Del Frisco’s Grille is taking the piss out of this year’s election with two novelty burgers. “The Donald” features two 4-ounce “well done” patties, aged cheddar and heirloom tomatoes, all wrapped in faux-gold foil. There’s also “The Hillary” burger featuring ingredients listed as “confidential.” A card on the table reads “I’m sorry, these ingredients are classified. To find our what is actually in the burger, email our private server at [email protected] and we’ll let you in on the big secret.”
I emailed, and here’s a clip from the auto-response email you’ll get back:
No secrets here — lamb is Hillary's favorite meat. Enjoy a handcrafted Del Frisco’s Grille Lamb Burger with roasted tomato, fresh arugula, and house-made tzatziki sauce. We listened to the warnings and haven’t forgotten the side of hot sauce – Hillary puts it on everything.On a recent visit to Del Frisco’s Grille, I had both candidate-burgers in front of me. As promised, Trump is wrapped in a golden foil. Sunrise-colored cheddar is melted over each patty. One tiny cornichon pickle is speared on top of the bun, a joke that references Trump’s tiny ... um ... hands. Rain-fresh bibb lettuce bookends the beef.
Enjoy it. Because the election should at least taste good.
I take a bite of The Donald, and it’s hit with good seasoning and is surprisingly juicy. Well done comes with air quotes at Del Frisco's Grille. I’ve had not-purposefully well done burgers that were less well done than the Donald. Del Frisco’s could have trolled us all with this burger, overcooking the patties to unappetizing hockey pucks for laughs, but unlike Trump, they show restraint. It’s a solid double cheeseburger (the beef is from Stockyard Meats, and executive chef John Holloman tells me they have a proprietary blend for all of their burgers). Folds of fresh, still-crisp lettuce help ease the heaviness of the double cheese.
And then there's the Hillary. It’s bold and big on lamb flavor. Finding a lamb burger cooked to a spot-on medium-to-medium-rare is tough, but chef Holloman drops one in front of me with ease. Bright arugula comes tossed with tzatziki sauce and nodes of roasted tomato. It crowns the lamb — which has that great grassy gaminess — in creamy lettuce. The patty is seasoned with a salt and pepper blend, Holloman tells me, and that’s it.
The Hillary is also served with a small ramekin of Sriracha. Lash the burger with a little of that hot sauce, and you have a lamb burger that makes America great again.
The Presidential burgers are available at all Del Frisco's Grille locations through July.