Burger, Pitch

Fine Vines Artisanal Ketchup is more than a condiment ... it's a lifestyle!

Charles Ferruzza — Wed, 01 May 2013 07:30:00 -0500

When pharmaceutical sales executive Bruce Steinberg decided to leave the world of pills behind after 35 years, he picked a different kind of feel-good product to push: ketchup.

"In my role as a pharmaceutical salesman, I was always looking for a hole in the marketplace," Steinberg says.…

The Burger Stand in Lawrence gets national love from Zagat

Charles Ferruzza — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:18:54 -0600

There are a lot of great - even fabulous - burgers in the Greater Kansas City metro, but only one was selected by Zagat Survey for its listing of "The Best Hamburgers in 25 Cities," which was a featured story today in USA Today.

I've got to say this unassuming saloon, with an upscale burger shop inside, does put out one hell of a burger.…

Westport Flea Market kicks off its four-day, 31st anniversary celebration today

Jonathan Bender — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 13:18:00 -0500

You can't go back to the swinging 1980s, but your wallet can time-travel for the next four days at the Westport Flea Market (817 Westport Road). In honor of its 31st anniversary, the Westport burger spot is rolling back prices on burgers and beer through Thursday, August 16.…

What should be the cap on burger prices?

Jonathan Bender — Tue, 29 May 2012 09:18:54 -0500

The burger is the rare diner staple that has managed to plant its flag squarely on fine-dining menus. The ingredients just get fancier.…

KC is the 8th best burger city according to Travel + Leisure readers

Jonathan Bender — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:30:53 -0500

We will make them fat and flat and smothered in onions. We'll give you a triple stack, hash browns, and grilled cheeses for buns.…

Midwest Living names Blanc, Wesport Flea Market among region's best burgers

Jonathan Bender — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:00:57 -0500

Burgers are like weather forecasters in Kansas City. We have no shortage of celebrated options.…

"Unk" knows how to cook up a hell of a burger

Charles Ferruzza — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:28:00 -0500

Jesse Mack believes in the theory that if you build it — in this case, a fabulous cheeseburger — the people will come. It's a theory that doesn't always fly in Lee's Summit, where burger baron Ernesto Peralto — the big cheese behind the Blanc Burgers + Bottles empire — learned the hard way that boutique snack shacks can be tough sells in Lee's Summit.…

OK, Kansas City, here's how we get an In-N-Out

Jonathan Bender — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:30:42 -0600

I'm not encouraging trademark violation, but let's just say for a minute that we've got an enterprising young man by the name of Mr. In. And Mr. In just so happens to be good friends with another Kansas City resident, Mr. Out.…

You don't have to play hard to get, In-N-Out

Jonathan Bender — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:35:00 -0500

I don't know if you're worried about being rejected. Or if you've been burnt by a bad municipality in the past.…

In-N-Out makes people weep in Texas and is now only 501 miles away from Kansas City

Jonathan Bender — Thu, 12 May 2011 09:30:28 -0500

With, thanks to Jesus and a woman openly weeping about the beauty of her burger, In-N-Out opened two restaurants in Frisco and Allen, Texas, yesterday. The burger joint out of California took the Dallas area by storm with die-hards camping out in tents overnight, just to be the first to get their hands on a Double-Double.…

Blanc Burgers + Bottles wins national playoff championship

Charles Ferruzza — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:41:25 -0500

My alma mater, Butler University, didn't fare so well in the NCAA championship game on Monday night, but Kansas City's Blanc Burgers + Bottles -- owned by chef Josh Eans and Ernesto Peralta Jr. -- scored all the right points: For the second year in a row, the upscale burger bistro won the burgerbusiness.com Burger Bracket competition.

Fans of individual restaurants and national chains voted on the burgerbusiness.com website. Blanc Burgers + Bottles, which has two locations in the metro, received more votes than such national chains as Red Robin, Hardee's and Wendy's.…

The five reasons that Carl's Jr. turkey burgers will be a temporary menu item

Jonathan Bender — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:15:25 -0500

If you can't beat them, co-brand them. Carl's Jr. and Hardee's rolled out a new line of under-500-calorie turkey burgers this week designed through a partnership with Men's Health.…

Custard's Last Stand introduces Rockin' burgers

Jonathan Bender — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 09:00:38 -0500

Custard and burgers might have been the original nose-to-tail concept, and Custard's Last Stand is hoping to get a boost to its bottom line from the popular combination.

The Kansas City Business Journal reports that the Lee's Summit custard shop is test-marketing burgers at its original location at 308 S.E. Missouri Hwy. 291.…

Smashburger to take over former B:2 space in Lee's Summit?

Jonathan Bender — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:30:10 -0500

If at first a burger joint doesn't succeed, then it's up to another to try again. Joyce Smith of The Kansas City Star is reporting that Smashburger will be taking over the space of the former B:2 A Burger Boutique (860-W N.W. Blue Pkwy.), the scaled-down less-expensive option from the Circle Restaurant Group.…

I'm a man who eats 1/4-pound burgers

Jonathan Bender — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:47:22 -0500

Dear Ubiquitous burger joints,

I'm a man who is happy with a 1/4-pound burger. Actually, I'm a man who is freaking overjoyed with a 1/4-pound burger when it's cooked right.…

Clean up your damn language at Wolfburgers Cafe in Kansas City, Kansas

Charles Ferruzza — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:53:41 -0500

Maria Guiterrez -- the cheery proprietor and cook at the cozy little Wolfburgers Cafe at 3009 Strong Avenue in the Argentine district of Kansas City, Kansas -- has a handwritten sign posted in a prominent position in her dining room: "Please limit your bad language."

Limit? Does that mean measure it out carefully, using the f-word once every half-hour instead of, say, every third sentence?

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Why In-N-Out could technically be available in KC at some point

Jonathan Bender — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:05:44 -0600

This may be getting the burger off the grill before the bun is baked, but In-N-Out Burger could be thinking about coming to Kansas City. This will require a little bit of math and some faith, so you'll just have to work with me, people.…

Beer Kitchen No. 1: Westport's hoppin' new restaurant is this week's review

Emily Johnson — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:38:31 -0600

In this week's Pitch, Charles Ferruzza fills up on truffle-parmesan fries and pretzel twists at Westport's new Beer Kitchen No. 1, a relaxed version of the space's former inhabitant, One80.

Sample Angela C. Bond's photographs, read Charles' review and save room for dessert.

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It's time to let Mayor McCheese go, America

Jonathan Bender — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 09:15:37 -0600

I know some of you have very strong opinions about who should be the mayor of McDonald's. And I'm not talking about those among you who are addicted to FourSquare and informing the rest of us that you are nailing down a Quarter Pounder, again.…

KC Smoke Burgers has some serious burgers

Jonathan Bender — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 12:00:27 -0600

No neighborhood in Kansas City can resist the burger craze, so it's no surprise that the avalanche of grilled patties has finally reached 39th Street. And KC Smoke Burgers (1610 West 39th Street), in the former Jerusalem Cafe location, hasn't just dipped a toe into the waters.…

Blow your blackjack winnings on a $5,000 burger in Vegas

Jonathan Bender — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 09:35:05 -0600

The FleurBurger 5000 will run you five at Fleur in Las Vegas. That's $5,000.…

Behold the McRushmore: A monument to McDonald's and its animal kingdom

Jonathan Bender — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:15:30 -0600

With NASA being dismantled, humanity is apparently searching for other ways to challenge his tolerance for extreme conditions and the unknown.

The good folks at the Stew have pulled together the four members of the animal kingdom that currently grace McDonald's menu and come up with a mouth-stretching sandwich dubbed the Mt. Rushmore.…

America should prepare for stuffed burgers in 2011

Jonathan Bender — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:15:53 -0600

Cheeseburgers have always been a bit backward. Because once you put a slice of cheese inside your hamburger patty, you'll wonder why you ever thought it made sense to put the cheese on top at the last minute.…

McDonald's without burgers, cats and dogs officially living together

Jonathan Bender — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 09:15:32 -0500

McDonald's is apparently testing a new prototype restaurant in Paris that lacks one very important element -- the chain's signature burgers [via ffog.net].

The McCafe concept, set to open in late October, will have a built-in salad bar at the counter that allows customers to see their order freshly prepared from 28 ingredients.…

Paula Deen-branded vegetables coming to a store near you?

Jonathan Bender — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 08:15:14 -0500

You may know her for cooking with more butter than a dairy cow, but chef Paula Deen could be coming to a produce section near you. In an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Deen mentioned that she is "working with farmers and other food producers to come up with a line of fresh fruits and vegetables."…