Remember how I told you that our friends {Amanda and Dave Monger} that were doing the Burger tasting with us were expecting their first child in February?? Well….

They welcomed Edie Kay Monger into the world on Friday, February 12th at 8:45 am.

She weighed in at a healthy 7 lbs 14 ozs.

{guess all those burgers did her good!}

Her Aunt TT {moi} and Uncle DD {Mr.vB} went to meet her today and she is JUST PRECIOUS!

I can’t wait to spoil her rotten!  Congrats Dave and Amanda!!

Cafe Gutenberg and River City Diner

Last Friday night we were back on the town still looking for the perfect burger…

We headed down to the Farmers Market Area to check out side by side competitors Cafe Gutenberg and River City Diner.

Cafe Gutenberg has always had good food, but recently changed hands, so we were wondering if it was still up to par.  Things started off well.

I was quite excited to see on menu Grass Fed Gutenburger. {especially after that recent Oprah on the movie Food, Inc, but that’s a different post all together!} Local Beef, Local Produce..nice.

The presentation was great!  BUT…my medium burger came out almost rare! Ugh! I actually left the last bite on my plate…

The next stop was literally 4 doors down from Cafe Gutenberg, so I didn’t sulk too long because I knew we were on to get another burger. It could only get better.  Right?!

The vibe in River City is definitely that of a diner.  Great 80′s Tunes were rocking in the background and more than once someone at our table started to belt out a lyric or two.

Mr. vB and I ordered up the grilled onion and Swiss burger and the Monger’s got one with cheddar and jalapenos. {AND a chocolate & peanut butter milkshake!}

Apparently it just wasn’t my night for burgers.  Again we ordered it medium and this time it came out Well Done.  {You know I normally don’t like to pass judgment on any of the burgers until all have been tasted, but having struck out at both places I just couldn’t hold it in.} Mr. vB didn’t seem to mind, and I allowed the onion rings to make up for the burger disappointment.

We are back out this Friday Night and we will have a guest judge in tow!  My Mums is coming to town for the weekend to help with some projects, so we invited her to join us in the burger tasting as well.  She toted herself today as a Burger Connoisseur… let’s see how she feels after 2 burgers in one night!

{See Highlights from BBURP Outing #3, BBURP Outing #2, BBURP Outing #1, and How It All Started- Hamburger Helper.}

Honey Whyte’s and CanCan

We took a brief hiatus over the holidays from burger tasting, but were back at it this past weekend. First stop was Honey Whyte’s in Shockoe Bottom.

My first thought when we walked in was this place was a total dive. {Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to put down hole in the wall joints- they normally have the best food!}  After Dave Monger got over the fact there was no coat rack and that he would have to sit on his coat, we were ready to order.

Mr. vB and I ordered up the quarter pound Rodeo Burger (cheddar cheese, bbq sauce, and fried onion rings) and the Monger’s got the quarter pound Steamer (jalapenos and cheddar). Oh- we also ordered up the fried pickles as an appetizer! YUMMO!

The quarter pound option was definitely smaller than the portions at the other burger joints, but we were all very pleased with our meal!  On to the next stop!

We headed over to Racine, but due to the fact they were PACKED and only had 6 tables {yeah they are that small} we decided to regroup.  We were on a burger mission, plus we had a pregnant woman that needed to eat!!

Carytown was close by, so we decided on CanCan.

From the photo below you would think the name of the restaurant was Can.

Let’s try the sign on the other side of the building…

Much Better… now on to the Burgers!

This time we ordered the same burger as the Monger’s. The Cheeseburger  {with gruyere} and Frites!

W-O-W… now that’s a burger!

We are definitely getting the hang of this burger rating thingy.  I actually find it quite funny that after each bite one of us comment’s on the patty, the bun, or the sides.  I may never eat a burger the same way again! {hopefully when this contest is all said and done I will be able to eat burgers period!}

We are headed out again this weekend..Baby Monger is due in just over 2 weeks {sorry Dave and Amanda..not trying to freak you out!} and we still have 6 more venues to visit.!!!

Delux and Davis & Main

We were back out with the Monger’s last night attempting to find the Best Burger Upon Richmond.

It was a coin toss as to where to start. Heads deLux, Tails Davis & Main.  Heads won.

If you’ve never been to deLux, it has a really great atmosphere.  Funky circular booths, an open stairwell to the 2nd floor, and casual seating around a fireplace makes for a fun place to meet friends.  And a cool place to eat burgers..

Mr. vB and I went for the deLux 1/2 lb. Burger with smoked Gouda and a side of homemade chips.  The Mongers did the same, but with a side salad.

We let our waitress in on our “burger- tasting” and she was quite interested to hear where we thought Delux ranked.  We told her so far they were in second.  She was pumped but then asked how many places we had been so far.  We replied Three. {ha-ha}

After we filled out our score cards, we were out the door and on our way down the street to Davis & Main.

It didn’t feel nearly as strange this time heading to eat a second meal, and I was actually quite excited.  I had heard wonderful things about the burgers here, so I thought there was a chance that The Belvidere at Broad Burger might get unseated as #1.

Again we went for the 1/2 pounder with Vermont Cheddar and Bacon, side o’ fries.  The Mongers went for the cheddar sans the bacon and the fries too! Funny enough the description of their burger is “One of Richmond Magazine’s 09 Favorites“.  Think if we vote it our favorite too they will add that to the description? Also voted The vB’s and Monger’s BBURP Award 09.

What great presentation- isn’t that a good looking burger?

We topped the night off with a brownie sundae with mint chocolate chip ice cream.  We didn’t let it sway our votes, but man it was good!

Since next week is Christmas, we have decided to take a hiatus from going out to taste the burgers and instead we are going to make the LUTHER BURGER at home!

Remember that is the burger that is sandwiched between 2 Krispee Kreme Donuts!!

Should be quite interesting….

The Belvidere at Broad and Tarrant’s Cafe

This past Friday night we ventured out for our 1st Burger Tasting with the Mongers.

The game plan was to hit 2 venues an outing and each couple split one burger and side.  (This might sound a bit crazy, but we have a deadline to taste test all the burgers.  The Monger’s are expecting a little bundle of joy in February and Amanda is swearing off burgers after his/her arrival)

First stop was The Belvidere at Broad.

This restaurant is a newbie, so none of us had actually been here before.  I had a great first impression walking in- small but inviting.

The burger that Mr. vB and I chose was the 1/2 pounder with caramelized onions, smoked Gouda, apple wood bacon, mixed greens, avocado, tomato, house aioli, and a side of sweet potato fries.  I believe the Monger’s got the same thing minus the bacon and the fries.

Without going into TOO much detail, as I want to save the final analysis until after we have tested ALL the burgers, we all thought this burger was AMAZING!!!

Here’s our Score Card for The Belvidere at Broad.

NEXT STOP- Tarrant’s Cafe.

{I have to admit it felt quite odd going from one restaurant to other to eat a SECOND meal.}

I was a bit tipsy by the time we made it to Tarrant’s, so I don’t have as much photo documentation as I did at the first restaurant.  My apologies- I will do better an the next tasting, I promise!

Tarrant’s burger was much more “dinerish” in the sense that your only choices were a hamburger, a cheeseburger, or a bacon cheeseburger.  And the only toppings choices were green leaf lettuce and tomato.  We went for the cheeseburger and the Monger’s chose the bacon cheeseburger.

Here is a photo of what was left of the burger when I realized I hadn’t photographed it yet…

What I lack in photos of the food, I made up for in photos of the fun we were having..

(Mr. vB did this on purpose)

And here is Tarrant’s Scorecard.

Tasting #2 is scheduled for later this week.  Thanks to the readers who have offered up more suggestions like Caliente and The Forest.  We’ve even discussed adding the “Luther Burger” to our must try list.  Ever heard of it before?  It’s a hamburger patty sandwiched between 2 Krispy Kreme Donuts!! Crazy!

I just hope by the time all this burger eating is over, that I haven’t turned into a burger myself!!!

I picked up the November issue of Richmond Magazine purely because of the front cover and tag line.

I luv, luv, luv a good hamburger!  Currently my favorite burger is from Five Guys Burger and Fries. Ever been there?  It’s amazing!  I don’t know which I like better, the juicy burger or the fresh fries.

But after reading the article about the Best Burger in Richmond, I am up to the challenge of testing out the competition.

I have enlisted Mr. vB and our good friends, Amanda and Dave Monger, to help with this challenge.  Our plan is to rate the burgers the same way that Richmond Magazine did.  We will rate the patty, the bun, the vegetable toppings, and other toppings on a scale from 1-5.  {5 being the best.}

Here are the contenders: Cafe Gutenberg, Honey Whyte’s, Racine, Delux, The Hill Cafe, Davis and Main, Dot’s Back Inn, River City Diner, Can Can Brasserie, Tarrant’s Cafe and The Belvidere at Broad.

Once we have tested every last burger we will crown the 1st Annual BBURP.  {Best Burger Upon Richmond Prize)

Will my {5} guys be able to hold that sacred place in my heart?  Stay Tuned to find out…