The first-ever Battle of the Burgers was held in John Howell park on Saturday, October 2, 2010. The event was organized to benefit the charity, Embraced, which collects gently-used medical equipment for people in need of things like walkers, leg braces, and more. 100 percent of the proceeds raised on Saturday went to the charity, so right away, Battle of the Burgers gets points for generosity.
The restaurants involved included American Roadhouse, Atkins Park, Cafe di Sol, Cypress Street Pint & Plate, Diesel Filling Station, Einsteins, Farm Burger, Grindhouse, Higland Tap, Kaleidoscope, Manuel's Tavern, Murphy's, The Nook, Tap Gastro Pub, Ted's Montana Grill, Warren City Club, and West Egg Cafe. If I had to choose, my favorite burger was from Highland Tap. It was the first burger of the day, and of all the burgers eaten (and there were so, so many burgers), the beef flavor and juiciness of this burger stood out all day long.
Also, the live music of the day should receive a mention. For our duration of the event, Gareth Asher performed and his song choices and stylings, both covers and his own, were fantastic for an outdoor burger-battle-in-the-park kind of day.
Overall, for a first event, I thought the Battle of the Burgers went very well. There was a good-sized crowd of nice, burger-loving people (more than they were expecting, I presume), and the burgers were plentiful. The organizers of the event were mingling with the crowd, and we were encouraged to leave feedback on their website, which I thought was a great idea considering that most attendees were probably brainstorming ways to make the Battle even better while they stood in line for their burgers. I know our group was!
Some points for consideration next year: The lines at many of the burger stands were quite long, mainly because it took a while for the burgers to cook. Perhaps next year, Komodo can generously provide double the grills for the participating restaurants? Drinks were difficult to aquire, with wine at one end, beer at the other, and soft drinks sort of mixed in with the beer stands. And it was tricky to figure out which line you were in at times, with each line snaking around the premises and mixing with other lines.
And one big suggestion for the participating restaurants: easy with the pimento cheese! There were so many burgers topped with this fromage that they all sort of blended together.
But like I said, Battle of the Burgers was a first-year success, and if you get the chance to attend next year, it would be well worth your time.
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