The Beijinger 2013 Burger Cup Finalist: Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q
As we head into the home stretch, with the Beijinger 2013 Burger Cup culminating this Saturday (Aug 17) in the Beijinger 2013 Burger Festival at Beijing City International School (BCIS), we are reviewing all of our finalists before they cook off, face-to-face, for the title.
Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q Another veteran, Tim's brings a taste of the Lone Star State to Beijing in a tchotchke-filled environment worthy of a Texas roadhouse. The house specialty is, of course, the bar-b-q, which comes slow cooked in a wood-fired oven (try the beef brisket and wash it down with their beers on tap), but their burgers, which include the 'Classic' (RMB 48, RMB 53 with cheese), the 'Border' (RMB 62), the 'Mexican' (RMB 62, see below), the 'Mushroom Melt' (RMB 62) and the 'European' (65, served with steak and blue cheese) are also noteworthy contenders for Beijing's best.
Mexican Burger: Tim's "Mexican Burger" comes on a no-nonsense toasted bun with a side of fat Cajun seasoned potato wedges. The fat patty is generously smothered in melted cheddar covered in a bed of shredded lettuce and a dollop of subtly spicy guacamole. This burger offers a generous first bite, but I found the patty somewhat lacking in flavor (or "beefiness," if you will. On the flip side there were no structural integrity problems here; the burger buns held up well to the juices and I enjoyed my meal sans silverware. Plus, scarfing down a burger while listening to a soundtrack of Willie Nelson, Jonny Cash and Patsy Cline is always a good thing.
Price: RMB 62
Reader comment (on the Border Burger): "The burger on the other hand, was EXCELLENT. I was shocked at how good the burger was. The bun was delicious and very American (not like many of the breads I have here in China), slightly crispy on the outside, fresh, chewy, airy and delicious on the inside. The meat was well above my expectations and the jalapeno gave it a nice southwest flavor."
Why they could win it all: Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q has an established track record and is well-entrenched in Beijing burger mythology. They've stuck around for six years (their birthday celebration is on August 24 with free beer and BBQ from 4-8pm), which outstrips many foreign establishments in the local dining scene. While Tim's has faithful patrons, their burger could face stiff competition from new upstarts which have given a strong showing and been wooing the fickle hearts of Beijing diners. Nevertheless, they've made it to the Final Eight this weekend and their substantial patty should put up quite the fight.
Update: Blue Frog has withdrawn from the 2013 Burger Cup. Although they will not participate, fans of their burger may still vote for them at the event. They will be replaced by Plan B, which will be featured in a finalist spotlight Friday.
Photo: Jerry Chan
