Best Burger in Aiken? Part 1

One of the first things you learn when learning to write for school is that it is important to have a good introduction. For papers, you're kind of limited to the style of writing (MLA, APA, AP, etc) but when it comes to blogging, the sky's the limit I guess. So, what about the introduction for this blog?

I created this blog, Food Challenge Accepted, for a couple reasons, and hopefully I'll do a better job of updating it than I do with my kayaking one (sorry to my 10 fans out there for that one). The main reason for this blog to be started is that I inserted my opinion into a Facebook status debate about the best burger in Aiken (County).

Apparently, two restaurants, not well-known for their burgers, have decided to enter a contest between them to determine the best burger. I am familiar with the Wilcox and their food - honestly, I've never been impressed. Seems like too little for too much money, something I'm always short on. The other is Manuel's. A quick Google search tells me they (Manuel's Bread Cafe) is located in Hammond's Ferry within an up-scale part of North Augusta. Right there, I don't have faith in them creating "Aiken's Best Burger." Sorry, guys.

Along with this contest, I have always wondered how some of my favorite restaurants are awarded these "People Choice Awards" by the Aiken Standard and others for various things. I certainly didn't have a say, and I like to think I have a very good palate and taste for good food.

The other reason I am starting this blog is that it occurs to me that I like food. A LOT! I like to eat it. I like to prep it. I like to cook it. I like to serve it. Ask some of my friends and family, I like to cook and try new things on them. So, after this initial posting, I will be sure to keep up with this blog adding in new places I have eaten at, new recipes I have tried, and older ones that I have changed up. That should be a lot of fun.

Anyways, back to this contest. After making a couple comments about the above post, my buddy Dyer suggested that I should photograph the burger from each place and write about them as a way to determine the best burger in Aiken. I accepted his challenge (come on, I'm a guy who loves burgers, it didn't take a lot of arm-twisting) and we promptly made a list of those places that our friends had suggested up that they believed were the best in Aiken. No fast food joins (Wendy's, Five Guys, and other grease pits).

Now, to be fair, I will go ahead and say I already have some prior notions of who I believe is the best, but I personally cannot open my own burger place at this time. I just don't have the room, guys. Sorry. I'll work on that after I hit the lotto and buy my island and fleet of jeeps and sports cars and kayaks.

Again, I have digressed. So, below (in no particular order) is the list of places I will be "test tasting" burgers from over the next couple of weeks. I already feel my arteries closing just thinking about how many burgers I am about to consume in such a short span. But, I feel like I need to do it in a small window so I don't forget what one place was like compared to another. NOTE: this is about the burgers themselves. Not the place. While I will mention a little about the various restaurants, I will try to make sure that I don't say anything about the buildings that may make some people  avoid it just because of that. However, I am pretty certain most of these places are not going to cause someone to skip over, even the hole-in-the-wall locals.

Your contestants:

The Red Shed - Graniteville, SC

Midway Grill - Warrenville, SC
Aiken Brewing Company - Downtown Aiken, SC
Playoffs - Downtown Aiken, SC
City Billiards - Downtown Aiken, SC
Grumpy's - Aiken, SC
Blue Top Grill - Graniteville, SC
Ray's Tavern - Aiken, SC
Manuel's Bread Cafe - North Augusta, SC
The Wilcox - Downtown Aiken, SC
Betsy's on the Corner - Downtown Aiken, SC
Iron Horse Bar and Grill - Beech Island, SC
Magnolia Cafe and Market - Downtown Aiken, SC
Malia's - Downtown Aiken, SC
Cork & Bull Pub - Aiken, SC off Whiskey Rd
Gary's Hamburgers - North Augusta, SC
Trio Bar & Kitchen - Downtown Aiken, SC
Sliders - Aiken, SC

As I visit each place, I will take a picture of the burger as it is placed in front of me and then I will write a separate blog for each one. To try and keep things as fair as possible, I will order the location's "signature" burger. How it is listed on the menu is how I will get it unless there are certain things I am supposed to control like cheese choice (FYI, I almost always choose pepper jack. I guess you could say it's my jam... did I even just say that right?). By the end, I hope to have some kind of grading system in place to determine the winner and loser. So, I hope you enjoy my writings about some of the best burgers that Aiken has to offer!