Ideas needed for "Gourmet Burger Bar"

[Jenise]

I've been asked to 'cater' an event with a gourmet burger bar. It's not a foodie event, but a somewhat somber one: a celebration of life. I'll be serving upwards of 100 people so a lot of variety is possible, but one has to be somewhat conservative in terms of expense (no foie gras, no truffles) and labor (last-minute preps will be frowned upon). A bakery has been commissioned for the fresh poppy seed and sesame kaiser rolls, and the a local grocer will be providing fresh quarter pound beef patties.

These are the side dishes that will be offered: bowtie pasta/arugula/lox, southwestern barley/corn/black bean/fresh jalapeno, tomato crescents in a vinaigrette (a favorite of the departed), pea/tarragon/shrimp, watermelon slices, XXX Adult potato, and the cucumber/melon salad I posted earlier this week. Also, potato chips.

It's the burger fixings and condiments I'm stalling out over.

Gotta have the standard sliced beefsteak tomatoes, lettuce and onions. Oh, and pickles. And cheese: cheddar and swiss. I'm thinking I'll use red onions, which I'll lightly marinate to tame sharpness and add flavor. Arugula and a soft green lettuce will be offered for the greens (no iceberg).

For condiments there needs to be mustard, ketchup and a "secret sauce". I'm planning to make a pesto and chipotle flavored mayonnaise too.

But I can make and add many more. What else needs to be here? Oh, bleu cheese crumbles for sure. That's on my list. But what am I not thinking of?

HELP!

[Robin Garr]

Jenise, W.W. Cousins, a well established local family-casual burger joint (a pretty obvious knockoff of Fuddrucker's), boasts of its 6-foot-long fixins bar.

Put together from memory and a little crative Googling, I came up with this list, but I don't think it's completely exhaustive:

iceberg lettuce
green keaf lettuce
diced tomatoes
sliced tomatoes
white onions
red onions
pickles, four flavors
mayonnaise
dill relish
ketchup
choice of mustards
jalapeños
sauerkraut
banana peppers
sweet and sour sauce
tartar sauce
sour cream
Parmesan cheese
malt vinegar
Frank’s Hot Sauce
chipotle Ranch sauce
alfalfa sprouts

This is self-serve. About six different cheeses (including blue-cheese crumbles), sauteed onions and a few other items cooked on or with the burger are available placed with your burger order for a small upcharge.

avocado
beet (...any Aussies in the audience?)
pepper jack cheese

And let us not forget chimichurri sauce, aioli and just plain finely chopped garlic on the side for those who are of the truly brave of heart.

[Jenise]

Bacon! I forgot bacon! Wish I had time (or the budget) to broil off a bunch of proscuitto slices, that would be so much more interesting. Or at least, more off the beaten path.

Robin, good list--must work in relish somewhere and some hot sauces.

Jeff--avocado--good one. Maybe I'll combine that with Daniel's garlic to make a fresh, diced guacamole.

Daniel--have never had, or even thought of, putting chimichurri on a burger, but it sounds FABULOUS. It's on the list.

? carmelized onions with a bit of thyme
? roasted red pepper
? roasted egg plant rounds

LOL Jenise...I was just going to post BACON!!

The only other thing I serve with burgers are sauteed mushrooms. But not sure they would work out if they have to be kept warm. Otherwise, it sounds like you are covered. The sides sound delicious!

Sorry to hear about the loss...sounds like it will be a great tribute.

Pickled red onions.
Bleu cheese w/ chunks of walnuts blended in.

That combo's from maybe a Gourmet or Bon Appetite from years ago, but the combination works great.

Horseradish!

For a non-foodie event, I think you already have plenty, but I do like the sautéed mushrooms suggestion, blue cheese crumbles, you spicy mayo, sautéed onions are a must, . If you have too many choices, people can't decide and the food line gets held up. Oh, maybe a third option of cheese would be nice, maybe a pepper jack. What about those jalapeño slices that are heat tamed, but very tasty.

[Jenise]

Pickled red onions. Gourmet...Bon Appetit...

I already have a pickled red onion of sorts in my plans, but OH OH OH. You jogged a memory: Onions reduced with zinfandel into an oozing winey marmalade. Can't remember who made it, but I do remember mentioning it here. Always meant to try it and never have. But wouldn't that be cool? Let me see if I can find that.

[Jenise]

Ah, here it is.

Mike Filigenzi, did you ever try it?

http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1764&p=12424&hilit=zinfandel+onions#p12424

[Jenise]

Okay, swiss and cheddar are out. Havarti and pepper jack are in.

Heh. Just had a vision of a burger as a Cow Futomaki. So you could offer the things that get put into sushi rolls... "crunchy" bits, burdock root, imitation crabmeat....

Heinz Tomato Ketchup

I don't think I ever got around to that specific onion prep, Jenise, but I can't imagine that it wouldn't be delicious.

[Jenise]

Heh. Just had a vision of a burger as a Cow Futomaki. So you could offer the things that get put into sushi rolls... "crunchy" bits, burdock root, imitation crabmeat....

...SPAM....

Okay, swiss and cheddar are out. Havarti and pepper jack are in.

People are going to be unhappy.

[Jenise]

Okay, swiss and cheddar are out. Havarti and pepper jack are in.

People are going to be unhappy.

Gotta have an orange cheese, huh? The thought DID cross my mind. For all the interesting things we put out, I'm prepared for the fact that the majority will still want "the usual". Which is why it doesn't make sense to spend much of the widow's money on things that are too out there.

I know it might sound kind of weird, but how about fried eggs? I've heard it's common to put eggs on burgers in New Zealand. I realize that might be kind of hard to pull off, though - frying up a bunch of eggs before...

[Jenise]

I know it might sound kind of weird, but how about fried eggs? I've heard it's common to put eggs on burgers in New Zealand. I realize that might be kind of hard to pull off, though - frying up a bunch of eggs before...

Nice idea for a smaller group but too hard, you're right, for an event this size. It's the kind of last-minute, labor-intensive thing I just won't have time for.

Jenise,
Are you absolutely committed to 100% ground beef for the patties? A good way to add a little flair to burgers is to offer ground lamb patties or -- more exotically -- ground buffalo or ostrich. On the scale you're doing it, you could perhaps split the patties 60-40 or 70-30.

Just my 2¢
Mark Lipton

[Jenise]

Jenise,
Are you absolutely committed to 100% ground beef for the patties? A good way to add a little flair to burgers is to offer ground lamb patties or -- more exotically -- ground buffalo or ostrich. On the scale you're doing it, you could perhaps split the patties 60-40 or 70-30.

Just my 2¢
Mark Lipton

Ground buffalo and lamb are readily available here and I'd love, especially, to do lamb, but for the sake of budget, I need to keep it at beef (and salmon, did I mention that I'm doing some salmon patties for the vegetarians?).

...did I mention that I'm doing some salmon patties for the vegetarians?).

So, which vegetable did the "salmon" derive from?