Big Popper gets the nod for Capitol’s Burger Wars entry
There was a bit of a clash in the kitchen at The Capitol Pub Feb. 28.
Three chefs on a pre-war mission as this year’s Burger Wars approaches.
Pub owner John Bartlett admits taking the most elbowroom in the kitchen that night, leaving Cody Taylor and Michelle Friel scant room to work. But they persevered.
Three chefs, three burgers, nine judges. All for a good cause.
This is the second year staff at The Capitol have competed among themselves to come up with a great burger and side to enter in the Campaign for Kids Burger Wars.
The competition last April saw restaurants and pubs from Windsor to Middleton compete to help raise money for children in need. An amazing 5,217 burgers were sold with a dollar from each sale going to the charity.
Campaign for Kids was created by Family and Children’s Services of Kings County to address the overwhelming number of requests for assistance from families in crisis.
Got Involved
“Last year we asked if we could be involved even though we’re in Annapolis County,” said Bartlett. “And to make it a little more fun for the staff and ourselves I chose to make it a competition where two of the staff out of the kitchen – my kitchen manager this year and one of my cooks Cody – and myself compete. It’s our pre-war. We each make our own burgers, our own sides and we have customers who come in and judge. The winner of that is the burger that goes into the Campaign for Kids Burger Wars.”
The burgers that night at The Capitol included Bartlett’s Teriyaki Burger topped with provolone and grilled pineapple, Taylor’s Taco Extreme, and Friel’s Big Popper, a seasoned patty with a hint of jalapenos, topped with a special cheese blend and caramelized onions.
Friel’s burger won the competition Feb. 28., but it was a tie for which side dish was best. Bartlett brought in a patron from a nearby table and the tie was broken in Friel’s favour. Her side? Crispy seasoned fries tossed in fresh parmesan cheese and herbs with roasted garlic and lemon aioli dip.
“Michelle’s burger and side will now not only be the burger for our burger wars but it will now also be on our menu as we’re creating a new menu right now that we hope to have done by June 1. It will be a permanent part of our menu now.”
The Competition
Bartlett likes the competition among his staff.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s a good bonding experience for us. It’s a good experience for us to get in there – the fact that they beat their boss is always good too. Not that I didn’t try. I put out a burger and they beat me fair and square.”
Bartlett also liked the fact that although his pub is in one of the less populated areas of the competition it was popular last year. “The fact that our burger did that well and got the reviews it did is a nice pat on the back for not only me but my kitchen staff.”
And he said the rivalry is a good thing with restaurants from Middleton to Windsor taking part.
“We’re all trying to make sure we’re raising enough money for Campaign for Kids,” Bartlett said, “but it’s still a bit of a rivalry between everyone else. It’s just nice to have that burger or that acknowledgement and have customers come in and say ‘this is the best burger I’ve ever had.’”
He said there are burger aficionados who will take the Burger Wars list and go from place to place to place trying every burger – more than two dozen of them.
Last year’s winner was chef Joe Gillis from the Old Orchard Inn. This year the competition goes from April 1 to April 30 and people vote online.