Saadey’s Place takes 2018 Burger of the Year top spot

By Anthony M. Fuda

BurgerGuyz@hotmail.com

Wire-to-wire.

If you are a fan of horse racing, you are very familiar with that phrase. If not, when a horse goes wire-to-wire, it means the horse took the lead when the race started and didn’t relinquish the lead at any time, and then won the race.

This year, we had a wire-to-wire Burger of the Year winner. And, that burger belongs to Saadey’s Place. The horse racing theme is very apparent when you walk in and see the walls showcasing different hand painted photos of horses – and they were all done by owner Joe Saadey’s mother, Jean.

Even though the BOTY seemed like a one horse race, there were some great contenders down the stretch in the Speakeasy (downtown Warren), and Lock 24 (Lisbon), with a late charge from Crooked Tongue Brewery (Edinburgh, Pa.). They all made valid attempts, but it was hard to overtake Saadey’s Place.

On winning 2018 BOTY, owner Joe Saadey said, “We are honored to have been chosen as The Burger of the Year by the BurgerGuyz. We know there are other great burgers in town and that the bar is high. To be at the top is very humbling.

“We have an impeccable staff at Saadey’s Place including our chefs, Chuck Wolfcale, Scott Arn and Doug Jones, and our amazing bartenders and servers. Success would not be possible without them.

“P.S. To our competitors, better luck next year and may the best burger win.”

The BurgerGuyz thought part what helped Saadey’s take this year’s award was it’s solid burger menu, and impeccable wait staff.

The burger menu consists of:

NO BRAINER BURGER (1/2-pound burger topped with bacon, fried egg, hot peppers & cheddar cheese)

INTERSTATE BURGER (1/2-pound burger topped with cheese, choice of cheddar, Swiss, Monetary jack, or -government),

TRACKSIDE BURGER (½ pound burger topped with jalapeños, mushrooms and Monterey jack cheese),

BACKSTRETCH BURGER (½ pound burger with crumbled bleu cheese and fried onions),

THE B.B. BURGER (Grilled Butter ball turkey burger topped with mushrooms and Swiss cheese)

Saadey’s chef Chuck Wolfcale said it is an honor to win the Burger of the Year, and said the fresh beef and ingredients help sell a lot of burgers.

For me, what set Saadey’s apart from the rest of the contenders was the overall flavor. After taking a bite of my Trackside Burger I knew exactly what took Saadey’s to the top of 2018’s burgers, and it was flavor, flavor and flavor. The beef was seasoned perfectly and each bite had what I want in a burger – fresh seasoned beef, crisp condiments and a little kick from the jalapeños. That was more than enough the take the lead in the beginning of 2018 and not hold back and then take the title of 2018 Burger of the Year.

JT’s thoughts on what won BOTY 2018 for Saadey’s, is simple. “It’s a “No Brainer” for me! That’s the name Saadey’s gave to the burger that won me over. Thick, crispy bacon, fried egg, hot peppers, cheddar cheese, and most importantly, a juicy burger bursting with flavor. If you don’t instantly fall in love with this one, there’s something wrong with you!”

Eric said, “For me, the choice of Saadey’s Place for 2018 BOTY did not come easy. Just about every place we visited proved they would be just as deserving of the coveted title. But Saadey’s eked them all out, not only with the menu but the atmosphere, the over the top friendliness of the wait staff, and Joe himself being so approachable and likable. He was kind enough to spend time with us during the entire review and by the end of the night it felt as if he was part of our little tribe. Plus I’d be remiss if I didn’t yet again mention how amazing that chili is!”

Wait staff recognized

This is the part of the story where we like to recognize the great servers we’ve had throughout the year so you can keep patronizing them: Autumn Kelly (Saadey’s), Kate McCann (Royal Oaks), Dawn Kish (MOJOs), and Amber Smith (The Manor).

Year in Review

Our big highlight of the 2018 burger season was our 3rd annual Badurik Butcher Block Meat 16 Cheeseburger Challenge. The finals were held at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, with an elite group of airmen ready to take the challenge of crowning the 2018 Meat 16 champ. The event keeps growing each year, with more and more restaurants wanting to challenge for the Meat 16 title. The 2018 champ was the Lime Tree (Warren) with its Bippity Boppity Burger, besting the 15 top contenders which included past champions 2016 Magic Tree (Boardman) and 2017 Big D’s Newton Grill (Newton Falls).

Monday is Burger Night at Saadey’s, and we heard there is sometimes a 30 to 45 minute wait to get a table. The people in line say,

“... and it’s worth it.”

If you are looking for a sure-fire tip on a winning burger, put your money on 2018 Burger of the Year Saadey’s for the win and your stomach will reap the rewards. A great burger with a great atmosphere. I’ve tried all the burgers and would be happy if any were on a plate in front of me.

Congratulations to Joe, and the staff at Saadey’s on a great, quality burger. We look forward to a new year full of burger adventures. New places, new faces and delicious burgers.

Keep reading the Valley food section each Wednesday for the best food the Valley has to offer.

Look for some new BurgerGuyz features coming to the Vindicator, as well as a our regular reviews.

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