2019 COOL Cuisine Burger Battle Awards

COOL Cuisine is a coalition of individuals and organizations seeking more plant-based, planet-friendly, and health conscious dining and shopping options in Davis, California and the surrounding region through outreach, restaurant meetups, and special events. Our members vote with their wallets! COOL Cuisine is a Cool Davis partner. For more information about the Burger Battle, visit the Cool Davis news blog or COOLCuisine.net. To learn about future events, sign up at Meetup.com for COOL Cuisine. For more info about eating a plant based diet, visit our Cool Davis Plant Based Eating page.

The Creative Chefs

The Award Winning Servers

Angelo Arroyo and Andrea Ferris of Bistro33

TOP AWARDS

Bistro 33: Impossible Burger

Most Popular Gourmet Burger: Highest rated for texture, juiciness, and similarity to real meat.

“Best Dressed Burger” in Downtown (tie)

Server award: Fantastic Burger Battle Promotion by a Server: Angelo Arroyo and Andrea Ferris

Proved if you build it and promote it, they will come!

DINER QUOTES: “A classic high-end burger experience from start to finish! It’s not just a great vegan burger, it’s a GREAT BURGER! I want to keep going back!” “This was one of the best tasting burgers I have ever had. Well done, you killed it!”

TASTING TEAM AWARDS:

• The Double Date Dream Team: The Dreamiest Double Date Night Burger Award to Bistro 33 for their classic, delicious burger, which we felt had an upscale feel suitable for a romantic dinner for two, for a night out with friends, or both at once (in the case of our double date), and we just could not stop dreaming about it!
• The Phoenix Pheasters: “Doing Justice to the Burger” Award
• Parkview Patties: The Parkview Palatable Patty Award for Our Favorite Burger
• Burger Queen Tasting Team: Monarch Award for Outstanding Service, Humor, Knowledge of the Burger Battle: Angelo Arroyo and Andrea Ferris

 

DeVere’s Irish Pub Davis: Southwest Vegan Burger

Highest Number Burgers Sold of the Battle!

“Best Dressed Burger” in Downtown (tie)

DINER QUOTES: “Creative flavor, juicy, meaty, like Cinco de Mayo in your mouth! Vegan? Who knew? !Uno mas, por favor!” “This is pretty damn close to a real burger! They nailed it!”

TASTING TEAM AWARDS:

• Vegan Girl Gang: The Most Flavorful Burger Award
• Agricultural Sustainability Institute: Team Hugh Manatee Award
• Community Plant-Based Health & Wellness: Award for Our Favorite Burger of the Burger Battle
• Burger Queen Tasting Team: Monarch Award for Outstanding Service, Humor, Knowledge of the Burger Battle: Heather Padilla

 

ADDITIONAL AWARDS

Chay Corner: Grilled Goodness Burger

Best Tasting Burger in a Downtown Sit-Down Restaurant

Best Tasting Burger among burgers that were voted most similar to real meat

DINER QUOTES: “This burger is one that every single person should try. Vegan or non-vegan!” “The meat is phenomenal!” “The flavor was very good and the ‘meat’ seemed like real pork.”

TASTING TEAM AWARDS:

• West Yost Associates: Best Engineered Burger of the Burger Battle Award

 

Davis Food Co-op: Pakora Fritter Burger

Most Unique Flavor of the Burger Battle

Rated Most Popular on by Veg Community

DINER QUOTES: “You actually feel good after eating this burger. You can tell the ingredients were fresh! The burger was unique in its flavor palate and wasn’t trying to be something it’s not.”  “The burger was fabulous! It had a really unique and flavorful combination of ingredients. I would definitely go back for more.”

TASTING TEAM AWARDS:

• The Neighborhood Christian School: The Most Heavenly Burger Award

Foodnome: Umami Bomb Burger

Perfect Score for Taste (5.0)!

DINER QUOTES: “It was the only one that had a balanced and complex kick, likely due to the ridiculously tasty umeboshi Serrano sauce.” “Amazing and unique flavor, spice, loved the texture, would definitely love to eat it again!”

TASTING TEAM AWARDS:

• UC Davis Integrative Medicine Bite Sized Tasting Team: Love at First Bite Award

Redrum Burger: Black Bean Burger

Most Established Burger Joint in Town Steps Up to the Plate!

DINER QUOTES: “Awesome burger at Murder Burger today. My omni daughter said it was the best bean burger she has ever had, and those are her favorite. We loved that it came in lettuce rather than a bun, left us feeling full but not stuffed. I definitely recommend going for this burger!”

TASTING TEAM AWARDS:

• Davis United Methodist Church DUMC5: “GODLY BURGER” Award. “The Redrum Black Bean Burger is unexpectedly delicious in a culturally interesting setting.”

Smokin’ Ewe BBQ: Smokey Quinoa Portobello Burger

Best Tasting Burger Among Burgers NOT Like Real Meat

DINER QUOTES: “I liked EVERYTHING about this burger! Taste was off the charts. Whatever vegan cheese slices they used were excellent and so was the bun. The burger had GREAT flavor and was huge. Really appreciated that it was more whole food based than the beyond\impossible engineered fake meats. I would come back again and again for this. Please keep it on the menu.”

TASTING TEAM AWARDS:

• On the Threshold Tasting Team: The Most CRUNCHILICIOUS Burger Award
• Center for Burger-Eating Efficiency: Our Favorite Burger Award: “Holy NOT Cow! Efficient Use of Maximum Taste Bud Stimulation”
• Burger Queen Tasting Team: Monarch Award for Outstanding Service, Humor, Knowledge of the Burger Battle: Eric

 

Solomon’s Delicatessen: Pastrami Burger

Highest Draw for Out of Town Voters

Burger Battle Organizer Award for Best Riff on Tradition

DINER QUOTES: “One of the most unique and delicious burgers I have tasted. Not trying to emulate meat. This burger stands its own.” “Incredibly unique, bagel sandwich-esque take on a burger. I’m a food scientist and I NEVER would have thought of this. So fun!!”

The Hotdogger: Bratwurst with Sauerkraut

#2 Rated for Most Similar to Real Meat

Battle on a Budget (for the Best Value)

DINER QUOTES: “Wow, I could not prepare the Beyond Sausage this way at home! I did not want to reach the last bite. Truly excellent. Please keep this on your menu. I’ll be back much more often for lunch.” “This one was definitely a keeper. I got it three times over this month and I loved it every time.”

Yeti Restaurant: Bara Bara Nepalese Burger

Most Creative Burger Concept (Storefront)

Healthiest (Low Fat/High Protein) Burger Battle Entry

DINER QUOTES: “This was an excellent and creative entry into the “burger” competition. The dish is more of a lentil pancake than burger, but was by far the most delicious vegan option I’ve tasted so far! Definitely worth checking out!” “I appreciated trying a new cuisine and I thought the idea was very cool and unique.”

TASTING TEAM AWARDS:

• Burger Queen Tasting Team: Monarch Award for Outstanding Service, Humor, Knowledge of the Burger Battle: Tram Ngoc Huynh

 

 

Zumapoke & Lush Ice (aka Avocado Toast): Spring Roll Burger

Most Creative Burger Award (Overall high score)

DINER QUOTES: “This burger rocked! I think this was the best in show. The flavors popped. Really liked the way the tanginess of the pickled onion\jalapeno slaw set off the other flavors. Would buy this one every week, if they kept bringing it to the farmers market. Sooooo good!”

 

UC Davis AWARDS

UCD Cuarto: Road Runner Burger

Highest Rating for Taste in a Sit-Down Restaurant“Best Dressed” Presentation Award for UC Davis Contender

DINER QUOTES: “I love the colors, the flavors, the juiciness of the pepper with the burger, and the bun.” “Tasty, eye-appealing, great name.” “The combination of flavors and colors made this a great burger.”

UCD Spokes: Beyond Bulgogi

Highest Sales of the Burger Battle on UC Davis Campus

Burger Battle Planning Committee Favorite for Unique Flavor Profile

DINER QUOTES: “This burger have a sweet bulgogi taste. I really like that it’s paired with mushrooms which adds a nice texture and savory taste. The sauce helps to add in a lot of flavor as well.” “The flavors are fantastic and it’s so saucy/juicy it drips down your arm. Perfecto!”

 

 

For more info about eating a plant based diet, visit our Cool Davis Plant Based Eating page.