Quality Athletics put a waffle fry in their burger. Let that sink in.
2Hollywood Insiders
The Hollywood Tavern’s Bangkok Thai burger with peanut sauce, cilantro, and whiskey maple syrup bacon.
3A Fair Burger
On its home turf, Maslow’s by FareStart put out a mighty fine burger.
4The smallest burger…
…was actually a French macaron from Lady Yum. Yes, we shoveled them into our mouths in a semi-orderly fashion.
5Sorry We Don't Have Smell-O-Vision
Two very kind Cowabungers letting us prolong the happiness that ensues after a bite of brisket from Wood Shop BBQ.
6Salt Bae
Taqueria Nueve with the salt shower.
7The Multitasker
Jack Timmons, post history talk, giving the people what they want: Jack’s BBQ mesquite-smoked brisket.
8Say, Cheese.
Bites of Beecher’s between bites of beef.
9Steak on Tots
Dreams do come true. Thanks, Red Cow.
10Taco Champs
Taqueria Nueve of Portland took home the gold, sweeping the No Cow Left Behind competition with their smoked lengue tacos.
11Hello, My Sweet.
JuneBaby’s peanut butter chocolate cake is the marrying kind.
12(Fire Emoji.)
Asadero Prime brought their own Jasper oven like it was no big deal.
13The Holstein
Bluebird Ice Cream bourbon vanilla bean meets chocolate pudding ice cream with a cherry on top.
14Brisket Breakdown
Emma’s BBQ brought the brisket and a some dances moves, too.
15Pepitas, Please!
Full Tilt and fully delicious.
16He's Got Chops
Butchery skills wise, of course. Zeph Shepard of Portland’s Proletariat Butchery.
17Coffee Bourbon Sundae
Salt and Straw opens its two scoop shops in Seattle next year. Until then, we have this coffee bourbon sundae to remember it by.
18Steak on Tots
Dreams do come true. Thanks, Red Cow.
19This. Has. A. Grilled. Cheese. Sandwich. On. It.
Whoever said a bloody mary can’t be a meal unto itself has never been to the Maple Bar.
20Hello, My Sweet.
JuneBaby’s peanut butter chocolate cake is the marrying kind.
21The Trifecta
(Clockwise): Jack’s BBQ white bread brisket tacos, Umami Kushi bun, Derby’s brisket and grits.
22The Holstein
Bluebird Ice Cream bourbon vanilla bean meets chocolate pudding ice cream with a cherry on top.
23(Fire Emoji.)
Asadero Prime brought their own Jasper oven like it was no big deal.
24Pepitas, Please!
Full Tilt and fully delicious.
25Brisket Breakdown
Emma’s BBQ brought the brisket and a some dances moves, too.
26Coffee Bourbon Sundae
Salt and Straw opens its two scoop shops in Seattle next year. Until then, we have this coffee bourbon sundae to remember it by.
27Taco Champs
Taqueria Nueve of Portland took home the gold, sweeping the No Cow Left Behind competition with their smoked lengue tacos.
28This. Has. A. Grilled. Cheese. Sandwich. On. It.
Whoever said a bloody mary can’t be a meal unto itself has never been to the Maple Bar.
29Put a Fork In It—We're Done!
A big thank you to all of the chefs, cooks, restaurants, producers—winners of these fine trophies and non—who served us great food all weekend. See you next year!
30The Trifecta
(Clockwise): Jack’s BBQ white bread brisket tacos, Umami Kushi bun, Derby’s brisket and grits.
31He's Got Chops
Butchery skills wise, of course. Zeph Shepard of Portland’s Proletariat Butchery.
32Put a Fork In It—We're Done!
A big thank you to all of the chefs, cooks, restaurants, producers—winners of these fine trophies and non—who served us great food all weekend. See you next year!
33A Quality Burger
Quality Athletics put a waffle fry in their burger. Let that sink in.
If you’ve been paying attention, you might have noticed a little Seattle Met shindig went down in South Lake Union this weekend. We said it would be a three-day ode de boeuf, and it was indeed a beef fest for the books and so much more. Cowabunga taught us two things: 1) Y’all like beef. A lot. And 2) Y’all like to party. Very much so.Â
Friday’s Burger Bash boasted 10 beauts from the likes of Katsu Burger, Stacks, Li’l Woody’s, Henry’s Tavern, Quality Athletics, the Lobby Bar at the Pan Pacific, with the Hollywood Tavern’s Bangkok burger impressing the judges alongside 2120 (that aioli, that pickle on top!). Last but not least, Pike Brewing’s new restaurant Tankard and Tun took home two wins, People’s Choice and Judges’ Choice for their BLT slider made with house-smoked bacon, tomato jam, and crispy garlic on top.Â
On Saturday we hung out with ranchers, got down with some dairy lovers (hello, Ellenos yogurt bar!), ate beef, naturally, and watched a few cool demos. Zeph Sheppard of Portland’s Proletariat Butchery kicked things off with his butchery how-to. He’s got some major chops, both in terms of skill and facial hair style. That afternoon, the No Cow Left Behind saw some interesting dishes—braised tripe from Spinasse, beef heart tartare from Tavolà ta, a bite of smoked cow tongue from Opus Co., and Portland’s Taqueria Nueve swept the whole contest and took home two trophies with their smoke cow tongue tacos.
In the evening things got swanky for Seared, where the primal nature of fire, smoke, and meat tangoed with the finer sensibilities of a Classic Dessert Competition, negronis, and a burlesque show. Speaking of desserts, Pie and The Confectional kept crowds sated with salted caramel apple pies and apple pie cheesecakes, respectively. Meanwhile, JuneBaby’s Margaryta Karagodina made perfection in a bite, that is, an impossibly light peanut butter chocolate cake. But it was Cubes Baking Co. that cleaned up house, winning both Peoples’ and Judges’ Choice with a deep-fried Mexican chocolate brownie a la mode with tres leches and dulce de leche. Seared on the other hand was decadence by way of brisket (looking at you, Emma’s BBQ) and fatty goodness. Asadero Prime, Capitol Cider, Chavez, Red Cow (chef Thomas Sheehan put steak on tots and we’re forever changed), Manu’s Tacos, and SilverFire all seriously brought their meaty A-game. (SilverFire, if you’re curious, recently sent their clean, biomass cook stoves to Puerto Rico because hurricane detritus plus Silverfire stoves equal helping those in need.)
Hope you saved room for brunch. Sunday meant recovering from Saturday’s festivities via Jack’s BBQ mesquite-smoked brisket tacos, Derby’s brisket and grits, and bloody marys—as in a Bloody Mary Smackdown with Mioposto, whose Calabrian pepper and basil–infused vodka won the day for the judges, and Maple Bar; see the slideshow for the grilled cheese garnish that stole the hearts of the people. After we unbuttoned the top button of our jeans for breathing space, we dove into the I-Scream contest in which Bluebird Ice Cream, Salt and Straw, Full Tilt, and Snoqualmie Ice Cream ensured that the rest of Sunday would be spent napping it all off.
What a weekend. Thanks for spending it with us. And if you didn’t, there’s always next year. In the meantime, here’s this slideshow to ogle. You’re welcome.
Allecia Vermillion, Rosin Saez, and their team track breaking restaurant news and keep tabs on the local dining scene, with regular updates on local happy hours, craft beer, and cocktails. Washington Wine Report’s Sean P. Sullivan checks in regularly to share emerging trends in Washington wine.
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