The 'Sauer Krause' Burger - Essex St. Pub and the Custom Burger Challenge

Two weeks ago, Bob and I went to Essex St. Pub for some late night beers and eats following the Mexican International Dinner, as per our tradition. Jillian, Macky's badass and bodacious waitress, told us about the custom burger challenge and pointed out the board which had four burgers listed.


We ended up choosing the 'Holy Moe' which includes peperjack cheese, jalapenos, mushrooms and macaroni & cheese on a smoked burger. It was pretty tasty.

It got us thinking about all the times we came up with really great burger combos at home and how we could totally create a burger that would leave these four in the dust.

And lo, the 'Sauer Krause' was created!

The marble rye bread, which is like eating a pillow (Oh, it's so soft!) is toasted on the inside. Yes! The inside!

Then a nice layer of not too little and not too much sauerkraut is added. A smoked burger is sliced in half and then drizzled with roasted garlic and cilantro dressing. Served with kettle chips and a crisp pickle, this slim burger eats like a sandwich with a punch of flavor in every nibble.



Like a mouthgasam in every bite. I kid you not, this burger is fan-fuckin-tastic!

Notice the perfection in the close up on the right? I know, right?! Amazing!

You should also know that the best beer pairing for this is an amber. Nothing dark like a porter or a stout, and no pale ales either. We had ours with the ever perfect, Flying Bison, Rusty Chain.

Next time you get a hankering for delicious meat, stop by the Essex and say, "Eins 'Sauer Krause", bitte?"

Occupy Our Food Supply - Buffalo's Eat At Home Create & Resist Challenge

As part of my continuing conversation on food ethics, access, and security, I took part in the global challenge on February 27th, of actively engaging in the food system and making it mine. The challenge I set up through Occupy Our Food Supply specifically for Buffalo was:

I encourage you not to eat out today, Occupy your kitchen. Have an eat-in with your family and friends. Engage in a conversation about food, where it comes from, how it got to your table, and what the future of food looks like to you. Take the time, make something not from a box or a can. Sit and enjoy your meal without the distractions of tv, phones, or computers. Think about what you can do starting right now, in making a difference in your home, your neighborhood, your city, your state, your country, your world.

So we Occupied our head space, physical space, each other's space. We read, did homework, cooked, and got together to eat dinner like we do every night. 

We enjoyed a meal made from scratch. The pierogies were made the day before during another one of my cooking classes. 

The floss sauerkraut came from the Famous Horseradish stand at the Broadway Market. The sausages of course were polish and fresh from Spar's European Sausage Shop.

The cream sauce was minced garlic, grated parmesan, cream, and butter. All but the parmesan was local.

I encourage you to Occupy your Kitchen every meal you are able. Talk about your food, have a relationship with your food sources and "Think about what you can do starting right now, in making a difference in your home, your neighborhood, your city, your state, your country, your world."