Executive chef Jarrod Mainard has crafted a St. Anthony Hotel Father’s Day special guaranteed to wow dads.
The Sunday Brunch is called the “Golden Burger Experience.” It’s a massive concoction of beef and eye-poppin’ fixin’s for a mind-blowin’ $500.
Beer and fries included.
But not tax or tip.
There’s another catch: Patrons can’t just show up to the hotel’s Gallery On The Park and ask for the golden burger experience. They must place orders in advance at jgaldeano@thestanthonyhotel.com.
Why? Mainard and his culinary team need time to gather and prepare the ingredients.
What, you might wonder, goes into a $500 burger?
Mainard is glad you asked. He starts with a half-pound Japanese A5 ribeye patty. He adds butter-poached king crab legs, shaved black summer truffles, shaved Ibérico ham, a tangy balsamic barbecue sauce and Osetra caviar. Then he fits everything inside a 24K gold-plated Japanese A5 Wagyu tallow onion bun.
“We were asking ourselves what fathers want on Father’s Day,” Mainard said. “We decided they wanted burgers and beer. And then we asked ourselves how we could make the most elevated burger? And it just spiraled from there.”
Meanwhile, a few miles away, Pearl is hosting its third annual Burger Showdown on Sunday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. For a $20 wristband, entrants can enjoy burger samples from eight competing restaurants and cast three votes for their favorites.
The showdown participants are Supper, Otto’s Ice House, Henbit, Burgers by the Butcher, Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery, Boiler House, Casanova BBQ and Brasserie Mon Chou Chou.
Wait. A French brasserie is competing in a burger showdown? Turns out, Mon Chou Chou returns as the defending champion.
“The burger we won with was a classic burger with truffle cream sauce,” said Philippe Placé, co-founder of the Southerleigh Hospitality Group, which includes Mon Chou Chou. “We were not expecting to win. We were just as surprised as the rest of you guys.”
This year, Chou Chou executive chef Laurent Rea is preparing a mushroom burger with Gruyère cheese.
“One half of our ego wants to win, the other half is just happy to be there on Father’s Day,” Placé said. “It’s always nice to take restaurants outside of their restaurants. We go under the tents. We get to meet our guests in a different way and hang out with other chefs. It’s first and foremost a party. We want to have a cold beer with our guests and have fun.”
At this year’s showdown, Chou Chou, Southerleigh and Boiler House will be grilling burgers under the same tent. Other competitors will be grilling under different tents.
“It’s a very festive event,” Placé said. “There’s music. There’s booze. People are super chill. What I like most is the connection with guests coming to the booth and trying the burgers. You get to try 10, 15 different bites, all of them loaded with flavors. It’s sort of a foodie high.”
Mainard is preparing a foodie high at the St. Anthony.
“The A5 Japanese Wagyu patty is probably the best in the world,” he said. “We’re layering gold flakes on the outside of the bun. We’re really pushing the limits on the burger. If I had the money, I’d go for it.”
Mainard’s creation is not the most expensive burger. Not even close. In 2021, Robbert Jan De Veen sold a burger for $5,967 in The Netherlands. The gold-leaf covered bun was made using Dom Pérignon champagne. Like Mainard’s burger, Jan De Veen’s patty was layered with king crab and caviar.
Named “The Golden Boy,” it is listed as “the most expensive hamburger (single portion)” in The Guinness Book of World Records.
The golden burger experience sells for less than one-tenth the price.
How many does Mainard expect to sell?
“If we sold a couple I’d be happy,” he said. “If we sold 10, that would be amazing.”
