2015 #MMHBurgerChallenge Ranked – How I Ate 6 Burgers in 7 Days

For those of you who follow along on Instagram, then you already know that I completed the McGuire Moorman Burger Challenge! Whew, it was a doozy, but lots of fun. The gist of the challenge was to have participants eat burgers from all six McGuire Moorman restaurants during the month of August. Why? Probably because August is typically a pretty slow month in Austin. Between the heat and back-to-school stuff, most people aren’t eating out as much as normal. If you ate all six burgers during the month, then you got a $50 gift certificate to one of their restaurants of your choosing and a t-shirt. If you ate all six burgers in a week, then you earned a $250 gift card to one of their restaurants of your choosing and a hat. I thought it was a really fun marketing ploy, and to be honest, a lot of these places are some of my favorite restaurants that I frequent quiet often. I probably would have participated in the challenge even if there weren’t a prize, just because I love burgers and their restaurants so much.

So I grabbed two of my blogger friends, Kristy from 365 Things to Do in Austin and Jane from A Taste of Koko and saddled up for some fast and furious burger eating! Our goal was to devour all six burgers in seven days. I made the reservations and we were off! But first, The Beef.

The Beef: So here’s the dill pickle, mid-game MMH decided to change things up. First, by no longer allowing happy hour priced burgers to count towards the challenge. I thought this was kind of messed up, changing the rules mid-game. But I decided that I still wanted to participate. Just a few days later, and exactly one day after I started the challenge, they decided to no longer give out any additional burger stamp cards, thus effectively ending the challenge for anyone who had not already started. What a bummer! I mean, I get it to a certain extent, I work with restaurants and I can only imagine the strain something like this must have put on their restaurants. But the other part of me (definitely the one who runs marketing for restaurants) is like um, hello, this was like the best deal ever. You basically offered to pay me to eat your burgers. It is money I likely would have spent anyways and now I get gift card, um heck yeah! Me and pretty much every other Austinite that was still in town was on this. Because why wouldn’t you!?! So yeah, they should have definitely expected a major increase in customers. But telling people you’re running out of burgers and cutting off the challenge? I know there are probably circumstances we don’t know, but I was disappointed that they changed the rules midway through. Bailing out half way through is weak, yo. Especially when many of these restaurants are run like finely oiled machines, they totally could have figured this out and made it work. Alas, I decided to still complete the challenge and I definitely look forward to spending my $250!

Without further ado, here is my ranking of all the MMH burgers of the challenge!
6. Perla’s Flat Top Cheeseburger – Iceberg Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Pickles & Special Sauce

Our last and final burger left a lot to be desired. I had never had this one before, but knew going in that previous challengers weren’t digging this one as much as the others. With double the meat and cheese, I was hoping for something more flavorful. While it definitely wasn’t bad, I would stick to the seafood at Perla’s in the future!

5. Lambert’s Wood Grilled House Ground Cheeseburger – Cheddar, Butter Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, Mayo, Dijon Mustard, Sesame Bun

The burger was good but not particularly memorable for me. I really liked the waffle fries though!

4. Jeffrey’s Dry-Aged Prime Wagyu Burger – Mustard Frisee, Cambozola, Caramelized Onion, Horseradish & Caper Mayo, Steak Fries

This burger was really a steak house burger, the combination of the meat and blue cheese made for a very rich and savory meal. While I love blue cheese, I think blue cheese on burgers just might not be my thing. So this is more of a personal preference than a critique of the burger.

3. Elizabeth Street Cafe Secret Brisket Burger – Griddled Ham, Cucumber Kimchi, Iceberg Lettuce, Kewpie Mayo, Sesame Seeded Brioche Bun, Shrimp Chip

Elizabeth Street Cafe always seems to know what I am in the mood for, and this burger was no exception. This burger had the most unique flavor of them all and with the addition of sriracha, the flavors really pop! I hope they keep this one on the menu. The shrimp chip didn’t really do it for me, it was supposed to be the “fries” according to our server. I think it would have been better served by being layered into the burger for extra texture instead of sitting on top. Honestly, I really liked it though and would recommend giving it a try if you get the chance!

2. Clark’s Oyster Bar Pan Roasted Black Angus Hamburger – Sauce Gribiche, Gruyere

This was my first time having Clark’s burger and it really lived up to it’s reputation! I was pleasantly surprised to have an oyster joint pump out a burger this good. The pan roasted angus gives it a nostalgic burger flavor and the gruyere makes it just fancy enough to have a spot on Clark’s menu.

Clark’s and Josephine House burgers were almost a tie for me, both are so, so delicious. I think the egg gave JoHo a slight advantage IMO.

1. Josephine House Burger – Grafton Cheddar, Harissa Aïoli, Grilled Red Onion, House-Made Bun, Frites

This is one of my favorite breakfast burgers! I have really liked it for a while and it didn’t disappoint this time either. The bun is the right ratio of bread to meat, the egg is always cooked on point, runny but not excessively so. This is a burger I have (and will!) order again and again!

Thoughts? Opinions on the challenge? Did you participate? Did you want to but got cut off? Lemme know!