January was a great month for Sioux Falls Food Tours! Through our tours, I was able to sample 13 of the 16 burgers from the Downtown Sioux FAlls Burger Battle 20! Everyone asked me what my favorite burger was. That is a very tough choice. So, in answer to that question, here is my rundown of the burgers that I was able to sample.
The rundown of the burgers that I tasted in the order of when I tasted them follows:
- Fernson Downtown
- The burger was half beef/half chorizo and very juicy and flavorful and the toppings were plentiful
- Best part: The roasted peppers tapenade was the star with the Cambozola cheese
- Tommy Jack’s
- Loved the layers of flavors – bacon, egg, sauteed onions and peppers
- Best part: The hemp-infused patties had a nuttiness that added a great depth of flavor
- JL Beers
- The burger had simplicity and classically understated
- Best part – JL Beers does burgers and the burger shines with amazing flavor
- The Blarney Stone
- This burger had a lot going on with it’s Irish inspired toppings
- Best part: The Guinness caramelized onions brought a juicy, uniquely Irish flavor to this very large burger
- Swamp Daddy’s
- This was the only juicy lucy burger of the tour and stuffed with smoked gouda on a delicious brioche bun . It did not disappoint
- Best part: The flavors of etouffee and tasso-spiced bacon with the freshness of lettuce and tomatoes
- Falls Landing
- This large burger showed up with bacon and amazing toppings on a cracked pepper Parmesan bun
- Best part: The sweet pepper chutney and the homemade mustard provided a flavor profile not found anywhere else
- Bread and Circus
- This burger came big with Raclette cheese and bacon on a spent grain bun
- Best part: The spent grain bun was a star and I was amazed with the bread & butter onions
- Wileys
- This burger could not have had one more thing added even though it had no veggies
- Best part: The house-smoked pork belly combined with the American cheese sauce set this burger apart
- The Treasury Hotel
- This half pound burger combined three different cuts of beef to bring about deep flavor and is topped with french-inspired toppings
- Best part: Red wine vinegar pickled radishes and the bone marrow aioli gave a unique flavor profile
- Pave
- This burger came topped with brisket, bacon, beer-battered onion ring on a pretzel bun
- Best part: The pretzel bun was amazing and the onion rings were crisp and light
- McKenzie River
- This burger was a mix of chorizo and beef with an egg, ham and cheese on a brioche bun
- Best part: The Romesco sauce and the cilantro lime sour cream was great flavor combination
- Grille 100 – Holiday Inn
- This burger was a combination of spicy upon spicy upon spicy
- Best part: The jalepeno cured bacon paired with the habenero cheese created a great flavor profile
- Ode to Food and Drink
- This burger was a combination of beef and brisket served with Jamaican flavors
- Best part: The pineapple habanero salsa and the rum BBQ sauce complimented each other
- Places I did not get to try: Parkers, MB Hasketts, The Market
- This is a shame because Parkers won the battle. They were not open during our tour. 🙁
So, with all of that information, here is what I would use to build a spectacular burger:
Bun: Spent Grain bun from Bread and Circus
Patty: 1/2 lb burger from The Treasury with a Hemp-infusion from Tommy Jacks
Cheese – Cambozola from Fernson and the American Cheese sauce from Wileys
Toppings:
Onion Rings from Pave
Jerk bacon from Ode to Food and Drink
Smoked pork Etouffee from Swamp Daddys
Fried Egg from McKenzie River
Bacon Jam from JL Beers
Homemade mustard from Falls Landing
Mixed greens from The Blarney Stone
A side of Reaper Creeper sauce from Grille 100 – for us who like heat
(Without having tried them, I would add Fresno Jelly from Parkers, Trumpet mushrooms from MB Hasketts and coffee-braised onions from The Market)
And because I always love it on a burger: tomato if it would fit.