In each episode, “FoodWars” travels to an American city, finds two local eateries that serve one ofthe area’s signature dishes, and hosts a blind taste test to determine whichrestaurant’s version is better. Previous shows have featured Buffalo,N.Y., where Anchor Bar and Duff’s battled overchicken wings, and Chicago,where Al’s Beef and Mr. Beef went head-to-head over who sells the best Italianbeef sandwich. Here in Milwaukee,“Food Wars” is pitting AJ Bombers versus Sobelman’s Pub & Grill to decideonce and for all who serves the best burger.
While Milwaukee’s burger rivalry doesn’t have rootsas deep as, say, the fish fry debate or the frozen custard question, the citywill certainly benefit from the notoriety generated by the Travel Channel.“Food Wars” will help Milwaukeegain a star on the culinary tour map and generate business for restaurants thatclaim burger greatness.
As far as whatingredients are used to make a quintessential Milwaukee burger, AJ Bombers co-owner JoeSorge and Sobelman’s Pub & Grill co-owner Dave Sobelman are collaboratingwith the show’s producers to decide. As we go to press, Nueske’s bacon andColby cheese look like ingredient front-runners.
“Food Wars” host CamilleFord will visit both restaurants, sample a burger from each joint, and chatwith the owners and customers. The show is edited to include a short history ofeach restaurant and the origins of Milwaukee’sfledgling but heated burger rivalry.
The end of each episodeis punctuated by a lively showdown. Loyal fans of each restaurant gather whilea panel of blindfolded judges, usually consisting of impartial localpersonalities, taste a sample of each dish and vote for his or her favorite.The restaurant with the most votes is declared the winner of Milwaukee’s food war.
Here’s a breakdown ofthe two competitors in Milwaukee’sburger battle:
AJ Bombers
1247 N. Water St.
414-221-9999
AJ Bombers is new schoolin both age and approach. Open only a year, the burger place has already beenfeatured in The Wall Street Journaland The New York Times, among otherperiodicals, for owners Joe and Angie Sorge’s effective employment of newsocial networks like Foursquare, Twitter and Facebook to grow their customerbase exponentially. From its corner on Water and Knapp streets, AJ Bombersattracts steady Downtown lunch business and a young dinner crowd with its juicyquarter-pound blended burgers served on fresh potato rolls.
When asked what makes aburger good, Joe says, “It’s all about the science of the burger, the ratios.It’s about having the right amount of meat, the right amount of cheese, theright amount of bread and the right amount of sauce. That is why I believe wewill severely dominate Sobelman’s, because that burger is all about the bun.”
Sobelman’s Pub &Grill
1900 W. St. Paul Ave.
414-931-1919
Dave and MelanieSobelman have deemed their renowned Sobelman Burger “Milwaukee’s Best Burger” since they firstopened their pub and grill in a renovated Schlitz tavern more than a decadeago. Sobelman’s boasts an enormous contingent of loyal Marquettestudents and Downtown workers willing to journey to the Menomonee Valleyfor Sobelman’s fresh Black Angus beef patties served onegg-washed country butter rolls. Dave Sobelman is so confident in his burger,in fact, that he offered Joe Sorge “Terms of Surrender” on the Sobelman’swebsite.
