The South Beach Wine & Food Festival Kicks Off With Burger Bash
It's a Tale of Two Very Different Burgers
Rachael Ray and Brooklyn Beckham might have hosted the South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s Burger Bash last evening, but the real stars of the show were the meat and cheese that chefs and restaurateurs from across the country served up to thousands of guests.
Smash burgers, grilled burgers: If you could put some meat between bread, chances are it was served at last night’s Burger Bash as servers campaigned and cajoled ticketholders to vote for their burgers.
Of course, there can only be one (actually two) winners at the Burger Bash.
The first winner was voted on by a panel of judges that included Miami restaurateur Matt Kuscher, comedian Bert Kreischer, model Ashley Graham, Gayle King, DiGiovanni, and influencer Samantha Schnur. Their task was to find the “Very Best Burger” of the evening. The winning burger: Dunwoody, Georgia’s NFA Burger for its Billy’s Classic - a smashed cheeseburger with mustard, pickles, and housemade “sassy” sauce on a Martin’s potato roll.
The all-important “People’s Choice” award was presented to Miami’s La Birra Bar, which, besides having a hometown advantage, had a very good burger. The Crispy Dubai: wagyu patties with American cheese, crispy onions, chimichurri mayo, and black truffle, served with Dubai Fries (skin-on fries with white cheddar and truffled chimichurri mayo).
There you have it — a tale of two burgers: The classic burger was preferred by a panel of judges, while the flashy burger with the catchy name won the hearts of the attendees.
The moral of this story? For every burger, there’s a mouth that craves it.
More festival news to come.