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MICHAEL SYMON IS an Emmy winner on ABC's The Chew, a James Beard Award winner for his Cleveland-centered restaurant empire, and an Iron Chef on the Food Network. But he's especially proud of the burgers he's slung in Quicken Loans Arena since 2009. "To my knowledge," he says, "B Spot burger was the first restaurant that had opened up in an arena with a celebrity chef." Here's his scoop on his shake-burger dream team.
Are these recipes culturally tied to the region?
We're known for our meat-on-meat burgers. The pastrami plays in there because Cleveland has a huge Eastern European population, so pastrami, corned beef, smoked meats, cured meats are very big throughout the city. Adding crispy pastrami in place of bacon was a big hit for us. And for 20 years at Lola's, our original fine-dining restaurant, we've had a famous dessert with brioche French toast, bacon ice cream and apple compote. So those flavors worked their way into the milkshake.
Where do you see stadium food going?
Used to be you'd go to a stadium and you'd get a dirty-water dog. Maybe now the hot dog is sourced better and it's made by a local butcher, house-smoked and using better ingredients.
And what about the Cleveland teams?
The Cavs are going to repeat, and hopefully the Browns win more than one game next year.
Vanilla bean apple pie bacon milkshake
Cost: $7 ($10 with bourbon) | Est. calories: 1,100
INGREDIENTS
20 oz. vanilla bean ice cream
6 oz. half-and-half
3 oz. apple pie, cooked
2 strips bacon, cooked, chopped
2 oz. bourbon (optional; omit half-and-half if using alcohol)
Whipped cream (optional garnish)
INSTRUCTIONS
Put the following in a blender, in order: half-and-half, ice cream,
apple pie, bacon. Put lid on the blender and blend on a slower
setting. Remove lid and use blender stick to gently guide the ice cream to be emulsified with the half-and-half. Once the shake is blending without help from the blender stick, turn up the speed to medium high. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately. Serves 2.
Fat Doug Burger
Cost: $10 | Est. calories: 1,100
BURGER INGREDIENTS
½ lb. ground sirloin
½ lb. ground brisket
½ lb. ground boneless short rib
(or 1½ lbs. ground beef)
½ lb. pastrami, sliced thin
4 slices Swiss cheese
1½ tbsp. butter, melted
4 brioche or egg buns
Salt and pepper to taste
SLAW INGREDIENTS
½ head napa cabbage, shredded
½ clove garlic, minced
½ small red onion, sliced thin
½ jalapeño pepper, minced
3 tbsp. champagne vinegar
1 tbsp. spicy mustard
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. sugar
1½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix slaw ingredients, refrigerate one hour.
Mix meat together well and form into 4 equal patties. Season with salt and pepper. Grill patties over high heat, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
Put 4 piles of pastrami in a pan over medium heat. After 2 minutes, top each pile with a slice of Swiss cheese and remove from pan when the cheese has melted. Set aside.
Pour butter into pan. Toast buns, cut sides down, until toasted to your liking.
Place slaw on bottom half of bun, top with burger, pastrami and cheese, then cover with top bun and serve. Serves 4.