Between the Buns - a Look at the Best Burgers in Westfield

Happy Father's Day to all my foodie friends!

Barbecue season is in full swing and usually that means juicy burgers and sizzling steaks. Father's Day has practically become synonymous with backyard BBQ and grilling meat. 

Well, burgers aren’t necessarily just meat, cheese and white starchy rolls anymore. You can make or order tasty patties crafted from chicken, turkey, tuna, salmon, pork, lamb, legumes and veggies.  Of course the wider selection of ingredients provides more choices for health & nutrition. 

Westfield Foodie’s Favorite Burgers

I love bacon cheeseburgers. When I splurge, this is what I want to eat. My favorite is the house burger topped with bacon & blue cheese at Jeffrey’s, with their sweet potato fries. It hits the mark every time. I also love the turkey burger at Westfield Diner (more on that, below). When I'm watching fat and calories more carefully, I look to alternative burgers. I’ve adapted a delicious, healthier and very satisfying homemade bacon cheeseburger made with poultry products that even my children gobble up. With health concerns such as family history of heart disease for my husband and high cholesterol for me, we decided earlier this spring to limit our red meat and cheese consumption to once per week, or less. That means getting a little creative with those burgers and their toppings.

Fast Food vs. Home Made Burgers

Do you ever wonder how they line up? Let's do a side-by-side nutritional analysis. On one extreme, there is the Baconator Double at Wendy’s - two ¼ lb patties topped with juicy Applewood Smoked bacon on a premium fresh bun, topped with mayo, ketchup and American cheese. Yum? You might feel a little sick after ingesting 940 calories, 25 grams of saturated fat, (recommended daily intake is 20 g) and over 1,500 mg of sodium (62% of daily recommended allowance of 2,400 mg). Yuck!

A healthier alternative is a chicken burger with turkey bacon on a multigrain bun with organic cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and ketchup. I recommend Bell and Evans Chicken Burgers topped with Applegate Farms Hardwood Smoked Uncured Turkey Bacon and Applegate Farms Natural New York Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese. A ¼ pound burger with 1 oz cheese, 2 slices bacon, whole wheat bun, 1 tbsp Heinz ketchup, lettuce and tomato yields 490 calories, 7.5 grams of saturated fat and 890 mg of sodium. If you opt for a ½ pound burger like the Wendy’s product, add 160 cal, 1.5 g sat fat and 140 mg sodium. Even with a 1/2 pound of meat you’ll still be eating 30% less sodium and calories and a whopping 75% less saturated fat than the Wendy's burger!

Tastiest Burgers in Town

We can assume that the rest of the burgers out there are somewhere in between these 2 extremes. Let’s face it - most people don’t crave burgers because they are healthy. We select burgers because we are really hungry, craving meat, ready for a splurge, or just for the great taste. So let’s put nutrition aside for a moment and focus on taste. 

If you are having a Big Mac Attack that cannot be quelled, you will find a plethora of McDonalds, Burger Kings, Wendys and even a White Castle just outside of town in Clark, Garwood and South Plainfield. Westfield has a few "gourmet fast food" joints focused on the almighty burger, including Five Guys, The Windmill and 25 Burgers.  I was surprised that 12 out of the 25 burgers aren’t even traditional burgers, which I define as a ground protein that is shaped as a patty and grilled or sautéed. Grilled chicken breast, Reubens, and filet of fish (the Burger of the Month, nonetheless) are sandwiches, folks, not burgers. 

Diners usually have great burgers and a menu full of options. Westfield Diner has a pizza burger that is reminiscent of what I grew up eating at Don's in Livingston. Vicki's boasts a healthy turkey burger salad. There are burgers are most town restaurants but readers recommend such high-end burgers as the Dillon's Burger with grilled red onion, Irish bacon and Tipperary cheddar on a brioche roll, Isabella's Bistro Burger with garlic rosemary fries and Jeffrey's Central Avenue Burger, topped with red onion confit, lettuce, tomato and garlic herb Boursin cheese.  

Grilling Burgers at Home

For home cooking, you have more options. From ground Kobe beef at Kings, Stop and Shop’s 90% lean ground beef, Organic Ground Beef that’s 85% lean at Trader Joe’s, and Grass-fed beef at Alan’s Orchard from cows that were grazing in the pasture while you were scraping off your grill plates and wrapping your dad's gift.  What does this all mean?

A 3.5-ounce serving of lean ground beef qualifies as “lean” if it has less than 10g total fat, 4.5 g or less saturated fat and less than 95 mg cholesterol per serving, which makes it comparable to an equal-size piece of chicken thigh. Grass-fed beef is from animals that eat hay on the pasture, not the traditional grains or corn. Another plus: the beef has higher vitamin and omega-3 content. Lean sirloin makes a tasty burger and has the same fat content as ground turkey so there is little sacrifice in taste and texture. Certified Organic beef is from livestock raised with full access to outdoors, fresh air, water, sunshine, grass and pasture land. Their feed is 100% organic with no growth stimulants or antibiotics. Any shelter provided must allow the animal the opportunity to exercise.  Kobe beef is a very high grade of beef from Japanese cattle. The pure genetics, superior diet and high breeding standards result in a burger with outstanding flavor and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness.

Where's the Beef? 

Not all great burgers are made from beef. There are some excellent alternative burger options for those who don't eat red meat. The Westfield Diner has a phenomenal turkey burger - it is so much better than any other turkey burger I've ever tried. Try it on a traditional bun, or to replace grilled chicken on the Greek Multigrain Panini with feta, spinach, tomato and tzatziki sauce or atop a Greek salad. Wild Greens has a fabulous veggie burger that is pressed on a ciabatta square with lettuce, tomato and their zesty chipotle aioli. Or at the supermarket, Dr. Praeger's makes a great veggie patty, and Bell and Evans has the delicious chicken burger.  Or jump on the newest trend: ask the butcher for ground lamb and make a lamb burger! 

Best of Both Worlds

Or do a combo burger - make the patty half the size and top with a grilled portobello mushroom cap. Replacing some of the beef with vegetables adds fiber and reduces fat, calories, sodium and cholesterol without having to give up beef altogether.

Whatever burger the man in your life enjoys on Father’s Day, enjoy!

-WF

Lauren Weiss blogs on www.westfieldfoodie.com and The Alternative Press about cooking, dining and food shopping in her hometown of Westfield, NJ. A busy stay at home mom of 2 takes on the challenges of every day life, one meal at a time. Email comments and questions to westfieldfoodie@gmail.com to be included in future articles.

Smoke and Spice and Everything Nice - Real Men who Rub, Smoke and Sizzle on Father’s Day…and Every Day

My husband loves to eat, but likes to make ... reservations

Happy Father’s Day!
I am dedicating this piece to the 2 primary dads in my life – my dad Harris and my husband and father to my 2 girls, Nathaniel. Respectively they make a kick ass mushroom omelette and oatmeal with dried fruit. But, that’s pretty much it. Breakfast is served! Luckily, for dinner they also know how to make reservations, and luckily I know lots of other guys or else this would be a very brief article.  I love my husband and he is a wonderful father but cooking is just not his thing. Here's a recent shot of us enjoying a gorgeous romantic sunset at Laguna Niguel, CA while sipping martinis and scarfing down swordfish tacos. 

I sometimes envy women who have husbands who cook. The pressure to plan meals for the family all day every day is not entirely on their shoulders. They can be served and eat like a Queen. I imagine they don’t do all the food shopping or dishwashing either. The upside to my situation is my husband really appreciates my efforts in the kitchen seems to love everything I make. I remember when we first got married I presented him dinner and he kissed his fingertips like a Sicilian – and it was just a tuna fish sandwich. I thought, this could be an easy gig.

I love talking food with other guys. It’s safe flirting. My daddy friends in Westfield and buddies from Mendham high school seem to enjoy sharing their culinary conquests. My observation is that men have an entirely different approach to food than women do. They spend a lot more time preparing the food, and like to do things like use smokers, grill a lot of meat, and make huge casseroles that could feed more than just the family. 


Women toss around the phrase it takes a village quite often – but while women typically cook for the family, men really like to cook for the village! My friend complained to me recently that they would love to just attend their block party and bring a bag of chips and dip, but her husband’s jambalaya has become such a popular item that he will spend hours preparing it annually, so as not to let the neighbors down. Men also seem to have a lot of secret recipes they will not divulge. Read below for more on that.

A foodie friend recommended two books for this article, that men everywhere will love. The first is “Smoke and Spice” which focuses on cooking with smoke and enforces the real way to barbecue on your charcoal grill, water smoker or wood-burning pit. He also gave me his beloved copy of Weber’s Charcoal Grilling: The Art of Cooking with Live Fire. Yes, that Weber. These are his outdoor cooking bibles and he recommends the recipes you will find within. 

I posted a request on Facebook for men to share their favorite recipes and I got a wonderful response from the men who cook and the women who love their cooking. Here are some of their stories, in their own words….

Rich’s Ribs

He loves to make smoked baby back ribs! He brines them for 24 hours and then applies a spicy dry rub. He usually uses a combo of paprika, pepper, brown sugar, salt, old bay seasoning, chipotle, garlic powder, cumin and mustard. He uses apple wood in the smoker and slowly cooks the ribs for around 5-6 hours. He likes to spritz them with apple cider every half hour. Sometimes in the last hour, he'll wrap the ribs in tin foil pouches and fill it with a mixture of cider, cider vinegar, soy sauce, and a splash of bourbon for good measure! Happy Father’s Day Rich!

Rob’s Savory Smokouts

Tiny Town Turkey Rub

Rob shares, if not exceeds, my passion for cooking and takes his culinary responsibilities very seriously. He grows his own veggies in his backyard garden and smokes his own meat. He grilled for me one night earlier this month, and introduced me to Savory Spice Shop’s Tiny Town Turkey Rub and Hickory Smoke Flavoring Rub. He butterflied two whole chickens and rubbed each of them with one of these spice mixtures. They were both incredible. Inspired, I was downtown the next morning and stopped by Savory Spice Shop to purchase these spices. Owners Becky and Jackie greeted me warmly and told me “your friend who cooked for you last night was already here!” How did they know that? He came to refill his spice jar (you can bring an empty spice jar and get $1 off your purchase) and saw my name on their email list. He mentioned he had me over for dinner, and that was why he had depleted his supply of spices. When I stopped by they already knew what I ate for dinner last night. Westfield can be a small town that way! But I love it. That’s what Westfield Foodie is all about. Happy Father’s Day Rob!

Duck, Duck…Goose with Gabe and Zoe

Gabe is a fellow foodie who cooks for wife and daughter Zoe. Approaching her first birthday, Zoe's diet is a bit different than her mom’s and dad’s, but they share as much as possible. He makes a great duck breast these days with a sauce that varies but usually has a spicy and sweet profile with roasted broccoletti and roasted French fingerlings.  I've never heard of broccoletti so I just googled it and it really is legit. It came on the scene in 1998 as a hybrid form of broccoli and you can find it at Wegmans. Thanks Gabe for teaching me something new.  Gabe roasts a lot of yams and squash for Zoe. She plays with empty spice bottles and keeps an eye, ear and nose on what's happening in the kitchen. Happy Father’s Day Gabe!

Frank & I grill up lamb chops and pitas
at Juban Meadows

Frank Fires It Up

Frank and his wife Amy are an incredible cooking team. She has the vision and finds the recipes, and he executes everything expertly on the grill. We spend weekends together cooking, golfing, drinking and hanging out at our friends country home, which they call Juban Meadows, in the Upper Delaware Valley. The delectable blend of Cubans and Jews make for some raucus cooking and memories for our families. Happy Father’s Day Frank and Dan!

Kevin Lights Jill’s Fire

Firemen are not only heroes on the job, they are typically heroes in the kitchen as well. Kevin embodies this heroic effort and cooks a lot at the station and at home.  I had the pleasure of meeting Kevin at my 25^th high school reunion a few weeks ago. I wish I knew then what I know now – that he has secrets. “One of his specialties is a slow roasted chicken with a white wine & cream sauce. It’s to die for. He also makes really good shrimp mousse dumplings.” His wife tells me that when he told her he was a fire fighter and cooked, she imagined vats  of chili and spaghetti. But then “he amazed me with his culinary skills, including the awesome chicken. I could seriously drink a shooter of the sauce!” Kevin won’t give up the recipe, but he has opened up a section of his recipe vault to his daughter, who now cooks for her own family.” Way to go Kevin, and Happy Father’s Day!

Joel’s got Sole

"My husband loves to cook. Last night he made clams, shrimp and mussels in a white wine and chicken broth base over rice. He made Wild Sole for me in panko crumbs- it was sooo good!!" All the fish is from Westfield Seafood. Happy Father’s Day Joel!

Steve Seeks Shelter From Storm

Steve claims that his chicken parmesan is the absolute best. That's a bold statement Steve - I will have to put that to the test. “I hope you tell EVERYONE!!!!” His grilled tilapia is no slouch either, and he “braved that darn rain storm last week and it still came out masterfully.” His grilled steak is fabulous too, and I recall ringing in New Years Eve 2010 at his house, in a storm, where he held his daughter's Hello Kitty umbrella in one hand, tongs in the other. I have a sweet spot for Steve, he and Amy help watch my dog when we go out of town, and he even let's her sleep in their bed! We don't even let our dog sleep in our bed. Grilling in the rain, taking in my dog – who is better than you? Happy Father’s Day Steve!

Mike’s Overnight Brisket

Mike loves to make brisket for the Jewish holidays. “We have leftovers, sandwiches and ragouts for days. My Aunt’s over the top appreciation for Mike's meat earns her some points and gets her an invite back to the next holiday. Last year, Mike put it in the oven late at night and slept through the timer. We woke up to a still cooking brisket. We decided to serve it and it was still yummy! We call it our "Overnight Brisket."  I found a recipe akin to Mike’s in the Weber cookbook called “Jim’s All-Night Brisket.” Happy Father’s Day Mike!


John's Meat on a Stick
John is my best friend's husband, and we've been cooking together for our families for over 20 years. In fact we were cooking together before either of us even had families - before marriage or kids. John's motto is "It's all about the presentation." I couldn't agree more. After eating many meals at their house, a trend emerged with John - whether we baked, grilled or ordered in there was always some sort of meat on a stick or bone. Skewers, spare ribs, satay and chicken wings all involve a primal combination of meat and bone, or stick. Now it's a joke that we take very seriously and our meals must involve meat on a stick. In March, he taught me to reheat prepared wings (from Winhall Market in Stratton, VT - they were surprisingly amazing) in a convection oven, which make them crispy and hot. Happy Father's Day John!

Martin Makes the Mark

“My husband does all of the real meal cooking here. He could have been a chef! The boys know to ask who made things and know he is the cook. He makes everything, gets into certain cuisines, studies them, then tries them out. I think he finds it to be a relaxing outlet from work.”  Sounds like a win-win. Happy Father’s Day Martin!

Rick’s Family Secret Sausage and Peppers

Sausage with quarter cut potatoes, peppers, onions, portabella mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, fresh thinly sliced garlic cloves all together in the oven on low heat, 325, for 2.5 hours. Rick won’t disclose the fresh spice mixture due to trade family secret. He takes cooking and family very seriously - I can't fault him for that. Happy Father’s Day Rick!

Calvin’s Culinary Creations

My college roomie married a chef who makes pizza on the grill, lasagna, a bazillion soups and stews, Mexican mixed grill, pork tenderloin w/apple chutney, and brined-then-roasted whole chicken with bread salad. He just had his second baby, and he and his wife are ultra-cool and connected in the Bay Area culinary scene. Check out his restaurant Andalu when you are next in San Francisco, CA! Happy Father’s day Cal!

Happy Father's Day to everyone who is or has a father, or once had one or wants to be one someday. I hope that covers everyone.

-WF

Holy Trinity! The Big Fat Greek Fest Returns to Westfield This Weekend

Most of my favorite foods are found on Greek menus, making it one of my favorite types of cuisine. Born and bred in NJ, I was raised on diners, which as you know are mostly run by Greeks. If you are wondering why, read this quick primer from the New York Times.  My friend Elizabeth is a great cook and tells me I make an excellent honorary Greek. She liked my article about the FLOPS method for cooking fish, which she says is the essence of the Greek way to cook - simply preparation using fresh ingredients. 

I love feta, kalamata, vinegar, eggplant, yogurt, dolmas, lamb, fish of any sort, and combinations of any of the above.  I drink Ouzo with my coffee and will eat leftover stuffed grape leaves right off your plate.  I was even in a sorority, and walked around college for a few years wearing a Delta and a Gamma on my hats, sweatshirts and boxer shorts. 

In fact, I'm in a diner right now writing this, smothering their Greek Chicken Multigrain Panini in my favorite tzatziki sauce at the Westfield Diner.

If you similarly enjoy Hellenic fare, The Holy Trinity Greek Fest 2011 should be a priority for you this weekend. Thirty-four hours of loukomathes, baklava, gyros and souvlaki await you. Full dinners, Greek appetizers and homemade traditional sweets will be offered, along with a Greek market place and wine tastings. Stop by a live cooking demo at Yiayia's Kitchen with celebrity chefs. Of course there are many other forms of entertainment to accompany your Greek Feast, including live music dancing, kid zone, crafts market and a tour of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church featuring Byzantine iconography. But if you just want a piping hot fresh lamb gyro, go to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church at 250 Gallows Hill Road in Westfield. Click this link for the full festival schedule.


I have recommendations if you are so inclined to bring a little Greek gastronomy into your kitchen. Let's start with the most well known Greek condiment - Tzatziki sauce. Tzatziki is traditionally a mixture of strained yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, salt and fresh herbs such as dill, mint or parsley. I've seen it with added lemon, olive oil, oregano and vinegar. It's all good! It goes with practically anything and is a great low cal, low fat alternative to any sauce or dressing. You can use it on sandwiches, wraps, on grilled fish or chicken, as a salad dressing,  a dip, or whatever suits your fancy. I also like it on turkey burgers, fruit and on toast. 

There are a few places to get some great Tzatziki sauce in Westfield. You can take it home from the Westfield Diner or enjoy it on many dishes at the diner. Last week at Limani Seafood Grill I spotted a trio of sliders topped with Tzatziki on their specials menu. Kings sells a great artisan crafted Tzatziki Sauce by Maison LeGrand, which promises to get you "dancing like Zorba the Greek!" With no added oil or sugar, each 2 tbsp serving has only 30 calories, 2 g fat, 2 g carbs and the health benefits of probiotic yogurt. 


If you want to make your own, and it's pretty simple and economical to do so, I am including two recipes here. The first is from the Savory Spice Shop on Broad Street. They sell a seasoning blend that offers the right blend of herbs with a nice kick from lemon peel and spearmint. Check their website for their Mt. Olympus Spiced Tzatziki Sauce. 




The next recipe comes from my Greek friend and fellow foodie Elizabeth. Our daughters are in school together and conversations inevitably turn to cooking and eating. Jews and Greeks have a lot in common this way! I have another Greek friend and when the 2 of them met, they had established common relatives in Rhode Island within about 4 minutes. So when I asked her for some info to help write this article, she sent me some recipes she has put together for friends through the years, but with a disclaimer. 


"All measurements are approximate and honestly, every time I make them they vary a little. Baking can be complicated because most recipes were originally made by using "a cake plate" of flour or "tea cup" of oil, shot glass of cognac, etc...To be honest I don't think any two Greeks have identical recipes for anything unless they are siblings." 


Elizabeth's Tzatziki 
(measurements are approximate)

2 cups plain sour cream or greek yogurt (I strain sour cream in a colander overnight. Cheesecloth helps but isn’t necessary. Greek yogurt is thicker and doesn’t need staining)
1-2 cloves creamed or grated fresh garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 large long cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated on large holes of grater
(squeeze out water on paper towels)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh dill
Splash of vinegar or lemon juice

Combine all ingredients except olive oil.   Taste and adjust salt or vinegar to taste.  Chill in refrigerator (best made the night before). Drizzle with olive oil and serve.


Opa - See you at the Greek Fest...
-WF