UPDATE: Per several of your suggestions, we've modified the bracket to reflect a more traditional seeding of the burger places. What can we say? Our forte is burgers, not sports. Sorry for the inconvenience, and we hope this new bracket makes for an all-around better Burger Bracket experience for everybody. Happy voting! Check back tomorrow at 10 AM for the next face-off.
Welcome to our very first Burger Brackets face-off! Let's get the boring stuff out of the way first: the rules.
For the next couple of weeks, we'll be posting two burger vs. burger voting competitions a day—one at 10 AM and another at 2. Polls will stay open for 24 hours for each competition. Make sure to check back every weekday for two new burger face-offs to vote on.
The burger spot with the most reader votes at the end of the 24-hour voting period will move on to the next round.
Once we've moved through the first round on the red bracket, we'll introduce a second bracket for you to vote on. Then we'll move onto the second round.
This morning, the burger spots that have the honor of kicking off the Burger Brackets are (drumroll)…
Westend Bistro: Celebrity chef Eric Ripert reveals that inspirations behind his "perfect burger" include McDonald's and Burger King. Even if you sniff at the $16 burger's lowbrow origins, you can't deny its juiciness, attention to proportion (just the right amount of lettuce and tomato), and full-on flavor.
Central: We're fans of Michel Richard's famed lobster burger, but don't ignore the beef patty at his French/American bistro: the $16 sandwich is less exotic, but it’s the burger of your fantasies, big and plump and dripping with juice.
Who do you think makes the best burger: Westend Bistro or Central? Vote below, and check back at 2 PM today for our next burger face-off. Polls for Westend Bistro vs. Central will stay open until 10 AM Wednesday morning.
Also: Make sure to vote in our latest face-off, BLT Steak vs. Charlie Palmer Steak.
Follow the Burger Bracket wars here.
