LMGPR Burger Battle-Week 6: The Last Battle

After more than a month of gorging ourselves on San Jose’s finest hamburgers, our waistlines finally said “ENOUGH.” And so, sadly, we all agreed that we’d have one last hurrah... one last Burger Battle before returning to the land of Lean Cuisines and salads.For our final battle, we each chose a different restaurant.Woody chose the recently opened Farmers Union in San Pedro Square. He ordered the Union Burger with white cheddar, bacon marmalade, bread & butter pickles and served on a brioche bun. Did we mention it was BIG?

Woody was so enamored with his burger that he was finished by the time the rest of the team returned with theirs! He called it “amazing” and said the burger delivered a unique taste with the tangy, sweet and salty flavors of the bacon marmalade and pickles and was complimented by the soft-but dense brioche bun. A definite winner!Paul, meanwhile, revisited the site of our first Burger Battle, Fireside No. 1 Gastropub. Paul was absent when we first ventured there and wanted to give it a try.

Paul likes to keep his burgers simple and let the main ingredients speak for themselves. He went with the Traditional Cheeseburger and gave big ups for the burger’s size, the cheddar’s salty flavor and the fact that the sesame seed bun didn’t fall apart in the process!Bianca’s burger craving took her to one of the trendiest spots in San Jose: SP2. The “Communal Bar + Restaurant presents delicious, locally sourced, American bistro cuisine from premier chef Ola Fendert.” Bianca ordered the Loaded Marin Suns Farms Burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, bacon, cheese, avocado and served on a toasted ciabatta roll. The keyword in the burger description is “avocado.” As you can see, Bianca was a very happy camper:

Bianca raved about this burger, how it was medium cooked to perfection and how the bun absorbed all the juice from the patty. The crispy bacon, fresh avocado and generous portion of thin fries were the perfect compliments. Bianca says believe the hype- SP2 is for real!For Michael, this Burger Battle would not have been complete without a REAL hamburger from Konjoe. You might recall his menu mishap from week three and so he went back to redeem himself. Michael chose the Basic Burger with cheddar cheese that looked like this:

But Michael wasn’t done just yet, he also ordered a side of pork belly and added that as well:

It was perfect. Savory ground beef, tender pork, crisp lettuce, fresh tomato smothered in special Konjoe sauce and encompassed by a large, soft and sweet Hawaiian-style bun. It was everything Michael had hoped it would be.AND THE WINNER IS... When everyone was done eating, it was time to vote. Who has the best burger in San Jose? It all came down to taste. Personal taste. And because of that, we each picked a different winner:

Woody’s Winner: Shiitake Mushroom Burger - Konjoe Burger Bar (Lettuce, Shittake Mushrooms, Jack Cheese, Pickled Jalapeno, Konjoe Sauce, Aioli, Fried Egg)

Paul’s Pick: Truffle Mushroom Swiss Burger - Smashburger (Truffle mayo, sautéed baby portabella mushrooms and aged Swiss on an egg bun)

Bianca’s Best of the Best Burger: Loaded Marin Suns Farms Burger:SP2 (Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Bacon, Cheese, Avocado on a Ciabatta Roll)

Michael’s Meat Masterpiece: The Duke Burger: Firehouse No.1 Gastropub (Bacon, BBQ, onion rings & cheddar cheese)And there you go! The LMGPR Burger Battle has come to an end. We’ve had a great time trying out all these different hamburgers and hope we’ve inspired you to get out there and taste what San Jose has to offer.The only question now is... what kind of food are we going to battle next? Suggestions?Bon Appetite!