Cheeseburger Gauntlet Day 7 – Flip
Finally the last day of the Cheeseburger Gauntlet is upon us. This has become a far more difficult experience than I ever thought it would be, although some of it is due to some rather odd personal choices I made in the 36 hours leading up to this cheeseburger.
One of my best friends, Tiffany from the Grindhouse episode, managed to finish her MBA last Tuesday and get engaged Friday night at Antico where we all dined on Pizza. Did I mention she also moved to Cincinnati? So we through her a going away pool party on Saturday for which I smoked a ton of pork and chicken wings.
Leading up to this last cheeseburger I had, in succession; cheeseburger, pizza, champagne, barbecue, wings, beer, other adult beverages and tasty brownies. Getting to this last burger was a Herculean effort. But I did it much to my cholesterol level’s chagrin. Joining in on this swan song to beef are Cheeseburger Gauntlet are Stefan, Valerie, and Emily.
Day seven’s burger is from Flip Burger Boutique. Flip is actually a very cool place. It’s possibly 14% trendier than it needs to be in terms of feel and decor, but it works. You can go with friends, a date or even entertain a client there and not feel out of place. The service is also fantastic. Flip is the brain child of former Top Chef finalist Richard Blais, so the expectations are high for it. You know what? Let’s just look at the burger, I can’t go any further without you seeing it.
The sexiest burger in America
The burger is in front, behind it was the “burger” of the day, a lobster roll. This is the most visually beautiful burger we’ve had the entire Gauntlet. Its so well composed and thought out. Nothing is out of place, everything is the right size and right proportions so that you can taste everything in every bite. We joked that when they came up with the burger that they debated 3 pickles versus 4 pickles. And while joking I’m fairly sure that some version of that conversation probably did occur. The burger is perfectly cooked medium. The meat is extremely tasty. The only thing I think that detracts from the taste of the meat is the mix of meat they use to make the burger. It could have used a tiny bit more of something. But I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it could be salt or maybe a bit more fat, but this is all minor quibbles to be honest. From the first bite we all know this is a Top 3 contender.
The beef is certified organic, the bun is custom baked for Flip, the condiments are house made, and the toppings are fresh and seasonal. The burger at Flip is a little over 5 oz. It’s just small enough for you to order 2 or 3, but big enough that if you and a friend get different burgers you can share. This burger may be a hybrid in all the best ways of Farm Burger and Holeman & Finch. There are choices to be had, but only the choices the menu gives you. The good thing is our server still asks if we want the burgers the way they came or without some of the toppings. It’s like your favorite band, playing your favorite standard live. We all know the words and how they fit together, its just a matter of how well its done. For me its Outkast covering the Rolling Stones. Admit it… you want to hear Andre 3000 covering “Satisfaction”.
Another thing it has in common with the best burger on the list so far, Holeman & Finch, is that we actually liked talking about the burger. No matter how sophisticated you may be, the sheer pleasure of eating the cheeseburger from Flip overwhelms you. Its legitimately faithful to the idea of the cheeseburger but plays with some of the concepts at the same time. I honestly don’t know how to grade this burger. It’s definitely an “A”, just a matter of if it gets an “A+”.
I’m going to give it an A+, but I’m still going to rank it slightly behind Holeman & Finch. But it’s close. If it were a game the score would be 99-98.
