Another Worthy Burger in Strasbourg (France)

Every once in a while, fate smiles upon you. As most of you already know, my wife and I founded the "Share-A-Burger" initiative in December 2004 in a genuine attempt to change the world one burger at a time. If you're not already a fan by the way, please like our facebook page immediately.

As of today, we have 479 fans sharing the love of burgers and even better, a restaurant in Strasbourg that serves burgers using our GNU General Public License Burger recipe with only minor modifications. So, do not hesitate to go try it for yourself at Le Catsy's Chez Frieda!

And of course: May The Burger Be With You All!

The Best Burger in Newquay, UK

As I was on a trip to Newquay (UK), I thought I'd take advantage of this visit to sample some British burgers. I had done my research before my trip and it seemed that Bank Street Bar & Grill was the place to go for the best burger in town.

Well, let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed at all. I ordered a Bank Street Bad Boy Burger and Boy (no pun intended), I loved it! I usually don't like any burger interpretation that strays away from a classic burger but this time, I was impressed. My chili sauce and the combination with excellent meat, tasty bun and cheese was just delightful.

The Best Burger Blogs

I have a passion for burgers and I love to take pictures of them. There are, however, dedicated blogs that do a much better job than me. So here's my list of not-to-be-missed burger blogs:

- Burgerac: http://www.burgerac.com/

- Hamburger America: http://hamburgeramerica.blogspot.com/

- Burger Junkies: http://burgerjunkies.com/

Drool more after the break:

PizzBurgers Strasbourg Review

There seem to be no rest for the true Burger lovers in Strasbourg these days and this is a very good thing in my unbiased opinion... Well almost unbiased...

Last november, Speed Burger opened a location in Strasbourg and I reviewed them here. There is now a new alternative to burger home deliveries in our great alsatian city thanks to PizzBurgers. I tried them out twice and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of their burgers. I found them to be more than reasonably good and the selection on their website is quite large. Most importantly, both times I ordered, delivery was fast and the burgers were still burning hot when they arrived!

Franky's Diner: An American Diner In Strasbourg

I couldn't believe the news today nor could I close my eyes and make it go away: a full-fledged Diner finally opened its doors in Strasbourg. I had to give it a try and so, it won't come as much of a surprise that a good 22 minutes after Franky's Diner opened I could consider myself one of their first customers.

As I'm used to being disappointed by the usual amateurism associated with attempts to recreate true and great American food, I wasn't expecting much.

First of all, let me say that I was pleasantly surprised with the setting of this Diner in the sense that it pretty much looks like the real thing. Granted there are no napkin dispensers on the table and we can't choose the music but the seats, color theme & atmosphere makes you feel like you're 5000 miles away from the capital of Europe... Well, as long as you're also not paying much attention to the music: Franky: The Stray Cats formed in 1980 and their music mostly consisted of a blend of rockabilly music with punk elements. It is not the kind of music that is usually played in a Diner. I wish I would have listened to some more appropriate music such as: Chantilly Lace or Purple People Eater for instance.

What about the experience ?

The Share-A-Burger Initiative: Changing The World One Burger At A Time

This blog post is dedicated to those who thought the world had already come up with the craziest ideas anyone could think of. I hope that they will realize that nature keeps reinventing itself and will never cease to surprise us.

So here comes the craziest idea ever: The Share-A-Burger Initiative.

What is it?

Well, it's fairly simple: Two years ago, I embarked on the bold endeavor of preparing the finest Sunday burger ever. After numerous attempts at Burger Xanadu, I, in all modesty, believe that I now hold the recipe for the perfect Sunday Burger.

Subsequent to that realization, my purpose in life is to spread Burger wisdom throughout the world. And how better to do so than by sharing a Burger?

So here's the deal:

Le Camion Qui Fume - Food Truck - Paris

Making a close to perfect burger requires two major skills: humility and method. Kristin Frederick (pictured above), the chef behind "Le Camion Qui Fume" (The Smoking Truck), is gifted with both.

Humility is essential when it comes to burgers because no matter how talented a chef you are, you have to recognize that the best burger can only be a classic burger. It is thus essential to feature it in your menu no matter how fancy, smart or inventive you think you are.

La Cantoche de Paname - Paris

As many scientific breakthroughs are the results of random acts, it only seems logical to conclude that the same rule must apply to the Art of Burger. In their almighty Cheddarness, it seems that the Burger Gods deemed me worthy of witnessing such an occurrence. Or maybe they wanted to balance the forces of Cheddarness for the better as my lunch at Blend Hamburger on the same day had been a bit disappointing.

Blend Hamburger - Paris

Blend Hamburger opened less than a month ago. If you believe the hype (and there are enough famous songs advising you not too), this burger joint is rumored to be The place to have a great hamburger in Paris. It hence won't come as a surprise that the wait to be seated is rather long.

Three Burgers In London

As I was using a prepaid Three UK sim card during my trip to London, I thought I should review Three hamburger joints there!

Speed Burger Strasbourg Review

Now that Speed Burger has a joint in Strasbourg, I had to try it out. I can't believe they opened shop two weeks ago and I didn't know! So, here comes my relatively late review.

First of all, you need to know that Speed Burger has many locations in France and specializes in home deliveries, an unexplained rarity in France and particularly in Strasbourg. Doesn't it feel great to know you can pick up the phone and just order a burger that will be delivered to your home in less than thirty minutes?

So, how was the service and food?

Oops! The Burger Gods Did It Again At 231 East St. In Strasbourg (France)

Distinguishing reality from our imagination may be a concern for some philosophers. In fact, I am yet to be proven wrong in my assumption that the entire universe and all beings and things in it are just a product of my imagination. In that same line of thinking, my recent (read: two decade old) but unconditional passion for burgers seems to have led to a spike in Burger Joint creations in my hometown.

As I was almost ready to embrace the fact that the world may not be a holographic projection after all, two great Burger Joints opened up in Strasbourg. Someone please explain me how could that be a coincidence?

The first Burger Joint to open was "Le Pied de Mammouth" and I must say my city really lacked such a place. Its opening seems to have been closely followed by the opening of a second, yet different Burger Joint named: "231 East Street" and located 3 Place Saint Etienne (Tel: +33388169613). The former establishment features huge and original burgers whereas the latter sports classic burgers in a perfect bun with juicy melted cheese. I can't say which one is the best but both places definitely deserve a visit!

The number obsessed in you (and is there any Burger lover who isn't it?) will ask how these burgers rate on the Shake Schackedness scale. So, let me answer this utmost important question: I would grant "Le Pied de Mammouth" a solid 6.65 out of 7 and "231 East St." a 6.66. And for those of you more familiar with the In-N-Out Burger Awesomeness scale, this would translate into 42 for the former and 42.42 for the latter.

As a special bonus to my faithful readers, here is the menu at 231 East St. (courtesy of @DrGGT):

Granted, it is short and reduced to its bare essentials but you have to admit: who wants to hesitate for hours between 20 different Burgers when they crave for melted cheddar, perfectly cooked patties, lettuce, tomato and mayo in a bun? In this day and increasingly complicated age, do we really need more options than these classic three: Hamburger, Cheeseburger and Bacon Cheeseburger? Although this menu features a salad which might scare some of you away (and frankly shocked me when I saw it), I think they did a great job at simplifying things.


Enjoy it!

New Burger Joint in Strasbourg (France): Le Pied de Mammouth (LPM) aka The Mammoth's Foot

I had to review this newly opened burger joint in Strasbourg. "Le Pied de Mammouth" is a somewhat rarity in this town as no other restaurant is dedicated to the holy grail of food: The Hamburger.  Even though it is a small place, it looks more like a restaurant than a fast food joint and the quality of the ingredients combined with the Hamburger knowledge of the staff are going to make it a popular place amongst Hamburger Fashionistas in town.

I tried their El Gringo and Batave Burgers and both were excellent. I, however, customized my El Gringo order, replacing grilled onions with fresh onions and adding bacon. I must say that their Cheddar was excellent as well as the beef patties. The buns were a bit over grilled and the lettuce not what you would expect in a hamburger but overall it is very likely the best Hamburger option in town.

My only comment would be that their hamburgers tend to border on the French side of Burgerdom and in my book, when it comes to hamburgers, I would say that the more classic and more American the better!

These burgers can be had here !

The (Update: Former) Best Hamburger In Strasbourg (France)

Without any doubt the best hamburger in Strasbourg can be found in the picture above and IRL (well, almost) at the location disclosed below:

Soul Meat
(For some unknown reason, you will only find their contact information in the yellow pages if you look for "Diable Bleu")

Update as of July 8, 2011: this place doesn't serve the best hamburgers in town anymore. For the best hamburgers, go to "Le Pied de Mammouth" or "231 East St."

The Case For Food Perversion

I am surprised to see that the concept of Food Perversion is not widely accepted for it is a growing concern for health authorities worldwide. Originating in the structural disavowal of health and nutrition concepts, people suffering from this condition (referred to food perverts in this post) are unable to experience satisfactory gustative pleasure in the absence of their fetish. The most common fetish associated with food perversion is hamburger or melted cheddar cheese. Food perverts will typically only eat meals consisting of hamburgers or anything associated with a melted cheddar cheese sauce. They need to be treated because their condition is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic complications. So let's all raise our voices for food perversion awareness!