Whether you grill it naked, top it with blue, load it with jalapenos or baste it with beer, we want to know what you think makes a fantastic burger.

Starting this Memorial Day the Mt Washington Tavern (MWT) is hosting “Get in our Grill”, a burger recipe competition that will award the ultimate burgermeister with one seriously rewarding prize:

The winning recipe will receive:

• Top billing on our July-August menu

• $50 gift card to the Mt Washington Tavern

• MWT T-shirt & Hat

While our burgers are rated some of the most delicious this side of Baltimore, we’re looking to add one more burger to our summer menu.  And it just might be your burger that makes the cut…

Our chefs and culinary consultants will be judging based on originality, use of ingredients and “grill-ability”. Better hurry – “Get in our Grill” before June 20 to enter!  For rules and regulations, visit mtwashingtontavern.com/events-promotions

Burger on the Brain? Want to be the envy of your next family reunion on BBQ gathering? Here’s a look inside the burger and how it became one of America’s favorite gastro-icons:

• The burger dates back to the 13^th century; according to legend, as Nomadic horseman made their way across Russia and Eastern Europe they placed filets under their saddles for safekeeping.  By dinner the meat was tenderized and ready to mince and eat.
• The burger originated – as did it’s name – in Hamburg, Germany where merchant sailors observed Latvians consuming early versions of steak tartare Fascinated by the chopped meat, the sailors brought it back to Hamburg where resourceful chefs first fired them up and served them warm.
• 1834:  the very first Americanized version of the burger  – the Hamburg Steak  -appeared on the menu at the renowned Delmonico’s restaurant.
• 1892: at the Summit Couty fair in Ohio, Frank Menches introduced the sandwich at his booth when he ran out of bulk pulled pork and substituted beef instead.  It was an instant hit!
• 1904: the burger becomes a widespread sensation at the World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri.  As the story goes, fair vendor,  Fletcher Davis, a lunch counter owner from  Athens, TX, fired up burgers as we know them today and served them en masse.
• 1916:  a short order cook, J. Walter Anderson, creates the first burger bun. Prior, burgers were first served between two slices of white bread.  Anderson later went on to become the founder of White Castle.
• 1921: White Castle becomes the first American hamburger chain – where Anderson, and partner Billy Ingram, served up square burgers that would change America’s love for fast food forever.
• 1924: In an ironic twist, California-chef Lionel Sternberger concepts the first “cheese burger” at his Pasadena-based restaurant The Rite Spot.
• 1937: The double decker burger is invented by Bob Wian, who would later found Bob’s Big Boy, at his first hamburger stand in Glendale, California.
• Today, burgers remain one of America’s favorite foods.  Each year, more than xx% of the American population will prepare or order at least one burger.

Sources: Tennyson, Jeffrey, “Hamburger Heaven” and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Derby Day Fare

• Burgoo – Traditional Derby Day Stew.  Click here for the recipe.
• Kentucky Hot Brown – Open-faced hot turkey and bacon sandwiches
• Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

Derby Day Drink Specials

• Churchill Downs – Sweet Tea Vodka, Lemonade and Iced Tea with Fresh Mint garnish
• Louisville Iced Tea – Vodka, Rum, Gin, Tequila, Triple Sec, Sour and a Slash of Coke
• Mint Julep – Kentucky Bourbon, Fresh Mint, Simple Syrup and Water, Shaken and served over Crushed Ice
• Run for The Roses – Mandarin Vodka, Cranberry, Lime Juice and Triple Sec over Crushed Ice

The Kentucky Derby is a stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, staged yearly in Louisville, Kentucky on The Derby is frequently referred to as “The Run for the Roses,” because a garland of red roses is awarded to the Kentucky Derby winner each year. The tradition is as a result of New York socialite E. Berry Wall presenting roses to ladies at a post-Derby party in 1883 that was attended by Churchill Downs president, Col. M. Lewis Clark. This gesture is believed to have eventually led Clark to the idea of making the rose the race’s official flower. However, it was not until 1896 that any recorded account referred to roses being draped on the Derby winner.

Spend your day with us! For the Kentucky Derby Schedule, click here.

To kick off the celebration of one of America’s greatest comfort foods, Baltimore’s own Mt. Washington Tavern is launching a brand new Artisan Grilled Cheese menu featuring select combinations of gooey, gourmet goodness.  All sandwiches $8.25 Served with a pickle and sweet potato fries. including:

•    Don Quixote Spaniard: Wheatberry Bread with Manchego Cheese, Prosciutto Ham and Brown Sugar Red Onions
•    All American: Thick Cut Rye with American Cheese, Applewood Bacon and Tomato
•    Three Cheese and Tomato: Vermont Cheddar, Havarti And Goat Cheese with Tomato on Wheatberry Bread

“Grilled Cheese is undeniably America’s greatest comfort food,” said Rob Frisch, proprietor of the Mt. Washington Tavern. “It’s a versatile dish that can be dressed up to go gourmet, or dressed down and served in its most classic style. Our variations feature local and regional farm fresh cheeses, artisan breads and accompaniments that are sure to make a mouth water.”

The modern version of the Grilled Cheese sandwich originated in the U.S. circa the 1920s when inexpensive sliced bread and American cheese was easily available.  Originally the dish was prepared as an open sandwich with the top slice of bread being added by the 1960s.  Depending on the region, a Grilled Cheese sandwich can be made in a variety of ways; preparations include griddle-style, pan frying, broiling, or cooked on a Panini grill or sandwich toaster.

Great Moments in Grilled Cheese*:

•    At the Grilled Cheese Invitational cook-off held annually, contestants attempt to cook the best Grilled Cheese sandwich in various categories. The most recent winner of the Grilled Cheese Invitational was the “Cake and Mivens”, a dessert grilled cheese sandwich that featured the Peeps marshmallow candy.

•    On November 23, 2004, a grilled cheese sandwich containing a supposed likeness of the Virgin Mary was sold at auction for $28,000. It remained free of mold for ten years because the ingredients retarded its development.

•    Sonya Thomas is the reigning World Grilled Cheese Eating Championship. At just 100 pounds, the female competitive eater consumed 25 grilled cheese sandwiches in 10 minutes.

•    A variety of different names denote the same sandwich, such as cheese toastie or toasted cheese sandwich; in the UK and New Zealand it goes by toastie, in Australia it is called a cheese jaffle. In the Netherlands it is called a tosti. In South Africa the toasted cheese sandwich is called a “rarebit”.

* Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grilled_cheese#Grilled_cheese_sandwich

Like any great wine – many of which we poure straight from our cellar – some things only get better with age.

As we turn 30 this year, we invite you to join in our year long celebration and take advantage of delicious deals and promotions, fun food offerings, happy hour specials and more.

To get your started, here’s a hint: if you haven’t checked out our new Dine for $30 promotion then you don’t know what you’re missing.  Two can savor a shared appetizer, an entree each and two glasses of wine -all for $30. Click on the ad to the left of this post to learn more, download our special Dine for Two menu by clicking here, or visit www.mtwashingtontavern.com. Read more…

Wednesday, March 10 | 6:30-8:30pm
Tickets are $25 per person
(Buy them @ missiontix.com)

Enjoy a collection of Tango Tango wines including Torrontes.

Unique to Argentina and not yet widely available in the US, the Torrontes is a wine full of personality. It has brilliant yellow colors with sharp gleams along with powerful aromas of fower blossoms such as jasmines and roses. It has a very fresh taste and elegant finish. In time, the Torrontes could rival the popularity of the Malbec.

As we turn 30 this year, we invite you to join in our year long celebration and take advantage of delicious deals and promotions, fun food offerings, happy hour specials and more.

To get your started, here’s a hint: if you haven’t checked out our new Dine for $30 promotion then you don’t know what you’re missing.  Two can savor a shared appetizer, an entree each and two glasses of wine -all for $30. Click on the ad to the left of this post to learn more, download our special Dine for Two menu by clicking here, or visit www.mtwashingtontavern.com.

And for those of you who are counting, yes, we’re proud to be a child of the seventies, born 1979.

Peace, love and all good meals!