When burgers go gourmet

‘We wanted to elevate the status of the burger,” says Louis DeAngelo, owner Louis DeAngelo’s Casual Italian Dining. “We wanted to do something completely different.”

Burgers are beloved in Baton Rouge, especially the tried-and-true kind. Ask a local where to find the best in town, and the strong opinions will fly. George’s, the Chimes, Louie’s, Riverside Patty and others are known for their steadfast renditions and passionate fans. But while these burgers will never loosen their hold on local bellies, they now find themselves joined by a growing class that incorporates flavors beyond bacon or bleu cheese. Reflecting a national trend in which burgers have become delivery devices for playful and international ingredients, Baton Rouge is beginning to push the burger envelope.

A few months ago, DeAngelo and Executive Chef Mike Dardenne were in the process of expanding their pizza-centric menu when they started in on a new burger. DeAngelo says they wanted it to appeal to burger purists while also reflecting the restaurant’s core experience. The resulting Uncle Frankie’s Burger ($10) features a half-pound chuck patty gussied up with the same kind of elements you might find atop a DeAngelo’s pizza or stuffed into one of its signature calzones: smoked mozzarella, caramelized onions and red pepper marinara. The bun is dressed with pesto mayo.

The formula for Uncle Frankie’s came after several trial runs. “Earlier versions tasted too much like a meatball; then, we got it right,” DeAngelo says. “It’s been a popular draw. I think we got the response we were looking for.” The restaurant also offers a regular burger option, but retained an edge by including toppers like provolone, pancetta, caramelized onions and portobello mushrooms.

Meanwhile, one local burger recently earned national attention for detouring into seafood. Mason’s Grill’s Cajun Shrimp Burger ($11) was listed among Food Network Magazine’s roundup of best national burgers in its June/July 2009 issue. Like DeAngelo, restaurateur Mike Alfandre and his team were in the kitchen trying to come up with a bold, spicy burger to join the seven other burger selections on the menu.

The idea, says Alfandre, was to incorporate the flavor of jalapenos in a burger without it being too overpowering. They sautéed chopped jalapenos first, then added them to ground beef. “We patty the burgers fresh,” Alfandre says.

Once the eight-ounce patty is cooked, it’s topped with more jalapenos, sautéed shrimp and Monterey Jack cheese. It was the right combination of flavors, says Alfandre, but finding a bun to stand up to it was a challenge. Alfandre settled on Sweet Mesquite bakery from Houston, which specializes in sourdough breads.

Big burgers like Uncle Frankie’s and the Cajun Shrimp Burger are powerhouses for big appetites. In fact, Alfandre says most people can’t finish his restaurant’s creation. But other burgers in Baton Rouge have been tooled for a different purpose: to showcase Wagyu beef and its well-known subset, Kobe.

Wagyu is known for marbling, and Stroube’s Wagyu Burger ($12) gives local diners the chance to experience the full-in-the-mouth punch. Similarly, The Grape wine bar and café offers Kobe Beef Sliders ($9), a popular lunch item, says co-owner Brian Dykes. This dish combines two popular trends, upscale beef and burgers prepared in miniature. Three three-ounce sliders are seasoned, grilled and served only with two house-made sauces, Dijon mustard and Asian chili sauce.

The Grape’s ample wine supply also gives diners a chance to experience pairing burgers with wine (see Grape Crush on page 69). Dykes advises a fruit-forward Syrah with low tannins.

He says the Kobe sliders have been more popular than expected. When The Grape’s corporate partners took it off the dinner menus of the seven regional restaurants, many diners in Baton Rouge revolted. “We had a lot of disgruntled customers,” says Dykes. “So we added it back at night as a special.”