24 Aug Please The Palate Pick of the Week: The Epic Burger Throwdown at Los Angeles Food & Wine 2019

This weekend is the 9th annual Los Angeles Food & Wine event. It began on Thursday night (August 22nd) and continues through to Sunday night (August 25th). Four days of back to back opportunities to eat food from some of the best chefs in Los Angeles and beyond is definitely worth throwing the diet out of the window. And a night full of burgers at Los Angeles Food & Wine is the Please The Palate pick of the week. Juicy Beef, Tender Lamb, Sweet Yummy Pork, Al Pastor, Chorizo and even vegan options, burgers comes in all shapes and sizes. And at the Epic Burger Throwdown there were more than 25 different burgers to taste. And, I did my best to try each and every one of them. It started out quite easy but it was almost a chore by the end. But, I did it! Vanda Asapahu from Ayara Thai made the spicy Thai burger. Loved the carrots and peanuts but also got a chili that left a lingering reminder.  Barb Batiste from Big Boi – Filipino Comfort Food made the Chicken Adobo Burger. This was one of the most flavorful chicken burgers I have ever had and I loved the sweet onions on top. Dwayne Fowlks from Uncle Johnny’s Burgers prepared a classic cheeseburger. There is just something so great about the simple basics of a good bun and patty with fresh iceberg lettuce tomato and pickles. Mark & Daye Tripp from Tripp Burgers made the Tripp Burgers, cheeseburgers with Martin’s Potato Buns. There was a little bit of pork in the hamburger and it was served with a bag a potato chips. Sheldon Simeon from Tin Roof and Lineage in Maui served up a burger with sugarcane bread & butter pickles, charred tomato aioli, shaved maui onion, aged cheddar. Ted Hopson from The Bellwether served the Epic Hawaiian Burger made with terriyaki braised spam, roasted pineapple, furikaki aioli, Jack cheese, King’s Hawaiian bread and Certified Angus beef. Aaron May from Plan Check served the classic Plan Check Burger with their famous ketchup leather. Gonzalo Guzman from Nopalito in San Francisco served the Hamburguesa Oaxaquena made with Oaxacan chorizo, cheese, pinquito beans, onions, habanero and crema de morita. Ben Diaz from Nixo Lounge at the Luxe City Center Hotel mixed things up with an Al Pastor Burger with Huitlacoche salad, cotija, chipotle and Grilled Limoncello crema. David Fuerte from Masataco in Whittier offered a meatless option with the Vegan Lamb Burger with tahini, tzatziki sauce, tabbouleh feta and a garbanzo bun. Aaron Lopez from Love Hour Burger served up the eponymous Love Hour Burger with homemade pickles and sauce. Chad Valencia from Lasa served the delicious Bistek Burger with Toyonmansi Stewed Onions and Queso de Bola that was all the better when dipped into the Bistek Jus. Michael Fagnoni and Ed Lopez from Hawks Restaurant in Sacramento served the Shorty Burger with Black Truffle and Bordelaise. The aromas of the black truffle could be smelled from afar. Allen Yelent from Goldburger served up a classic Double Cheeseburger with grilled onions, pickles and garlic mustard aioli on a plush white bun. Matt Molina from Everson Royce Bar served the classic ERB burger with a side of pickles. The burger was on the salty side but the pickles helped cut the salt. James Trees from Esther’s Kitchen in Las Vegas served the very rich The Durty Nooge, a beef & pork burger with, N’duja aioli, fried crispy onions, house made pan au lait bun and plum mostarda. Javier Ramos Jr. from El Vy served the El Vy Cheeseburger. Christian Page from Cassell’s Hamburgers served the classic Cassell’s Hamburger, a house ground chuck & sirloin burger with a house made beef fat bun, slow cooked onions and tomatoes, aged cheddar and house dill pickles. Nakul & Arjun Mahendro from Badmaash served classic American burgers that will be the center Burgers 99, their new burger joint opening soon in Los Angeles. The Epic Burger Throwdown was hosted by Alvin Cailan, host of The Burger Show presented by First We Feast on You Tube, and the burgers were judged by a panel of celebrity judges including Tiffani Thiessen, Seth Rogen and Adam Richman. The Los Angeles Food & Wine Epic Burger Throwdown, the Please The Palate Pick of the Week, was a one time event which offered at least 19 different hamburgers to taste in one place. But luckily, if you missed the event, you can head to any of the restaurants and try the burgers there. It will definitely be easier to eat one at a time than to try to eat all of them in one sitting.