A Hamburger Today
Link Roundup
Note: The following video contains copious use of a hand gesture that may offend more delicate readers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.
I will now coin a new term so that I may use it in the following link roundup. Foieffleburger: It is the questionable union of foie gras, truffles, and whatever fancy-ass crap you can throw on a bun along with an otherwise decent patty of good ground beef. And, here goes: The foieffleburger trend has gone west, young men and women. In Portland:
It's 11 ounces, enough for both a mother and a miscellaneous aunt, especially since this is powerfully rich meat, a long way from Extra Lean even before you factor in the foie gras. Just like the Whopper, it does have a layer of tomato and shredded lettuce -- which provides the health element -- but its unsecret sauce of a homemade, deeply truffled mayo produces a head-swimming effect, held in by a roll with enough body of its own to contain all the rest of it.
It's accompanied by crisp, homemade potato chips dusted with asiago cheese and truffle oil, a flavor not typically available in snack bags.
A little further west, we learn that the Japanese have taken yet another American concept and improved upon it: "The thing I like most about MOS burger is that the food actually looks like it does on the menu! The first time I went, I was expecting a squished, perhaps leaky version of the cute little burger on the menu, and was pleasantly surprised when it looked as fresh and perky as the picture did. In Japan, the appearance of food is almost as important as the taste, and MOS burger does not disappoint in this regard."
If the 8-bit quaintness of Burger Time is too tame for you, get stuck on Burger Island: "As told by the entertaining comic book storyline, you play as Patty (get it?), a young woman who is determined to turn around a rundown burger stand at Mount Tikikola Beach. After choosing one of three difficulty levels - Kiddie Size (easy), Regular and Jumbo (difficult) - and a brief tutorial from the hilarious Maitre de, Pierre, you'll be taking orders and fulfilling their requests before the timer expires."
In Fort Worth, Texas, a new burger joint in the city's historic stockyards:
For the meat on his burgers, Love grinds tenderloin and brisket, providing the ideal combo of crumbly texture and potent flavor.
He fabricates nearly every ingredient from scratch.... He brings in buns from Mrs Baird's, but that's only because he's decided it's the best bun there is.
His Dirty Love Burger ($4.85 for a single patty, $6.47 for a double) was an irresistible treat, topped with apple-smoked bacon sliced nice and thick, plus lettuce, tomato, American cheese and a fried quail egg.
Any AHT readers had it yet? What's the skinny?
Also in Fort Worth: "Famous for 40 years in west Fort Worth, Kincaid's is now such a suburban success that the former meat-market burger grill will open locations in Fort Worth and Arlington." For more on Kincaid's, read Texas Burger Guy's review of the joint.
In New Zealand, a judge's advice to a drunk driver during sentencing: "Take a tip from one old drinker to another. Have a dinkum old-style hamburger first—not the modern ones."
"Dinkum"? Say wha? It's Aussie English for "true."
Jingle hell. The woman who wrote the "You Deserve a Break Today" ditty for McD's "would rather be remembered for songs she's written for the likes of Patti LaBelle and Dionne Warwick." Hmm ... you don't say. Anyway, she's getting an award from her alma mater, Southern Mississippi U., for her work.