Charleston's "Burger Wars" rage on!
After sharing a ton of reader recommendations last week about where to get the best burger in Charleston, many more folks chimed in casting their own votes.
It's been a spirited race, not unlike a couple of other heated battles about to be decided on the state and national levels.
"The best tasting burger by far is in Fayetteville at Secret Sandwich Society," insisted Kirky McKown. "The taste of the burger, regardless of which one you get, is flat-out mesmerizing. They have it down to perfection and I encourage ALL to experience that priceless taste! I guarantee there will be no disappointment."
Interestingly enough, it's the rumor of Secret Sandwich possibly opening a location in Charleston that got this whole burger debate off the ground in the first place.
And for good reason. I've had a few there (including The Eagle featuring seared mortadella, roasted garlic mayo, pickles, crispy onions, aged American cheese and an over-easy egg) and they are all heavenly.
Another unlikely Fayetteville restaurant got a nod also.
"Since you had some readers go beyond the bounds of Charleston for their best burgers, there's a place in Fayetteville that should not be overlooked," wrote a guy named Stuart. "Gumbo's has several excellent burgers and The Big Easy is by far the best burger that I've ever had within the boundaries of West Virginia. They put a remoulade on it that is pure awesome."
In addition to Shucker's (praised last week), two other popular St. Albans haunts made this week's list.
"I think a place that has really good burgers is Old Main Café, where they get fresh burgers in each morning," wrote Kristina Kelly.
A few others shared her endorsement for that restaurant, which some folks still call the old River's Edge Café or just The Café.
"I always enjoy your articles about food, but I think readers missed one of the really, really great hamburgers around and that's at The Café in St. Albans," said Mike Reed. "Their hamburgers by far have the most quality meat and are a good size. This is really one of the great restaurants in the Kanawha Valley."
"Sorry, but the best burger ever is at the new 4 Brothers in St. Albans," added Karen Maes. "Tasty, juicy and LARGE, on a bun as soft as a cloud! Add whatever condiments you want."
She said, on a scale of 1 to 10, she'd give the Café's burger a 7, but 4 Brothers gets a solid 9+.
"This is, of course, if you just want a good hamburger, not one with everything including the entire salad bar on it," she added. "Give it a try sometime! I think you will like it."
In nearby Nitro, one caller who didn't leave his name said the best burger he's found around these parts is at the Roadrunner Grill.
"It's called the Beep-Beep Burger," he chuckled. "Yep, that's it's real name. It's really good. It's not fancy but the burger itself is really, really delicious."
Linda Eddy said she was "quite surprised" that no one mentioned the Bear's Den (she's a big fan of the Bear's Burger there) and Amanda Metzher said: "I still think Bluegrass Kitchen has the better burger. The beef is fresh ground! Then again it wasn't even put in the competition."
I reminded Amanda that I'm only sharing what places readers have picked so far and I also was surprised by their absence.
In addition to a veggie burger made from a mix of vegetables, organic quinoa and tofu (topped with greens, tomato, red onion and Vermont white cheddar on fresh brioche) Bluegrass also offers half-pound beef patties topped with either caramelized onions and smoked Gouda or homemade pimento cheese with lettuce and tomato.
Those readers supporting restaurants receiving the most votes last week included Kenneth Waldeck, who told me he ate burgers at The Grill for 40 years and kept coming back on a daily basis for them. Now THAT'S loyalty.
But my favorite comment of the week came via a Tweet from Michael Hannigan.
"@WVFoodGuy ... UncleFletch, the inventor of the hamburger, says thank you for your recent column!"
History credits Fletcher Davis, a grill cook from Texas, as the inventor of the modern day hamburger. Back in the 1880s, he opened a lunch counter where he served a sandwich made of fried ground beef patties with mustard and Bermuda onion between two slices of bread - pickle on the side.
In a world of burgers gone overboard, that simple combination still sounds pretty tasty to me. Just needs a little melty cheese, of course.
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All of our local burger talk got some national attention when the founder and co-owner of Boston Burger Company reached out to say how much he enjoyed reading everyone's passionate comments about a food he's obviously very passionate about.
"We have three restaurants in the Boston area that specialize in making crazy, over-the-top burgers, fries and frappes," said Chuck Sillari, adding that they won Rachael Ray's "Battle of the Burger" and have been featured on Guy Fieri's Diner's Drive-Ins and Dives.
"After seeing the story on Charleston burgers, I thought your readers might be interested in Burgabox, our awesome new hamburger delivery meal service."
Now here's where it gets good.
"Most industry-leading meal subscription boxes were founded by Harvard-educated, Wall Street tycoons and focus on healthy meals with skimpy portions," he explained. "We're three guys who want to give people a messy, gooey, tasty meal delivered right to their doorstep."
Like Blue Apron and similar services, they pack up and deliver everything you need to make your own tasty meals right in your own home. But there are no dainty kale salads or sprouted grains here. Just stacked-to-the-max burgers, loaded cheesy fries and tricked-out mac 'n' cheese.
Like The Vermonster (sautéed apples, red onions, bacon, maple mayo and sharp cheddar); The All-American (bacon, BBQ sauce, creamy bleu cheese, American cheese, lettuce and tomato); The Green Monstah (guacamole, pico de gallo and cheddar jack); and top-seller The Hot Mess (bacon, sweet potato fries, homemade thousand island dressing, diced pickles, jalapenos, red onion, lettuce and American cheese).
Yep, all that is piled ON the burger.
Each kit also comes with sides of coleslaw, baked beans, pork mac 'n' cheese and garlic parmesan fries. I guess you might call it your cheat day in a box.
For more information, including lots and lots of drooling, visit www.burgabox.com.
Steven Keith writes a weekly food column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and an occasional food blog at http://blogs.wvgazettemail.com/foodguy/. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or by e-mail at wvfoodguy@aol.com. You can also follow him on Facebook as "WV Food Guy" and on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest as "WVFoodGuy."