Burger of the Year Fire Grill BBQ smoked out the burger competition

BY ANTHONY FUDA

If you want to build a champion, you need to work from the ground up.

Art Einzig did just that at FireGrill BBQ, and claimed this year’s Burger of the Year award. Not only is he the owner, but the architect behind the building design and the menu.

This year’s Burger of the Year competition was very close, and we enjoyed all the burger places we judged. The top four contenders — Fire Grill, Coaches, Davidson’s and Steamers Stonewall Tavern — were all neck and neck, but in the end Art and the Fire Grill took home the trophy.

The packed house at Fire Grill erupted with cheers as we presented the trophy to Art and his crew. “I’m stunned,” said Einzig. “This is fantastic.”

“You work day in and day out to try and produce the best product you can,” he continued. “Winning the award is a great feeling. It’s nice to know people appreciate your hard work.”

And the chef who makes these award-winning burgers is Briar Hill’s Mike Dodd Sr, who has been at the Fire Grill since 2015.

The rest of the contenders were Steamers Stonewall Tavern, Davidson’s, Coaches, Bourbon House 45, Steel City, Brewtus, Crossroads, Niki’z, Taste of N’awlns, Punderson Manor and Tangier.

What I like best about the Fire Grill is the creativity. The high quality of meat they use and the way they cook the beef do not change. Because of this, any combination of toppings just enhances an already great burger. I have enjoyed each burger I’ve had at Fire Grill, and look forward to whatever new concoction they come up with next.

Scott has been back to Fire Grill a number of times and said, “All the food is great. I haven’t had a bad meal yet, and each time I’ve had a burger, it was very good. The high quality of the burger has stayed consistent.”

You already know our thoughts on the burgers at Fire Grill, so we asked a couple people if they agreed with us.

Lisa Neeld, a local TV personality, Playboy cover model and actor, was on hand to help present the award, as well as give her opinion on the Fire Grill’s veggie burger (Lisa has been our veggie burger judge for the burger festivals).

“As a vegetarian I’ve tasted many veggie burgers,” she said. “By far, the Fire Grill has the best veggie burger around! Great taste and texture, unlike the dry tasteless veggie burgers that seem to be the norm. I would highly recommend Fire Grill’s veggie burger to all vegetarians — and even to the meat consumers. It’s that good!”

Another burger aficionado, Kevin Kirkman, heard about Fire Grill winning the Burger of the Year award, and had to see what all the fuss was about.

“I had the Boss Hog burger,” he said. “It had deep fried bacon strips and pulled pork that enhanced the flavor. The cook on the burger was exactly what I had asked for, a perfect medium. Fire Grill had even paired craft draft beers to each burger. The pairing for this burger, a Rhinegeist Truth IPA, brought out the best flavor in both the beer and burger.”

JT said “Every once in a while you walk into a restaurant and you just know it’s going to be good. For me, Fire Grill is is one of those places. This sleek, modern eatery is warm and welcoming. Art combined different types of wood, metal and stone to create a dining atmosphere that anyone will appreciate. And the attention to detail that he used in the design of the restaurant is equal to what he brings to the food they serve. More specifically, the burgers are awesome and well deserving of the BOTY award.”

If you think you know where the next Burger of the Year is, send the info to BurgerGuyz@hotmail.com, or on our Facebook page, BurgerGuyz.