The Temecula Valley's 'Best Hamburgers' Revealed

TEMECULA, CA — Alright, Temecula. The judges have spoken (albeit with a mouthful of delicious local grub). The results from the second annual "battle of the burgers" are in.

Ten restaurants from across the Temecula Valley competed on Saturday in the event at Pechanga Resort Casino to claim the title of either "judges choice" or "people's choice." Those competing included Baily’s Old Town, Burger Lounge, Burgers & Beer, Café Champagne at Thornton Winery, Crush & Brew, Devilicious Eatery, Mad Madeline’s Grill, Matty G’s Steakburgers, Naughty Pig Butchery, and Siggy’s.

"People love to eat a good burger when they travel, and we want to show Temecula Valley has some great dining options that can compete with the best of them," says Annette Brown, Director of Public Relations at Visit Temecula Valley.

Also at the event, Pechanga chefs teamed up with local Temecula Valley High School students to create "loaded fries" recipes using things like Hawaiian shrimp, short rib gravy, Sriracha shredded chicken, spiced caramel sauce, pork sisig, mayo wasabi crème sauce, sweet and sour teriyaki, tomato feta oregano puree, bolognaise meat sauce, and buffalo ranch arabesque. Yummy!

The "best" burger winners are as follows:

Burger Winners, Judge’s Choice:

• First Place – Burger Lounge, The Valley Special/The Dude Ranch
• Second Place – Naughty Pig, The Royale with Cheese
• Third Place – Crush & Brew, Whiskey Burger

Burger Winners, People’s Choice:

• First Place – Mad Madeline’s Grill, Chili Relleno Burger
• Second Place – Burger Lounge, The Valley Special/The Dude Ranch
• Third Place – Naughty Pig, The Royale with Cheese

The "best" loaded fries winners are as follows:

Loaded Fries Winners, Judge’s Choice:

• First Place – Chef Garcia at Paisano’s with student Sebastian Ariola
• Second Place – Chef Shenk with student Mattie Dominguez
• Third Place – Chef Capacia at Journey’s End with student Adam Boggess

Loaded Fries Winners, People’s Choice:

• First Place – Chef Shenk with student Mattie Dominguez
• Second Place – Chef Marlene Moore at Temptations Food Court with students Miles McKinzie and Griffin Merrick
• Third Place (Tie) – Chef Capacia at Journey’s End with student Adam Boggess
• Third Place (Tie) – Chef Nuguid (Assistant Executive Chef) with student Adam Boggess

The event was a collaborative effort between Visit Temecula Valley, Pechanga Resort Casino, and Temecula Valley Unified School District and is set to return again in 2019.

— Images courtesy of Visit Temecula Valley