The Results
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Friday December 11th, 2009
The Final Showdown
28 Tour Stops. 252 Burgers. 6 months of tirelessly searching for the area’s best burger. It’s all lead to this. Today, at an undisclosed location- the Northwest Florida Burger Tour assembled itself for the final time this year. Their assignment was to crown a winner of the 2009 NWFL Burger Tour.
The Top 3 Burgers consumed on the Tour have long been; The Fish House, Bonefish Grill and The Blue Dot (in that order.) Today our Panel set out to confirm their findings and crown a winner, once and for all.
Our Panel Members made pleasantries and sat down to a heaping plate of burger heaven. Before each Panel Member sat a burger from the Fish House, the Bonefish Grill, and the Blue Dot. Their task was to sample each of the burgers- and decide (without discussion) which burger they considered to be #1, #2 and #3.
They ate their burgers in near silence. During the first few moments they grinned with childlike glee at the thrill of enjoying these three amazing burgers. But their joy quickly turned to agony as they struggled with how to rate the three. The only comments made were these; “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do” and “How can we possibly choose a winner, they’re each perfect.”
When our judges finished eating, they submitted their score cards and the final votes were tallied. The scoring system was as follows: A burger that was given a ranking of #1 received 3 points. A burger that was given a ranking of #2 received 2 points. A burger that was given a ranking of #3 burger received 1 point.
The scores were called out and the final score was announced. Our Panel Members shook their heads in disbelief of how close the final numbers were; the first place burger received 19 points. The 2nd place burger received 18 and the third place burger 17. The results had been finalized, the 2009 NWFL Burger Tour was over. Here are the results:
1st Place: The Fish House (with 19 votes)
2nd Place: Bonefish Grill (with 18 votes)
3rd Place: The Blue Dot (with 17 votes)
The Panel Members could hardly believe it. 1 point separated the #1 burger from the #2 burger and 1 point separated the #2 burger from the #3 burger. If any single one of the Panel Member would have changed their ranking in any way- the results would have been different. Simply amazing.
And so, it’s with a bittersweet announcement that we can now declare; The Fish House Burger has been crowned the winner of the 2009 NWFL Burger Tour. We hate to see the Tour come to an end, but we’ve thoroughly enjoyed every moment, and look forward to what 2010 will bring; more on that later. In closing, we have a few final thoughts on each of the burgers. I’d be remiss if I didn’t share with you some of the comments that each of the burgers received from our Panel.
- The
Fish House- Voted the #1 burger by 4 Panel Members. It’s a half pound
patty that’s hand formed, rich in flavor and cooked perfectly. It’s
smothered in melted American cheese and topped with the absolute best
produce we’ve had on the Tour. All served on a delicious, soft,
buttered toasted bun. If that doesn’t sound like a perfect burger; I
don’t know what does.
- Bonefish
Grill- Voted the #1 burger by 4 Panel Members. American style Kobe
beef, the best patty we’ve had on the Tour hands down. The amazing
flavor and tenderness make this patty the highlight of the burger.
Topped with fresh produce and served on a rich butter flavored bun.
Once again, if that doesn’t sound like an amazing burger; then I must
be missing something.
- The
Blue Dot- Voted the #1 burger by 1 Panel Member. First of all, the fact
that this $4 burger is even being mentioned in the same conversation as
a $10 Kobe Beef burger is a testament to how great it is. Not to
mention, this burger is not served with cheese- and despite that- it’s
still preferred by some of our Panel Members to the aforementioned
burgers. The perfect blend of salt and pepper on the freshest tomatoes
available fuse with the flavors of beef and the buttery bun to create
what is one amazing burger. This burger is consistently great, hands
down.
We can’t stress enough the fact that on any given day; any single one of these burger s could easily qualify as the #1 Burger. It’s all a matter of personal preference. Our Panel is a cross section of 8 red-blooded, heterosexual American men. The Final scoring was so close, and so hard to determine, that we’re convinced- in order to be fair to each of the finalists; you should try all three burgers yourself and decide which you prefer.
With a full belly, a heavy heart and a teary eye- we wish each of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We’re sad that the 2009 NWFL Burger Tour has finally rolled to a stop, but pleased to announce that we’ll see you all next year- when the 2010 NWFL Pizza Tour. . . . rolls on.
11.12.
