Hard Rock Cafe Showcases World Burger Tour

The Hard Rock Cafe in the Inner Harbor has been offering comfort food, libations, rock videos, and a gallery of rare rock memorabilia for years. Now they are presenting a selection of burgers created by Hard Rock chefs from their restaurants around the world. Until June 30th, diners can experience a world tour of burgers. The Minx and I were recently invited to sample these sandwiches designed to put one in the mood of lands far away. 

Hard Rock has given chefs at their cafes the freedom to create a unique Legendary Burger that captures the local flavors of their city and is only available at that cafe location. More than 150 local burgers were evaluated by Hard Rock’s culinary team, with fan favorites selected to star on a limited-time World Burger Tour menu.  These four burgers will be featured at Hard Rock Cafe Baltimore in addition to its unique Local Original Legendary Burger topped with smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, golden fried onion rings, crisp lettuce and vine ripened tomato.

Before we tucked into the burgers, we were offered a selection of specialty cocktails to choose from. I went with their most popular: the Mai Tai One On. Light and sweet with strong citrus flavors, one might forget that there is Mount Gay Eclipse rum in it, so drink responsibly. The Minx tried the Mezcarita, which while full of the flavors of coconut , strawberry, and orange, the smoky Del Maquat mezcal is ever present. We also tasted the Pomegranate Mule and the Pineapple Ginger Caipirinha, so we were eager to try out some food to soak up the booze.

Specialty drinks: Pomogranite Mule, Mai Tai One On, Maple Old Fashioned, Pineapple Ginger Caipirinha, and Mezcarita.

The Sweet and Sour Burger is a "certified Angus Beef patty topped with a fried onion ring, bell peppers and grilled pineapple drizzled with house-made sweet and sour sauce." The sweet and sour sauce will remind you of a dish from your favorite neighborhood Chinese restaurant and the onion ring provides a deep fried crunch that simulates a happy nugget like you would find in General Tso's chicken. The pineapple is a nice touch as well.

Hong Kong - Sweet and Sour Burger

For me, the Tandoori Burger was the real surprise of the bunch. This moist, juicy chicken patty is topped with mint mayonnaise and cucumber which does a nice job of tempering the spicy seasonings. The flavors are spot on for its Indian inspiration.

India - Tandoori Burger

The Bosphorus Burger combines elements that bring to mind all the delights of Turkish cuisine (except Turkish Delight, of course, which would be weird). This angus beef patty is topped with homemade eggplant salad, haydari sauce (which is yogurt-based), and cucumber slices. I'm not a fan of eggplant, but it works well in this preparation.

Turkey - Bosphorus Burger

We also tried the Banh Mi Burger. Banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich with a strong French influence, using a baguette to hold pork pâté and pickled vegetables. A hamburger bun replaces the baguette and there's no pâté, but the fresh flavors of cilantro, cucumber, and carrot are present.

Vietnam - Banh Mi Burger

The Hard Rock Cafe World Burger Tour goes on until the end of June, so if you are interested in trying out some burgers with an international flair, head on down to the Inner Harbor. As a bonus, you can gaze at Madonna's underpants while you dine.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Re-imagined Sweet and Sour Chicken

As is so often the case, I don't think about what to have for dinner until about an hour before dinner should be served and my tummy is already starting to grumble. I want something filling and delicious, but I'm not so keen on putting in the effort to make an elaborate meal. I was having just that experience the other day and found myself riffling through the pantry and fridge looking for some combination of ingredients that might make a tasty dish.

One of the items I stumbled across in the freezer was a bag of Kahiki Foods Sweet and Sour Chicken. Kahiki packages their breaded chicken chunks so that they don't become soggy, and their vegetables are always nicely crisp. Best of all, they package the sweet and sour sauce separately, so one has the option of using a little, a lot, or none at all. In my case, I don't have much of a sweet tooth and would prefer a more savory sauce, so I opted to leave it out and make my own.

I also discovered one cup of leftover jasmine rice in the refrigerator, so I decided to turn this meal into a fried rice dish. Although the amount of vegetables in the package was ample, I thought it would be good to build up the meal even more with some chopped onion and carrot, along with some frozen peas and corn.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm not a fan of green bell peppers. Red, yellow, orange - perfectly fine, but there's an unripe quality about the green ones that I don't care for. The sweet and sour chicken package has quite a few of the green chunks in there, so I picked them out. If you like green bell pepper, then by all means leave them in.

The resulting dish was flavorful and filling. The pineapple added just the right amount of sweetness and acidity to balance the savory sauce. Also, the meal was made in about the same time as ordering and waiting for Chinese take out. As a bonus, I still have the sweet and sour sauce packet in the freezer that I can experiment with for another dinner.

***Don't forget - if you want to try Kahiki Foods for yourself, leave a comment on the post linked here and you can win three vouchers worth a combined $22.***

Re-Imagined Sweet and Sour Chicken

For the sauce:
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons zhenjiang (black or Chinkiang) vinegar
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon hot broad bean paste (doubanjiang)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon cornstarch

For the stir fry:
1 carrot
1 medium onion
1 cup pre-cooked jasmine rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 bag Kahiki Foods sweet and sour chicken
1/4 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup frozen peas
3 spring onions chopped (for garnish)

Chop the carrot into thin strips about an inch long. Slice the onion into half rings. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over high heat before tossing in the carrots, onion, and rice. Mix together and let fry until the onions start to caramelize and the rice turns slightly golden, stirring occasionally.

While the carrots, onion, and rice are frying, assemble the sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk until everything is completely incorporated. Set aside.

Once the carrots, onion, and rice have reached the proper state, add the chicken and vegetables from the Kahiki package along with the frozen corn and peas. Stir together until the frozen vegetables are warmed up. Add the sauce and fully incorporate. Cover the pan with a lid and lower the heat to medium so the chicken can heat through, about 5 minutes.

Chop the white and some of the green parts of three spring onions. When ready to serve, sprinkle the spring onions over each serving for garnish.

Serves 4.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats.



Posted on Minxeats.com.