BLG's BLG

When we were designing our monthly changing menu, we wanted to have one staple.  One item to carry from month to month, something that we could perfect into something really special.  We thought about a steak dish, then a fish, maybe a vegetarian entree, alas we settled on a burger.  At one point we almost called our burger "The Local Burger" because it sufficiently was a complete local burger.  I'm really happy we didn't.  We did have a customer in the other day that called it the real local burger.  I thanked him and politely corrected him, the original local burger.  We like to call it our BLG or Burger Les Gras.

What makes our burger so popular?  We use the best beef in the valley for starters.  We use River Rock Farms beef.  They dry-age their beef which gives it rich and decadent "beefy" flavor.  A bit pricey but well worth every penny.  We like to use a mixture of chuck and sirloin, and depending on the time of year we throw in some short rib and brisket.  It is important that we create a good balance in the meat especially because we serve half-pound burgers.  When cooked medium-rare I want the burger to be really rich and satisfying but not greasy or dry.  This took quite a bit of testing, but believe me no one complained.  Before we grind the meat we give it a bath in red wine, herbs, pepper and garlic.  Getting the timing on this also took some trial and error,  too long and the meat became soggy, too short and it doesn't build enough flavor.  After it soaks for the perfect amount of time, we drain it and grind it using a nice coarse grind.  In order to distribute the fat properly, we grind it a few times, mixing well between each pass.  Then we mix it by hand, chill it down and form it into perfect half-pound patties.

Now we are ready for the brioche.  We use a mixture of AP flour from Vermont and soft wheat flour from the Valley.  Brioche is an egg, milk and butter bread so naturally we use Mapleline Farm milk, local eggs (source depends on season) and some of our fresh churned butter (made with Mapleline cream).  We finish them with a little sesame seed and viola, the perfect local bun.

True to our fashion, the toppings change with the season.  Right now we are using an awesome cheese from Old Plymouth in Vermont and some delicious caramelized onions.  We always serve our burger with a healthy side of hand-cut frites (made from local potatoes when available) and our mildly addictive house aioli.  An awesome burger if I don't say so myself, my mouth is actually watering while writing this.  Maybe I need some a BLG love, that is what I say when I want my burger...