There’s certainly no shortage of fatty-tastic burgers in the city, nor a shortage of great, innovative kitchens. In honor of National Hamburger Month, we took a look at some burgerless menus and decided to challenge some of Philly’s best chefs to create a unique burger worthy of their menu space. Each week in May we’ll hit you with an exclusive interview and review of each handcrafted burger.

Up first: Chef David Katz, owner of rustic-casual restaurant Mémé (2201 Spruce Street).

Katz, a self-described American hamburger traditionalist, accepted his mission and turned out an out-of-the-ordinary Middle Eastern style sandwich, inspired by ingredients left over from a recent Moroccan barbecue. He said he’d recently invited some friends over for a cookout in his upstairs digs, resulting in a few odds and ends. After throwing a quick dinner together with the remaining bits the next day, inspiration struck.

The Moccocan Burger starts with a 6oz meat patty called kefta, a mix of ground beef and lamb traditionally grilled over charcoals. The ground meat is blended with cumin, coriander, parsley, cilantro, cinnamon and cayenne pepper, adding some deep and complex Middle Eastern flavors.

Using recipes passed down through his family, Katz finished it off a hot pepper tomato paste (“an all-purpose Moroccan condiment”) and a cold traditional carrot salad, dressed with lemon and olive oil. This burger plays with flavors and textures well; in one bite you have the warm and distinct flavor of the kefta, in another the cool acidic crunch of carrots. We loved the pepper spread the most, which was spicy and robust enough that it left our lips tingling long after we had finished.

“It’s not entirely traditional,” said Katz. “But this is pretty damn good.”

Notice something different about these photos? That’s right – no glossy, egg-heavy brioche globes here. Everything is nestled between a soft, flour-dusted Snowflake bun, at the chef’s insistence.

“It’s an old school American bun,” he said. “Brioche is bullshit. Just because something is the most trendy doesn’t make it the best.”

You can catch the Moroccan Burger on the Mémé menu all week, for about $8.

Gallery

Mémé
2201 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (Google Map)

Redefined and refreshing dishes seem to be the main theme at Mémé, the eight month old French bistro by David Katz. The 32-year-old New Jersey native entered the Philadelphia scene in 1997, cooking at Salt, M Restaurant, Avenue B and a short stint at Silk City upon its reopening. After years of technical French cooking, Katz has approached his first wholly-owned venture from a simpler, more down to Earth angle, one very reminiscent of his own personal demeanor. According to him, he has retired the technical chops and focused more on locally sourced ingredients and bold, rustic flavors.

Don’t let our modest description fool you though, the offerings on the recently launched Spring menu at Mémé boast creativity and excitement. Take for instance the Foie Gras Burger, the only sandwich on the menu, that drew us here in the first place. Katz explains his concept, “Everyone does a burger these days, so we thought we’d take ingredients we love like foie gras, and recreate the sandwich in a different way.” The liver is cured for three days in a salt and sugar solution and never seared, to preserve its integrity and flavor, then formed into a thick, round patty. A duck prosciutto which is also cured in house is sliced thin, resembling bacon, and topped with cracklings (golden brown skin) for a slight crunchy texture. The sandwich is served on a toasted brioche bun from Schripp’s bakery which is spread with a sweet but tangy red onion marmalade, speared with cornichons and a side of waffle chips. A bite reveals the perfect blend of sweet and savory, the foie gras melts in your mouth and duck bacon adds just the right amount of salt to counter the marmalade. The toasty brioche, not too spongy or crunchy, brings a flavor complexity of its own. Tasty as it is, the foie gras burger is so rich and decadent, for some it will serve as a delicious novelty, a once in a while treat. This is not a bad thing, as Mémé has so much more to offer returning diners.

Despite Mémé’s seemingly perfect fit for the Fitler Square neighborhood, simple dishes with panache, Katz is a lover of the working man’s food, namely sandwiches. He favors only the best around Philadelphia, naming John’s Roast Pork for his favorite cheesesteak and roast pork, Texas Wieners and Charlie’s in Folsom for a cheeseburger. He is tired of the abnormally large nine ounce burgers that have been wildly popular, insisting “You can’t challenge the integrity of the bread”, and describing the perfect cheeseburger as one that is thin, and cooked on a griddle in its own fat. Here’s a guy who calls a traditional Chicago hot dog the “hot dog hoagie”, only further implying that simple is better. His favorite sandwich to cook at home besides a cheeseburger? A well toasted grilled cheese on white bread with cheddar or American.

The menu at Mémé changes throughout the seasons and the Foie Gras Burger won’t be there for long. Still, David Katz is always conceptualizing, tinkering away at creating the best flavors with the best ingredients. What’s next in the way of sandwiches at Mémé? Well besides the scrapple, egg and cheese with pickled jalapeños served for Saturday brunch, Katz envisions his own take on the Italian hoagie, complete with foie gras of course.

Mémé
2201 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (Google Map)