Where's the Beef - the Burger revolution in Las Vegas

The Story behind Las Vegas's Burger Explosion:

by www.cocktailsandwines.com

Las Vegas chefs have blown away the most famous question in advertising — where’s the beef? — with burger restaurants that catapult the icon of American cooking into the culinary stratosphere. Not only beef but also turkey, salmon, foie gras, veggies, and any other edibles that can be ground and formed into a patty sizzle on grills previously reserved for prime filets. But hold onto your hats! The blast off of this quintessential American food is a French revolution, fueled by a discontented French “farmer,” ignited by a French chef with ties to Vegas and Manhattan, and skyrocketed by another French chef entrenched in San Francisco and Vegas.

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
Burger Revolutionary… Daniel Boulud
• Daniel Boulud Brasserie Wynn Las Vegas

Marquée chef Daniel Boulud launched gourmet burgers. “When McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in France,” he remarked, “there was a so-called farmer who protested and tried to burn down stores. John Tierney, a reporter from The New York Times, called me about it; and I joked that the guy was just jealous the French didn’t think of it first. Then he (Tierney) asked me if I liked burgers, and I told him ‘yes’ and said, ‘If you want, I’ll make one for you’. So I did. That was 2001, and we introduced the DB Burger at DB Bistro Moderne on 44th Street in Manhattan.”

Describing his burger as a “hybrid,” Boulud elaborated. “It’s a classic French dish of meat from braised ribs with foie gras and truffles stuffed inside a classic American burger,” he explained. “The ribs are braised in red wine and veal stock, and the meat is pulled off. I add truffles and a mire pois (mix of finely diced vegetables) of onions, carrots, and celery, and wrap it all with ground sirloin.”

Local Brasserie Executive Chef Wesley Holton revealed more details. “We use three different cuts of beef with different fat content and different flavor,” he said. “The burger weighs about 9.5 ounces total. We serve it on a parmesan bun with freshly grated horseradish, Dijon mustard, frisée, shaved red onions, tomato compote, a fresh tomato petal of Roma tomato and homemade pommes frites…but no pickles. In truffle season (November-December), we do a truffle burger and shave black truffles over the top and add truffle aioli.”

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Burger Master…Hubert Keller
• Burger Bar Mandalay Place

In 2004, star French chef Hubert Keller elevated the burger to celebrity status when he opened his pub-style Burger Bar at Mandalay Place. “It was more an accident than deliberate,” he revealed. “Fleur de Lys (his haute cuisine restaurant at Mandalay Bay) was under construction, but there were delays. Bill Richardson (former vice chairman of Mandalay Resort), a regular customer at Fleur de Lys in San Francisco, phoned and said a tenant at Mandalay Place hadn’t come through and would I take a look at the space and do something with it. Laurent (Executive Chef Laurent Paillard) and I checked it out and decided to take a chance and open a burger place.

“Nobody had had burger experience, but we were determined to make the best burger we could. We built our own butcher shop and applied fine dining techniques to the burgers. We weigh every burger (8 oz.). The ingredient prep and burgers are hand done. You have to treat it like prime filet or rib eye, sear it properly, watch it, and let it rest before you serve it so the juices and flavors organize.”

Burger Bar took off. “We’ve become a destination restaurant for locals, for visitors from all over, and even famous chefs. We can’t fall asleep because we’re successful. We’re constantly trying something new.”

Recent additions are the Hubert Keller Burger, his favorite — buffalo meat, caramelized onions, baby spinach, bleu cheese on a ciabatta bun; and a Peppercorn Burger (think burger au poivre), natural beef, fresh and dried peppercorns, Dijon mustard, a plain bun, with peppercorn cream sauce on the side. The most expensive burger ($60), the Rossini, combines Kobe beef, sautéed foie gras, shaved truffles, and Madeira sauce, on an onion bun. “We thought we’d only serve a few,” Keller admitted, “but we’re serving three to six a day.”

Keller’s ultimate burger reigns at Fleur de Lys. The “Fleurburger”-foie gras and black truffle-stuffed Kobe burger served on a brioche truffle bun and garnished with truffles and a special truffle sauce-commands a king’s ransom, $5,000. It’s accompanied by a bottle of Château Petrus 1995, poured in Ichendorf Brunello stemware exclusively imported from Sweden. The glasses are shipped to the guest’s home. They’ve served 17 since 2006.

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