Take a culinary trip around the world with Hard Rock Cafe's World Burger Tour

It's National Hamburger Month and it's the weekend of National Hamburger Day. While hamburgers are considered to be a classic American sandwich, Hard Rock Cafe introduced their World Burger Tour menu this month, showcasing eight international versions of their Local Legendary Burger. 

Hard Rock locations in North America are showcasing these limited-time menus through June 30 and I had an opportunity to head to the Chicago location to do a little tasting. (You can check out all the details of the menu at www.worldburgertour.com)

Hard Rock gives their chefs the freedom to create a Local Legendary Burger that captures the flavor of their city and more than 160 fan favorites were among those considered by the culinary team to be part of the World Burger Tour menu. There were eight final selections, with four available in May and the other four being introduced for June. 

For May, these were the burger flavors from around the world:

·         English Breakfast Burger (London, England) – a Certified Angus Beef® patty topped with sliced ham, a sausage patty, a fried egg, a portobello mushroom, arugula and garlic aioli and served with a side of baked beans

·         Java Lava Burger (Seattle, United States) – a Certified Angus Beef patty grilled and dressed in a house-made espresso rub and topped with lava sauce, crunchy java onions, bacon, melted Cheddar cheese and garnished with a fried jalapeño

·         Tandoori Chicken Burger (Mumbai, India) – a dark meat chicken patty seasoned with aromatic spices and fresh herbs, topped with mint mayonnaise and served with a side of cucumber 

·        Jamaican Jerk Burger (Montego Bay, Jamaica) – a Certified Angus Beef patty topped with banana pepper rings, mango jalapeño cream cheese and jerk mayonnaise 

I had a taste of three of the four. The medium-well burgers that they serve are nice quality and  a great base to start with. I was excited to try the English Breakfast Burger, which was a monster - like taller than my glass, but worth every messy bite. It was quite the meaty masterpiece with sausage and ham piled on top of the burger. Then with mushroom and tomato - and baked beans on the side, it was like a full English breakfast in a bun. The garlic aioli, which dripped out with every bite, was a delicious bonus. In lieu of regular fries, there are artisan fry options and I decided to go with Parmesan and Romano with garlic aioli. Quite a yummy side!

I snatched a bite from my husband and son of their selections. Hubby got the Jamaican Jerk Burger and I loved the spicy and sweet combo on it. He got it with a side of the herb and garlic fries with chimichurri mayo - a pretty sweet addition. 

Also loved the Java Lava Burger, a big messy heap with a little kick, which my son enjoyed with an order of poutine fries. I love poutine and these big, gooey Wisconsin curds made my cheesy heart happy.

You only have through Tuesday to try out these ones and then there's a new line-up starting Wednesday:

·         ATOMIC! Burger (Las Vegas, United States) – a Certified Angus Beef patty topped with Atomic beer-battered peppers, pepper jack cheese, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, garlic chipotle ketchup and chipotle mayonnaise

·         Tango Salsa Burger (Buenos Aires, Argentina) – a Certified Angus Beef patty topped with andouille sausage, Monterey Jack cheese, chips de batata, a fried egg, salsa criolla and garlic aioli 

·         Greek Burger (Athens, Greece) – a Certified Angus Beef patty topped with arugula, feta cheese and a tomato slice 

·         Aloha Burger (Honolulu, United States) – a Certified Angus Beef patty topped with SPAM, Monterey Jack cheese, a grilled pineapple ring with sweet soy glaze, guacamole and pico de gallo

Oh, and p.s. There are some yummy cocktails that were designed to pair with some of these tasty burgers: 

·         All Jacked Up – created to balance the Jamaican Jerk Burger’s spicy flair, this cocktail features a mix of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, PJ, Orgeat and lime juice, garnished with orange and pineapple wedges and a cherry 

·         Crisp Sipper – inspired by the Aloha Burger’s sweet and savory taste, this cocktail features a mix of Hendrick’s gin, Monin Cucumber, lemon, orange and raspberry, topped with tonic and garnished with rosemary and thyme

·         MelonPalooza – designed to complement the fresh flavors of the Greek Burger, this cocktail features a mix of Midori Melon Liqueur, Malibu Rum, Hard Rock’s house-made sour mix and PJ, garnished with slices of pineapple and strawberry

·         Sweet & Fiery – inspired by the ATOMIC! Burger’s spicy flavor, this cocktail features a mix of Absolut Peppar Vodka, Canton Ginger Liquor, Blue Curacao, lemonade and ginger beer, garnished with a red pepper 

·         Black Cherry Melonade (non-alcoholic) – created to complement the rich espresso of the Java Lava Burger, this mocktail features a mix of Black Cherry Real and Monin Cucumber, topped with ginger beer, garnished with a cucumber slice and a cherry 

Want to extend your world burger tour? If you're looking to book a rock star vacation, Hard Rock, in conjunction with global experience agency Infrared, is offering a World Burger Tour travel package that includes stops at iconic cities including London, England; Athens, Greece; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Seattle, United States. This four-stop, once-in-a-lifetime excursion celebrates the cities that inspired Hard Rock’s World Burger Tour. The 10-night trip includes flights and first-class hotel accommodations, ground transpiration and exclusive dining and music experiences at Hard Rock Cafe locations in each city is not typically available to the public, so now is your chance to take a rockin' trip around the world. More info available at worldburgertour.com.

To celebrate this world tour menu, my friends at Hard Rock are offering a gift pack to one of our Chicago Foodie Sisters followers. 

To enter the giveaway - 

1) Follow Chicago Foodie Sisters on Facebook and

Instagram.

2) Leave a comment on this blog post telling us which burger you'd most like to try.

or

3) Find our FB post at Chicago Foodie Sisters about the blog post and comment there.

Send a direct message on the Chicago Foodie Sisters Facebook page to let us know how you entered and leave your e-mail address, so that we can contact you if you win.

Do all three and you get three entries into the giveaway.

Contest closes at 11:59 on Friday, June 3. Winner will be notified on Friday, June 4.

***The information, gift card, gift pack and giveaway have been provided to me by Hard Rock International. I was provided with a complimentary meal for the purpose of a review. I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.