Food Adventures: Blue Moon Burger Bash

The New York Wine and Food Festival came and went with a vengeance. (I started to consider a juice fast on Monday morning. That didn’t happen.) This year, brought dozens of events taking place across multiple boroughs each day of the fest, Thursday through Sunday. As always, Blue Moon Burger Bash, presented by Pat LaFrieda Meats and hosted by Rachael Ray was one of the most popular happenings. Take a peek into the gluttonous, beef-filled event.

Sara Ventiera is a roaming eater and traveler who looks for amusing stories across the United States. She works from New York, Los Angeles and various places in between. Her work has appeared in theVillage Voice, New York Daily News, Zagat, FoodNetwork.com and more.

1 of 19 Rachael Ray and her husband, John Cusimano, walked around the event, occasionally stopping to take pictures with fans. Here, they are pictured with writer Allen Salkin (second from left), myself and Miami New Times food editor, Laine Doss. Photo: Sara Ventiera

2 of 19 Brindle Room, in NYC's East Village, showed up in full force with its signature burger and house-made hot sauce. Photo: Sara Ventiera

3 of 19 Those Brindle Room burgers feature a house-blend of aged-beef, American cheese and caramelized onions on a Martin's Potato Roll. Photo: Sara Ventiera

4 of 19 The event featured multiple bars pouring wine, beer and Scotch, spread throughout the space. Photo: Sara Ventiera

5 of 19 Chef Nedal Ahmad, co-founder of Pincho Factory flew up from Miami to serve his famous Tostone Burger, a beef patty topped with Monterrey Jack cheese, lettuce, tomato and cilantro mayo, nestled between tostone buns.

6 of 19 The Pincho Factory's Tostone Burger is a Miami specialty. Photo: Sara Ventiera

7 of 19 Mama's Boy Burgers from Tannersville, New York, served its Catskill's Chopped Cheese, a beef patty chopped up with caramelized onions and griled, finished with tomato, shredded lettuce, Mama's Boy's special sauce and a house-made cheddar cheese sauce, served on a Martin's Hoagie Roll. Photo: Sara Ventiera

8 of 19 The legendary 21 Club offered its decadent, the Foie, a beef burger topped with -- you guessed it -- foie gras, duck and cured pork pate, Swiss cheese, onion marmalade, shredded lettuce and tarragon-mustard aioli on a brioche bun with house-made chips on the side.

9 of 19 This photo does not do this burger justice: David's Cafe's The Burger Queen was the best burger of the evening. It featured double beef patties, American cheese, kosher dill pickles, tomatoes, romaine chiffonade and condiments sauce on a sesame bun with a side of Bearnaise potato chips. It won first place by the judges. Photo: Sara Ventiera

10 of 19 James Beard award-winner chef Michael White passed out the signature burgers from his high-end French Upper East Side restaurant, Vaucluse. The White Label Burger is made from an aged-beef blend, topped with fontina cheese, tomato jam and dijonaise. Photo: Sara Ventiera