In all of of our travels eating and liking our way around the South, I have found that there are three categories that will make people sit up in their chairs, take notice and many times take exception to what I am talking about. What are they? Burgers, Chicken Wings and BBQ. Sometimes you can toss Fried Chicken into that category but not as much as you would think. Burgers, wings and BBQ? Yeah, I’ve learned that those can be fighting words depending on who you are having the conversation with. Everyone has their favorites and that’s fine. But if you like your burgers and the bad ass side, then there’s one in Bloomingdale, Georgia you need to try. But hurry because it will only be available until July 31st.
“I thought it would be fun.”
Michael Gottlieb is owner and chef at Wood’s Kitchen in Bloomingdale. The Savannah old timers will remember Gottliebs Bakery as the source of all of their childhood bakery memories. They are still turning out great baked goods, but the star of the show at Wood’s Kitchen is BBQ. If you missed it a couple of weeks ago, Wood’s Kitchen was awarded an Eat It and Like It Foodie Award for Best BBQ. Yes, it is that good. Michael and his brother Laurence are still tinkering with the menu, adding fried chicken here and there, tacos and burgers. One of which has been entered in a national contest. If you consider yourself a burger connoisseur, you need to try it. Officially it is called Worcestershire Glazed Double Mushroom Burger with Charred Vidalia Onions on a mushroom salted Brioche Bun. I will simply call it so darn good.
The burger was created to enter a contest put on by the James Beard Foundation called the Blended Burger Project. The idea was to use mushrooms in a burger and create a healthier alternative to burgers. The Gottlieb brothers used a blend of 35% mushroom and Hunter Cattle beef to create this specialty item. If they didn’t tell you they did that, trust me, you would never know in a million years. The idea behind using mushrooms is to make the burgers a little more healthy. Less calories, less sodium plus the addition of a ton of nutrients. It certainly doesn’t look like it, but it is healthier than one of those triple deals you can fine elsewhere.
“I knew mushrooms were about to start popping up all over the place.” Michael says “with all of the rain we get in the summer, we knew we could run out and find a few pounds here and there.” “The timing was good and I thought it would be fun.” “But I do want to win.” he adds.
This monster of a burger is up against dozens of burgers from across the country. There are 12 in Georgia. Two in South Carolina including an entry from Breakwater in Beaufort. It would take a monumental effort to try even 5 of these guys between now and July 31st when the contest ends, but you absolutely should take the 20 minute ride from downtown Savannah and try his one. If you like it you can go on-line and vote for it as your favorite. What’s at stake? The top 5 vote getters are invited to the James Beard House in New York City to prepare their burgers. “I’ve never cooked in the James Beard House” Michael says “My brother has about 20 times, but I’ve never done it.” That’s a pretty big honor for a chef. Getting an invite to cook at the James Beard House would be like a dancer being asked to perform for one night on Broadway or a musician being asked to perform a set at Carnegie Hall. For chefs, it’s a big deal and an honor. Even if in this case it is “just a burger.”
When you take a bite, the first thing you think is ‘big and hearty” obviously it is, if you like onions on your burger you will love this. “The Worcestershire Glaze makes the burger” Laurence tells me, and actually I think he’s right. It’s a sauce he says they have worked with for years. Many years and remembered they had it in their back pockets when the burger needed a pop. It’s perfect. The bun is a special creation made to look like a mushroom growing out of the top of it. The entire thing was artfully done and beautiful as well as delicious.
As of this writing, the brothers are running in fourth place which is pretty impressive when you see the number of entries on the list. Competitive? “I check where we are every morning” Michael admits. “We got 100 votes since yesterday.”
Of course, there is obviously the popularity contest aspect to this. There is no way for us to know which burger really deserves our vote. Especially in a nationwide contest. Many times the best doesn’t win. It comes down to who can scream the loudest and get the most attention. Consider this your official rallying cry to get out and vote for something other than a Clinton, Trump or Sanders and enjoy a great meal in the process. Of course, if you can’t get to Bloomingdale between now and July 31st, you are more than welcome to take my word for it and send a Savannah chef to New York City by voting here.
If you do make it out to Wood’s Kitchen, make sure you show up hungry. The burger will set you back an extremely reasonable $10 and very well could be one of the only things you will eat and like that day. It is that big. It is that filling. It is that good.
See you on TV,
Jesse
