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Jennifer Landry, executive chef, 18bin, Las Vegas
Price: $12
Situated on a corner in the Las Vegas Arts District, 18bin has an eclectic menu running the road from diner burgers to ropa vieja shepherd’s pie, Cajun jambalaya, confit drumsticks and a clam “bake” with chorizo. The Sweet Home Avocado Burger is a new addition to the menu, made with a custom brisket-blend burger sizzled on a flattop and topped with Sandhill Dairy mozzarella, roasted Roma tomatoes and a ripe avocado.
Jeff Maxfield, chef de cuisine, Alter, Miami
Price: $19
Who says burgers can’t be elegant? That’s what chef Jeff Maxfield has us asking with this new limited-time offer at Alter, which just opened for lunch in Miami’s Design District. Like Minneapolis’ famous ‘Jucy Lucy’ burger, this burger has a surprise inside. Only instead of just cheese, it’s a traditional French sauce made of foie gras, wine and demi-glace.
Richard Hales, Bird & Bone at The Confidante Miami Beach
Price: $35
After working up an appetite at The Confidante — a retro-glam beachside hotel with air-conditioned cabanas — guests and visitors can rip into this burger at in-house restaurant Bird & Bone. Check out the composition of three brisket/short rib beef patties, butter-poached lobster, fried green tomato slices, pepper bacon, key lime-mustard sauce and bright orange marmalade. Instead of a traditional slice of cheese, Hales smothers the burger with a drippy scrape of fondue made from raclette cheese.
Tokio Asian Fusion, Schaumburg, Ill.
Bill Nevruz, executive partner and vice president
Price: $13
Soy sauce becomes an umami-fueled “molasses” on this fusion burger with ramen buns at Tokio Asian Fusion. Part of the Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises family, the concept makes fusion friendly with dishes like bang bang calamari, Korean barbecue wings and garlicky soy-infused tacos. In addition to sticky soy sauce, the burger also is topped with green onions and mizuna, a spiky Asian green.
