The throwdown, held at the Wynkoop Walk, and hosted by local burger aficionado Jeremy Kossler, and his wife, Kelly, was Denver's first, although it was modeled after Food & Wine magazine's insanely popular Miami Burger Bash. And it was a huge, sold-out hit that went off without a hitch, especially for the winners: Park Burger locked in the judge's top pick and H Burger was voted fan favorite; The burger from Argyll was the runner-up.
The judges, Alex Seidel (Fruition), Troy Guard (TAG) and James Rugile (Venue), huddled and compared notes at the end of the night, before bestowing the trophy on Park Burger. "Park Burger arguably had the best bun, the meat was really well-seasoned and the proportions were perfect," said Seidel.
To see that burger, and all the others in their juice-dribbling glory, click after the jump.
The "Argyll" burger with house-ground beef and lamb sirloin, carrot ginger aioli, duck fat confit yellow onions, spicy tomato jam, Colorado Rouge cheese and mache salad on a potato bun. Argyll executive chef Sergio Romero flipping burgers at the Denver Burger Battle; Argyll's burger was voted runner-up by both the judges and fans. Cherry Cricket's Blackout Burger with smoked cheddar, blackening seasoning, bacon and Stranahan's Colorado whiskey. Cooks from the Cherry Cricket battling flames at the Denver Burger Battle. The fact that the Cricket's burger wasn't a finalist, much less the winner, had tongues wagging. Colt & Gray burger with hand-formed ground chuck and Gruyere on a grilled brioche bun. Brad Rowell, chef of Colt & Gray, flips fat patties at the Denver Burger Battle, which was a smokin' hot good time. Deluxe Burger with butter lettuce, tomatoes and a Gorgonzola spread. The Deluxe burger, not surprisingly, was paired with Deluxe fries -- hot, beautifully seasoned, crisp and the best tubers of the night. Encore's burger came topped with bacon, Gruyere and blue cheese compote. The Angus beef burger from H Burger, propped with Hatch chilies, smoked cheddar, sweet & spicy bacon, bibb lettuce, tomato, onion and red pepper jam, was the fan favorite. Double the meat, double the pleasure: Old School Burgers paraded the "Ultimate" burger skyscraped with two beef patties, hickory smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion and four cheeses. The "El Chilango" burger from Park Burger, torpedoed with a Harris Ranch patty, cheddar, fresh jalapenos, guacamole, lettuce, tomato and onion, was voted top burger by the judges. Steuben's flipped green chile cheeseburgers topped with Don Rickle's secret spice rub on an Udi's challah bun. Walk-in Burgers ran with a grass-fed patty smeared with Gorgonzola and topped with Applewood smoked bacon. Burger judges Alex Sediel (Fruition), Troy Guard (TAG) and James Rugile (Venue). Park Burger champ Jean-Phillipe Failyau showing off his Denver Burger Battle trophy.
