It must get tiring at the New York Times, always following in ELV’s footsteps. But two days after my sandwich rant, comes not one but two articles in The Paper Of Record about the humble hamburger.

And just when we thought America’s greatest contribution to the food world had taken more hits than Lindsay Lohan on a weekend bender, the Times claims that the American burger is all the rage in Gay* Paree. If you can ignore the mention of Alain Ducasse’s shrimp and squid “burger,” you’ll find the Gallic flouishes to our culinary invention pretty tasty.

In the article, French chefs extol the virtues of hamburgers; one going so far as to call them “…the architecture of taste par excellence,” while expats Daniel Boulud and Laurent Tourondel** laugh when told that they helped the hamburger conquer Paris – admittedly something not that difficult to do.***

Sliding right beside it on the pages of the Times, is this explanation (known to ELV decades ago) about the evolution of the slider, and how every top chef in Manhattan is now on the White Castle bandwagon…..because “…the slider’s appeal is undeniable.” Duh!

Fun Food Fact #1: Vegas was way ahead of New York on this food fad too – because places as diverse as FIX, Simon, L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, STACK, Burger Bar, Sierra Gold and Guy Savoy et al have been serving up mini-burgers for years. Fun Food Fact #2: yours truly once ate 22 White Castles in a mano a mano eating contest with a guy who outweighed me by 90 lbs (His name was Pete Schuler and he’s a Public Defender in Louisville, Ky). He ate 24 of the suckers, but I won the symbolic prize by not puking them up as he did.****

Regardless, it’s nice to be lending a hand to those fine folks in New York, and ELV just wants the Food Editors of the NYTimes to know that we will always be here in the High Mojave Desert to show them the way.

And as long as we’re obssessing on New York, hamburgers, and Alan “The Hitman” Richman, you can go here to read about his five favorite burgers in the Big Apple.

One is compelled to ask: When will this summer love-fest of great minds grading grandiose burgers come to an end? Answer: After my next post! Stay tuned.

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* As in: mirthful and joyous

** Two Franco-American faves

*** See: Wars, World I and II

**** Thus was his pyrrhic victory as empty as his stomach.