Quite a bit has been written about the advent of budget-busting gourmet burgers. Refreshing, then, to see Boston Burger Company’s Paul Malvone heading to the South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s Burger Bash on the strength of something called the Hot Mess. More ahead.
The Hot Mess is a hubcap-sized monstrosity involving Thousand Island dressing, sweet potato fries, pickles, bacon, red onions, and jalapenos. Oh yeah, and cheese. “I think the name of the burger gets some intrigue in there. Hot mess is terminology that gets used a lot lately,” Malvone explains to Grub Street. Malvone and a pal feuded over the name: Big Mess was almost used instead, but Hot Mess had a juicier ring.
Rachael Ray and her team at Every Day with Rachael Ray handpicked the affable, unassuming Malvone to compete against the flashier likes of Spike Mendelsohn and Bobby Flay after taste-testing his burger on her show. And he’s looking forward to meeting some high-profile chefs, especially Flay, but he’s not turning into a hot mess himself. No, he’s pretty circumspect about the whole affair.
“I want to have fun with the burgers, not realistically make it a big fancy burger for $20,” Malvone tells us. “When the flavors come together, they really stand up.”
It’s when you polish one off in five bites that you might need to sit down.
Related: Is Craigie on Main’s Burger Too Popular for Its Own Good?
