By all accounts, last night’s second-annual Sacramento Burger Battle was a gut-busting success. (No, really, I’m getting reports that people don’t want to eat another meal for the rest of the week.)
Which makes sense: 15 regional restaurants set up grills on Raley Field’s diamond, nearly 1,000 attendees converged on the ballpark to mash down hockey pucks and vote for their favorites, and judges (chefs Patrick Mulvaney and Randall Selland, Bee scribe Chris Macias, Corti Bros store manager Rick Mindermann, LA Times food editor Russ Parsons and A Hamburger Today blogger Erin Jackson) doled out the night’s burger bling.
Chefs from The Chef’s Table, Krush Burger, Thir13en, Bacon & Butter, Ettore’s, deVere’s, Broderick, Ten22, Willie’s, Capitol Garage, Relish Burger Bar, The Eatery, Papa Dale’s, Roxy and Formoli’s competed.
Burger Battle founder and Burger Junkies blogger Rodney Blackwell—who was so busy last night he only got to snack on five burgers (three more than last year, he says)—says he was most surprised by Willie’s burger. “It had sliced apples in it and a good sweetness.”
“I also really liked the Broderick burger,” he said, praising its spicy oil and housemade, peppered pickles.
The rest of the attendees agreed and gave Broderick, located just a French fry-length away from Raley Field in West Sac, the Audience Award:
The @broderick1893 didn’t have to travel far to @raleyfield, but this burger may go the distance! #sacburgerbattle pic.twitter.com/9x9YUrKKLe
— Sac Burger Battle (@sacburgerbattle) September 19, 2013
Broderick also won longest line award at the event.
As for the judges, they liked Ettore’s buns and meat the best:
The Judge’s Choice went to #ettores. Th… (Oh man, the burger @ettores… @ Ettore’s Restaurant and European Bakery) http://t.co/PQEKatLNEz
— Briana Aea (@BreeAea) September 19, 2013
Second place went to Adam Pechal at Restaurant Thir13en (consolation for that Niners loss on Sunday, Adam?):
They’re not just creative with their spelling at @thir13ensac ! Just look at this beast of a burger! #sacburgerbattle pic.twitter.com/NaluwQpMLa
— Sac Burger Battle (@sacburgerbattle) September 19, 2013
And third went to Willie’s. Audience gave second place to deVere’s and third to Formoli’s
Blackwell says the event hopefully—surely!—will return next summer. “Darrell Corti said next year we should do a fry battle, because the fries at Willie’s was some of the best he’d ever had,” he said.
Mmm, fries.
