Welcome back to Prime Time, Chef Vincent. It’s great to see you AND your Vincent Burger back in the spotlight at your new French casual restaurant, Chloe By Vincent.
It was 2014. I hadn’t started my Burger Blog yet, but I was taking pictures of, and writing notes on, some of the more well known burgers in the Twin Cities. I remember very well, my visit to Vincent A Restaurant, to try the Vincent Burger with my coworkers. I was excited to try it back then, and I was certainly excited to try it again.
You know the saying, “It’s not what’s on the outside that matters, but what’s on the inside.” What’s on the inside of the Vincent Burger is simply delightful.
The beef is an 80/20 grind, seasoned with salt and pepper. It’s grilled on the flattop and comes in at just over a half pound. If you didn’t know, by definition, this is a stuffed burger. Chef actual calls it An American Burger made by a French Chef. The magic inside is smoked Gouda cheese from Holland. It’s creamy, nutty and fantastic. More magic comes from the short ribs that are braised in a tamarind tomato base with spices, garlic and brown sugar, which was a recipe Chef learned at Lespinasse restaurant in New York City.
After a couple bites, the flavors of the smoked Gouda and the braised short rib will dazzle you. The beef is soft and melts in your mouth. There is more. An amazing cornichon sauce, which includes French cornichons, mayonnaise, ketchup and a bit of tabasco to give it a zing. Yes, get a side for the frites as well. The Franklin Street Bakery egg bun is soft and nicely toasted.
It does come to you open faced with a few sliced tomatoes, a few slices of raw onion and some shredded lettuce. You decide what you want to keep or discard. I actually did add a little shredded Gouda to the top of my patty. You don’t need it at all. The bun is a little bigger than the patty, but just fine.
This burger is even better than when I first had it 9 years ago. You’ll love it!
