty. A perpetual issue for him and why he doesn't like clams and mussels.

18 Burgers, Matawan

That's right...18 Burgers, not 25. We were surprised to see this new burger place with such a similar name open on on Route 79 in Matawan inside the Philly Cheesesteak Factory but haven't given it much thought in the last few months. We don't drive up that way very often - out of sight, out of mind.

But last night we did pass by it on our way to meet with our financial planner and had already discussed hitting up Stewart's on the way home. Based on the rarity of being close by, we decided to give 18 burgers a shot.

The menu reminded me of the one at 25 Burgers in Bound Brook (http://www.18burgers.com/) with a lot of choices from plain patties up to The Belly Buster that is a three quarter pound monster topped with mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, potato wedges and cheese. Despite all the decadent options on the list, I went with an everyday cheese burger for my evaluation of this place's potential. I ordered it with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo and added ketchup and mustard. The standard "Jenn" order. As you can see from the picture below...it looked promising. The fries served alongside were skin on, old fashion style that I'm particularly fond of.

90 Acres Birthday dinner

Wednesday evening, Steve, Emma and I celebrated our joint birthdays at the Natirar estate restaurant, 90 Acres in Far Hills, NJ. We have been to this restaurant several times before with mixed results. One of favorite chefs, David Felton, opened this restaurant in Winter, 2009 and in concept, we were immediate fans. Felton, formerly of the Pluckemin Inn, was hand selected by owner Sir Richard Branson to conceptualize, create and open the signature restaurant on his 90 acre slice of the almost 400 acre Natirar park. The restaurant was the first to open, with a resort and spa soon following after.

First and foremost is the chef’s desire to create a truly farm to table experience, with the farm literally at the diner’s window (maybe too close for those on the verge of vegetarianism). Steve and I have participated in the Viking Culinary School on the estate before, and have had the opportunity to walk through the growing farm filled with rows upon rows of herbs, vegetables and live stock.

Blue Water Seafood, Red Bank NJ

Last Friday night Alan, Jeff and I found ourselves free for dinner and looking for somewhere to go. Once deciding it would be down our way, Alan suggested we try the new fish place in Red Bank, Blue Water Seafood. It's BYO and the menu looked great so we made a 7pm reservation and away we went.

Located close to the intersection of Broad and West Front Street, this new Red Bank establishment occupies a pretty busy spot. Lots of foot and car traffic pass by...and the restaurant was packed on this particular Friday night. The restaurant seems tall, narrow and long and we were taken upstairs to our table smack tab in the middle of the room. I don't mind being in the middle of the floor except when you are too closely packed in with other tables making the art of walking past your table to (1) take orders, (2) deliver food, or (3) exit the dining room one that frequently results in getting bumped or having people's butts near your face. Not a fan of this seating arrangement. Also, it was freezing cold.

America Eats Tavern, DC

For my birthday, we ventured into DC to try a newly opened restaurant, America Eats Tavern, by Jose Andres. The restaurant is only temporary and is occupying the old Cafe Atlantico space. The theme of the restaurant is based off an exhibit at the National Archives, What's Cooking Uncle Sam. We haven't been to the exhibit yet but after eating at the restaurant we are inspired to check it out.

The restaurant has a very fun mixed drink menu and a choice of 3 punches that serve a group. We decided on the Philadelphia Fish House Punch which consisted of rum, peach infused brandy, green tea, lemon, lime, sugar, water, and ice. The presentation was lovely and there was no mistaking it for a virgin cocktail.

Acacia, Lawrenceville NJ

Last night Alan and I met Mary & Steve out for dinner at a restaurant none of us had been to yet. Located in the little town of Lawrenceville, NJ...just down the road from Princeton, this one sounded intriguing with it's eclectic New American menu and it's BYO status. Our reservation was for 6:30pm...the restaurant basically empty when we arrived. It's a popular place though - by 7:30pm it was packed solid.

It's a small place located on Main Street with maybe fifteen tables inside and other four or so outside. The ambiance was nondescript and a bit on the dark side. Upon being seated, our waitress told us of the three specials of the night in addition to the menu. We decided to order appetizer, salad and entree.
To start off the evening, Mary and I both ordered the tuna tartar with ponzo, avocado and chives in a soy / sesame type of broth. It was an attractive dish. The tuna was fresh, as was the avocado. The problem with this one was the sauce; there was too much of it and it was overpowering. It could have been a great dish with only a drizzle or no sauce at all.

Hurricane Irene

As many of you may know that when Hurricane Irene came to town Jenn and I lost power for over 4 days. That necessitated a little bit of wine drinking (details shortly), but prior to jumping into that, we had one outrageous dining experience to discuss.

Brooklyn Fare Chef’s Table – Our friends Molly and Brian Kennedy told us back in March that they had their greatest (to date) dining experience at a restaurant in Brooklyn, of all places. It was at the Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare. They also said we had to go…fat chance, the place is in Brooklyn. It might as well be in Tennessee (e.g. Blackberry Farms!). In any case, Brian and Molly were on it and eventually came to us with a reservation, and a place to stay in NYC if we needed it. Hard to pass up.

The Best Burgers in New Jersey

Thanks to Steve for sending in this article from New Jersey Monthly and their recent burger cook off...

The Great Burger Showdown

Ten of the best (and biggest) burgers in New Jersey square off for bragging rights in our first cook-off.

Posted January 17, 2011 by Eric Levin

http://njmonthly.com/articles/restaurants/tall-orders.html

We considered fanning teams of tasters across the state to report on state of the art bur-gers. Such sampling is essential with pizza (see NJM cover story, February 2010), brunch (February 2009), diners (February 2008) and the cornucopia of cheap eats (February 2007), because those are not readily moveable feasts. Meaning you can’t easily bring them to one location for a cook-off to determine the best. 


The hamburger, though, is a free spirit. Even in its most elaborate form, the ingredients are easily transported, and the three main ways of cooking it—on a griddle, over a flame grill or in a pan on a stove—require only standard equipment found in most professional kitchens. So the idea began to take shape: Hold a one-day battle for bragging rights among some of the best burgers in New Jersey.


The first requirement was a central location. New Brunswick made sense. Then we needed a partner. We lucked out with the people from the Heldrich Hotel. The Heldrich is new and handsome, and the dining facilities are first-rate, with a huge behind-the-scenes prep area, an attractive open kitchen and a private dining room where we could sequester the judges for what would be a blind tasting.


We recruited an expert panel of five tasters—Time.com food columnist Josh Ozersky, author of three books, including The Hamburger; NJM’s in-the-know Table Hopping with Rosie blogger, Rosie Saferstein; NJM restaurant reviewer and veteran food writer Pat Tanner; George Faison, one of the founders of the specialty meat company D’Artagnan and partner and chief operating officer of the premium meat purveyor DeBragga & Spitler; and NJM editor Ken Schlager, a dedicated fresser with a picky palate. [Here, meat maven Ozersky sings the praises of the simplest, humblest and most affordable burger, the White (Castle-Rose-Diamond-Manna-Mana) slider.]


Next came the toughest part—deciding which rest-aurants to invite, and how many. After talking with the judges and other foodies, we decided 10 hamburgers was the most that could humanely be fed to sentient beings in a single seating before palates pooped out and tummys trembled. 


So which ten? We wanted, first of all, a geographical mix of North, Central and South. We wanted a range of restaurants, from crowd-pleasing pubs to fine-dining establishments, with maybe a diner or specialty joint thrown in. We wanted places that pride themselves on their burgers, that sell a lot of them, that have won praise and maybe even awards for their burgers. We wanted some from among perennial winners in our annual Readers’ Choice Restaurant and Best Of Jersey polls. 


At last the competitors were chosen and the day of the Great Burger Showdown arrived—a Monday, when many restaurants are closed, making it easier for chefs to spend half a day in transit and competition (all except the crew at Christopher’s, who would be competing in their home kitchen at the Heldrich, and Stage Left in New Brunswick, who merely had to cross the street). Furthest South: Lucky Bones, Cape May. Furthest North: The Iron Horse, Westwood. Furthest East: Frankie’s, Point Pleasant Beach. Furthest West: Vincentown Diner, Vincentown.


The call was for 11:30 am. Pulling wheeled coolers, chefs began arriving an hour before that. Each was allowed to bring a helper or two. Owners could tag along; some made themselves useful slicing tomatoes and toasting buns, while others paced. In two instances—Zod Arifai of Next Door in Montclair and Evan Blomgren of Rocky Hill Inn in Rocky Hill—the owner is the chef. In one case, the owner, Lee Tremble of Iron Horse, is father of the chef, Sean Tremble. Pop, who is white-bearded and burly and wore a pink baseball cap, kept up a cheerful patter.


First order of business was drawing lots to determine in which order the chefs would cook. The Christopher’s kitchen supplied an iron pot into which 10 numbered, sealed chits were tossed, and chefs took turns plucking one out. As it happened, Christopher’s drew number 1. Whether that was an advantage (judges would be fresh) or a disadvantage (by the time nine more burgers were tasted, how much would be remembered about number 1?) nobody could say. Copeland drew number 10 (palette fatigue or the power of the last word?). Would the middle contestants get lost in the shuffle?


There was no chance of that. Not with these judges. Saferstein may be small (4 feet 10 inches) but, she said, only half joking, “They call me Big Mouth.” Tanner eats about 130 restaurant meals a year, plus cooks at home. Faison can discuss flavor and marbling of every cut of meat, characteristics of different cattle breeds and finishing diets, and aging and curing methods until, so to speak, the cows come home. Ozersky is a carnivore’s carnivore, built like a linebacker and blessed with a palate as decisive as the swing of a butcher’s cleaver. One bite, maybe two, and he pronounces judgment. Schlager is Everyman, but with an editor’s eyeshade.


As soon as the judges arrived they were whisked into the private dining room, where they remained, except for bathroom breaks. Their places were set with knives and forks, linen napkins and glasses of sparkling water for palate cleansing. They weren’t told who the competitors were. Burgers were identified for them only by number on information sheets that listed each burger’s ingredients. 


The cooking was set up so that each chef’s five burgers would be tasted at their peak, within seconds of coming off the grill. Once lots were drawn, the chefs repaired to the rear kitchen to prep. As soon as number 1 (Jason Zimmerman of Christopher’s) was ready, he took to the grill and started cooking. The minute his burgers were plated, placed on a tray and carried to the judges by Heldrich food and beverage director Gershon, the next chef took his place in the open kitchen at his choice of stove, griddle or grill. 
Most of the entries were proven crowd-pleasers leaping directly from the menus of their respective restaurants. The Christopher’s team, however, had brainstormed, inventing new burgers just for the contest. “We did a six-burger tasting on Friday,” declared one of the team. “The winner was incredibly juicy.”


It was also incredibly complex, involving a Texas toast (aka thick-sliced) brioche bun with toppings of caramelized shallots, oven-dried “teardrop” tomatoes, bone marrow aioli, braised short rib meat and fried parsley. Nonetheless, it made a strong first impression. “I would take a trip to eat this burger,” said Ozersky, who in fact had done just that. (An Atlantic City native, he now lives in Brooklyn.) “I would be surprised if this burger is not in my top three.” 


Entry number 2 was the signature burger of the Rocky Hill Inn, topped with cheddar, grilled onions, bacon and the surprise of a sunnyside-up egg. “The yolk gets all gooey and that’s what makes the burger good,” explained chef/owner Evan Blomgren, expertly cracking eggs onto the griddle with one hand. The burger was served open-face, top bun on the side. 


In the judges’ room, Faison clapped the lid on and lifted it to his lips. “A breakfast burger!” he enthused. “Here we go.” It was big, and Saferstein had trouble getting her hands around it. The judges did like its looks. “Maybe there is something to be said for appearance scores,” said Ozersky. Still, he jotted down on his score sheet, “Hard to eat.”


Third up were the road warriors of Lucky Bones Backwater Grille, who had driven more than 120 miles to set before the judges a blend of ground chuck, short rib and skirt steak. “People want something new,” said chef Sean McCullough, “and I think we’re giving that to them with this blend.” Like all the chefs, McCullough had to get the feel of the flame broiler, which he estimated to be running at 350 to 400 degrees. “It’s hot!” he said. At that temperature, all six burgers (one in each batch was sent to the photographers for a portrait, followed by freelance nibbling) cooked in about eight minutes or less. Schlager, lifting his top bun, examined the patty and said, “I like the char.”


The panel’s Burger number 4 was dubbed the “French Onion” by its makers from Burger Deluxe in Wayne. “We get the idea from the French onion soup,” said partner Zeki Yesilyurt. “We caramelize our onions with the white wine and thyme and then we add some nice beef broth in there. And then we simmer the onions slowly until real nice.” The French onions were slipped underneath the patty, which was topped with Gruyere cheese and a crispy/tangy parmesan crust. The judges thought there was too much beef stock in the onions, which made for a wet bottom.


Coincidentally, the French onion theme returned in Burger number 5 (chef Oleg Zelenko and the Vincentown Diner). The burger had crispy, deep-fried frizzled onions instead of simmered French ones, but each came with what looked like a cup of soup—actually beef and chicken stock jus. Zelenko declared it “my little secret, French onion soup minus onions.” The burger had other talking points: all the competitors’ rolls were toasted, Zelenko’s were buttered as well; the patties were topped with melted Swiss cheese and a squiggle of creamy horseradish sauce; the patty was of 100 percent Jersey-raised grass-fed beef, which is naturally leaner than grain-finished beef.


“It’s a very original concept,” Ozersky said. “And the chef has avoided the folly of lettuce and tomato.” One judge cut his in half and dipped an end into the steaming jus. But after taking a bite his comment concerned the patty. “It’s a bit too lean,” he said. “It needs more fat.” “I’m sorry,” Tanner countered. “This chef knew what he was doing. He has exactly the right proportions of everything.”


To help the judges keep track, one of each sampled burger was lined up along the edge of the long table when the other plates were removed. We were now halfway through. Five partly consumed bur-gers formed a disheveled chorus line. The judges were wisely pacing themselves, resisting the urge to take extra bites of the ones they liked best. 


In came number 6. Compared to the teetering towers that had preceded it, this one, from chef Zod Arifai’s Next Door, was broad but compact. Ozersky, showing his expertise, seized on a truth about Arifai’s burger. “This is from a black pan,” he announced. “Whoever made this used clarified butter in a hot pan.” Topped just with partly melted cheddar (partial melting retains more cheese flavor, Arifai later explained) and caramelized onions, this burger, declared Saferstein, “isn’t overwhelming. You can enjoy it. I love the bun. These onions are really good.” Faison noted, “the cheese has a more pronounced flavor than what we’ve been having.”


Ozersky was the most enthusiastic. “This is a perfectly constructed burger,” he said. “We haven’t had one where the cheese and bun just perfectly complement the burger and create a transparency. Not only that, but look at the crust. It’s perfect mahogany from edge to edge.” Mr. One Bite then gave the ultimate compliment: “I ate more than I needed to. It’s just so easy going down.”


Unknown to the judges, burger number 7—at 11 ounces the biggest of the day—was at a slight disadvantage. Coming from Stage Left, which is across the street from the Heldrich, it is normally cooked over an applewood fire, which produces a lot of smoke when the fat drips down, imparting a smoky taste to the meat. For the competition, chef J.R. Belt started the patties on the wood fire, “marking” them, before bringing them across the street to be finished on the Heldrich’s gas grill. One of the judges declared it “the best beef I’ve had yet today, but it’s not cooked properly. It’s nearly raw inside. There is a certain temperature you have to hit.” Dressed with thick slices of tomato and red onion, plus lettuce, plus that thick patty, the burger was one of the tallest of the day. Commented another judge, “This is like the new building they just put up in Abu Dhabi.”


The judges faulted burger number 8, from Frankie’s in Point Pleasant Beach, for being overcooked, though it did have a beautiful char and mouth-watering lava flows of glossy cheddar. One judge didn’t care for the kaiser roll.


The ninth, from the Iron Horse, was given points for “the great aroma from the fresh basil,” two judges noted. But the panel didn’t care for the mozzarella with which the patty was stuffed, deeming it “gummy.”
The final burger, with its beautiful dark char and glistening toasted bun, was judged perhaps the most attractive of the day. Hopes ran high that it would be a grand slam. Instead, as the panelists bit into it, number 10 (from Copeland in Morristown) struck out. The patty was nearly raw inside. “That’s not what I wanted for the last one,” a judge said reprovingly.


The judges had been giving each burger point scores in five categories: bun, patty, toppings, appearance and overall edibility. Now they totalled up the scores, then assigned each burger a final rank, from one to ten. The results were tallied and the burgers were ranked accordingly.


Rocky Hill Inn took fourth place with a score of 25 points. Three other burgers tied with the day’s best scores, so the judges used first-place votes as tie-breakers. Burgers 1 (Christopher’s in the Heldrich) and 7 (Stage Left) each had one first-place vote. The judges—still not knowing the identities of the contestants—held a run-off vote between the two, which resulted in Stage Left finishing third and Christopher’s second. A strong performance by the two New Brunswick restaurants.


There was no doubt about the overall winner. Burger number 6 (Zod Arifai’s Next Door) got three first-place votes. 


It was the simplest burger of the day. Just the patty, caramelized onions and aged Vermont cheddar. Actually, there was one other ingredient, which Arifai called critical—salt.


“Salting is the most important element in any cooking,” he said. “You can have the best meat, best fish, best vegetables, but if you don’t salt properly it won’t taste good. And,” he added, “it’s just as important not to oversalt as not to undersalt.” 


After the four winners were announced to good-natured applause, the chefs, NJM staffers, photographers and videographers dispersed. The judges went on their way. My competition organizer duties done, I had a strange hankering for a hamburger.

CHRISTOPHER'S

in the Heldrich Hotel, 10 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick (732-729-4670; theheldrich.com)

CHEF: Jason Zimmerman FOOD & BEVERAGE DIRECTOR: Jason Gershon CLAIM TO FAME: Host of the NJM Great Burger Showdown. NJM ★★★ review, 2007

THE BURGER

PATTY: 85 percent lean/15 percent fat, organic beef BUN: Brioche Texas toast TOPPINGS: Braised short rib, caramelized shallots, oven-dried teardrop tomatoes, bone marrow aioli, fried parsley

ROCKY HILL INN

137 Washington St., Rocky Hill (609-683-8930, rockyhilltavern.com)

CHEF: Evan Blomgren OWNERS: Evan and Maria Blomgren CLAIM TO FAME: Strong recommendations from readers writing to burgers@njmonthly.com.

THE BURGER

PATTY: Strip steak, short rib, pancetta BUN: Brioche TOPPINGS: Cheddar, grilled onions, applewood-smoked bacon, sunnyside-up egg

COPELAND

in the Westin Governor Morris Hotel, 2 Whippany Rd., Morristown (973-451-2619; copelandrestaurant.com)

CHEF: Robert Trainor CONSULTING CHEF: Thomas Ciszak CLAIM TO FAME: One of NJM's 25 Best Restaurants in the state, 2009-10; burger a Critics' Pick, 2009-10.

THE BURGER

PATTY: 1/2 Wagyu beef, 1/2 Black Angus BUN: Black pepper sesame brioche TOPPINGS: Gruyere, applewood-smoked bacon, TC Steak Sauce, lettuce, tomato

THE IRON HORSE

20 Washington Ave., Westwood (201-666-9682; theironhorse.com)

CHEF: Sean Tremble OWNER: Lee Tremble CLAIM TO FAME: Popular Bergen County pub known for its stuffed burgers.

THE BURGER

"The Margherita" PATTY: 85 percent lean/15 percent fat beef, stuffed with mozzarella BUN: Ciabatta roll TOPPINGS: Red and yellow marinated roasted tomatoes, chopped fresh basil

LUCKY BONES

1200 Route 109, Cape May (609-884-2663; luckybonesgrille.com)

CHEF: Shaun McCullough OWNERS: David and Michael Craig CLAIM TO FAME: One of the most popular restaurants in one of the Garden State's busiest, most competitive restaurant towns.

THE BURGER

PATTY: Chuck, short rib, skirt steak BUN: Snow Wolf, Formica Brothers Bakery, Atlantic City TOPPINGS: Caramelized onions, bacon, applewood-smoked cheddar, l

BURGER DELUXE

1420 Route 23 North, Wayne (973-305-0033; livanosrestaurantgroup.com)

CHEF: Leo Ramirez OWNER (PARTNER): Zeki Yesilyurt CLAIM TO FAME: Popular specialty burger restaurant with the soul of a Greek diner

THE BURGER

"French Onion Burger" PATTY: Brisket BUN: Brioche TOPPINGS: French onion, Gruyere, parmesan crust, lettuce, tomato

VINCENTOWN DINER

2357 Route 206, Vincentown (609-267-3033; vincentowndiner.com)

CHEF: Oleg Zelenko OWNER: Jimmy Melissaratos CLAIM TO FAME: Well-regarded South Jersey diner known for using local, seasonal ingredients and grass-fed beef.

THE BURGER

PATTY: Organic grass-fed chuck and sirloin from Simply Grazin Organic Farm in Skillman BUN: Rustic kaiser roll from Olde World Bakery and Cafe, Mount Holly TOPPINGS: Frizzled onions, Alpine Lace swiss cheese, horseradish sauce, cup of beef/ chicken jus on the side

FRANKIE'S BAR & GRILL

414 Route 35 South, Point Pleasant Beach (732-892-6000; frankiesbarandgrille.com)

CHEF: Dennis Sullivan OWNER: Frank Kineavy CLAIM TO FAME: Best Burger, South, NJM Readers' Poll, 2009-10

THE BURGER

PATTY: 80 percent lean/ 20 percent fat "special blend" BUN: Poppy-seed Kaiser roll TOPPINGS: Lettuce, tomato, red onion, cheddar, bacon

STAGE LEFT

5 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick (732-828-4444; stageleft.com)

CHEF: J.R. Belt OWNERS: Mark Pascal, Francis Schott and Lou Riverio CLAIM TO FAME: Best Burger, Central, NJM Readers' Poll, 2006-08; burger inducted into NJM's "Best Of" Hall of Fame, 2007.

THE BURGER

PATTY: 80 percent lean/ 20 percent fat sirloin BUN: Brioche TOPPINGS: Lettuce, tomato, red onion, chipotle mayo, ketchup, 3-year-aged cheddar, bacon

NEXT DOOR

556 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair (973-744-3600; restaurantblu.com/nextdoor)

CHEF/OWNER: Zod Arifai CLAIM TO FAME: Best Burger, North, NJM Readers' Poll, 2009-10; NJM Critics' Pick, 2008-09.

THE BURGER

PATTY: 80 percent lean/20 percent fat chuck, plus hanger steak, short rib BUN: Brioche from Balthazar Bakery, Englewood TOPPINGS: Caramelized onions, Vermont sharp cheddar

With but two moving parts, the basic hamburger is one of the simplest foods around, on a par with the hot dog, and simpler than the dough-sauce-cheese triad of plain pizza. Still, identifying the best hamburger in New Jersey is no simple task, especially because chefs have come to treat the premium burger as blank canvas—or as upwardly mobile missile, deploying its payload of exotic beef blends, caramelized onions, aged cheeses and farmstead bacons into the culinary blue yonder.

Fireside Grille & Bar

For the last eight months or so Alan and I have been watching with hope the construction of a new restaurant right down the road from our house.  It was apparent that it would be a neighborhood grill and we would love to have a casual place to grab a burger and drink nearby.  For as much as we love our house, the town of Marlboro is seriously lacking when it comes to sit down restaurants. In fact, other than a damn good pizza place, we never eat here. We either go to Sea Bright, Red Bank or hike it out to The Pluckemin Inn.

After five days of dealing with the power and flooding issues Hurricane Irene brought our way, and seeing that Fireside Grille (yes, there's an "e" at the end for god-only-knows-why) had opened, we were ready to get a meal out of the house.

Cuban Burger

Had lunch with Rich at Cuba Libra in the Tropicana, Atlantic City this afternoon. The place was pretty empty when we arrived. Rich ordered the Miami Fritta pictured above - their version of a burger. Beef, pork and chorizo with spicy mustard, lettuce, tomato and thin little crunchy strips of potato. Served on a toasted Cuban bread. It was pretty good...not at all like a burger actually, but tasty nonetheless. It was well cooked, had that smokey flavor that comes with the Spanish sausage and nicely complimented by the mustard. The bread was fabulous making it an unusual but good sandwich. The little Kennebec shoestring fries were awesome.