KHOU & CultureMap
Houston's best gourmet burgers: Separating the fad-hopping pretenders from the true contenders
Inventive burgers are by no means a new trend in Houston. Restaurants like Hubcap Grill, Lankford Grocery, Pena's Donut Heaven and Kenny and Ziggy's, among a myriad of others, have practiced a high-calorie burger race, stuffing ingredients like pastrami, grilled bananas, chunky peanut butter and junk food into the typical bun-plus-meat accoutrements, for years.
But gourmet burgers, pricey ones, are on the rise.
Are diners willing to dish out big bucks for what has largely been considered lowbrow good eats?
CultureMap's newest staff writer Eric Sandler — you could call him a food provocateur of sorts — takes on this trend in his KHOU Ch. 11 debut. In an interview with KHOU reporter Mia Gradney at the Chopping Block on Washington, Sandler offers sage wisdom on what's worth paying for and what's a passing fad.
"There are places that have come and gone because they were trying to cash in on a movement," Sandler says. "But they didn't have the burgers to back it up."
Watch the full video below, or click here to view the segment on your mobile device.