By Keishly Rosario
The New York City Wine and Food Festival (NYCWFF) held its 16th annual Blue Moon Burger Bash on Oct 13. It was a roughly three-hour event held at Pier 86, home of the Intrepid Museum. There were multiple stands stocked up with food and drinks, as well as live music and a competition.
This bash was presented by Pat LaFrieda Meats—an American meat wholesalers based in North Bergen, New Jersey—and was hosted by Rachael Ray—an American professional chef, who presented all three awards to contestants.
Upon entering, security guards checked attendees for passes before they were sucked into the world of burgers and beers. The first burger of the night was small but juicy and paired with a tangy and refreshing slaw that cut through the richness and fattiness of the meat.
Not only was the meat and topping flavorful, but the bun was topped with a hint of flaky salt. You would assume with the extra added salt on top of the bun, it would be an explosion of salt on your tongue, but it just added to the flavor without being overpowering. The second burger came from a stand called Tulum Tacos & Tequila.
The burger was juicy and was nicely wrapped in a flour tortilla then sliced into fours and placed in separate, ready to grab plates. It was topped with shredded iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, a tangy sauce, and melted cheese. It was simple enough but the simplicity of it really brought out the quality of each ingredient. The next burger came from a stand called The Baroness Burger + Beer.
It was quite flavorful and served with cheddar cheese and a white sauce on buttered and toasted buns with some pickled onions nestled at the bottom to help cut through the richness. The only problem was the side of pickles. As much as I love pickles, these were not as satisfyingly sour and were very bitter. The next burger was from another stand called La Boîte and was an Eastern Mediterranean take on the classic burger.
The burger meat was made with lamb and was packed in a pocket of pita bread, served with a small container of spicy yellow mustard and light and crispy twists. Though the spicy mustard helped, the burger tasted burnt, even though the burger meat inside the pita pocket was still soft and was simply not a favorite of mine. A burger came from a stand called San Matteo was served between two pieces of flat bread.
It was topped with melted cheese and caramelized onions and was served with a mixed green side salad. The burger was big and juicy, but the caramelized onions overpowered the entire dish because there was a lot of it and the onions, though sweet, tasted very burnt and the side salad did not help combat any of that because it was slightly bitter and lacked flavor. The final burger I tried was from a well-known stand called Citi Field.
This stand won one out of the three competitions held that night and has won other competitions too, making it well known to frequent bash attendees. This burger was a surf and turf style dish made complete with Pat Lafrieda dry aged beef and a crème fraiche lobster salad on a lemon brioche bun. It was also served with cheddar cheese tater tots. It was small in size but enormous in flavor and the lobster salad and bun kept the dish bright and fresh. Apart from all the meats and carbs, there were dessert stands. Two that caught my eye were called Dough and William Greenberg Desserts.
The first was stocked up with four different doughnut options that included classic, chocolate, dulce de leche, and hibiscus citrus. Although the dough was a bit stale, the flavors were amazing. The dulce de leche option was not too sweet and nutty because of the shaved almonds on top. The hibiscus citrus option was just as flavorful and just like the last, everything stood out. William Greenberg Desserts was wonderful as well, not only because their black and white cookie was soft and sweet, but because each person was handed a free greeting card!
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