Like much of America, the Food Snob is couch-ridden right now with a devastating case of March Madness. It’s hard to tear us away from the television on game days, but when the bracketology of tournament time gets mashed up with our first love – delicious food – we are willing to leave the house (as long as it’s halftime). Luckily for us, the Barley House is in the midst of Burger Madness, which pits a fine field of unique sliders against each other in a competition judged by patrons. (Judging stuff is our third love!) We hit pause on the DVR and headed down.
The first matchup we were able to check out was a beer-steamed bison burger versus the “big bleu elk” ($13 for the pair of sliders and a side dish). We dug right into the “big bleu elk” to start. As you might have guessed, it was a ground elk slider topped with bleu cheese. The full flavor profile of the elk blew us away! It paired perfectly with the bleu cheese, which was mixed with cranberries and blueberries to provide a contrast between sweet and meat.
Next, we got after the beer-steamed bison. This slider was pretty good, but the meat was not nearly as flavorful as the elk. It was topped with the traditional burger accoutrements: applewood smoked bacon (top notch!), cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomato and onion. It could certainly stand on its own as a solid burger offering, but when up against the “big bleu elk,” it was no contest.
When we were done with both, our server brought us some burger ballots to register our votes. Both the Snob and our dining companion cast our votes for the “big bleu elk,” naturally.
Later that week, we returned to the Barley House to try the second of the week’s matchups. This time, it was a battle of the barbecues, as Korean barbecue went up against Texas-style.
This matchup was much closer. The Texas barbecue burger was topped with crispy onions and a slice of beer-brined brisket. It was juicy, saucy and delightful, but we thought the briney brisket overpowered the rest of the flavors with its alcohol-infused accentuation.
The Korean barbecue burger was very different. There was nothing outrageous about the patty itself, but it was topped with pickled vegetables, including carrots, onions and squash, drizzled with a bit of mayonnaise. It was another study in contrast; the tangy pickled veggies and the savory meat got along famously!
The Snob and our companion had a rare disagreement over this matchup, with the Snob championing the Korean barbecue burger and our companion lobbying for the Texas-style offering. Our votes were just two of many, though; check out the Barley House website to see which burger advanced to the next round of Burger Madness! The championship matchup is being determined as we speak; voting on the final round takes place from April 4 to April 6, with a champion crowned on April 8.
