The Cheese & Burger Society project
This project grew out of Jan’s obsession over the Cheese & Burger Society website. There, a man with a voice like he’s been smoking since his 12th birthday will describe the 30 best cheeseburgers in the world to you. Eating burgers has never seemed so manly – nor tasty! For his birthday we made two of the burgers. They were amazingly awesome. These are some serious artery-clogging tastebuds-exploding greased-lightning burgers. A lesser man would go into cardiac arrest just looking at them. But we are not lesser men! We will see this Cheese & burger adventure through from the Casanova right on through to the Macho Nacho.
Recommendations
People keep asking us for recommendations about which burger to try or to start with. This is a hard task because they are all pretty damm good, but if you want the best of the best…
Jules: try The Johnny Appleseed, The Big Ben or The Lumberjack, The roadhouse or the Pioneer
Jan: try The Casanova, The Big Ben, The Johnny Appleseed, The Highwayman
No. 1: The Casanova
Beef, swiss, ham, sautéed mushrooms, mustard, mayonnaise, burger bun
Tagline: It’s a cheeseburger and mouth love affair waiting to happen.
The verdict
Jan: Surprising creamy excellence (that’s what he said!).
Jules: My Casanova was more sensitive (no bio-ham available) but still a luscious lover.
No. 2: The Rhinelander
mustard, sautéed onions, smoked ham, beef, butterkäse (or if you can’t find it chimay), bun
Tagline: It might as well be the official burger of Oktoberfest
The verdict:
Jan: Smooth like butter
Jules: Meh, nothing new under the sun! I guess it needed real butter in my käse
No. 3: The Uncle Sam
Beef, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, red onion, bacon, mayo, ketchup, burger bun
The verdict
Jan: A classic done right.
Jules: I only took one bite and tasted bacon, cheese and mayo. The perfect suicide.
No. 4: The Miss Daisy
Beef, spinach leaves, mustard, apple syrup, and brie.
Tagline: The object of affection for many a growling stomach
The verdict
Jan: It’s like a hamburger pancake!
Jules: Indeed, this isn’t dinner, it’s breakfast. Tasty meaty breakfast.
No. 5: The Big Ben
Beef, pickled onions, balsamic mayo, blue cheese, bacon and watercress on foccacia.
Tagline: It’s a burger fit for a king… or a guy who just likes to wear a crown
The verdict
Jan: A smooth and distinguished burger
Jules: Obamaburger! It’s like a haute cuisine meal… except you dont feel hungry afterwards.
No. 6: The Honky Tonk
Beef, brick cheese, BBQ sauce, peppered pork, onion rings, lettuce, mayo, toasted sesame bun
Tagline: Get your canines ready for some down and dirty fun!
The verdict
Jan: Creamy yet crunchy.
Jules: The burger ate my onion rings before I got a chance to. I don’t even taste them anymore!
No. 7: The Farmer John
Hashbrowns, beef, limburger, and bacon on toasted bread.
Tagline: It’s not for the guy who makes spreadsheets for a living
The verdict
Jan: A heart attack in a bready package.
Jules: Wait, what? That’s it? Where’s all the other ingredients, man! Not a winner.
No. 8: The Aunt Millie
Beef, Feta, tomatoes, red onions, agurula, italian vinagrette, olives
Tagline:
The verdict
Jan: Great way to get a chick to eat a burger
Jules: The cheese is saltier than my burger. Does that seem right to you?
No. 9: The gypsy
Beef, mozarella, parmesan, bacon, cucumber, red onions, tomatoes, ranch dressing
Tagline: If you’re lucky, one day her home might be your tummy.
The verdict
Jan: She’s fresh! Exciting!
Jules: Tastes like summer to me!
No. 10: The Lumberjack
Beef, swiss, cheddar, lettuce, pickles, onion, ketchup, mayo, mustard on toasted bread.
Tagline: It’s breakfast, lunch, dinner and a few snacks rolled into one.
The verdict
Jan: Ooh, it’s a Big Mac!
Jules: Pickles are cucumbers soaked in awesome. QED.
No. 11: The Firehouse
Beef, Havarti, provolone, spicy ham, pepperocini, spicy jalapenos, ketchup, mayo, fresh dill on chiabatta
Tagline: Not recommended for anyone using a pacemaker!
The verdict
Jan: The cheesiness overwhelms the spicyness…
Jules: Not a fan!
No. 12: The Highwayman
Beef, cheddar, brick, ham, onion rings, BBQ sauce, egg on a soft bun
Tagline: A one way road to yummieville!
The verdict
Jan: If I’m going to die of a heart attack, this is the way to go!
Jules: Hello mid-west trucker diner, pass the BBQ sauce!
No. 13: The roadhouse
Beef, caramelized onions, gruyere, bacon, onion rings, garlic mayo
Tagline: Get your favorite stretch pants ready!
The verdict
Jan: Smooth like a baby’s bottom
Jules: This is a very determined burger, the ingredients complement each other perfectly!
No. 14: The bohemian
Beef, oatbread, gouda, prosciutto, wilted spinach, turkey slices, pestomayo
Tagline: Favorite of local artists
The verdict
Jan: Fancy Italian flavor. Belissimo!
Jules: Very original, very tasty!
No. 15: The Boss
Beef, Asiago cheese, arugula, olive tapenade, prosciutto, red onions, tomatoes, chiabatta
Tagline: The boss is the CEO of mouthwatering goodness
The verdict
Jan: The power of meat. Bite without: Meh. Bite with: Yum!
Jules: A tad too dry, but still a well-rounded tasty burger
No. 16: The Camelot
Beef, caramelized onions, peppered bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, mayo
Tagline: Whoever said romance is dead never sank their teeth into a Camelot!
The verdict
Jan: Juicy, messy, yummy
Jules: It’s the incredible melting burger!
No. 17: The Crabby Louie
Beef, orval cheese (hmms!), surimi, avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, caramelised onion mayo, toasty bun
Tagline: What do cheeseburgers and crustaceans have in common?
The verdict
Jan: Surf and turf in a bun!
Jules: Fresh and delicious and can I have more cheese please?
No. 18: The pioneer
Beef, sautéed cremini and wild mushrooms with bacon and rosemary, garlic mayo, lettuce and aged swiss on a sesame bun.
Tagline: Fresh, wild and natural as the untamed earth
The verdict
Jan: Distinguished and earthy
Jules: Holy garlic cremini goodness, this is great!
No. 19: The Southern Belle
Beef, gruyère, pickes, pepper coleslaw, white onions, bbq sauce, sourdough bread
The verdict
Jules: Easy BBQ snackable
Jan: Nice for a BBQ
No. 20: The Mona Lisa
Beef, gorgonzola, garlic mayo, red onion slices, sundried tomatoes, green olives, arugula and pancetta
The verdict
Jules: This one is a little too feisty for me, the ingredients didn’t blend so much as fight for attention
Jan: Nice and Italian, like the Aunt Millie but better
No. 21: The Couch Potato
Beef, blue cheese, sautéed onions, pepper pork, garlic mayo, buttered bun, potato chips
The verdict
Jules: It’s a nice snack, but where’s my dinner?
Jan: Too blue!
No. 22: The Handyman
Beef, ketchup, mayo, pickles, sauteed onions, cheddar and swiss
Tagline: Not for the delicate of mouth or the stapled of stomach
The verdict
Jan: A good old regular
Jules: Snoozefest!
No. 23: The Isabella
Beef, monterey jack, cheddar, avocado, tomato, lettuce, red onion, jalapenos, refried beans
Tagline: This cheeseburger might be habit forming
Jan: A combination of fresh and cruncy and soft and gooey that did not quite work for me
Jules: Mostly just goopy!
No. 24: The Brooklyn
Beef, swiss, corned beef, sauerkraut, thousand island dressing, dark rye
Tagline:
The verdict
Jan: This was a yummy one!
Jules: The tastes all blend together into one, reminds of carnival fare
No. 25: The Mamma Mia
Beef, mozarella, pepperoni, mushrooms, pizza sauce, sautéed onions, chiabatta
Jules: A meatlovers pizza on a bun.
Jan: Almost as good as the cheeseburger pizza!
No. 26: The Sheboygan
Jan: This is the greasiest thing I’ve ever eaten
Jules: I feel dirty
No. 27: The Waldorf
Beef, red onion, blue cheese, walnuts, endive, mustard, dried cherries, chiabatta
Jules: Novel, more so than tasty.
Jan: A little too blue
No. 28: The Havana
Beef, ham, swiss cheese, roasted pork shoulder, pickles, yellow mustard, pressed french bread
Jules: Meh
Jan: Decent but standard
No. 29: The Johnny Appleseed
Beef, cheddar, sautéed red onions, apples, maple bacon, mustard, sauerdough loaf
Tagline: It won’t only hit the spot, it’ll knock your spot right off its feet.
The verdict
Jan: Unlike any burger I’ve ever tasted. Burgermeester worthy.
Jules: This is mustard’s only justification for existing.
Check out the Johnny Appleseed
No. 30: The Macho Nacho
Beef, cheddar, swiss, tomatoes, lettuce, pickled jalapenos, red onions, black olives, tortilla chips
Tagline: Any bigger and it’d need its own zip code
The verdict
Jan: Nicey spicy!
Jules: Needs some sauce and to not be a taco
Belgian cheese burgers
Chimay – mushrooms and onions sautéed with thyme, balsamic mayo (and bacon)
