‘Napa Valley Burger’ Articles at Sweetnicks

The week after we visited Bobby Flay’s Burger Palace, we couldn’t get the burgers out of our mind. I happened to have his burger cookbook in my collection, and a plan quickly formulated to have a Bobby Flay Burger Cook-Off. Anything to have his Napa Valley burger again.

After leafing through the recipes in the cookbook, seriously each burger recipe looks better than the next. Oh those toppings! And then the onion straws. And the milkshakes. It was all we could do to cut the menu off where we did. Beth’s commitment to our plan included buying a Cool Daddy to make the onion straws – such dedication to our cause!

We ended up going with the Napa Valley Burgers, the Cheyenne Burgers, Onion Straws, and Strawberry Milk Shakes, all from the cookbook. Rounding out the meal were hot dogs for the kids, sweet potato fries, chips and guacamole and homemade coleslaw. Oh yes, and, of course, grown-up drinks.

1. The Burgers. Even with toppings galore, the recipes are basic, easy to follow and deliver. The Napa Valley burgers tasted as good as they did in the restaurant, and I love the warm goat cheese that sits on top of the ground beef. The Cheyenne Burgers are topped with Cheddar, homemade Barbecue Sauce and the Onion Straws. My mouth is seriously watering just thinking about the Onion Straws again.

Love Madeline’s expression in this one. I have no idea what she was looking at that was so darn awe-inspiring.

2. Those Onion Straws. Using only one onion, the recipe made a crazy amount. And that’s a good thing, because they are addictingly good. Whether topping the burger or eaten by themselves, you can’t go wrong. I bet they’d be fab dunked in a little Ranch sauce as well. It makes me want a fryer too, but I’m going to be brave. And just hope Beth puts hers to work again.

3. The Milk Shakes. Bobby’s recipes for the shakes use a fruit base that you make by simmering fruit for a bit. I’m not a big milk shake girl to begin with, but I could definitely change my tune after tasting the Strawberry one. It tasted like warm strawberry jam through and through, delivering a clear flavor that just couldn’t be beat.

If you like Bobby Flay, or burgers, pick up the cookbook. There are serious taste-bud delights from cover to cover.

Project 365
August 23, 2010, Photos #149, #150, #151 and #152

When I caught a glimpse of the inside of Beth and Roger’s kitchen cabinets, I had to take a picture. These might be the best organized cabinets I’ve ever seen.

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My friend Beth has been trying to get me to go to Bobby’s Burger Palace for months now. Bobby as in Bobby Flay. Although I wanted to go, usually we ended up somewhere a little more local, but this past Saturday, our whole day was planned around a burger lunch with Bobby.

As I was plotting out our route (since it also included a stop at a new cupcake spot as well), I quickly glanced at the reviews for the burger place. Not a good idea. There were many that totally panned the place, with a lot of them mentioning the long wait. Given the set-up of the restaurant, knowing that there’s not really a good spot to wait, and the fact that we were going with the kids, I started to second-guess going there. Especially on a Saturday. At lunchtime. But I needn’t have worried.

When we got there, we were 7th in line, which gave us a few minutes to look at the wall-mounted menu and decide what we wanted. I was torn between a few different burgers… Bleu Cheese is always my go-to, but then I saw one with Goat Cheese … and then the burger with Avocado Relish. What’s a girl to do? Order two and share! Beth got one with Cheddar, tomatoes and Avocado Relish, and I got the Napa Valley one with warm Goat Cheese and Meyer Lemon Sauce. OMG. Just sayin’. If only I could have convinced Nick to get the Bleu Cheese and Bacon Burger, I could have tasted all three. But no. My kid came to a burger place and ordered a salad. I can’t be mad about that, but you know… it just gives us another excuse to go back.

For Madeline, I ordered a grilled cheese kids’ meal, thinking it was the easiest thing for her to eat (read: least messy). As an aside, the grilled cheese kids’ meal is not something on their menu (they only have a cheeseburger kids meal listed), but ask, and smile, and ye shall receive.

And fries. Of course, fries. Regular fries. Sweet potato fries. Assorted dipping sauces. I do one “reward meal” a week and between the cheese, the burger, the fries, I was doing it right last week. The fries are my favorite kind, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Salted just right. They come in these cute little tins. So cute, I asked about them. They are cake baking pans (from Allied Metal Spinning). Fun idea, right?

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Bobby Flay Burger Cook-Off with Burgers, Fries and Shakes

Review: Bobby’s Burger Palace