Port Huron now has burger bragging rights.
ZipSauce Burger, 2807 24th St., entered the Burger Battle competition in Detroit on Sunday, June 29. It was one of 10 restaurants competing with their signature burgers.
Only one would claim the title and bragging rights of Detroit’s best burger.
ZipSauce Burger, a burger joint inside a Port Huron party store/gas station, was a first timer at the event.
And it won, receiving $1,000 and a trophy.
What makes a ZipSauce Burger special?
The main ingredient in the ZipSauce Burger is the owner and founder Michael Esshaki’s trademarked ZipSauce brand that he says is sold at thousands of retailers. A zip sauce is well known as a staple sauce for steaks at restaurants all over metro Detroit.
But it’s not only the sauce served on the side for dipping, it’s also the way Esshaki, of Bloomfield Hills, and his team put together the burger.
Esshaki grills the burgers on one side with the onions and zip sauce on top. When Esshaki flips the burger with the onions, he adds more zip sauce and with the onions now the bottom, they caramelize. That zip sauce, coupled with a nicely charred burger served topped with ketchup, mayo, lettuce, cheese, pickles and served with a side of zip sauce for dipping, earned ZipSauce Burger the win.
“It was awesome and very flattering,” Esshaki said of his win. “I appreciate the help and team effort. I am very proud.”
How do I get my hands on a ZipSauce Burger?
ZipSauce Burger is a burger joint inside Industrial Park Party Store near Knox Field in Port Huron.
While Esshaki’s first Zip Sauce Burger is in Port Huron, he says he has plans to open more locations.
What to know about Detroit’s annual Burger Battle
The aroma of sizzling burgers and grilled onions wafted through the Eastern Market on Sunday, June 29. Thousands of hungry people braved hot temperatures and long lines to get a sample of burgers competing at the annual burger showdown inside and outside Eastern Markets Shed 5.
Five restaurant burgers made it to the judge’s table: Chaos Burger in downtown Detroit, Coeur in Ferndale, Kozy Lounge in Hazel Park, DropTop Pizza from Saline and Zip Sauce Burgers in Port Huron.
Full disclosure, I was judge along with Melody Baetens, restaurant critic at the Detroit News, Scott Wolchek of Fox 2 Detroit and social media influencers Christian Dorsey and Donny Wilson.
Chaos Burger came in second and Kozy Lounge in third. People’s Choice went to DropTop, and the best presentation went to Stello’s Burgers in Romulus.
Now in its ninth year, the annual Detroit Burger Battle event drew more than a dozen metro area burger restaurants set up outside of Eastern Market’s Shed 5 on Sunday.
Each restaurant and their crews fired up grills to flip burgers, putting their creative spin on them to impress and please the burger loving crowd.
A near-capacity crowd attended the event with nearly 2,000 tickets sold, event organizer Scott Rutterbush said. Dine Drink Detroit presents the annual Burger Battle, sponsored this year by Comedy Bar and Faygo.
“The exposure it gives the restaurant is amazing.” Rutterbush said. “Hopefully (attendees) will become loyal customers. It means a lot for the restaurants getting their burger in front of the right people.”
At the annual burger competition, local chefs and restaurants turned up the heat on grills delivering a delicious and juicy array of burgers for the crowd of attendees who waited in long lines to sample burgers. Restaurants created custom blend burgers that reflected what they serve at their restaurants.
Those attending could vote on what they deemed the best top 3 burgers. From that field, the top 5 burgers with the most votes moved to the judge’s table.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Port Huron burger joint located inside store/gas station takes home Burger Battle trophy
Reporting by Susan Selasky and Rhonda Clark, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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