How much would you pay for a "gourmet" burger?

Here's a chron article about it. Personally, I'd pay close to $100 bucks if I heard it was good enough. Much like the $20 hot dog I wrote about earlier, I think it is a nice take.

I'm even going to talk to Steve Christian over at Tailgate about doing one of his own. Why not? It's already one of the best burgers out there? Why not do a "gourmet" burger over there to compete?

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/dining/4829544.html

Blame Daniel Boulud — or credit him — for putting burgers center stage.

The French chef elevated the humble item with a $29 Canadian-beef version at DB Bistro Moderne in New York. A year later, he upped the ante with the $75 Burger Royale, stuffed with foie gras and crowned with freshly shaved black winter truffles.

The success of the original DB burger — which now sells for $32 — is a testament that diners are willing to pay more than a buck for a burger. It raised the American icon to white-tablecloth status.

These days, diners can fork over as much money for a hamburger as for a filet mignon.

May is National Hamburger month. According to NPD, a market research firm, Americans consumed more than 11 billion burgers last year — more than 40 percent of sandwiches eaten in restaurants.

Exactly who flipped the first burger is up for debate. The most widely believed story, according to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, involves a Texan. Fletcher "Old Dave" Davis from Athens started selling ground-beef patty sandwiches at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904.

Another tale goes back to 1833, when Hamburg-style "steak" appeared on the menu of New York's Delmonico's restaurant. The dish was introduced to New Yorkers by German immigrants. Back then, it cost 10 cents.

"Today, burgers are running a wider gamut (in price) than ever before," said Joe Schuele, spokesman for the beef association. "There's increasing interest in more upscale burgers made from higher-quality cuts of beef."

The burger is appearing on the ritziest menus in town. Like its fast-food counterparts, the upscale version is often supersized. From buns to toppings, they boast impeccable breeding.

Even so, are these high-end burgers worth the price tag? Wouldn't a $5 burger at Lankford Grocery & Market, Tookie's or Christian's Tailgate Grill & Bar do just as well?

I began with the $29 burger at Mockingbird Bistro. A cone-shaped container of Parmesan-flecked pommes frites accompanies it to the table. Glistening with juice, the American Kobe beef was seared medium-rare. I had arrived with the preconceived notion that fat-rich foie gras and marbled Kobe would be too much of a good thing. Instead, the marriage was harmonious — chewy beefiness with lush foie gras.

"The Hudson Valley foie gras," says Mockingbird chef-owner John Sheely, "is about 5 ounces, the same size as the appetizer version. That's pretty generous. Still, I have requests for double foie on top." That brings the price up to $50.

"Chefs around town are trying to outdo each other with the best burger," Sheely says. "I hate to sound like a broken record, but it's comfort food. And if you do it right, it means something."

In the realm of chefs, it's not always the most exotic or elaborate dish that test their skills. Often, it's the simplest things. The perfect omelet or burger can earn respect.

"I'm trying to do a classic burger with no gimmicks," says Ryan Pera, executive chef at 17 restaurant in downtown's Alden Houston Hotel.

Adeptly grilled to order, the burger is fashioned from ground tenderloin, an expensive cut usually reserved for steaks. For $15, it comes with golden, crispy fries and homemade Kirby pickles, marinated in a sugar brine infused with cloves, star anise, celery, carrot and fennel.

"Burgers are an American staple," Pera says. "It's only natural that now it would come into its own — that it would stand out, even in upscale restaurants."

Take, for example, Tony's. Between 10 p.m. and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, executive chef Olivier Ciesielski makes miniburgers. For $18, diners can top them with seared foie gras, truffle cheese or foie gras and sliced black truffle. My favorite was the truffle cheese, which balanced perfectly with the charred, chunky tenderloin patty.

At Cafe Annie's Bar Annie, chef-owner Robert Del Grande has perfected a classic with a soft, plush potato bun that allows the flavorful, juicy chuck patty to stand out. For $14, it comes with faultless deep-golden fries.

By now, I understood why some would shell out big bucks for a burger. The differences were in the quality ingredients and the care taken in grinding the meat to attain a mouth feel that was neither mushy nor grainy.

The burger at the Remington Bar & Grill in the St. Regis Hotel exemplifies this perfect grind, with its appealing beefy chew. For $15, it was perfectly formed with sirloin and tenderloin, ground through medium blades to preserve the meat's structure.

When they're charging top dollar, chefs need to deliver burger perfection. When they don't, as in the case of the overcooked Kobe burger at Max's Wine Dive, you feel cheated. The second time around, though, Max's burger was perfectly cooked. I wonder if the casual patron would try it twice.

I left the $45 Kobe beef burger with foie gras at the Red Lion Pub for last, only to discover that owner Craig Mallinson had taken it off the menu.

"It was costing me too much money for the juice," he says. "Although a lot of people bought it for the novelty value."

dai.huynh@chron.com

 

Let me know. I'll join you.

Hell, we do Sat. dinners all the time. One of my buddies makes a fantastic burger where he incorporates bleu cheese into the patties, and he knows his way around the grill.

If you're up for it, I may suggest a good ol' grill party tomorrow. Hell, nobody's going to work Monday.