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Gourmet burgers take off in Las Vegas
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The hamburger has long been a staple of American fast food, but now a new twist on the classic sandwich has hit restaurants in Las Vegas. If you fancy something more than the simple meat, salad toppings and bun, then a designer gourmet burger might be the meal for you.
Designer burgers are more than a global phenomenon, they're also considered an art form in the culinary world.
In Las Vegas, gourmet burger joints are popping up along the casino town's busy strips.
Inventive hand-crafted ingredients keep getting more extravagant with available toppings including fried eggs, peppers, cayenne pepper, olives and even truffles.
John Curtas, food critic for Las Vegas Weekly newspaper, attributes the trend to the tough economic times.
He said, "Vegas really was overstocked with traditional gourmet three course meal set restaurants. With the recession everybody's dialled it back. A lot of restaurants here now have cafe menus, now have early bird specials, they have small plate tapas menus in the front of the restaurant or at the bar that they didn't have five years ago."
At the Caesars Palace hotel, chef Bryan Ogden offers designer burgers in the new Munch Bar.
The restaurant embraces contemporary theme, and is decorated in comic book-inspired art.
Ogden says the process of cooking the burgers is very much a home-made experience.
He said, "We're using certified black Angus beef. It's all organic, no hormones. We're going to the farmers' markets everyday picking out the ingredients, the lettuces, washing them ourselves and doing all organic romaines and icebergs and the boutique lettuces like red leaf, making our jalapeno mayonnaise, spicy marmalades, little relishes, homemade relishes from scratch. "
Burgers offered include the "Munch Burger" with melted cheddar, tomatoes, pickles, onion and a secretive "fancy sauce."
Priced between 10 and 15 US dollars, they're more expensive than the humble cheeseburger. But that hasn't turned away hoards of hungry customers seeking the boutique burger experience.
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