1/27/2024 0 Comments Ireadfast macLee ate “quite a few” Big Macs throughout his menu building process - all in the name or research, of course - but his rendition, he said, is going to be more in tune with the Big Macs from back in the day, the one he's nostalgic for. It was certainly a tasty, if somewhat overwhelming, burger for someone who hasn't been to McDonald's in years - yup, not since I read " Fast Food Nation."īut will it hit all the right notes for a fan of the “ king of burgers?" They're just “putting it over the category of burgers.” It's the same philosophy of food you'd get at any of his restaurants, he said. Ringing in at $13.75 at dinner or $12.25 at lunch and served with fries, “it's not cheap,” Lee acknowledged (although it's half the price of the dry aged beef burger - 8 ounces of ground steak), but “we're hoping people are willing to pay a little more for quality.” (Be forewarned: lean over your plate or tuck a napkin in your shirt bib style or you may wear some of the Big Ed home.) It's a towering creation that may be easier consumed with a fork and a knife, but nope, Lee said, diners are meant to just squish it down and eat it. Pickles, cheddar cheese, chopped onion and lettuce finish it up. View Gallery: Look around Edward Lee's new Louisville restaurantĪs for the main event, the Big Ed is built on two 3-ounce patties of a nice quality Angus beef, Lee said, cooked to order and flattened on the grill for a nice caramelization. This cousin of remoulade, an icon in the south, is known to pair up perfectly with fried green tomatoes. Whiskey Dry's is another variation of the mayo-based sauce - “think of a tartar sauce almost, with some ketchup” - called Comeback Sauce. Then, of course, there's the special sauce, which is essentially Thousand Island dressing, he said. “It's hard because there's something nostalgic about the purely processed squishy bread McDonald's uses but we didn't want to go that far.” “It's too bready with the bun in middle,” he said. Starting with swapping out the Big Mac's middle bun. We take the concept and just do it better.” "We're seeing a chef movement where you can embrace these things but do them with better ingredients. While Lee will defend his love for fast food, “I don't care whether it's KFC or McDonald's or pizza,” he said. You may like: Morels Cafe is fast food for vegans. So when he sat down to brainstorm six or seven “really composed burgers,” for Whiskey Dry, he said, “I'm definitely doing something that feels or tastes like a Big Mac.” For whatever it's worth, it's a great burger," he said. Then “the idea of having two thin patties vs. There's a nostalgia for it.”Īnd, simply put, Lee just loves the Big Mac.įor one, there's no ketchup. “Obviously not everyone but most people of my generation, if you're anywhere near your 40s or 50s … fast food wasn't evil back then. S'mores and Almond Joy have both been re-imagined on his menus.Īs for the burger known the world around, “it was such an iconic thing,” Lee said. Well, it's not the first time he's tipped his chef's hat at a classic. Read this: Edward Lee dumps Coke in favor of 'artisanal' soda at restaurantsīut why the homage to a Big Mac to begin with, especially from a chef better known for impeccable ingredients and fine dining than for anything resembling food that comes in a wrapper? You may like: Edward Lee isn't serving 'fancy food' at Whiskey Dry Big, it seems, is a general enough word that McDonald's didn't quibble. “My lawyer was like, 'listen, pick your battles,'” and Lee - who didn't mind earlier this year speaking up about the evils of Coca Cola - followed his counsel. “I'm on McDonald's radar, that's pretty cool,” he said with a laugh. So what did he think when he saw the letter? “Basically it was a cease and desist," he said. The letter he received almost immediately from McDonald's lawyers expressed concern that “Ed Mac” was too similar to their iconic Big Mac and requested that he agree to not use it, Lee said. The name, riffed from the powerhouse Big Mac of McDonald's, was shot down pretty much the moment word hit the foodie wires that he was naming his burger after the American institution, Lee said. What you won't find is the name he originally wanted - the Ed Mac. If you go to Edward Lee's newest venture, Whiskey Dry - the burger and whiskey bar now open on Fourth Street Live - you'll find his favorite burger on the menu. Watch Video: Edward Lee's new whiskey bar is family-friendly
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |